July 2004

Newsmakers

The Abilene Reporter-News announced two staff changes.
Danny Reagan has been named online director and will be in charge of developing several new Web sites for the paper. He most recently was the newspaper’s executive sports editor.
Robert Rogers has been named photo editor. Prior to joining the staff, he served as chief photographer for the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune.
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Ben Barkley has been named managing editor of the Sweetwater Reporter. Barkley has more than 14 years of experience in Louisiana and was a photographer and staff writer for the Beauregard Daily News in DeRidder, La., and sports editor and editor for the Leesville Daily Leader.
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The Bastrop Advertiser announced two staff additions.
Mark Goodson joins the staff as sports editor. He most recently was managing editor of weekly publications in Alvarado, Kennedale and Everman. He is a former sports editor at the Sherman Democrat and Arlington Citizen-Journal and was a sports writer for The Dallas Morning News.
Debbie Denny joined the Advertiser as an advertising sales representative. She has 25 years advertising experience, 20 in broadcast radio and television and five years with weekly newspapers in San Patricio County.
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Patrick J. Birmingham on July 1 was named president and publisher of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Birmingham succeeds Larry L. Rose, 60, who retired June 28 after serving as publisher and president since August 2000.
Birmingham comes from the Ventura County (Calif.) Star, also owned by the E.W. Scripps Co., where he had been executive vice president and general manager since 2000.
Rose’s decision to retire caps a newspaper career that began in 1964 at the Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Rose was executive vice president and editor of the Caller-Times before becoming publisher. He joined the staff in 1987.
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Eric Bishop has been named vice president/regional manager of Waxahachie Newspapers Inc. Bishop most recently was publisher of Highland Lakes Newspapers in Marble Falls. He will work with Waxahachie Newspapers Inc. publisher and editor Neal White to oversee the company’s growth. WNI includes the Waxahachie Daily Light. Bishop previously was a publisher of WNI from 1997-99.
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The El Paso Times announced two staff changes.
Sherman Bodner has been named president and publisher. Bodner also is chief executive officer of the Texas-New Mexico Newspapers Partnership.
Mack Quintana has been named president and publisher of the Las Cruces (N.M.) Sun-News and general manager of four southern New Mexico newspapers that are part of the partnership. Quintana had been president and publisher of the Times. He succeeds Sammy Lopez, who was named publisher of the Farmington (N.M.) Daily Times.
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The News-Herald in Borger announced three staff changes.
Michael Wright, former editor and sports editor, returned to become publisher after a year as publisher of the Daily Herald in Guymon, Okla. Horizon Publications owns both newspapers.
Kimberly Duso Beevers and Michelle Hinze joined the editorial department. Beevers is a senior at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, majoring in mass communications. Hinze comes from the Plainview Daily Herald where she worked as a staff writer and production assistant.
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Juan B. Elizondo Jr. is the new managing editor at the Longview News-Journal. Elizondo is former state editor of the Austin American-Statesman, which he joined as a capitol reporter in 1998. He previously worked for The Associated Press in Missouri and Texas.
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Roger Allen Estlack and Ashlee Brooke Kidd announced their engagement and wedding scheduled
Dec. 23 at First United Methodist Church in Clarendon. Kidd is a graduate of Amarillo College and will attend Texas Tech University in the fall to pursue a degree in journalism. She is the Web master, reporter and ad designer at The Clarendon Enterprise. Estlack is publisher and editor of the Enterprise.
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Helen Fisher retired as a columnist after 19 years and more than 900 columns with the Hansford County Reporter-Statesman. Fisher’s family once owned the Hansford Headlight from 1911-18.
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Dick Friedman retired from the Houston Chronicle in May after working for the newspaper since August 1960. He served 44 years as a night city editor and was the last World War II veteran in the newsroom.
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Joseph Johnston, former two-term mayor of Crosbyton, is the new reporter and photographer for the Crosby County Reporter-Examiner.
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Twila Lindblade, former reporter for the Huntsville Item, was named editor of the Pearland Reporter News and Friendswood Reporter News. She takes over for Billy Liggett, who is leaving to become city editor of the Opelousas Daily World in Louisiana.
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The Williamson County Sun announced two new staff members.
Michelle McGillivary is the new associate editor, editing the County Life section. She has a degree in fine arts and has worked in the graphic design industry for the last 12 years.
Traviss Thomas is the new county reporter. He moved to Austin from Mexico City where he taught English and was a free-lance writer.
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Yvonne Mintz was promoted to managing editor seven years after starting her journalism career at The Facts in Clute. She replaces Kelly Hawes, who was managing editor for three years. Mintz started as a reporter at The Facts in 1997. In July 2002, she was promoted to city editor supervising.
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George W. Moore has been named managing editor at the Brownwood Bulletin. Moore has been a reporter, editor and publisher at daily newspapers in several states, and has served as the executive director of a state newspaper association.
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J. Osborne is the new editor of the Gainesville Daily Register. Osborne replaces Jerry Prickett, who left to become an assistant managing editor of the Temple Daily Telegram. Osborne began working for the
Register in July 1998 and had been covering the city and county beat.
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Jack D. Pate, a lifelong E.W. Scripps executive with 25 years experience, has been named president and publisher of the Evansville (Ind.) Courier & Press. Pate is returning to Evansville after four years as president and publisher of the San Angelo Standard-Times. He previously was director of sales and marketing at the Courier & Press. Pate began his career with Scripps in 1979.
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Jessica Sanders is the newest addition to The Boerne Star. She joins the newspaper as a features writer. Sanders is a recent graduate of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth.
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L.D. Strate, longtime sports editor at The Pampa News, retired after 25 years. The newspaper held a June reception for Strate who has served the newspaper since October 1979.
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Loren Steffy has joined the Houston Chronicle as a business columnist. Steffy spent 12 years at Bloomberg News in Dallas, most recently as bureau chief and senior writer. His column runs Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
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The Texas City Sun announced several new faces and positions.
Clarissa Silva was promoted to community editor. Silva, who first joined the newspaper in 1998, worked as a reporter before becoming lifestyle editor in 2001.
Jeff Parish joined the Sun as copy editor and weekend news editor. He came from sister publication The Paris News where he was a copy and page 1 editor. He started his journalism career in 1998.
Brandon Williams is sports editor. He attended and later worked at Southwest Texas State (now Texas State University) in the sports information department in 1995 and covered SWT women’s athletics for the San Marcos Daily Record.
James Fremont rejoined the Sun as sports reporter. He first worked for the newspaper in August 1999 as an intern for the sports department and full-time in June 2000.
Rachel Hunter is a new general assignments reporter. Prior to joining the Sun, she was a reporter for the League City News, a weekly serving the North Galveston County community.
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Lance Williams has been named managing editor of the Austin Business Journal. Most recently, Williams was a reporter and Focus editor for the Cincinnati Business Courier, an affiliate of the Journal.