Denis Finley, former editor in chief of The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk, Va., is becoming the new executive editor at The Burlington Free Press as of Oct. 17. Finley was a photographer, news editor, managing editor, and an editor in chief at the Virginian-Pilot. Michael Townsend, former executive editor of the Free Press, took a buyout about a year ago. He was employed with the Free Press’ parent company, Gannett Co. Inc., of McLean, Va., for 27 years. In 1975, he began employment at two weekly newsppaers in Carroll County, Maryland. He then became a reporter for the Carroll County Times of Westminster, Md., and then an editor there for three years. He later became senior managing editor of the suburban editions of the Baltimore Sun. His next move was to metro editor at the Rockford (Ill.) Register Star for two years. He was promoted there to assistant managing editor and then managing editor. He had been exeutive editor of the Free Press since 2001.
The Transitions were written, at least in part, from published reports by Bulletin staff members Ashleane Alabre, Nico Hall and Hope Oje, undergraduate students at Northeastern University.