Newsmakers

Promotions and staff editions at Texas newspapers. 

Abigail Allen
Post-Signal
PILOT POINT – Abigail Allen, a member of The Post-Signal staff since June 2018, has been named the newspaper’s managing editor.
Allen has been The Post-Signal’s assistant editor since July. Before being named assistant editor, she was a staff writer and copy editor for the newspaper.
David Lewis has been the newspaper’s editor and publisher since he and his wife Pam purchased The Post-Signal on Sept. 1, 1974. He has retired as editor but will remain in the position of publisher.
As managing editor, Allen will be responsible for all facets of publishing the weekly newspaper.
Allen graduated from the University of North Texas with bachelor’s degrees in journalism and political science in 2011. She served in on the North Texas Daily staff while at UNT. She was a contributing writer for The Post-Signal for a year before joining the staff in 2018.

Arthur DeVitalis
Groesbeck Journal
GROESBECK – Arthur DeVitalis has joined the staff of the Groesbeck Journal as reporter and photographer, according to Publisher Richard Nelson.
DeVitalis previously worked in radio and online media, and has worked in community newspapers for the last two years. He hails from Penelope in the Hill County area.
A native of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, DeVitalis moved to Texas in 1999. He is a 2016 journalism graduate of the University of Texas.
He freelanced primarily with online and magazine publications before becoming a full-time reporter in 2018. He has worked with the Hillsboro Reporter, the Meridian Tribune, the Clifton Record and as a correspondent for newspapers across Texas. In addition, DeVitalis has worked at radio stations, producing written copy and audio content. 
DeVitalis covers news in both Limestone and Freestone Counties, Nelson said. However, he is based in Groesbeck where he covers law enforcement, city council and general news and features.

Rob Ford
Shiner Gazette
SHINER – Rob Ford has joined The Shiner Gazette and the Yoakum Herald-Times as a staff reporter.
Ford came to the Lavaca County newspapers from the Gonzales Inquirer, where he worked for the last seven years. A native Houstonian, Ford and his family moved to Junction in the Texas Hill Country before coming to Gonzales. He majored in journalism at Texas State University in San Marcos.
Covering Yoakum school and city beats as well as the Shiner school district. He joins staff writers Chuck Grafe, Jimmy Appelt, Mark Lube and Bobby Horecka in providing coverage of local news and events for the Halletsville Tribune-Herald, the Moulton Eagle, the Shiner Gazette and the Yoakum Herald-Times.

Lucas Strough
Kilgore News Herald
KILGORE – Lucas Strough is the new editor of the Kilgore News Herald.
He has been with the newspaper two years and succeeds longtime editor James Draper, who accepted another opportunity. Both are graduates of the Kilgore College journalism program and former staff members of the college newspaper, the Flare.
Strough has covered the education beat along with assignments in other areas.
News Herald Publisher jerry Nye announced the changes. While pleased to move Strough into the position, Pye said he was sorry to see Draper leave after nine years on the staff. “He’s been an integral part of the Kilgore News Herald and the City of Kilgore,” Pye said. “His skill and ability have led the newspaper well. He’ll be missed by the newspaper and the community.”
The staff includes veteran News Herald Sports Editor Mitch Lucas, office manager Jalayna Davis and advertising representatives Linda Ballard and Carolyn Hadley.

John R. Jones
Colorado County Citizen
John R. Jones has joined The Colorado County Citizen as reporter and ad sales representative.
A Columbus native, he graduated from the Harris County Sheriff Academy in law enforcement, the Houston Community College as a Paramedic and Baylor/Truett Seminary with a certification in Bivocational Ministry. He and his wife, Dianne Ilse Jones, founded Three Crosses Ministries in Columbus.
After serving in both law enforcement and emergency medical services, Jones worked in healthcare marketing and business development. 
Jones has written the Three Crosses Ministries article in the Citizen for more than four years and noted that he is grateful for the opportunity to expand his investigative reporting skills as well as help local businesses reach consumers though local advertising.

Nathan Lawson
Jacksboro Herald-Gazette
JACKSBORO – Nathan Lawson has joined the Jacksboro Herald-Gazette as news director.
Lawson moved from the Herald-Gazette newspaper the Graham Leader, where he had been a staff writer responsible for covering meetings for the Young County Commissioners Court and Graham Hospital Board of Directors as well as other community events.
In Jack County, Lawson covers Faith Community Hospital, Jacksboro City Council, Bryson City Council and Jacksboro ISD board meetings as well as community events and breaking news. In addition, he is responsible for the layout and design of the publication.
Lawson grew up in San Antonio and interned at KENS 5 and KSAT 12 while a student at Texas Tech University. He graduated with honors in 2018 with a journalism degree. 

Dave Shabaz
Sulphur Springs News-Telegram
SULPHUR SPRINGS – Dave Shabaz is the new advertising director of the Sulphur Springs News-Telegram.
He comes to Sulphur Springs from the Sanford Herald in North Carolina, where he was advertising director for five years.
Over the course of his 25-year career, Shabaz has worked in every aspect of a newspaper, including home delivery. He started in classifieds in the 1980s and eventually became publisher of a rural newspaper in Iowa. In addition to community newspapers, he has experience with major dailies, including the Orange County Register, San Diego Union, Tribune and Los Angeles Daily News in his home state of California and the Arizona Republic.

Elizabeth Tanner
The Post Dispatch
POST – Post Dispatch business manager Elizabeth Tanner has added the title of editor.
LK Media Group Publisher Bruce W. Green announced the appointment. “Elizabeth is young, energetic and committed to the community she grew up in,” Green said.
In her first column as editor, Tanner noted that while growing up in Post, the local newspaper was always in the family home, sparking her interest in journalism.