Shannon Casas, a member of The Times newsroom staff for 12 years, has been named as editor in chief for the Gainesville, Ga., newspaper and its online news website.

Neice Bell, one-time publisher of the Herald-Zeitung has returned to New Braunfels, Texas, to oversee the newspaper. The announcement was made by Southern Newspapers Inc. President Dolph Tillotson.

McClatchy has announced that Tim Grieve will step down from the position of vice president of news after the midterm elections on Nov. 7.

The Paxton Media Group has announced that WPSD-TV vice president and general manager Bill Evans has been named as the new publisher of The Paducah (Ky.) Sun.

Evans was named to succeed Jim Paxton, who retired after 32 years at the western Kentucky newspaper.

Charlotte A. Wolfe has been named circulation director of Journal, Inc., Tupelo, Miss. She will be responsible for the circulation department at the Daily Journal in Tupelo and oversight of The Itawamba County Times.

Keith Albertson has stepped down as executive editor of The Times in Gainesville, Ga., to pursue a new career after nearly 34 years with the Gainesville newspaper.

Carlton Fletcher, who has served the past several months as the newspaper's interim editor, has been named editor of The Herald and AlbanyHerald.com, and sales trainer Heather Harrison has been promoted to retail sales manager.

A veteran publishing executive whose family's roots are in Texas has been promoted to publisher of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

With its acquisition of Charleston Newspapers Inc. and subsequent merger now complete, HD Media Co. LLC has announced its leadership team for the combined operations.

That team, or Operating Committee, will be responsible for overseeing operations of The Herald-Dispatch (Huntington, W.W.), owned by HD Media; the Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette-Mail, which was owned by Charleston Newspapers Inc.; and several other publications.

The other publications include daily newspapers The Logan Banner and Williamson Daily News and the weekly newspapers Wayne County News, the Coal Valley News in Madison, the Independent Herald in Pineville, the Lawrence Herald and Putnam Herald. HD Media also publishes the bimonthly River Cities Magazine.

Retired Aiken (S.C.) Standard publisher and community leader Scott Beale Hunter, 69, passed away at his home last Tuesday following a lengthy illness.