Anyone wandering around the halls of Nashua City Hall may have seen a new face in recent weeks.

Patrick Meighan, a veteran journalist who had been covering the town of Merrimack for us in recent years, officially was named our new City Hall reporter on June 30.

He replaces Andrew Nelson, who left The Telegraph last month after his wife took a new job in Atlanta. (Read the "Andrew's Farewell to Nashua" blog item of June 3 here.)

Pat began working at The Telegraph in April 1997 -- on April Fools Day, to be exact -- and quickly became our regional editor, a position he held up until a few years ago when he decided he wanted to get back into reporting. As many of you know, he is also a frequent contributor to our Encore section.

Pat, 47, is originally from the Pittsburgh area and graduated from Penn State University in 1982. Previously, he worked at The Chronicle of Willimantic, Conn., The Greeley Tribune of Greeley, Colo., and The Bristol Press of Bristol, Conn.

So please take a moment to introduce yourself to Pat if you have a story idea, a question or just want to say hello. He is based in our downtown Main Street office and can be reached directly at 594-6518 or pmeighan@nashuatelegraph.com.

Oh, and did I mention he's a Steelers' fan?