FALLON - Twenty-three-year newspaper veteran Rick Swart officially begins his duties as publisher of the Lahontan Valley News on Wednesday.
For the last 13 years, the Oregon native has worked as editor and publisher of the Wallowa County Chieftain in Enterprise, Ore. - a paper owned by his family and later by Swart himself.
"I basically grew up working at that paper," he said.
Under Swart's management, the Chieftain won the Oregon Press Association's 2002 General Excellence award, beating out 45 other papers in its class.
After graduating from Oregon State University in 1981 with a degree in technical journalism, Swart worked as an editor at several newspapers in the Midwest and West.
Swart has held editorial positions at OSU's Daily Barometer; the Wood River Journal in Hailey, Idaho;, the Daily Argus Observer in Ontario, Ore.; Farm & Dairy in Salem, Ohio; and the Herald and News in Klamath Falls, Ore.
After Swift Newspapers, which also owns the Nevada Appeal, bought the Lahontan Valley News and Fallon Eagle Standard, Swart, 46, was tapped to run the operation in Fallon.
When he's not poring over budgets or pounding out editorial copy, Swart is an avid scuba diver, skier and photographer.
Swart and his wife, Cheryl, have an 18-year-old son, Michael, who is finishing the school year in Oregon.
"I am thrilled to be joining the Lahontan Valley News and working with the people of Fallon and Churchill County," Swart said.