Cleveland Scene editor Pete Kotz has been named the new editor of the Nashville Scene in the wake of last week's news that the Cleveland paper will be merged with Cleveland Free Times in July. On July 1, Kotz will replace Liz Garrigan, who announced she was leaving the Nashville alt-weekly in May. "I know Pete from editors' meetings and conventions and can say unequivocally that he's a wonderful guy, a talented journalist and a good soul, if not the 'dangerously handsome man' he claims to be," Garrigan writes. "He has five kids, loves to 'bust a phrase,' holds dear the value of a great story, and prefers to chase his whiskey with beer."

Continue ReadingFrom Scene to Scene: Cleveland Editor Heads to Nashville

In an email, Roland Klose says he's leaving the paper in mid-August. Klose joined the Illinois Times in 2003, after a four-year stint at Riverfront Times. Prior to that, he had reporting and editing assignments at outlets including The Commercial Appeal of Memphis and The Tampa Tribune. "I've been doing journalism since the days of Jimmy Carter," Klose says. "I'm looking forward to a break, then diving into some projects I've put off for a long time."

Continue ReadingIllinois Times Editor Stepping Down

Arianna Huffington said last night at a conference that the Huffington Post is planning to expand into local news, according to ReadWriteWeb. Initially, the site will launch an edited news aggregation site (similar to the main Huffington Post site) localized for the metro area around Chicago, which will be managed by a single editor. "We are aspiring to be a newspaper in that we want to covering all news [sic], not just the political blogging the way we began," Huffington said.

Continue ReadingHuffington Post Will Expand into Local News

Bill Lascher says in an email that June 25 will be his last day as editor of the Reporter, as he leaves to attend a new master's program in specialized journalism at the University of Southern California. He will be replaced by Michael Sullivan, who was previously a writer at the Fresno Business Journal and a freelancer with the Reporter and the Ventura County Star.

Continue ReadingVentura County Reporter Editor Steps Down

Converse pulled together N.E.R.D.'s Pharrell Williams, Julian Casablancas of the Strokes and indie electronic up-and-comer Santogold to produce a song called "My Drive Thru," Brandweek reports. The shoe company has made the song available for free download at Converse.com, and will push the song in the "Three Artists, One Song" ad campaign that will appear in a number of AAN papers.

Continue ReadingHip-Hoppers and Indie Rockers Help Sell Chuck Taylors