Marc Lutz started work this week as the Sentinel's new editor, writer and photographer.
Marc Lutz started work this week as editor at the Wrangell Sentinel, and the Central California transplant will be doing more than writing stories about the community.
"Marc is an accomplished photographer and skilled in page layout software, which means sometime this fall the Sentinel will bring back all its production in-house rather than contracting with the Petersburg newspaper for the design work," said Sentinel owner and publisher Larry Persily.
"A major objective when I bought the Sentinel in January was to rebuild its presence in the community, and Marc's arrival will be a big part of that," Persily said.
Lutz will join office manager Amber Armstrong in the Sentinel's downtown storefront, with an additional reporter scheduled to start work by the end of September.
"With three full-time staffers in Wrangell, the Sentinel should be able to provide the town the news coverage and advertising services it needs and deserves," said Persily, who will continue to write and edit for the newspaper.
Lutz, and his wife, Melinda, arrived in Wrangell aboard the Matanuska last Friday, after driving from their home in Lodi, Calif., with the U-Haul and their car stuffed with household goods - and four cats.
He had been general manager and editor at the Calaveras Enterprise since 2018. The weekly newspaper covers Calaveras County, population about 45,000.
"Though 45,000 is big by Alaska standards, it's a small town anywhere else, and Marc understands the importance of local journalism in small towns, telling stories and being part of the community," Persily said.
Lutz also had worked as editor at the Central Valley Business Journal from 2017 to 2018, and in information services for Adventist Health in Lodi, where he produced the organization's internal newsletter. He worked at the Lodi News-Sentinel as a designer, cartoonist, staff writer, business and lifestyle editor and web designer, and before that as a copy editor, page designer and illustrator at the Union Democrat, which covered communities in California's Sonora and Sierra Nevada foothills.
He started in 2004 as a cartoonist with the Lodi News-Sentinel.
"After living in California for most of our lives, Melinda and I decided we needed to make a major change," Lutz said. "I've always enjoyed my career in journalism, so I knew I didn't want to leave the profession. When the opportunity at the Wrangell Sentinel popped up on my radar, it just made sense."
The newly transplanted couple has already started getting to know the community, meeting as many people as possible.
Lutz attended the Art Institute of Seattle in 1988, studying commercial art, and later attended San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, Calif., to study creative writing.
He completed a certified personal course with the International Sports Sciences Association in 2016, and is a certified marathon trainer.
Lutz replaces Caleb Vierkant, who is moving back to Texas after three years at the Sentinel.
Reader Comments(0)