Meet Alan Torres, The Register-Guard's local government reporter

Alan Torres, a recent graduate with a double major in business and journalism from the University of Oregon, has started covering Eugene, Springfield and Lane County governments as a local government reporter for The Register-Guard.

"Government has the power to touch nearly every aspect of people's lives, from what the social safety net looks like to how clean the air and dirt is," Torres said. "But most people don't have the time to follow government closely."

Torres spent the first two weeks on the job talking with as many residents and Eugene, Springfield and Lane County officials as possible to get their perspectives on local issues. In his most recent week, he spent more than 15 hours attending public meetings covering Eugene City Council, the Lane County Commission, EWEB and the Department of Environmental Quality.

"I'm excited to spend my time at meetings like these to help people understand what their elected officials are doing and what it means," Torres said.

He's still got a long list of people to meet. He'd also like to hear from readers about the issues they believe need to be covered and why it is important to them. You may reach him at atorres@gannett.com.

"I'm looking forward to doing my part in helping these community members and everyone I can stay informed," he said.

Cherrill Crosby is the executive editor of The Register-Guard and the Salem Statesman Journal. You may reach her at crosbyc@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Alan Torres, The Register-Guard's local government watchdog reporter