Neice Bell’s more than 45 years in newspapers — which began in a Kerrville closet as a typesetter in 1979 — will wrap at the end of May as she finishes her second tenure as publisher of the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung. more

January 9, 2026 - Tim O’Rourke is the vice president of Editorial Innovation and AI Strategy at Hearst Newspapers. In this conversation with Storybench, he discusses how Hearst is approaching innovation, what makes newsroom AI trustworthy and where he sees the biggest opportunities ahead. more

Chad Day is AP’s new director of elections operations. Currently AP’s chief elections analyst and a decision editor, he will move into this new role overseeing the collection, editing and publication of the core data products that make up the AP Elections business. more

Starting on Jan. 15, Maggie Hyde will take over as global planning director for The Associated Press, reporting to Vice President of News Gathering Paul Haven. more

WEHCO Media Inc. publisher Eliza Gaines told members of the Little Rock Rotary Club on Tuesday that newspapers remain “deeply trusted and deeply endangered at the same time.” more

Cox Enterprises appointed Barry Ohlson as senior vice president of Public Policy and Government Affairs, effective Jan. 1. In this role, Ohlson leads Cox’s public policy office, representing the company’s voice in government and policy matters. more

Block Communications, Inc. and the Block family are saddened to announce that the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette plans to publish its final edition and cease operations on May 3. Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh says: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette owners couldn’t bust the union, so they shut down the paper. more

Gabriela Sá Pessoa, who has covered a wide range of stories for AP since early 2024, is joining AP’s climate team as an Amazon correspondent. more

Wick Communications is pleased to announce the appointment of Heather Mayer as the new publisher of the Nogales International, effective Feb. 1. In her new capacity, Mayer will also assume oversight of the Daily Territorial in Tucson. more

David O. Williams, a journalist in the Eagle River Valley since 1991, has returned to the Vail (Colorado) Daily in the role of business editor. more

Mega-Conference is where industry leaders come together to build strategies, explore new technologies and create what comes next for local news. You’ll want to be in  Austin from March 30-April 1 to be part of the conversation.    more

The Jefferson City News Tribune, Fulton Sun and California Democrat are returning to local media after being sold to Faughn Media, LLC.  more

The Minnesota Star Tribune has filed a lawsuit against the City of Minneapolis alleging repeated failures on the part of the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) to comply with the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act (MGDPA), the state law that governs public access to government records.  more

The USPS has filed a petition with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) that essentially seeks unrestricted pricing authority for Market Dominant postal products including Periodicals for which it has a statutory monopoly. As an alternative the USPS indicates it would accept additional pricing authority up to 22% above current rate increase authority combining CPI with the density adjustment and underwater surcharge imposed on periodical rates.  more

Lee Enterprises, Incorporated announced Dec. 30 that it has entered into a definitive stock purchase agreement for a $50 million strategic equity investment in the company’s common stock. The investment is led by David Hoffmann, with participation from other existing investors in the company, providing the company with committed capital and a strengthened financial and governance foundation as it moves into its next phase. more

Hoffmann Family of Companies, through its media division Hoffmann Media Group, has acquired Aspen (Colorado) Daily News and will support the publication’s continued independent operation under its existing local leadership. more

Hugh Osteen (Hubert Graham Osteen III) has served as Osteen Media Group’s chief operating officer since 2021. Effective Jan. 1, he has been named chief executive officer. more

Kate Scott-Dawkins, who tracks ad spending for the advertising giant WPP Media, said 2026 will be rough for newspapers. In a forecast released this month, WPP expects print advertising in U.S. newspapers to plunge 45.3% next year, to $594 million. more

In the spirit of telling your newspaper’s story more regularly during the coming year, which Matt McMillan endorsed when he became president of America's Newspapers last month, we’re sharing a one-day promotional idea that the Isanti-Chisago County Star (Cambridge, Minnesota) will be offering in January. more

The Medill Solutions Journalism Hub at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications has released a comprehensive Rapid Response Kit designed to help newsrooms deliver response-driven coverage during community crises. more