It’s not that I’m slowing down or losing interest. There are no urgent responsibilities that must be addressed. My health is good. But like the dropping barometer before a storm, there’s an ever-present pressure nagging at me to slow down, urging me to analyze how I want to use what’s left of my time on this Earth.
So, I’m scaling back my daily involvement at The Coastal Star and passing along a few of my myriad responsibilities to other extremely capable journalists. Although none of them is new to the paper, they should get recognition for the roles they play in the paper’s success:
Mary Thurwachter (marytg@bellsouth.net) is our features editor. All the great content in our Around Town section is under her leadership — as are the people profiles inside our News section.
Steve Plunkett (gplunk99@gmail.com) directs and edits our coverage of Boca Raton and Highland Beach.
And new to the management team, Larry Barszewski (larrybarszewski@bellsouth.net) is now our editor for Gulf Stream, Delray Beach, Lantana and Boca Raton’s Beach and Park District.
I’ll still edit the remainder of our municipalities. I’m not going away.
All three of these managing editors have extensive daily newspaper experience in South Florida. They are award-winning professionals. Trusted pros. The newspaper remains in good hands.
Starting, owning and running The Coastal Star is one of the most immensely gratifying experiences of my life. Working with the talented journalists who contribute to the newspaper each month has sped my time since 2008 — when we first began filling a news void by reporting on the coastal communities in southern Palm Beach County.
It’s been, dare I say, fun, but it’s also been time consuming. My hope is that by passing on a little more responsibility to these three managing editors, it will lift some of the pressure and allow me to take back some needed personal time.
Rest assured that Advertising Director Chris Bellard and Publisher Jerry Lower have no plans to slow down. They’ll continue to lead our amazing sales, production, photography and circulation teams.
That’s how I know we’ll keep delivering the local news and information our readers have come to expect. They will keep the business running. Let them know if you have questions.
If you have news tips or story ideas, feel free to drop me an email. I’ll still be around.
— Mary Kate Leming
editor@thecoastalstar.com
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