Veteran reporter Nicole Montesano joins Smoke Signals

Staff writer Nicole Montesano joined the newsroom of Smoke Signals on June 24, after 30 years with the News-Register newspaper in McMinnville.

Montesano covered county government and politics for the last 10 years for the News-Register, along with writing about the COVID-19 pandemic beginning in 2020 and assorted other issues.

Before 2014, Montesano covered the city of McMinnville for 14 years. She also spent several years covering courts, health and human services, and small towns. She also wrote a cooking column from 1998 through 2017.

Montesano said she is excited to join Smoke Signals.

“I feel incredibly lucky to be given the opportunity to write for a top newspaper about the history, culture and continuing journey of the Tribe,” Montesano said. “I look forward to learning more about the Tribe’s work.”

Smoke Signals Editor Danielle Harrison said that Montesano was the ideal selection from the pool of candidates for the vacant staff writer position.

“Nicole has been a journalist working in rural communities for decades and understands how to connect with people,” she said. “During her first few weeks, she has shown her journalistic skill by covering a breaking news story and through her well-written copy that needs very little editing.”

Montesano grew up in southern Oregon, moving to the Willamette Valley as a teenager. She attended Western Oregon State College and graduated in 1992 with a degree in English.

She now lives in the Eola Hills outside Amity with her husband, Rick, two cats and a dog. She enjoys cooking, reading and gardening, and is slowly growing a small market farm.

She can be contacted at 503-879-1463 or nicole.montesano@grandronde.org.