Abilene Reporter-News visuals editor Barton Cromeens earned an honorable mention in the National Press Photographers Association’s Best of Journalism competition as well as an award of excellence from the Pictures of the Year International competition.

The Alpine Avalanche announced one promotion and one new employee. Ann-Mary Rodriguez was promoted to office manager. She joined the staff in September. Daniel Michael is the newest staff reporter. He moved to Alpine to attend Sul Ross State University and recently graduated with a degree in English.

The Battalion, a TPA member newspaper published by students at Texas A&M, was ranked second overall at the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association, winning first places in opinion columns, editorial cartoons and special sections. Editor Mariano Castillo was recognized for his opinion pieces. Chad Mallam took two awards for editorial cartoons. Sports editor True Brown placed second for sports columns and Castillo and opinion page editor Cayla Carr won second for op-ed design. Former editor Jennifer Bales placed second for picture page design and photo editor Guy Rogers won third for news photography.

Bonnie Arnold, editor of The Mountain Sun in Kerrville, won two first place, one second place and an honorable mention in the Texas Press Women awards competition. Her prize-winning work was for a feature story and section supplement editing.

The American Society of Newspaper Editors announced its new officers and two Texans are on the board. Carolina Garcia, managing editor of the San Antonio Express-News, and Susan Bischoff, deputy managing editor of the Houston Chronicle, are new to the ASNE board. The new ASNE president is Dianne McFarlin, publisher of the Florida Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

The Associated Press announced its board of directors reorganization and a Texan is serving as chairman. Burl Osborne, publisher emeritus of The Dallas Morning News and chairman of The Belo Foundation, was elected chairman of AP. John J. Curley, retired chairman of Gannett Co. Inc., was chosen as vice chairman. Osborne succeeds Donald E. Newhouse, president of Advance Publications Inc. and of The Star-Ledger of Newark. Osborne, who had a 20-year career with the AP including the position of managing editor before joining the Morning News in 1980, becomes the second former AP staff member to serve as chairman. The late Paul Miller, who was AP’s Washington bureau chief during World War II and later became president and CEO of Gannett, was chairman of the AP board from 1963-77. Osborne has served on the AP board since 1993. Curley has served since 1994.

Lorraine Branham will become the first woman to head the School of Journalism at the University of Texas. She also is the first black to serve as the school’s director. Branham most recently was assistant publisher at the Pittsburgh Post Gazette and has worked 25 years in newspapers across the country. She has been an in-residence professional at the University of Florida and California Polytechnic State University. She replaced Stephen Reese who returned to a faculty position.

Loyd Cook, assistant editor of the Corsicana Daily Sun, was recovering from double bypass surgery at Baylor Hospital in Dallas. About a month ago, Cook’s sister passed away at 38 of a heart attack. Cook, 41, took the initiative of getting himself checked out after his sister’s death.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram contributing columnist Jim Jones won the 2001 Religious Freedom Award by the Associated Baptist Press. Jones first joined the staff in 1957 and moved to religion writing in 1979. He retired in 2000 but continues as a contributor. A group of Star-Telegram staffers also won awards from the Association for Women Journalists Vivian Castleberry Award. The team Liz Stevens, Alyson Ward, Jessie Milligan, Tim Madigan and Carolyn Poirot won for feature reporting over 100,000 circulation. Senior writer Jan Jarvis won for news reporting.

Candace Cooksey Fulton was named managing editor of the Brownwood Bulletin. She had been a feature writer at the San Angelo Standard-Times since 1997. Fulton is a 1974 graduate of Angelo State University.

Stephen Gordon is the new sports writer for the Canyon Lake Times Guardian. He most recently covered sports in Bastrop County and has worked for the Chicago Sun Times and two other Illinois newspapers.

Madeleine McDermott Hamm, Houston Chronicle home design editor, was honored with a HOME Award for excellence in reporting on the furniture industry. The award, sponsored by the American Furniture Manufacturers Association, was presented at the International Home Furnishings Market.

Metta Johnson stepped down as editor and publisher May 16 from The Smithville Times after 17 years of service. She began her career there in 1985 and worked in classified and retail advertising sales and served as reporter and editor before being named publisher in 1996. Steve Taylor, vice president of Austin Community Newspapers, is serving as interim publisher/editor until a replacement is named.

David Landmann, former publisher and co-owner of the Copperas Cove Leader-Press, is the new executive director for the Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce. He took over the post earlier this year. David and Connie Landmann sold the newspaper to Copperas Cove Newspapers Inc. in May 2001.

Elizabeth Langton won a 2002 Gavel Award from the State Bar of Texas for an entry on DNA testing and how it affects high-profile cases and police work. She joined the Lubbock Avalanche Journal in 1996.

Vanessa Leggett, the novice Houston crime writer who was jailed last year for 168 days for defying a grand jury subpoena, won the PEN First Amendment Award. The award is given by the PEN America Center, a literary fellowship that includes some of nation’s most prestigious writers, and carries a $25,000 cash prize. Leggett also recently closed a deal with Crown Publishers, a division of Random House, to publish the book in 2004.

