Nicolle Sartain takes over as editor of The News Courier on June 8, 2022.

The News Courier has hired a new editor. Nicolle Sartain will take the reigns of the paper starting Wednesday, June 8. Sartain replaces Tom Mayer as editor as he joins The News Courier’s sister paper in Cullman County as editor.

“We’re excited to have Nicolle join the team,” said Katherine Miller, publisher of The News Courier. “Her commitment to local, community journalism dovetails perfectly with our commitment to continue providing Limestone with the news that matters to those who live, work and play in our county.”

“I got my dream job,” Sartain said. “You probably think that’s an exaggeration, but I’m not kidding. I fell in love with newspapers, and at a pretty young age to know exactly what you want to do in life. But, I had always liked writing, and by the time I got to high school, I knew I wanted to be not just any writer, but a journalist.”

Sartain has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Georgia. She served twice as the Editor-in-Chief of The Red & Black, the school’s newspaper.

“When it came time to submit college applications there was really only one I wanted, not just because I was a Georgia gal, but because it’s one of the top journalism schools in the country. And the second I got there, I marched my way up Baxter hill to the office of the newspaper,” she said.

Sartain worked as a reporter, city editor and news editor, creating new beats that served the town of Athens, Ga., beyond just the college. She said she worked to make personal connections a priority.

“I’m grateful now to be living here, in a town of the same name, just jumping over the state line from where I grew up. I hope to connect with everyone in the community here in all in the same ways,” Sartain said.

Prior to moving to Limestone County, Sartain lived in Atlanta and worked as a researcher for CNN. She researched stories that shaped the world during the COVID-19 pandemic, presidential election and the war in Ukraine, to name just a few.

“I have a steadfast dedication to the truth and fact finding. Don’t let the name of the place I worked for turn you away now. My career has been dedicated to the mission of journalism — seek truth and report it. Now, I get to bring my work back to a hyperlocal level as the editor of The News Courier,” Sartain said.

The way that Limestone County is growing is not lost on Sartain, and it’s not the first time she’s worked for the news in a period such as that either.

She worked in the Savannah area producing local news for a TV station, covering everything from severe weather to elections and military to farmers. And while Savannah itself is a well-established city, the surrounding areas are growing exponentially like the town here.

“Where I lived in Pooler, my grandparents lived for many years prior, and as a kid I watched the trees on the side of the road we traveled to Granny and Poppa’s house get plowed down as buildings and businesses popped up in their place,” she said. “When I moved there, that hadn’t stopped, and in fact, it was happening further and further out.”

Sartain said change creates opportunity and innovation, noting that it’s her job to make sure The News Courier documents it all to tell the story of Athens.

“It’s my hope that becoming a part of this community will help me share more of those stories from east to west and from the Tennessee state line to the Tennessee River,” Sartain said. “So, thank you in advance for sharing your lives with me and the team here. Being your editor is the dream of a young girl manifesting in this woman’s reality.”