-- Paige Alam is a new staff writer for the West Austin News. She worked two decades in broadcast journalism and media relations and was an anchor and reporter for Fox 7 News in Austin, as well as for other stations in other small Texas cities including Lubbock.

-- Jeff Cohen, Houston Chronicle editor, accepted the National Press Foundation’s Benjamin C. Bradlee Editor of the Year Awardl. The National Press Foundation board hailed Cohen as an innovative leader who built an award-winning Web site chron.com, a successful Spanish-language weekly La Voz, and niche publications in fashion and health.

-- Jerry Gaulding has been named editor of the Diboll Free Press. He brings more than 30 years’ experience and has been a reporter and editor for papers throughout Southeast Texas, Louisiana and Ohio.

-- Amanda Gragert joined The Canyon News as managing editor. Gragert also worked at The Canyon News from 2004-05 as an intern and reporter. Gragert moved to Juneau, Alaska, in September 2005, to serve as editor at Capital City Weekly.

Travis Harsch had served as the managing editor since August in addition to sports editor but he will return to the sports editor role.

-- Patrick Gonzales, sports editor at the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal for four years, left to become an assistant sports editor at the Detroit News.

-- Joshua Hobson is the new editor and publisher of the Pflugerville Pflag. He spent the last three years in sales and marketing and worked at The Battalion while at Texas A&M University.

-- Phil Jankowski joined the Taylor Daily Press. He is a recent graduate from the University of Texas School of Journalism.

Jason Schaefer also joined the staff as a general assignment reporter. He is a recent graduate of the University of North Texas.

-- Jessica Keller is a new staff member at the Aransas Pass Progress and Ingleside Index. She will handle classifieds, circulation and some advertising sales.

-- Michael Kelly is the new city editor of the San Angelo Standard-Times. He was promoted from assistant city editor and had worked at the Standard-Times since June 2006. Kelly also worked at The Albuquerque Tribune and two community newspapers in Canada, where he lived for 30 years.

-- Jeff Koenig left his position as educational services director for The Monitor in McAllen to accept a position with parent company Freedom Communications’ corporate software circulation manager support team.

-- Tony Marquis joined the Marlin Democrat as editor. Marquis, who replaced Denton Ramsey, previously served as a sports writer at the Corsicana Daily Sun.

-- Jason McLean is the new editorial cartoonist for Today Newspapers in Duncanville, Cedar Hill, DeSoto Grand Prairie and Lancaster.

-- Kurt Mogonye joined the Glen Rose Reporter as a staff writer. He most recently was editor of the Elgin Courier and led the newsroom of the San Patricio County News and Odem-Edroy Times.

-- Lois Norder, managing editor of investigations at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, has been named winner oftThe 2008 Mimi Award, a prize given to an editor by The Dart Society, an independent group of journalists dedicated to promoting sensitive coverage of victims of violence. The Mimi was created to honor the memory of Providence Journal editor Mimi Burkhardt, who died unexpectedly in December 2004.

-- Carol Parsons became editor of the Colorado City Record. She replaces Tommy Wells who resigned to take a job in North Dakota. Parsons has a journalism degree from Oklahoma Baptist University.

-- Larry Reynolds was named publisher of the Hereford Brand. Reynolds, who was president of Texas Press Association in 2001-02, came from the Moore County News Press and replaced Brian Brisendine, who announced his resignation in January citing circumstances and family obligations.

-- Lauren Ricks joined the Athens Daily Review as a general assignments reporter. Ricks interned with the Waxahachie Daily Light and was a stringer for the Midlothian Mirror.

-- Alex Sanchez has been named publisher of Al Dia, the Spanish-language sister publication of The Dallas Morning News. Sanchez joined Al Dia in August and had been president and general manager before his promotion to publisher.

He succeeds Gilbert Bailon, who left to become editorial page editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

-- Cathy Smith has been named publisher of the Burleson Star and affiliated newspapers in The Star Group. Smith has been in newspapers for more than 30 years, including 23 years in Burleson, and was the longtime advertising director for group, which recently was purchased by Graham Newspapers Inc. As publisher, Smith will be responsible for operation and management of the Burleson Star, Alvarado Star, Crowley Star, Joshua Star, Keene Star and South Tarrant Star in Everman.

-- Texas Daily Newspaper Association announced award winners at its annual convention this month in San Antonio.

Doug Toney, editor and publisher of the Herald-Zeitung in New Braunfels, received the Pat Taggart Award for Texas Newspaper Leader of the Year.

Keven Ann Willey, vice president and editorial page editor of The Dallas Morning News, received the Mayborn Award for Community Leadership.

Matt Dulin, copy editor at The Beaumont Enterprise, earned the John Murphy Award for Excellence in Copy Editing and Dave Rogers, sports editor at The Baytown Sun, received the Fred Hartman Excellence in Sportswriting Award.  

TDNA presented five “Bright Idea” awards, which are given to newspapers with the best self-promotions that appeared in-paper during the previous calendar year.

Winners were:

• Under 10,000 circulation: Seguin Gazette-Enterprise – “More than just news”

• 10,000 to 30,000 circulation: The Bryan-College Station Eagle – “Local People, Local News”

• 30,000 to 100,000 circulation: Wichita Falls Times Record News – “A Century of News – Celebrating 100 Years of The Times Record News”

• Co-winners over 100,000 circulation: Austin American-Statesman – “StatesmanJobs” & San Antonio Express-News – “210 SA”