FRANKLIN
Andrew Lind, originally from Gibsonburg, Ohio, has joined The Tidewater News as a staff writer. He will be taking over the beats of the Southampton County Board of Supervisors and the Southampton County Public School Division.

Lind graduated this year from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, which is where the broadcast journalism department is.

“We’re really excited to have Andrew join us,” said Tony Clark, publisher of The Tidewater News. “Even though he’s an Ohio State Buckeye, he will be a good fit right here in the middle of Hokie and Hoo country.”

Lind will be a staff addition, rather than replacing someone. This will enable The Tidewater News to have a reporter dedicated to covering the governments and school boards for Franklin, Isle of Wight County and Southampton County.

“It really says something about the direction our company is headed and the support we continue to receive from the community, that we are able to grow our news staff in an era when other newspapers are making significant layoffs,” Clark said.

In October, Norfolk-based Landmark Media Enterprises L.L.C., owner of The Virginian-Pilot, announced it was cutting its news staff by 25 percent, reducing the size of its newsroom to less than half of what it was in 2007.