APSE

Michael Peters has crossed the Red River from Texas to Oklahoma to take the job as sports editor of the Tulsa World.

He replaces Mike Strain, who had been the sports editor at the World since 2005 and recently was promoted to news editor. The World earned one top 10 and two honorable mentions in the APSE contest this year along with two writing awards. It has been named a top-10 sports website by APSE judges in each of the first two years of that category's existence, and also won a multimedia project award this year.

Peters has been high school sports editor at the Houston Chronicle since 2008 and was a sports editor at two other Texas newspapers—the Beaumont Enterprise and the Galveston County Daily News—prior to that.

"I heard nothing but good things about the newspaper, the staff and the city," Peters said. "Im fortunate to join a staff and section so respected, and that is a credit to former sports editor MIke Strain.

"After three-plus years as high school editor in Houston, I'm excited to again oversee an entire sports department. I have to thank the people at the World for giving me that chance."

Peters' role at the Chronicle had expanded over the years beyond leading the high school staff (two full-time writers, one statistician and dozens of stringers covering more the 200 high schools). He directed the paper's 2011 Final Four coverage, working with 20 writers, designers and copy editors in producing 108 pages of coverage during the NCAA men's basketball tournament, including five special sections in six days of Final Four Weekend.

He also served the Chronicle for five months as interim online sports editor  in 2009 and seven months as interim No. 2 editor in 2010, allowing him to delve into web content and long-range story budgeting.

"I just can't say enough about my time in Houston," Peters said. "Jenny Dial, Sam Khan Jr., Gerald James and the rest of our high school sports staff were the best teammates you could have," Peters said. "And I was very fortunate to work with editors like Carlton Thompson, Jeff Rosen, Charlie Crixell, Jay Lee and Brad Lehman. I learned a lot of things from them and was always given the freedom to branch out and try new things.

"I'm thankful to have had an expanded role at the Chronicle over the last two years. I think those experiences will be extremely beneficial."

Peters knows he is coming to a section that is "thorough and well-organized."

"Mainly," he said, "I look forward to giving the section a fresh set of eyes and a few new ideas."

Peters, a Texas A&M graduate, was a sports writer at the Bryan-College Station Eagle and Beaumont Enterprise before becoming sports editor of the Galveston County Daily News in January 2000. He returned to the Beaumont Enterprise in July 2003, and he led the paper to five APSE top-10 writing honors before heading to the Chronicle at the start of 2008.

Dickson moving to Lee's paper in Lincoln, Neb.

Darnell Dickson, who has spent the past 13 years of his journalism career with the Provo Daily Herald, was named sports editor at the Lincoln Journal Star in June.

Both papers are owned by Lee Enterprises.

"When the job in Lincoln came open, I was intrigued,"Dickson said, "because I felt like it was a top-level opening for a paper that lives, breathes and eats college football, which I love."

Dickson will go from directing coverage of Brigham Young University to the University of Nebraska, which is moving into the Big Ten Conference.

"In Provo, the entire sports staff was eight total full-time employees," Dickson said. "In Lincoln, there's 17. I feel like my first order of business will be to get to know my staff and find out their strengths and weaknesses. … I have lived in Utah for 23 years, and I feel like I know the local sports landscape. It will be a big challenge to get up to speed in Nebraska."

Dickson, who grew up in Oregon, where he had his first published article in a local weekly newspaper about his seventh-grade football team's game, served an LDS mission in Ohio before attending college at Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho) and then BYU.

After getting his degree in broadcast communications in 1991, Dickson worked as a stringer for the Provo Daily Herald while looking for job in broadcasting and other areas.

He became high school sports editor at the Herald in 1998, and in 2004, he took on the dual role of BYU football beat writer and sports editor.

"Darnell's sports staff team in Provo was highly regarded, and his leadership was shown in the award-winning coverage of BYU sports," Journal Star editor Michael Nelson said in a story announcing the hiring. "He had focused on football much of his career, so he is well-prepared for the challenges of covering the Huskers as Nebraska moves to the Big Ten. He also has a broadcast background from his college days. That's helpful in meeting the changing demands of online media."

The Daily Herald earned an honorable mention in special sections for 30,000 to 75,000 circulation newspapers in the most recent APSE contest. Its special section was top 10 playing up a division in 2009 after earning top 10 in under-40,000 in 2006, 2007 and 2008. The section also was honorable mention in both daily and Sunday section categories in 2008.

"The Daily Herald is a great newspaper, and I learned so much from my previous sports editors, guys like Bob Hudson, Dick Harmon, Tad Walch, Steve Cameron, Aaron Shill and Dave Allen," Dickson said. "We have a great staff in Provo, and we've done some excellent work in our special sections and covering BYU sports.

"I think the people that remain in newspapers love what they do, and I hope to carry that with me to Lincoln."

NORTHEAST

Amsterdam (N.Y.) Recorder: Hired sports reporter Michael Kelly, formerly of The Saratogian. Kelly is a SUNY-Stony Brook graduate. His duties include high school sports and serving as co-host for "Sideline Guys," the paper's weekly webcast.

Finger Lakes (N.Y.) Times: Alan Brignall, sports editor for the last 13 1/2 years, was promoted to news editor. He will transition into the position through Labor Day. Reporter Gregory G. McNall has been promoted to sports coordinator.

The Saratogian: Promoted Nicole Russo to sports editor. She replaces Kyle Leach, who left for a position at the Newark (N.J.) Star-Ledger. Russo was a sports reporter at The Saratogian prior to her promotion.

MID-ATLANTIC

The Baltimore Sun: Hired David Selig, former sports editor at the Winchester (Va.) Star, as content editor overseeing high school coverage.

Philadelphia Inquirer: Announced Ashley Fox is leaving to join ESPN.com.

SOUTHEAST

Birmingham News: Sports editor Tom Arenberg has taken a three-month leave from the sports department to lead the newspaper's tornado coverage team. Assistant sports editors Charles Hollis and David Knox are serving as sports editor during that time.

CBSSports.com: Hired Brett McMurphy, formerly of FanHouse, as a senior college football writer. Hired Jeff Goodman, formerly of Foxsports.com, as a senior college basketball writer.

Jackson (Miss.) Clarion-Ledger: Hired Richard Mullins as a designer and reporter. He joins the paper after two years with the Gannett-Louisiana design hub in Monroe. He replaces Dustin Frucci, who left for a design position with the St. Petersburg Times. … Kyle Veazey left his position as Ole Miss beat writer to take the sports enterprise reporter job with The Commercial Appeal in Memphis. He worked at the Clarion-Ledger for five years with the first four on the Mississippi State beat.

Orlando Sentinel: Hired Austin Lyon to cover high schools and local sports.