Newsmakers

Terry Armstrong earned the citizen of the year honor from the Throckmorton County Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture. Armstrong is publisher of the Throckmorton Tribune and was recognized for work to beautify the community.

The Austin American-Statesman named Juan Elizondo state editor and Debbie Hiott metro editor.

Austin Community Newspapers named Tammy Moore as general manager. She had been national accounts manager at the Austin American-Statesman where she worked for 10 years. Her duties will include overseeing the Austin-area group, which is owned by the American-Statesman and Cox Newspapers and includes the Bastrop Advertiser, Lake Travis View, Pflugerville Pflag, Smithville Times and Westlake Picayune.

Gilbert Bailon, vice president and executive editor of The Dallas Morning News, is taking a temporary assignment to launch a Spanish-language daily newspaper in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. He will spend 18 to 24 months to lead the creation of the new newspaper that will debut in the fourth quarter of the year. He has worked at the News since 1986.

Tom Beesley has joined the staff of The Community News in Aledo. He came from the Frisco Enterprise and DFW Community Newspapers and before that worked for Today Newspapers.

Courtney Burleson has joined The Times Tribune in Brookshire as assistant editor. She has worked in journalism for 10 years.

The Dallas Morning News said goodbye to a longtime news staff member.Nora Adams-Wade retired after nearly three decades at News. She was the newspaper’s first full-time black reporter and started in 1974.

The El Paso Times appointed Armando V. Durazo as city editor and Anthony M. Quesada as assistant city editor. Durazo is a former editor of The Monitor in McAllen.

The Facts in Clute announced two promotions.Chris Greene, the newspaper’s sports editor since January 2000, has been named news editor. Greene also has worked at the Waxahachie Daily Light, Ennis Daily News and San Antonio Express-News. Billy Loveless, a sportswriter since May 2000, will succeed Greene as sports editor.

David Flores, an assistant sports editor of the San Antonio Express-News, was inducted into the Latin-American International Sports Hall of Fame. He has covered sports since 1977 and before that for the Kingsville Record News. The Laredo-based group presents the award to recognize people who pave the way for Hispanics in athletics.

Renée Kientz has been named interim features editor for the Houston Chronicle. She fills the position previously held by Jane P. Marshall who became food editor. Kientz joined the staff in 1990.

Mike McCracken is the new general manager of The Madisonville Meteor. He had been sports editor of the Gonzales Inquirer, another Granite Publications newspaper. He also has worked at the Jackson County Herald-Tribune and Yoakum Herald-Times.

Carla McKeown is the new life editor of the Breckenridge American. She was co-owner and editor of Lubbock Magazine and is a former food editor at the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.

Daniel Michael became The Huntsville Item’s newest reporter covering city and county news. Before joining the staff he worked for the Alpine Avalanche.

The Midland Reporter-Telegram announced three promotions.Gary Ott, who joined the staff in 1983, has been named managing editor. Mella McEwen has been named editor of the Permian Basin Oil & Gas Report. She joined the staff in 1984 and moved into the newsroom in 1987.D. Lance Lunsford has been named city editor with special reporting responsibilities for city hall and politics. He joined the staff in 2001.

The Monitor in McAllen made two key promotions.Aaron Baldwin was named entertainment and features editor. He first started on staff in 2000.Ernie Webb III was named assistant sports editor. He joined the staff in June as copy editor/reporter.

The Mount Pleasant Daily Tribune announced one promotion and one staff addition.John Whitten was promoted to managing editor to take the place of former assistant managing editor John Moody. Whitten was sports editor and had been on staff for 10 years.Bryan Giguere is the new sports editor. He is a recent University of North Texas graduate and worked for the Corsicana Daily Sun.

The Navasota Examiner announced two staff changes.Hank Hargrave has assumed the role of publisher. He took over for Edna Keasling who left to pursue other interests. Hargrave, who will remain as editor and publisher of Granite Publications sister newspaper The Madisonville Meteor, worked at the Examiner from 1990-95. He also is president of Navasota Publications Inc.Clay Morgan became editor and general manager. He came from the daily Clarksdale (Miss.) Press-Register, where he was managing editor.

Tony Pederson plans to leave his post as executive editor of the Houston Chronicle this spring to begin teaching and consulting. Among his 28 years at the Chronicle Pederson created the Chronicle’s national and state desks and expanded its Latin America staff to include two reporters in Mexico City and one in Colombia. He also has served as chairman of Texas Media, a joint organization of TPA and Texas Daily Newspaper Association that focused on maintaining public access to government documents. He joined the Chronicle in 1974.

Sue Brown Rentfro was named managing editor of the Pleasanton Express where she has been for more than 13 years and previously was specialty advertising sales manager. Rentfro serves on the TPA board as president of South Texas Press Association.

Bob Richter retired from the San Antonio Express-News to become press secretary for state House speaker Rep. Tom Craddick. Richter had been with the Express-News for 25 years and most recently was assigned to the Austin bureau where he covered the Texas Legislature.

Blackie Sherrod, longtime sports columnist of The Dallas Morning News, retired after 60 years in newspapers including stints at the Temple Daily Telegram, Fort Worth Press and Dallas Times Herald.

Douglas Simpson was named managing editor of the Lake Cities Sun in Lake Dallas. He came from The Katy Times where he also was managing editor.

Stephenville Empire-Tribune promoted Amelia Wigton to news editor. She has been on staff for one year as news reporter.Anna Boudreau and Alyson Henigan moved into full-time positions as staff reporters and photographers. Both are December graduates of Tarleton State University.

Texas Daily Newspaper Association announced new officers and directors for 2003.Wesley Turner, president and publisher of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, became president. Donnis Baggett, publisher and editor of the Bryan College Station Eagle, became vice president.W. Lawrence Walker Jr., publisher and CEO of the San Antonio Express-News, was elected treasurer and Greg Shrader, publisher and editor of the Kerrville Daily Times, became chairman of the executive committee.New directors are Bob Carlquist, executive vice president and general manager of the Houston Chronicle, Jeremy Halbreich, chairman of the board, president and CEO of American Consolidated Media; Charles Moser, editor and publisher of The Brenham Banner Press, and Jim Wilson, publisher of the Weatherford Democrat and vice president of Community Newspaper Holdings Inc.

The Whitewright Sun named Don Lyle Selman as the new editor. He is a licensed vocational nurse and worked for a local hospital before joining the newspaper.Ann Brewster was named assistant editor and photographer. She has worked at the newspaper for three and a half years.