‘You’re from Arizona? What are you doing here?’

The Newton Daily News has welcomed its newest reporter, Anthony Victor Reyes, to the Hawkeye State.

Reyes will serve primarily as a reporter for the Jasper County Tribune and Prairie City News but will also contribute to the Newton Daily News.

After living in Tucson, Ariz., for the last 18 years, 24-year-old Reyes decided to move to Iowa and join the newspaper staff. There was one simple reason why Reyes opted to trade his shorts and sandals for a wool coat: he loves community journalism.

Reyes graduated from the University of Arizona in 2014, with a bachelor of arts in journalism and a minor in business management.

For the last two years, Reyes served Tucson’s NBC-affiliate, KVOA as a web content producer. During his time there, he wrote and edited content that reached thousands across southern Arizona.

Previously, he contributed to several Tucson-area publications, including the Arizona Daily Star, the Vail Voice and the Tombstone Epitaph. He wrote numerous stories covering topics from a man and his trek on foot across the nation to a high-speed chase across town.

Although the Old Pueblo will always be home to Reyes, he is excited to start his new life in Iowa.