Philadelphia's Detweiler Also Decides It's Time for Something New.

After a grand 10-year run which saw the paper reap more than three dozen state and national awards for journalism excellence, Sacramento News & Review editorial coxswain Melinda Welsh is stepping down. Welsh, who was the founding editor in Sacramento and also serves as executive editor of the News & Review papers in Chico and Reno, is slated to depart sometime next year. After the transition she will continue to work for the three-paper chain part-time as an editor-at-large for special projects.

News & Review Publisher Jeff vonKaenel and Welsh are currently conducting a national search for her replacement.

“Believe me,” says vonKaenel, “this is her idea, not mine. Melinda has been terrific. But she basically has been doing the same job for ten years. I understand why she would want to step back.”

Welsh tells AAN News that she is excited about what comes next: “I am committed to Jeff to continue working at the paper until [my successor is found]…. Once somebody has been found and everything is up-and-running, I plan on pursuing personal interests as well as continuing working at the papers in a limited capacity. It will be good for me to step back and think about where to put my energy next. I’m looking forward to working more on the creative side; I’m excited I will get to spend more time writing.”

Another 10-year AAN vet recently hung up her editorial spurs. Margit Detweiler left Philadelphia City Paper in August to become managing editor at Philadelphia’s AOL Digital Cities. During her decade-long tenure at City Paper, Detweiler worked several editorial positions, from music and style editor to managing editor, the post she had held for the last two years.

“I’d been interested in working in the online world for quite awhile. And I’d worked at the same place for ten years. That’s a long time,” she explains. “It was just time for me to try something new, to get my feet wet [in the online business].”