RJ’s Colton Lochhead promoted to Carson City bureau chief
Colton Lochhead started his career at the Las Vegas Review-Journal at a time when most people aren’t awake.
From 5 to 9 a.m., he monitored the police scanners as a crime intern and student at UNLV.
“It was my first real dive into news,” said Lochhead, a Las Vegas local who has worked at the Review-Journal since 2012. “I enjoyed telling those stories and informing the public.”
Fast forward from 2012 to 2018, and Lochhead will be starting a new role April 16 as Carson City bureau chief.
“Colton is well-prepared for his new role with the Review-Journal,” Editor-in-Chief Keith Moyer said. “He understands Nevada’s political landscape and, as a lifelong Nevada resident, has institutional knowledge that goes well beyond his years with the Review-Journal. He has done award-winning investigative work, and he has covered elections, state agencies and the Legislature itself.”
Lochhead has covered a variety of topics for the newspaper, from crime to various local government municipalities, politics and marijuana.
“I’ve been a Nevadan for 28 years, covering various aspects of Clark County, and I look forward to expanding my look beyond Las Vegas and Clark County,” he said. “I want to make sure the government is doing what it needs to for the people of Nevada.”
In his time as a reporter, Lochhead covered the 2014 deaths of Metropolitan Police Department officers Igor Soldo and Alyn Beck, who were shot and killed while having lunch at a local CiCi’s pizza restaurant.
In 2016, Lochhead authored a series of stories that unveiled abuses and a lack of oversight within a Clark County program meant to help some of Southern Nevada’s most vulnerable residents — the old, alone and infirm. His stories on the guardianship program resulted in several indictments as well as changes to a severely overburdened system. His reporting won the 2016 community service award from the Nevada Press Association.
Lochhead soon moved on to take over the marijuana beat, which he hopes to incorporate into his new position.
“I’ve watched the state government take something from the ground up and come up with a structure and regulation for a newly legal vice,” he said.
He also wants to be a part of covering the positive and negative impacts of the growing state of Nevada.
“Being in the capital gives me an opportunity to tell the fascinating stories that are out there that have been generally undercovered in Nevada,” he said.
“It’s crucial that the Review-Journal has a strong presence in the capital to serve as a watchdog over state government, and Colton gives us that,” said Peter Johnson, assistant managing editor for news and business.
Review-Journal politics editor Robert Johnson agreed.
“Colton’s smart, he’s well-sourced, he’s versatile,” he said. “He enjoys writing stories that would make a difference, and being in Carson City will give him the opportunity to write those stories more.”
Lochhead said he’s excited that his new role will give him the chance to shed light on tax-funded systems in areas where Nevadans get taken advantage of, “especially in the areas where the government is involved.”
“That’s journalism at its core,” he said. “Explaining the world around us and holding those in power accountable.”
Contact Briana Erickson at berickson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5244. Follow @brianarerick on Twitter.
