After a year leading the Boise Weekly's editorial team, Shea Andersen is headed out, "to work at a newspaper that does not feature a cartoon devoted to making fun of idle chatter overheard in the offices of Boise," according to a press release. He will be replaced by Rachael Daigle, who has been a staff writer and editor at the Weekly for five years. "Rachael knows what we are about and understands what needs to be done to move Boise Weekly forward," publisher Sally Freeman says in a statement. "I am very excited about our future with her leading our editorial team." The paper also took this opportunity to announce two new hires: Nathaniel Hoffman as news editor and Tara Morgan as staff writer.
The Weekly took home eight Idaho Press Club awards, including first-place finishes in four categories: Environment Reporting, Light Feature, Political Reporting, and Serious Feature. "The awards received by Idaho Press Club support our belief and efforts to be the best newspaper in Idaho," owner/publisher Sally Freeman says in a statement.
The McClatchy-owned and Idaho Statesman-operated free weekly known as Thrive (nee Thr!ve) has printed its last issue, New West Boise reports. Thrive editor David Parker and some staffers will remain at the Statesman, he says in a farewell note. Thrive, which competed with AAN member Boise Weekly, began in October 2002 as one of a few tests in different markets by Gannett (the paper's original owner), which wanted to see if such faux-alts could flourish, according to New West. MORE: Boise Weekly offers its take on Thrive's demise: "No more fun, fun, fun articles about local sports enthusiasts. Gone are the always-positive restaurant advertorials."
Bingo Barnes will take over as publisher of the free weekly paper "almost immediately," Boise Weekly reports. "It's a good paper, and there is room for improvement," Barnes says. The Press was bought last year by Wick Communications, which also owns AAN member Tucson Weekly. Barnes, who was at Boise Weekly for about five years, also served on AAN's Board of Directors from 2005 to 2006.
The alt-weekly received first-place honors for Shea Anderson's work in the political reporting category and for Nicholas Collias's work in the environmental reporting category. The Weekly also took home honors in several other categories, including headline writing and investigative reporting. The full list of Idaho Press Association winners can be found here (PDF file).
"We've never sent a reporter to Idaho Falls, much less Havana," Weekly editor Shea Andersen tells the Idaho Press-Tribune. But last week, when Idaho Gov. Butch Otter and his trade mission group traveled to Cuba, they were accompanied by Nathaniel Hoffman, who is reporting on the trip and on Cuban life for the Weekly. Access was arranged "using nothing more magic than a letter to the Cuban government requesting a visa," according to New West Boise. A spokesperson for Gov. Otter says they "were amazed" that Hoffman's visa was approved. "We were told that the Cubans were not allowing reporters in," Jon Hanian says. "They turned down over 2,000 requests, including Barbara Walters'."
Shea Andersen replaces Nicholas Collias, who left the alt-weekly in October, and Deanna Darr takes over for Andersen as news editor. For the past 12 years, Andersen has worked as a journalist in Colorado, Oregon, New Mexico and Idaho. "We've got big plans for Boise Weekly," Andersen says. "For starters, we're sending a reporter to Cuba, we're refurbishing the website and there's finally some really good coffee in the break room."
