It feels good to be home.

OK, full disclosure. Butler is not my hometown. However, I was born and raised in Pittsburgh and attended North Hills High School, which is not far from Butler, of course. But I did live in Butler for a short period of time in the early 1990s.

As a young journalist, one of my early jobs was working as a sportswriter for the Eagle. I was here only about a year, but during that time I learned a lot about the area. I covered everything from high school football to track and field. I’ve been to a lot of the high schools — I remember covering a high school football game at Moniteau where the games started early because fog often rolled in. And I’ve stood in the pouring rain at Butler Area High School covering track.

It was a learning experience, for sure.

Now, I’m back. To say that life comes full circle would truly be an understatement. Never in a million years did I expect to be back in Butler. But here I am.

Over the past couple of decades, I’ve worked for several newspapers — both small and large. About five years ago, I put my career as a sportswriter behind me for my first job as managing editor of a weekly in Centre County, home of Penn State University.

I was on the front lines during the Jerry Sandusky scandal, which rocked the university and that region to its core. Those stories were difficult to write. But lessons were learned and since that time, there have been policies put in place to make sure that nothing like that ever happens again.

But back to Butler.

I am excited beyond belief to be the new managing editor of the Eagle. The departure of Mark Mann means that I have big shoes to fill, but I believe I am up to the challenge. Make no mistake about it, the Eagle is a wonderful newspaper. I know how important a newspaper can be to its community, and the Eagle is an integral part of this one.

Although I’ve only been in town for a few weeks, I’ve already had a chance to meet a lot of loyal Eagle readers — mostly while I’ve been looking for a place to live. Everyone I’ve met has welcomed me to the area in one way or another. I can’t tell you how many “Welcome to Butler” handshakes I’ve gotten over the past couple of weeks.

The Eagle will continue to do the things you love. But over the next several months, I hope to add a few new wrinkles to the paper. You’ll see some new things — and I hope that you’ll like them.

A local newspaper should reflect its community. I feel that the Eagle does that, but there is always room for improvement.

If you have story ideas or suggestions on how we can improve things, I urge you to reach out to me. You can e-mail me at cmorelli@butlereagle.com or give me a call at 724-282-8000, ext. 239.

I look forward to hearing from you — and I am thrilled to be back.

Chris Morelli is the managing editor of The Butler Eagle.