Will Larkin’s “Master Plan” was to spend two years at Sauk Valley Media in Sterling, Ill., after graduating from the University of Illinois and then head to a larger publication.
As he told readers in his farewell column in early October, “Two became four, four became six, and finally, this August, at age 30, I completed my eighth year in the Sauk Valley.”
Larkin has left Sauk Valley to become a full-time scoreboard editor at the Chicago Tribune, or as he termed it “part of the crew that puts together the best Scoreboard pages in the United States.”
Larkin was the sports editor in his final two years at Sauk Valley, leading the section to numerous APSE Top 10s, including daily and special sections in 2009 in under 20,000, and daily and special sections in under 30,000 in 2010.
He also finished first in game stories in the under-30,000 category in 2010.
“I’ll leave proud of what this sports section has become in my eight years here,” he wrote to readers. “I’ll leave with a lifetime of memories that will always make me smile.”
Larkin also met his future wife, former news reporter Mindy Osborne, during his tenure at the newspaper. The couple is expecting their first child in February.
He closed his farewell column with this: “The list of unforgettable people I met here is so long I’d put the paper out of business if I tried to list them all. If you’re reading these words, chances are you’re someone very special to me.
“I arrived to the Sauk Valley a skeptic, the kind of know-it-all most of us are at 22. Along the way, I gained a career, a wife and a few thousand buddies.
“I leave grateful for every day I spent here – a lifelong fan and friend of the people who have given me the best eight years of my life. Thank you.”
Pope promotion in Fayetteville
Thomas Pope has been promoted from assistant sports editor to sports editor of the Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer. He replaces Larry Graham, who has taken a job with ESPN.com's NFL website.
The move was announced in late September by executive editor Mike Arnholt in print and online.
Pope has been on the sports staff since he was hired at the Observer in 1978. He has been the assistant sports editor since 2009. While in high school, he worked part time at the paper, taking scores and doing rewrites of game stories from the Observer’s then-sister paper, the Fayetteville Times.
Pope’s expertise in motorsports has earned him Motorsports Writer of the Year in 1994 from the National Motorsports Press Association and 25 other motorsports writing awards.
MID-ATLANTIC
Philadelphia Daily News: Hired Zach Berman as a feature writer for its new weekly sports publication, Philadelphia SportsWeek. Berman spent a year-plus covering the Giants for the Newark (N.J.) Star-Ledger and two years at the Washington Post, covering Virginia football and basketball.
Baltimore Sun: Jeff Zrebiec has moved from the Orioles beat to the Ravens beat to replace Jamison Hensley, who left for espn.com. Sports content editor Kevin Eck has been hired by WWE. Kevin’s blog, Ring Posts, was one of the top national blogs covering professional wrestling. The Sun is looking to fill both positions.
The News Journal, Wilmington, Del.: Brad Myers moves from the universal copy desk to become lead preps writer. He replaces Buddy Hurlock, who left the paper due to illness.
GREAT LAKES
Indianapolis Star: Mark Alesia has been promoted to Assistant Sports Editor (enterprise/digital). Alesia, who has been at the Star for nine years, has written extensively about the NCAA, helped cover multiple Super Bowls, Indy 500s and Final Fours, and also spent time on the newspaper's Star Watch investigative team.
Fergus Falls (Minn.) Journal: Hired Ari Boynton, sports editor of the Madison (S.D.) Daily Leader, as sports editor. He begins in November.
ATLANTIC COAST
Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch: Eric Kolenich was promoted to high school sports beat writer for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. A University of Virginia graduate, Eric spent the last two years as a part-timer, covering high school and Division II college sports. He also writes a recruiting blog. Eric replaces Arthur Utley, who retired.
Virginian Pilot/Roanoke Times: Andy Bitter joined as the new Virginia Tech beat writer. He previously worked at the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, where he covered Auburn football for three seasons. He also covered Virginia football when he worked at the Lynchburg News & Advance. Andy is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
NORTHWEST
Herald and News (Klamath Falls, Ore): Hired Colin Huber as a full-time sportswriter.
Great Falls (Mont.) Tribune: Hired Jesse Geleynse to cover University of Montana sports. Prior to joining the Tribune, Geleynse worked as the co-sports editor at the Le Mars Daily Sentinel in Iowa.