Jack Loftis, who has led the Houston Chronicle newsroom for 15 years as its top editor, will retire July 1 and will be succeeded by Jeff Cohen, a journalist who grew up in Houston and who is currently the editor of the Albany Times Union.Cohen will become executive vice president and editor on June 3, with Loftis continuing in his associate publisher position until his official retirement when he will become editor emeritus of the Chronicle and will continue his 37-year relationship with the newspaper.Cohen will become the 10th editor in the Chronicle’s 100-year history. He earned a journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin.Loftis began his newspaper career as a sportswriter at his hometown Hillsboro Daily Mirror in 1955 while still attending Baylor University. After graduation he became editor and joined the Chronicle in 1965 as a copy editor.He was named editor of TEXAS magazine in 1970 and after a series of management promotions was elevated to the position of assistant editor in 1979. He was named vice president and editor after the Hearst Corporation bought the Chronicle in 1987 and was promoted to associate publisher and editor in 1998.

Jim C. Looby, former managing editor of the Brownwood Bulletin, has accepted the same position at the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung. Looby replaces Margaret Edmonson, who left to pursue a teaching career. J.J. Jonas also joined the staff as news editor. Jonas came from the San Angelo Standard Times.

Jennifer Miller joined the McKinney Courier Gazette as reporter. She had a two-year stint as education writer for the Iowa City Press-Citizen and worked for a weekly also in Iowa.

Newton E. Renfro became managing editor of The Bandera Review. He began his journalism career as a reporter at the Times Picayune in New Orleans where he eventually became editorial writer and columnist before leaving to write and produce documentaries for the local CBS affiliate. He also recently worked for the Hill Country Recorder in Boerne.

Texas State Teachers Association has recognized several newspapers with 2002 TSTA School Bell Awards. They include John Young, Waco Tribune Herald—Outstanding Editorial Collection Jason Embry, Waco Tribune Herald—Outstanding Feature Story Todd McConaughy, Plano Star-Courier—Outstanding Continuous Coverage Russell Smith, Sweetwater Reporter—Outstanding Continuing Column Danny Robbins, Houston Chronicle—Outstanding Story Collection Joe Baker, The Countywide—Outstanding Continuous Coverage Lynn Brisendine and John Trischitti, III, Brownfield News—Outstanding Continuous Coverage Etta Hulme, Fort Worth Star-Telegram—Outstanding Editorial Cartoon Paul K. Harral, Fort Worth Star-Telegram—Outstanding Editorial Collection Linda Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram—Outstanding Feature Story Mike Norman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram—Outstanding Story Collection Jane Ramos Trimble, Fort Worth Star-Telegram—Outstanding Special Supplement Ben Sargent, Austin American Statesman—Outstanding Editorial Cartoon Colleen McCain Nelson, Roy Appleton and Joshua Benton, The Dallas Morning News—Outstanding Series Terry Stutz, The Dallas Morning News—Outstanding Feature Story Jean Nash Johnson, The Dallas Morning News—Outstanding Feature Story Lucy Hood, Edward Ornelas, Edmund Tijerina and Sharon Hughes, San Antonio Express-News—Outstanding Series Lorna Stafford, San Antonio Express-News—Outstanding Regular Supplement Deborah Martin, San Antonio Express-News—Outstanding Feature Story

Rayanne Schmid has been promoted to managing editor of the Kerrville Daily Times.

Roy McQueen, publisher of the Snyder Daily News, received the Vestal Award for community service from the Snyder Chamber of Commerce. McQueen served as TPA president in 1989-90.

Curt Middleton has been named general manager and editor of The Bonham Favorite. Most recently, Middleton had been as editor of the Durant (Okla.) Daily Democrat. He has 30 years experience in journalism.

Umut Newbury is a new reporter for The International in Presidio and the Big Bend Sentinel in Marfa. She came from the Wise County Messenger where she was a reporter since 2001. She is a native of Istanbul, Turkey and first came to the United States as a student in 1993.

Russ Obar traded his reporter and photographer job at the Tri County Leader for the city administrator role in Troup. He hoped to take over in the new role by June 1. He also was a Houston firefighter for 22 years and served in the U.S. Navy for 20 years.

Kelly Prew is the new city editor of The Huntsville Item. She worked for eight months for the Victoria Advocate before joining the Item. She is a Texas A&M graduate.

Julie Taylor was named lifestyles editor of the Taylor Daily Press. She came on board last year working on the section and continued to assume more duties. She also covers local schools.

The Texarkana Gazette announced two promotions. Christy Busby was promoted to city editor and reporter Sammy Allen was named assistant city editor. Busby joined the staff in 1990 and Allen came on board in 2000.

Scott Tyler joined the Palestine Herald Press as a sports writer. He came from the weekly Galt-Herald in Sacramento.

Claire Williams joined the staff at The Angleton Times as reporter covering city and school events. She replaced Scott Mahon who left in December. She attended Stephen F. Austin University where she was managing editor of the Pine Log and recently completed an internship in New York.

Dorothy Vaughan retired from The Paris News on March 29 after nearly 51 years service in the newsroom. She first started in 1951 and left after eight years to raise her children but she returned in the 1970s and has worked at the newspaper since. For the last 13 years she has been a columnist and for 31 years was lifestyles reporter/editor.

The Zapata County News filled two positions with familiar faces.Quinta Beltrán was promoted to managing editor. She has worked at the newspaper for 18 months and started as photographer. Debbie Lee began as part-time photographer four months ago and was promoted to staff writer/photographer.