Stephanie Salmons

Business, tourism and the economy are all important facets of life in the Islands, but nothing can happen on those beats without people. I love telling the stories of your friends and neighbors, your coworkers and leaders, people who are making the decisions that affect your life and cool people who are doing cool things. Like most reporters, I'm nosy. I like to know about people —what they're doing and why, what makes them tick, etc.

At Aloha State Daily, I'm excited to be a small part of building something awesome from the ground up. And I believe in our mission! Regardless of where you live, the role of local news doesn't change — it's important in keeping our communities informed about the things that impact our daily lives and holding people in positions of power accountable. Not to mention, Hawaiʻi has a lot of awesome stories to tell and I'm beyond grateful and excited to be able to share them.

Originally from Kentucky, I've lived in Hawaiʻi for almost seven years now - including 3.5 years in Hilo on Hawaiʻi Island and another three years in Honolulu. I now live in Honolulu with my husband, who was born and raised here.

A lifelong writer and storyteller, I graduated from Murray State University with a degree in print journalism in 2007 and have spent the better part of the past 17 years working as a reporter. For most of my career, I've worked at community-focused papers in North Carolina, Kentucky and Hawaiʻi, covering communities big, small and in between, telling stories important to the people who live there. That's a big reason why I'm so passionate about community journalism and the role of hyperlocal news within the places we live, work and play.