William Yelterton Pasco County editorial writer Phone number: (813) 948-4228  E-mail William Yelterton

Age: 45

Years at the Tribune: 18

Years as editorial writer and columnist: 7

How I joined the editorial board: Became interested in writing opinion after covering a variety of beats at the Tribune and realizing I had a passion to propose solutions to local and statewide problems and point out injustices that have fallen through bureaucratic cracks. My rural roots and upbringing made my base in Pasco County a perfect fit.

Hometown: Farmville, N.C.

First 22 years: Lived on parents' North Carolina tobacco farm

College: 1982 graduate of East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., with degrees in English and journalism

Married: To Jill for 17 years

Children: 16-year-old twins, Emily and Ryan

Pets: Chow mix, Tilly; Doberman, Henry; five American quarter horses, Flash, Zip, Maggie, Peaches and Cinnamon; and one calico cat named Callie that doesn't consider itself a family member, and her pal Chico, a gray cat that spent a full week in the top of a tree, apparently auditioning for "Survival"

Favorite activities: Spending time with family and horses on ranch outside Dade City; listening to jazz or the Rolling Stones; following the North Carolina Tar Heels, Tampa Bay Bucs and Devil Rays.

Book by bedside: "Victorian Love Poems,'' compiled by Leah S. Matthews