Mike Throne to leave Eagle-Gazette; newspaper begins process to find new editor

LANCASTER - The Eagle-Gazette will be seeking a new editor after the current editor leaves at the end of this week.

Mike Throne, who served as editor since October 2016, will become the president and CEO of the Chillicothe-Ross Chamber of Commerce in January.

"It's been my pleasure to serve the Eagle-Gazette's employees and its readers in the Lancaster area for the past two years," Throne said. "I'm grateful to the Lancaster community for welcoming me and helping us serve them to the best of our abilities."

Under his guidance, the Eagle-Gazette won eight awards for 2017 work from the Associated Press Society of Ohio, including the First Amendment Award for an investigation by Spencer Remoquillo and Trista Thurston of then-mayor Brian Kuhn's business practices and gambling problems. The work also won an investigative reporting award from the Society of Professsional Journalists.

More:Eagle-Gazette takes home First Amendment Award for Kuhn investigation

More:TOP STORY OF 2017: Lancaster Mayor Brian Kuhn resigns after scandal

Most recently, Remoquillo finished a nearly year-long look at the flaws in the state's process for collecting DNA from those charged in Ohio and how it delays, and even denies justice for some crime victims.

More:Untraceable: Why Ohio's DNA collection law is missing thousands of profiles

More:Untraceable: We know about the DNA collection problem, now it's time to act

Throne took over the editor's desk in October 2016 and served as the editor for both the Chillicothe and Lancaster newspapers in that time period. He had been the Chillicothe editor for 19 years before adding the Lancaster duties.

Lancaster leaves an impression on him.

"There's so much that I loved about Fairfield County, from presenting the Orchid Award, to the Lancaster Festival, and the way the downtown looks and feels," he said. "There's a lot that I take away from this experience and it will help me for years to come."

The process for replacing Throne at both sites has begun and an interim editor, Pam James of Zanesville, has been selected to guide the staff until a permanent replacement is found.

The 50-year-old Throne will succeed Randy Davies, who announced his retirement in August after five years as the chamber’s top executive. Throne will begin working with Davies for a transitional period beginning Dec. 3 and assume the role of president and CEO on Jan. 2.