Gayle Blalock stepped down as editor of the Claude News after two years. David Flake took over the position. He moved to Claude from Lubbock.

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Connie Bradley joined the Bandera Bulletin as administrative assistant.

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Rowonna Childers, associate editor at the Goldthwaite Eagle, is engaged to be married June 24 to Aaron McNeely, a child development specialist for New Horizons Residential Treatment Center.

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Christina Conduff, office assistant at The Madisonville Meteor, was promoted to reporter. Pat Blasingame replaced her. Blasingame came from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Institutional Division (TDCJ-ID) at the Ferguson Unit in Midway.

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Betse Esparza has left the Alpine Avalanche as editor to work for the U.S. Border Patrol. For the interim, publisher Harry T. Darby has taken her title.

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Wanda Garner Cash was honored with the 2006 Jack Douglas Award, the highest honor given by the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors. The award is given each year to honor a person who has made significant contributions to the organization and to Texas journalism. Cash is editor and publisher of The Baytown Sun and chairman of the board of Texas Press Association.

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Jim Collins is the new editor for the Stamford American. He replaced Laura Reeves, who had been the editor for the past seven months.

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Terry Greenberg has been named editor of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Greenberg had most recently been editor of The Pantagraph in Bloomington, Ill.

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Summer Hausmann, a 2005 graduate of Texas A&M University, has joined The Examiner in Navasota as a staff writer. Hausmann received her degree in agricultural journalism.

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Robyn Henderson retired as editor from the Johnson City Record Courier after 20 years. Emily Zbytovsky will take over. She started at the paper in 2004.

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Sherry Long returned to the Ellis County Press as reporter after 18 months working at the Henderson Daily News.

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Brian Knox, Wise County Messenger assistant editor, won an Anson Jones Award from the Texas Medical Association for his 2005 story on a Northwest High School student who courageously won her battle against breast cancer.

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Lisa MacAuley and Kirsten McLaughlin have joined the Taylor Daily Press.

MacAuley is an advertising representative who was retired from sales and customer service.

McLaughlin is the new lifestyles editor and a graduate of University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton.

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Gary Martin, Fort Bend Herald sports editor, has been awarded the Putt Powell Sportswriter of the Year statewide award from the Texas High School Coaches Association. In February, he was named Region V recipient.

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The Moore County News-Press announced two staff changes.

Rusty Landrum joined as sports editor, a position he also held for the Borger News-Herald and Guymon (Okla.) Daily Herald.

The move followed the resignation of managing editor Blake Lacewell, who is becoming an Edward Jones investment representative.

Landrum replaces former sports editor Michael Wright, who now serves as the managing editor.

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Clay Morgan returned to Texas to become publisher of the Aransas Pass Progress and Ingleside Index. He was publisher at the Madisonville Meteor until last summer when he returned to his hometown of Memphis, because of his father’s illness. He was also managing editor at the Boerne Star and general manager of The Examiner in Navasota before going to Madisonville.

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The Panola Watchman announced two new staff members.

Becky Barlish joined as reporter and photographer and Jenna Stewart joined as a reporter and photographer and will assist with layout and production duties.

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Thomas Phillips has joined the Cleburne Times-Review as news editor. Phillips took over for Lowell Brown, who left in December for the Denton Record-Chronicle. Phillips most recently worked for a group of weekly newspapers in southern Colorado.

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The Victoria Advocate announced two key promotions.

Barry Peckham was named president. He will remain as general manager of the company. Peckham has been with the company for the past year and a half.

Scot Walker was named editor. He has served as managing editor the past seven years and has 11 years service at the Advocate.

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The Waxahachie Daily Light has established the John Hicks memorial scholarship fund in honor of the 38-year-old sports editor who died unexpectedly Feb. 24. Donations can be sent c/o Education Foundation for Waxahachie, Attn. John Hicks Memorial Scholarship Fund, 800 N. Highway 77, Ste. 160 #106, Waxahachie, TX 75165. The newspaper will match funds dollar-for-dollar up to $2,500.

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Keven Ann Willey, vice president/editorial page editor of The Dallas Morning News, was elected president of the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors.

Brett Thacker, managing editor of the San Antonio Express-News, is the new first vice president. Dave Berry, managing editor of the Tyler Morning Telegraph, is second VP.

Anthony Wilson, managing editor of the San Angelo Standard-Times, is the secretary and Rachel Benavidez, editor of The Brownsville Herald, is treasurer.

Board members are: Carroll Wilson, Times Record News, Wichita Falls; Lois Norder, Fort Worth Star-Telegram; Diana Fuentes, Laredo Morning Times; Jim Newkirk, Houston Chronicle; and Nick Jimenez, Corpus Christi Caller-Times.