New to the jobs, not new to the mountiains

(Updated: Thursday, August 14, 2008, 5:47 PM)

Elizabeth Gabriel, editor

I'm not new to the Star, but I am new to the editor spot. I started at the Star as a reporter on Jan. 8, 2007, a refugee from the big city who wanted to get back to the Sierra.

I am a confessed geezer of 61, and share my home with two kittens, two puppy dachshunds, two big black dogs and a cat who is extremely annoyed by the kittens and puppies.

I was raised in Springville and Porterville in Tulare County and my dad was a logger, so the mountains played a big part in my life. Like many Valley kids, I went first to my community college (go Porterville Pirates!), then finished my education at what was then Fresno State College, with a 1970 diploma signed by Gov. Ronald Reagan. My degree was in journalism, but I learned more in my first six months at the Hanford Sentinel than in all my classes combined -- stuff like how to spell peau de soie and the life cycle of the pink bole worm.

From there, my career path led to the Los Angeles area where I did more and more editing and less and less writing. Then I came home the first time. I started on the telegraph desk at the Fresno Bee in March 1982. I even got to stop the presses -- after a 12:30 a.m. phone call to editor George Gruner -- during the Falklands war. Then I moved into the cave that used to be features, where I learned more valuable lessons -- stuff like the fashion writer for the Fresno Bee is seen as less worthy of a fashion show front-row seat than the Women's Wear Daily writer.

Then San Diego beckoned and I went to what is now the Union-Tribune to be a features department copy editor. I stayed there for 17 years, ending up in the travel section.

I had an 850-square-foot house in an iffy neighborhood. But the real estate bubble had grown so huge, I was able to sell it for an obscene amount of money, buy two acres in Lush Meadows and have a house built.

So here I am, living the dream of many journalists -- small-town editor.

You're going to be seeing some changes in the way we do things, a bit of cosmetic surgery and some experiments.

But I promise that "community" looms large in my vision.

Jill Bracket, reporter

Brand new to the Star, I am coming to Oakhurst from Fresno. Although the commute is gas-guzzling, I love the drive. And I love the area. Mountains have always felt more like home than anywhere else. My wedding in October will have the beauty of the mountains as a backdrop (don't be surprised to see my name change).

I suppose, though, that I am a Valley girl, having gone to Clovis High School and onto Fresno State where I received my bachelor's degree in mass communication and journalism.

My freelance work has taken me to almost every small-town paper in the Valley, covering everything from city government to bridal trends.

I, too, learned much -- the importance of honey bees in agriculture, the ins and outs of school bond measures, the plight of rural hospitals and, most important, that the heart of the Valley is its people. People like the little grannies who make cookies at the senior center, the poor immigrant student-turned-award-winning school administrator and the retired butler who inspires Reedley youth. This year I was privileged to receive a George F. Gruner Award for Meritorious Public Service in Journalism.

I am thankful to be in a dynamic and ever-changing field. I am thankful for those who have let me into their lives. And now I am thankful to be here with you. My hope is to bring you coverage of what matters most and to affirm the important role citizens play in their community. We hope to bring you fun too, from local recreation to nearby places of interest, those things that make this Mountain Area such a rich place to be.

But let us know what you want too. We are your paper.

I am your reporter.