Appeal Editor announces retirement; present staff members to fill in
Appeal Editor Steve Miller announced his retirement, effective March 5. In his stead, Jake Abbott, an Appeal reporter, will lead the newsroom as managing editor; and reporter/ copy editor Ruby Larson will be assistant editor.
That will mean a five-person local news team, including Abbott, Larson, reporters David Wilson and Lynzie Lowe and sports editor Jeff Larson. Reporter Julie Johnson works out of an office in Corning, providing content for the weekly Tri-county Newspaper, managed by the Appeal.
Miller began his career at a small weekly newspaper in western Nebraska in 1982, then went on to edit a nearby daily paper. He then worked for Pioneer Newspapers at three of their Northwestern newspapers before coming to work for the AppealDemocrat in 2012.
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my career in community journalism and couldn’t have wound up in a better place than Yuba-sutter,” Miller said. “The AppealDemocrat has been a key player in this community for more than a century and a half and will continue making a difference. The newsroom team is the greatest.”
The editor noted that his tenure at the Appeal hasn’t been without challenges. Staffing has been reduced several times in eight years and the paper has switched from a seven-day to a five-day-per-week
publishing cycle.
“I’ve appreciated Steve’s experience and enthusiasm for community journalism,” said Publisher Glenn Stifflemire. “He’s been a real asset to this business; and he’s been a real asset to the entire community.”
Miller’s last day will be Friday, March 5. The Appeal will continue printing a five-day daily newspaper, a weekly “Tri-county News” paper, and the monthly Prospect Magazine.
Abbott, 31, is a Sutter
native and graduate of
Sutter Union High School. He attended California State University, Sacramento, where he graduated with a bachelor of arts in journalism.
He has worked as a reporter for the AppealDemocrat since May 2016 and has covered local government, agriculture, natural resources, economic development, and crime, among other topics.
“I look forward to taking on new responsibilities as managing editor while also continuing to contribute to the Yuba-sutter area’s
daily record,” Abbott said. “Our current newsroom team works hard on a daily basis to update our readers on what is happening in their community, and I’m confident that work will continue into the future.
“I would also like to thank Steve Miller for hiring me and giving me an opportunity to further my career. Enjoy your retirement and thank you for the hard work you’ve done all these years.”
Ruby Larson grew up in Newberg, Ore., and graduated from Newberg Senior High School in
2014. She moved to Chico to attend California State University, Chico, and majored in journalism with a focus in news and a minor in marketing.
She worked for The Orion, the Chico State newspaper, before graduating in May 2018 and starting work as a reporter at the AppealDemocrat a few days after graduation.
Abbott can be reached at jabbott@appealdemocrat. com or 530-749-4769; Larson can be contacted at rlarson@appealdemocrat. com or at 530-749-4780.