Steve Fisher is joining Adams Publishing Group as regional president of APG Media of Southern Minnesota. Before joining APG, Fisher spent 18 years at Dubuque, Iowa-based Woodward Communications, serving in advertising and marketing management and as a publisher. He was most recently group publisher of Woodward Community Media, which includes WCI’s paid newspapers, shoppers, niche publications, events and commercial printing operations.

Robert Lee Bradford II, owner of 17 newspapers in Minnesota and Wisconsin has died at 80. Bradford, a one-time reporter, believed weeklies were a vital link to keeping small towns connected.

Richard “Dick” Hartnett, a former Florida Today circulation executive who helped launch USA Today in 1982, died Sept. 21 in Sarasota. He was 71.

Lloyd Case, CEO for Forum Communications (Fargo, North Dakota), will retire at the end of December.

Stephanie Eubank, a veteran circulation manager, has been named audience development director for The Roanoke Times (Virginia). In her new role, Eubank will not only lead circulation sales and service for The Roanoke Times, but also for The (Lynchburg) News & Advance, the Danville Register & Bee and the Martinsville Bulletin. BH Media owns the four papers.

Edward VanHorn, executive director of SNPA and the SNPA Foundation, has announced that he will retire at the end of 2019 after 43 years at SNPA. VanHorn's retirement date was set more than a year ago, but it closely coincides with the consolidation of SNPA and the Inland Press Association.  The two organizations merge into a new association on Oct. 1. VanHorn will work with the CEO of the new association to assure a smooth transition.

Indiana Gazette (Pennsylvania) circulation manager Roque Carrasco was appointed in mid-September to a one-year term as president of the Inter-State Circulation Managers’ Association.

Dawn Burleigh has been named general manager of the Orange Leader (Texas). Burleigh has been a reporter for the newspaper since December 2010 and editor since January 2015. Prior to that, she worked in the production department for Triangle Press. 

The Nevada Press Association has chosen newspaper veteran Noah Cusick to serve as president of the trade organization for news publications in the state. Cusick will hold the post for a year and follow Review-Journal Executive Editor Glenn Cook in the job.

Steve Fisher is joining Adams Publishing Group as regional president of APG Media of Southern Minnesota. Before joining APG, Fisher spent 18 years at Iowa-based Woodward Communications, in advertising and marketing management and as a publisher.

DeWayne Patterson has been named editor and publisher of Jackson County Sentinel (Gainesboro, Tennessee). Patterson replaces Brent Miller, who had served as publisher since December of last year.

Sean Burke has been named president and publisher of the River Valley Newspaper Group. Burke will manage operations at the La Crosse Tribune, Winona Daily News, Chippewa Herald (Wisconsin and Minnesota) and six additional publications. Burke succeeds Josh Trust, who is no longer with the company.

Ray Eckenrode has assumed the role of publisher for the Breeze Newspapers (Cape Coral, Florida). Eckenrode replaces former publisher Scott Blonde, who now serves as publisher for two Ogden Newspaper-owned daily publications in Utah.

Flint Group announced the appointment of Ron Muawad as CFO. He will succeed James McCarthy, who recently left the organization. In further organizational news, Flint Group confirmed that Steve Dryden will expand on his current role, moving to take the newly created position of COO – Flint Group Packaging, in addition to his CEO duties for the commercial, packaging and sheetfed side of the business.

AIM Media Midwest announced the retirement of Thomas E. Hutson from his position as regional vice president and group publisher with responsibility for a group of AIM media properties in western Ohio. In conjunction with this retirement, the company also announced the appointment of Ronald A. Clausen as his successor.

Paul Ingrassia, an author and Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter who placed readers in the boardrooms and executive suites of the nation’s automotive industry, has died. He was 69

Carl Esposito, publisher of The Daily Times (Maryville/Alcoa, Tennessee) for nine years and regional president for Adams Publishing Group for nearly three years, will retire effective Nov. 1, Adams Publishing Group announced. Paul W. Mauney, general manager of The Greeneville Sun (Tennessee) and APG’s chief revenue officer for the Tennessee/Western North Carolina/Southern Virginia region, will succeed Esposito as regional president for Adams’ Tennessee/North Carolina/Virginia group.

Bryan Sandmeier, general manager of The Daily Times, will be promoted to publisher.

Matthias Fischer has been named media contact for ppi Media for the Indian market. Fischer will take on the role Oct. 1, 2019.

Leslie H. Gelb, who covered government and world affairs as a correspondent, editor and columnist for The New York Times, has died. He was 82.

Lee Salem, the former editor and president of Universal Press Syndicate, has died at 73.

Judi Terzotis, publisher of The Acadiana Advocate (Lafayette, Louisiana), has also been named publisher of The Advocate of Baton Rouge and The Times-Picayune, succeeding Dan Shea. Shea will become chairman of Georges Media, which owns The Advocate, The Times-Picayune and weekly titles around the state.  

Steve Hunt, president, publisher and editor of the Daily Press (Victorville, California) who helped shape Southern California sports and news coverage during a 45-year newspaper career, has died. He was 64.

Kelly Busche has joined the News Tribune (Duluth, Minnesota) as a business and health industry reporter.

Eugene C. Dorsey, a former publisher of the Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, New York) and president of the Gannett Foundation, has died at the age of 92. Dorsey was publisher of the Democrat and Chronicle and its now-closed sister paper, the Times-Union, from 1972 to 1979.

K. Connie Kang, a journalist for the Los Angeles Times from 1992 to 2008, has died at 76.

Don Cunningham, longtime circulation director for the Citizen Tribune (Morristown, Tennessee), has died following a lengthy illness. He was 78.

Phil Blanchard, an editor for several papers, including the Times Union and the Schenectady Gazette (New York) for over 50 years, has died at his home in Albuquerque.

Mike Pignataro has been named managing editor of the Norwalk Hour (Connecticut). Pignataro was digital news editor at Hearst Connecticut Media Group, a role he will continue in addition to leading the Norwalk Hour newsroom.

Mike Distelhorst was named publisher of The Fayetteville Observer as part of a consolidation effort by Gatehouse Media. Distelhorst already serves as the group publisher of four GateHouse papers in southeastern North Carolina. He replaces Bob Gruber, who has been publisher of the Observer since summer 2016.