Newsmakers

-- Darin Allred returned to the Gainesville Daily Register as sports editor. He served in that post from 2002-05. For the past three years he has been the sports information director at South Plains College in Levelland.

-- The Aransas Pass Progress and Ingleside Index made two staff announcements. Aly Dixon is the new advertising sales representative. Typesetter Cameron Tringali made the homecoming court at Aransas Pass High School.

-- T.J. Aulds rejoined The Galveston County Daily News as mainland editor. He was editor of the Texas City Sun and mainland editor in Galveston before leaving in March 2007 to work for a Houston TV station.

-- The Austin American-Statesman has announced the promotion of two executives. Edward Burns, vice president and chief financial officer, is now vice president and chief financial officer/business manager. Tim Lott, general manager of Statesman.com, was named vice president of digital media.

-- Brenda Brown, former editor of The Gladewater Mirror, has been named editor of the Kilgore News Herald. She has worked about 20 years at newspapers, beginning at her hometown newspaper, The Citizens Journal in Atlanta, in 1977.

-- Randy Cope, former GateHouse Media Inc. co-president and co-chief operating officer, was named president, CEO and managing director of American Consolidated Media by the community newspaper publisher’s Australian-based parent, Macquarie Media Group. Cope has approximately 20 years of operational and managerial experience in the U.S. community newspaper sector. ACM publishes more than 20 newspapers in Texas including the Brownwood Bulletin.

-- Alyvia Denae Ender, a staff member of the Pittsburg Gazette, represented Pittsburg High School in the Gilmer Yamboree Queen’s Coronation. She plans to attend the University of Texas after graduation.

-- Lisa Dawn Falkenberg and Mizanur Rahman were married June 7 at the Winfield Inn in Kyle. Falkenberg is a metro columnist for the Houston Chronicle. Rahman is an assistant city editor for the Chronicle. They planned a honeymoon in Tahiti.

-- Tammy Gill joined the Colorado County Citizen as a new salesperson.

-- The Llano News announced staff changes. Jimmy Stephenson retired after 15 years to pursue another career. Debra Stewart, production manager and reporter, moved to the Belton Journal to become managing editor.

-- J.T. Maroney of the Boerne Star is a new father. He and Shelley LeBlanc announced the birth of their daughter, Kylie Jordan Maroney, born Oct. 29  at Methodist Hospital in San Antonio at eight pounds three ounces and 20 inches long.

-- Clarissa Lynn Martinez joined the Mercedes Enterprise as reporter. She has worked at the Valley Morning Star in Harlingen.

-- L.W. McCall left the Borger News-Herald as publisher on Sept. 8 to pursue other career options. McCall was with the newspaper for approximately four years and had approximately 20 years of experience in the newspaper business. Horizon Publications sent Chuck Williams to serve as interim publisher for the News-Herald until a permanent publisher can be named.

-- Henry L. Miller has been named managing editor of The Monitor in McAllen. Miller most recently was assistant managing editor and had been in McAllen for seven years.

-- John A. Moseley, who was injured in a traffic accident in June, returned to Big Spring after several months of medical treatment. Moseley is managing editor of the Big Spring Herald. He hoped to resume some duties at the newspaper on a limited basis.

-- The Navasota Examiner hired two new employees. Christina Garcia joined the staff, replacing Louise Auclair. Garcia is handling classified composition and other content duties. She previously worked in the district attorney’s office. Also joining the staff is Luther Nobles. He is handling circulation duties on the city route.

-- Husband and wife team Dennis and Teresa Phillips joined The Ballinger Ledger and Winters Enterprise as general manager and advertising director. They previously owned a free weekly in Central Texas and have more than 25 years experience in newspapers.

-- Laura Lee Prather, a partner in the Austin law firm Sedgwick Detert Moran & Arnold LLP, was named one of the “Extraordinary Women in Texas Law” by Texas Lawyer. The firm is an associate member of TPA. Prather is profiled as one of 30 leading women lawyers in Texas Lawyer’s Sept. 29 edition. Prather was recognized as “a respected media lawyer with a client list that reads like an industry Who’s Who” and for her resilience in lobbying for the “shield law,” proposed legislation that would protect sources who have given information to journalists in confidence.

-- Robin Y. Richardson, features editor of the Marshall News Messenger, won an award from the Texas Christmas Tree Growers Association for an article on the Merket Christmas Tree Farm in Beckville.

Kathy Huber of the Houston Chronicle also won an honor from the association for the large daily category.

-- Tatiana Rodriguez has been named managing editor of the Sweetwater Reporter. She has worked at the Reporter for more than four years in different departments.

-- Lynda Stringer is the new city editor of the Mount Pleasant Daily Tribune. Stringer is a print and broadcast news veteran with 27 years experience and most recently worked as a news anchor and reporter for KCBI radio in Dallas.

-- Lange Svehlak is the new publisher of the Athens Daily Review. Svehlak comes from the Ennis Daily News, where he most recently served as general manager. He began his newspaper career in Ennis in 1998 as an advertising sales representative. He served as the News’ advertising director from 2001-05.

-- Craig Thomason has been named business editor at the San Antonio Express-News. Thomason joined the Express-News as an assistant city editor in 1985 after holding down various editing and reporting posts at the Killeen Daily Herald for 12 years. Thomason succeeds Brad Lehman, who was named sports editor after a three-year tenure as business editor.

-- Ashley Tompkins is the new managing editor of The Sealy News. Tompkins was city editor at the Mount Pleasant Daily Tribune.

-- Lissa Walls Vahldiek, chief operating officer and vice president of Houston-based Southern Newspapers Inc., is the latest recipient of the Frank W. Mayborn Leadership Award presented by the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association. The award recognizes Vahldiek’s leadership in the newspaper industry. She has served as president of SNPA, vice chairman of The Associated Press Board of Directors and president of the Texas Daily Newspaper Association. The Mayborn Leadership Award is named for Frank W. Mayborn, the former editor and publisher of the Temple Daily Telegram and the Killeen Daily Herald.

-- Tommy Wells returned to the Mineral Wells Index as sports editor. He replaced longtime sports editor Craig Holamon.