More on this in a bit, but here's the internal announcement from editor Thom Fladung. Hoppin replaces Rachel Stassen-Berger, who begins at the Star Tribune later this month:

All: Jason Hoppin will be joining our state capitol reporting team.

Jason came to the Pioneer Press in November 2004, as a north suburbs reporter. In September 2005, Jason moved to St. Paul city hall. Prior to coming to the Pioneer Press, he'd done seven years of daily journalism in California.

To his new job, Jason brings a dogged approach to reporting combined with a vibrant writing style. He also has shown a particular facility for breaking news on a day-to-day basis while he continues working on longer-term efforts that turn into high-impact enterprise.

Over the past couple years, Jason's work has been marked by leading the way for us in the aftermath of the 35W bridge collapse -- including stories identifying a too-thin gusset plate as a primary cause, a finding later upheld by federal investigators. Jason also was a key participant in the Coleman-Franken election coverage. And along the way contributed numerous 1A and 1B stories on a multitude of issues.

Jason is wrapping up work on a couple of projects. We expect him to officially join the capitol team in early fall. We will not be replacing Jason in St. Paul.

Please join us in welcoming Jason to his new beat.