Newsmakers

Promotions, new hires and other employment news reported in Texas newspapers and published in the February 2026 edition of the Texas Press Messenger.

UVIE BIKOMO

Beaumont Enterprise

BEAUMONT – Uvie Bikomo, formerly audience development editor at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, has baeen named editor of the Beaumont Enterprise. Bikomo will lead the editorial side of the newspaper and its digital products.

The announcement was made by Hearst Newspapers President Jeff Johnson and Hearst Community Newspapers President Jeff Bergin.

“Uvie brings to us a wealth of media talent, energy and creativity that will guide the Beaumont newsroom to new audiences, while fulfilling the needs of our present audience,” Bergin said. “I am excited to see the results of her work in the coming months.”

Bikomo most recently served as audience development editor at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, where she focused on growing readership and engagement across digital platforms beginning in 2024. She previously served as news & city life editor at Houstonia magazine, overseeing coverage of local news, culture and community issues. Earlier in her career, Bikomo contributed reporting and editorial work to Rolling Stone and has held freelance and reporting roles with outlets including the New York City News Service, The Fuller Project and The Hub. She holds a Master of Arts in Journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY.

“I’m honored to lead the Beaumont Enterprise and to serve a community that clearly cares deeply about its city,” Bikomo said. “Beaumont residents want to be informed, heard and represented, and my priority is to ensure the Enterprise is deeply connected to the community and essential to how people stay informed. When news breaks or questions arise, the Enterprise should be the place people turn to first — to understand what’s happening and why it matters.”

MITCHELL PATE

Texas Local Media

FAIRFIELD – Mitchell Pate has been named the regional sports reporter for Texas Local Media. He will be writing weekly sports articles for The Freestone County Recorder- Chronicle, The Mexia News, The Groesbeck Journal, The Cameron Herald, The Thorndale Champion, The Rosebud News and The Marlin Democrat.

Pate has 25 years of journalism experience. He worked for The Buffalo Express for 18 years. He started out as a sports reporter as an eighth grader at Buffalo Junior High. He went on to become a news reporter and photographer in addition to laying out the newspaper, creating the website, accounts payable and receivable, as well as doing the newspaper route each week.

Pate joined the team at The Teague Chronicle and The Fairfield Recorder in October 2019. The two newspapers merged in April 2025. He currently covers all the area events in Freestone County for the Freestone County Recorder-Chronicle. He is excited to add regional sports reporter to his title.

Pate graduated from Buffalo High School and currently resides in Fairfield with his wife, Katy. Pate has a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies K-6th grade from Texas A&M University and a master’s in educational administration from Lamar University. He teaches fifth-grade math at Fairfield ISD and also drives a bus. In addition, he owns a small photography business, Mitch’s Photography.

The appointment was announced by  Jennifer Paul, group editor. Paul noted Pate’s “strong connections with youth and athletes throughout the area make him a perfect fit.”

ZACHARY ARTHO

The Plainview Herald

PLAINVIEW - Zachary Artho has joined the staff of the Plainview Herald and Mulshoe Journal as a general assignments reporter.

A Texas native, he attended the University of Oklahoma before transferring to the University of North Texas where he earned bachelor degrees in journalism and sociology. He moved to Plainview from Fort Worth.

“I entered this field because I wanted to make an impact — reporting not just on what affects the community, but also on the community itself,” he said.