Enterprise, Post team members look to the future

With the recent launch of the newest publication for West Tennessee's Magic Valley Publishing Co., The Martin Post, team members are looking ahead as the newspaper plans to blend a combination of print and digital media to provide readers even more local coverage of community news.

Leading the Post and Enterprise teams is veteran journalist Sabrina Bates of Martin, who will fill the role of Editor of the two sister newspapers. Bates started her journalism career in 2004 as a staff writer for another local media outlet. She later became Editor and served in various positions through the years before moving into the Editor role at the Dresden Enterprise. Later, MVP moved her into a Regional News Editor position, covering state legislature, BlueOval City and news relative to West Tennessee. Bates was raised in Dresden and is a graduate of Dresden High School. Bates has garnered numerous Tennessee Press Association awards over the years. She lives in Martin with her two children, Samantha and Dillon, both students at Martin schools.

Lorcan McCormick will serve as Associate Editor of The Martin Post. McCormick is a seasoned writer, having filled in at the Dresden Enterprise over the past several years. He and his family have spent more than 15 years in Martin, where his mom is a professor at UT Martin. McCormick is an aspiring playwright, having written several pieces just waiting for the screen.

Shannon Taylor will fill the role of Associate Editor for the Dresden Enterprise. Taylor was an investigative reporter for another media outlet before coming on board with MVP recently as a Regional Investigative Reporter. Taylor recently earned two awards from the Tennessee Press Association for her hard-hitting journalism in the categories of news coverage and investigative reporting. She lives in Dresden with her boyfriend and their two children.

David Fisher has spent four decades in local media as a Staff Writer for the Dresden Enterprise. He will continue to provide readers with his thorough and thought-provoking feature stories that highlight the people and places of Weakley County. Fisher will be a valuable member of both teams with his talent and years of experience in local news coverage.

"I am incredibly excited about the future of both of these local newspapers. With our Publisher Daniel Richardson's vision and a great team providing coverage of local news, I look forward to seeing where the merging of print and digital media will take us. Each one of our writers has their own 'voice' and you'll see a variety of story-telling on the pages of these newspapers. We value truth and integrity at The Post and The Enterprise and we will continue to preserve those values that are necessary for responsible journalism," Bates said.

"While I will miss some aspects of the regional news desk, I plan to continue to pay attention to what is going on a regional, state and federal level," she added.

Laura Bates is calling on potential customers as sales representative for both newspapers. She has been with The Enterprise for nearly three years in that role.

Jim Steele will assist with sports coverage for the two publications. Steele brings with him several decades of experience and award-winning sports coverage in Weakley County and West Tennessee.

Will Spencer is new to the field of journalism, but he brings his fresh talent in Arts, Entertainment and Business coverage. He is a UT Martin student. Spencer is the son of the late Danny and Sherri Spencer of Martin.

Jasmine Williams of Dresden and Richardson make up the layout and design team for the two publications. Williams has been a part of The Enterprise staff for eight years.

Watch for future announcements about the combined location for the two offices. In the meantime, follow both publications on Facebook and visit their websites - martinpost.news and dresdenenterprise.com. To stay current on news throughout the county, comb through the pages of this edition to find out how to subscribe to both newspapers.