Verna Adcock retired after 12 years as publisher and editor of the Borden Star in Gail. She had been editor of the weekly since 1995 and served as a bus driver, cafeteria meal ticket lady and secretary to several principals in the Borden County Independent School District since 1983. The district owns the newspaper. Kerri Dean replaced her as publisher and editor.

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Austin police have charged a former Austin American-Statesman contract employee with selling fraudulent subscriptions.

Cedric Laverne Adanis is charged with theft, a state jail felony, and faces up to two years if convicted. According to an arrest affidavit, Adams sold fraudulent subscriptions after he had been fired from the newspaper.

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John Black, editor and publisher of The Bayshore Sun in La Porte for 20 years, retired. Black joined the staff on March 2, 1987.

Adam Yanelli replaced him. He began his journalism career in 1995 at the San Antonio Express-News and later was editor of the Uvalde Leader News until August 2006 when he joined Houston Community Newspapers.

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The Brady Standard Herald announced one new employee and one promotion.

Amanda Howell, an eight-year employee, has been named news editor.

DeLaine Carlson was recently named advertising director. With a background in public relations and sales, she has been working at the newspaper since October 2006 in a variety of facets.

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Christina Campbell joined the Athens Daily Review as a reporter. Campbell studied journalism at Trinity Valley Community College and continued her education at The University of Texas at Tyler. She recently graduated with a bachelor ’s of science in journalism and a minor in political science.

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Tony Eierdam is the new sports editor for the Plainview Daily Herald. He had been sports editor at the Henderson Daily News and The Graham Leader, sports director for KNET and KYYK in Palestine, and sports editor and webmaster at the Lampasas Dispatch Record.

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Murlin Evans is a new reporter for The Wimberley View. Evans has been news editor of the Blanco County News and reporter with the San Marcos Daily Record. Evans also has worked in the communications industry as a public relations assistant, television writer and producer, and also has experience as a special education teacher.

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The Gatesville Messenger was again named the Weekly Newspaper of the Year by the American Legion Department of Texas. The American Legion Post 42 and the state commander presented the award to assistant publisher/news editor Larry Kennedy. TPA board chairman Marshall Day is the publisher.

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Sheila Hatfield, publisher of the Ellis County Press, was released from the Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation in Dallas several weeks before expected on June 9. Hatfield still had to go through the Day Neuro Rehabilitation Program at Baylor three days a week for five weeks following her release. She suffered a stroke on May 6.

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Cathy Krafve is a new feature writer and columnist for the Bullard Banner News.

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Connie Lee has joined the Edgewood Enterprise as editor and will work out of the Edgewood office, which was reopening. Lee has several years of newspaper reporting and editing experience. She will be working several days a week in the sister newspaper office, the Grand Saline Sun, as well.

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The Taylor Daily Press announced several staff changes.

Rebecca Lackie, a former newspaper intern, is the newspaper’s new lifestyles editor. She has been writing for the Round Rock Leader since February.

Albert Tovar, who had been circulation manager for nearly five years, left to move to the Panhandle. He was replaced by Gregg Sanford, the recently hired classified ad manager.

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Chuck Licata joined The Liberty Hill Independent as a sportswriter during the fall of 2006. Licata brought 20 years of sports media experience to The Independent. His last newspaper position was with the Llano News. He also worked for the Llano Buzz, Austin American-Statesman, Pflugerville Pflag, Hill Country News and Round Rock Leader. Licata recently earned the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Golden Hoops Award as Gulf Coast/Centex Sportswriter of the Year while writing girls basketball for The Independent.

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The Longview News-Journal named three journalists to new roles.

Jack Stallard, who has served as city editor for more than a year, is moving to the sports department, where he will serve as editor. Business editor Jo Lee Ferguson is replacing Stallard as city editor; and former business editor Mike Elswick is returning to that role.

Stallard was a News-Journal sports writer before becoming city editor in late 2005. He previously worked as a sports writer and editor in Kilgore and Lufkin.

Ferguson began her career as an intern at the News-Journal.

Elswick recently returned to the News-Journal after working several years as managing editor at the Marshall News-Messenger.

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A former Lubbock Avalanche-Journal employee faces a federal child pornography charge after a tip to the newspaper’s corporate headquarters raised suspicions about use of his work computer.

George John Maslovar faces one count of interstate receipt of child pornography. Maslovar, who was released on his own recognizance, did not immediately return a call. He resigned after being confronted by newspaper personnel.

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Charon McCauley has been hired to cover the Louise school district for the El Campo Leader-News. The San Marcos native is currently attending Wharton County Junior College where she is working toward a degree in biology.

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Derek Price, editor of the Herald-Banner in Greenville, has been named managing editor of the Cullman (Ala.) Times. Price has worked at a number of papers in Texas and Arkansas. In Cullman, he succeeds Brian Lacy, who is joining Cullman Electric Cooperative. Lacy previously worked at The Huntsville Item.

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Salo Otero is retiring as sports editor of the Laredo Morning Times. Otero has been sports editor for the newspaper for 37 years. His retirement is effective July 31.

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Michael Rayburn has been named editor of the Burleson Star. Rayburn has served as the editor of the Alvarado Star since June 2005. Prior to joining the Star Group, Rayburn served as editor of the Alvarado Post.

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Jonathan Richter, a recent graduate of Madisonville High School, has joined The Madisonville Meteor as a summer employee in the newsroom. Richter graduated third in his class and received a scholarship to Southern Methodist University where he plans to major in business and minor in communications.

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Bobbie Saldivar has retired after 40 years with The Brownsville Herald. Saldivar began at the paper as a typist and eventually became production department head.