Stewart, who will be reporting on local government issues, is a veteran newspaper reporter who has covered government and politics in Washington, D.C., and across the country in state capitals and city halls.  He was a national correspondent for Scripps-Howard Newspapers, reporting on Congress and the Defense Department. He was the South Texas bureau chief for the Dallas Times Herald and wrote about the real estate business for the Dallas Morning News. He started his career in Alabama, covering local and state politics for the Birmingham Post-Herald. He has also written articles for several magazines and wrote a book on outsourcing to India. A native of Birmingham, Stewart graduated from Phillips Academy in Andover and from Princeton University in New Jersey.