Newsmakers

Javier J. Aldape has been promoted as a vice president at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He is publisher of the newspaper’s daily Hispanic newspaper La Estrella and joined the staff in 1999. He also is an editorial board member of the Star-Telegram.

Lou Antonelli has been appointed news and sports editor of the Winnsboro News. He succeeded Bobby Burney who became sports editor of the Sulphur Springs News Telegram. Antonelli came from the Malakoff News where he was editor and webmaster for the last year. He has held various positions at newspapers in Texas during the last 18 years.

Bart Cannon, a columnist for the Cleburne Times Review, published a new book “Champions Through Christ: Winning the Game of Life.”

John Carroll, most recently a copy editor at the Abilene Reporter-News, has been named managing editor at the Kilgore News Herald. Carroll succeeds Derek Price who has joined the Plano Star-Courier as a photographer while pursuing his college degree.

Mike Cochran is retiring from full-time daily journalism. Most recently, Cochran has been senior writer for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, which he joined after retiring from The Associated Press following more than three decades as AP correspondent in Fort Worth. Cochran will continue to develop special projects for the Star-Telegram.

The Corpus Christi Caller-Times announced two staff additions. James L. Pollard is the new vice president of advertising. He came from the Dallas Business Journal where he was advertising director. His other Texas stints include The Bryan/College Station Eagle, Houston Chronicle, San Angelo Standard Times, Huntsville Item and Caller-Times from 1970-71 and 1973-75. Michelle Koesema is the new vice president and chief financial officer, replacing Jim Parke. She comes from Caller-Times parent company E.W. Scripps’ Redding (Calif.) Record Searchlight where she headed the finance department since 1998.

Whitney Day joined the Borger News Herald as sports editor. She graduated from Wayland Baptist University with a degree in mass communications in May.

The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas awarded its 2003 James Madison Award to two women — a journalism teacher who fought for freedom the press and the state’s chief open records administrator. Vanessa Curry, the adviser to the University of Texas at Tyler student newspaper the Patriot, and Katherine “Missy” Cary, assistant attorney general, received the awards at the FOIFT’s annual conference Sept. 12 in Austin. Curry coordinated a project and assisted the Longview Daily News and Tyler Morning Telegraph in an open records project chronicling how East Texas entities respond to requests. She also brought the project into the classroom where she teaches journalism. Cary is chief of the Open Records Division for the Office of the Attorney General and previously served as the public information coordinator.

Teclo Garcia, editor of The Brownsville Herald, has accepted a job as editor with The Arizona Republic where he will be involved in an effort to reach more Hispanic readers. Garcia was secretary of the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors.

Lauren Grimm is a new reporter covering education, county government and the hospital district for the Mineral Wells Index. She graduated from the University of North Texas in August and worked for the campus’ North Texas Daily.

Rollie Hyde received the Harold Hudson Memorial Award from the West Texas Press Association at its 73rd convention in July. Hyde is a past president of TPA and Panhandle Press Association and a past board member of Texas Daily Newspaper Association. He is publisher of the Plainview Daily Herald.

Kathy Kasparek was named publisher of the River Cities Tribune in Marble Falls. She has worked for parent company Victory Publishing since 1999.

John Lumpkin, who has been The Associated Press’ Texas chief of bureau since 1982, has been named a regional vice president for the AP. He is one of four veteran bureau chiefs named to the new positions. Lumpkin will be responsible for the South region and will remain based in Dallas. He joined the AP in Dallas in 1971.

Cheryl Diaz Meyer was named journalist of the year by the Greater Dallas Asian American Chamber of Commerce. She is senior staff photographer for The Dallas Morning News.

Jeremy Moreno joined the Katy Times as a new reporter. He is a recent graduate of Houston Baptist University.

The New Braunfels Herald Zeitung received the distinguished service newspaper award from the Agricultural Science and Technology Teachers of Texas. The award recognizes appreciation for publicizing FFA and other ag program news.

Deb Pritchard resigned as assistant editor of The Winters Enterprise to take a new position with the Winters Independent School District. She had been on staff since 1999.

Gabriel Ramos resigned as editor of The Freer Press to pursue other interests. He had been on the job two months after working for an Austin magazine.

Patrick Reynolds joined the Pearland Journal as reporter and feature writer. He had worked at sister newspapers within Houston Community Newspapers.

Ralph Routon is the new executive editor of the Amarillo Globe-News. He comes from the Northwest Florida Daily News in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., where he had been editor since May 2001. Routon succeeds Cathy Martindale, who has accepted a position with Morris Communications as corporate style editor.

Veronica Salazar received the Henry Guerra Lifetime Achievement Award from the San Antonio Association of Hispanic Journalists. Thirty years ago she urged her boss at the San Antonio Express-News to publish stories about Mexican Americans’ accomplishments and those stories developed into a regular column from 1973-90. Salazar, who is now the newspaper’s vice president for community relations, is the first woman to receive the award.

Leslie Schmidt is the newest addition to the Snyder Daily News where she became a reporter. She worked in 1999 as a reporter for the Sweetwater Reporter. She replaced Brian Brisendine who became publisher of the Hereford Brand last month.

Reid Slaughter, founding editor publisher of Park Cities People, has returned as executive editor. Slaughter started the newspaper with Kirk Dooley in 1981 and served as editor and publisher until 1988 when he sold to Tom McCartin.

Brett Thacker, a 20-year veteran of the San Antonio Express-News sports and news departments, has been named managing editor. Thacker has been the newspaper’s deputy managing editor since February. He replaces Carolina Garcia, who was managing editor for five years before joining the Monterey County Herald in California as executive editor.

The Valley Morning Star in Harlingen announced two staff changes. Dave Ralph left his role as city editor to return to reporting. He held the position two years. Charlene Vandini replaced him as city editor. She was night metro editor at the Corpus Christi Caller-Times and previously worked at The Beaumont Enterprise.

Jan Warrick joined the Tri County Leader as reporter and paginator. She recently completed a master’s in interdisciplinary studies at the University of Texas-Tyler and has a bachelor’s in journalism.