Fresno Bee executive editor retiring

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) -- The executive editor of a Central Valley newspaper is retiring.

Betsy Lumbye will be replaced at the Fresno Bee by Jim Boren, the newspaper's editorial page editor. The Bee reported (http://bit.ly/R54xjK) that the changes were announced on Tuesday.

Lumbye, 57, joined the newspaper in 1997 as the assistant managing editor and became managing editor the following year. She took over the reins as executive editor in 2006, seeing the newspaper through turbulent times that included staffing cuts during the economic downturn.

"I'm really proud of leading this newsroom through the Great Recession at the same time we were making a revolutionary transition from all print to a multiplatform, continuous news operation," she said.

Boren, 63, said he will maintain the Bee's coverage of local news across the San Joaquin Valley and will continue to transform the newspaper into a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week online source of breaking news. Boren has previously served as the newspaper's political reporter.

"It's a changing environment and a tough environment," Boren said. "The challenges are huge, but the opportunities are huge as well."

Lumbye officially retires on Dec. 28. She said she plans to continue writing and editing although she will first take time to "decompress."

She would eventually like to move to the East Coast to be closer to her family.