On the move: Lacie Pinyan is new sports editor in Anniston, Ala.

Lacie Pinyan has been involved in sports her entire life. She played basketball and softball from the fourth grade until graduation from the University of Alabama in 2009.

 

Now, she is directing coverage of her alma mater, Auburn, Jacksonville State and 30 high schools as the new sports editor at the Annison (Ala.) Star.

 

“At 24, you can imagine my elation when I was asked to take this management position,” she said. “I honestly didn't think I was prepared for such a responsibility, but my bosses and coworkers have faith in me and I'm just blessed to be here. I'm looking forward to seeing where we go from here.”
 

Pinyan replaces Brian Strickland, who has been promoted to assistant managing editor, design and sports.

 

“Bran Strickland has done a spectacular job in getting our sports section up to par and beyond,” Pinyan said. “I'm grateful that this well-oiled machine fell into my hands. And he still has his hand in everything since his new title as assistant managing editor came with a ‘design and sports’ subtitle. I'm thankful that he's still around to help guide me for awhile.”

 

She was hired as a news copy editor at The Star in August 2009 and moved to sports in May 2010.

 

“It's a lot on a plate, but after working alongside other papers, I can say that we do a great job of covering our load,” Pinyan said of the duties in the Star’s coverage area.

 

She is a graduate of the University of Alabama following two years at Snead State Community College. While at Alabama, she worked on the copy desk of the Crimson White and at the Tuscaloosa News. She was hired at the News after an internship until she graduated in 2009.

 

“I've been an Alabama fan my entire life and I also love NASCAR  — cliche as that is for a Bama girl,” she said. “You just can't help it when you grow up around it. So obviously I've been thrilled to work in Anniston since we are so close to Talladega and have a large readership of race fans.”

— The Spokesman-Review (Spokane): Hired Christian Caple to cover Washington State University athletics, starting Jan. 3. Caple is currently writing for seattlepi.com and previously worked for the Moscow/Pullman Daily News. Jessica Brown has been hired to cover the Spokane Chiefs, college women's basketball and high school sports. She previously worked for the S-R before being laid off in the fall of 2008. Jim Allen, who started in the S-R sports department in 1984 and has worked mainly on the news copy desk and as an editor for the newspaper’s neighborhood zones, is moving back to sports to cover Eastern Washington University athletics.

 

— The Everett Herald: Kirby Arnold retired after 27 years at the newspaper. During his time at The Herald, Kirby served as assistant sports editor, executive sports editor and beat writer for the Seattle Mariners. Kirby began his journalism career while in high school, working for the Rolla Daily News in Missouri. He also worked at the Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader for nine years before moving to Everett in 1985.

 

— Denver Post: Natalie Meisler, a long-time GA/college reporter has retired. For most of the past decade  she covered Colorado State … Also, Jim Armstrong, a long-time reporter who covered pretty much every beat in 27 years with the paper and was handling the Rockies the last two years, resigned.

 

— Des Moines Register: Hired reporter Andy Hamilton from the  Iowa City Press-Citizen with the goal of  increasing wrestling coverage.

 

— Quad-City Times (Davenport, Iowa): Craig DeVrieze, who had been at the paper for 16 years covering golf, arena football, hockey, minor league basketball and various college sports, has left the business. He took a job as director of publications for St. Ambrose University.