Introducing Alex Acquisto & Valarie Spears

We want you, our readers, to know who it is that’s bringing you the news you’re reading here at the Lexington Herald-Leader. You’ve likely seen the names that accompany a story, but that’s still a bit impersonal.

Over the next several weeks, we’ll introduce you to the reporters, editors, producers and other staffers who work here at the Herald-Leader — the folks who work hard to bring you the news you’ve come to rely on and trust over the years.

To continue this ongoing series, here are two new folks we’re happy to introduce.

Valarie Spears

Hi, I’m Valarie Spears. I was born and raised in Lexington, a graduate of Henry Clay High School and Transylvania University. I always wanted to work for the Herald-Leader and by the time I was 20, I was reporting and writing about my fellow Kentuckians.

I have southeastern Kentucky roots and the most supportive family and friends, readers and subscribers anyone could ask for. Whether I’m covering Fayette County Public Schools, statewide K-12 education, the General Assembly, social problems, tragedies or issues unique to Lexington and Kentucky, I aim for accountability and to give it all my passion.

Reach me at vhoneycutt@herald-leader.com

Read some of Valarie’s recent work:

• Lexington teens lived on their own in high school, still graduated and are college bound

• After two lung transplants and long recovery, Lexington teacher returns home for Thanksgiving

• KY superintendent told teacher she had ‘poor work ethic.’ Now she’s on the school board

Alex Acquisto

Hi, I’m Alex Acquisto. I’ve covered public health-related news at the Herald-Leader since 2019, when I was hired as a Report for America corps member. Though I’m a Kentucky native – I grew up in Owensboro – I started my journalism career in Maine in 2016 with the Bangor Daily News. There, I hopped from coverage of the Midcoast region of the state, to the metro desk, and finally to politics.

During my time at the Herald-Leader, covering public health has included the COVID-19 pandemic, the opioid epidemic, and dwindling access to abortion and gender-affirming medical care. Working as a journalist in my home state after living away for so long continues to be uniquely rewarding. Kentucky is such a rich and fascinating place, and I consider it a great privilege to tell stories about the people who live here.

Reach me at aacquisto@herald-leader.com

Read some of Alex’s recent work:

• A ‘twisted’ experience. How KY’s abortion bans are depriving pregnant patients of health care

• ‘I’m a human.’ Kentucky’s trans youth dread what state health care ban will mean for them

• An illegal psychedelic could change how KY treats opioid addiction. It’s not without risk

Thank you for being a reader, and hopefully a subscriber as well, although if you’re not the latter we do encourage you to remedy that. We’ll see you back here next week with more smiling faces to introduce.

Click here to subscribe to the Herald-Leader’s assortment of newsletters. Follow the Herald-Leader on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Download our mobile app too.

Check out today’s eEdition, and support local journalists with a subscription.

Andrew Henderson

Lexington Herald-Leader

Andrew is the deputy audience editor for McClatchy’s mid-sized and smaller newsrooms. His home newsroom is the Lexington Herald-Leader and he occasionally writes opinion columns for the paper. He was previously the editor of the Oldham Era and is a graduate of Western Kentucky University. Andrew is from Olive Hill in Carter County.