(Reprinted with permission from the Preston County News and Journal)
KINGWOOD, FEBRUARY 2, 2021 — A veteran name in local news has joined the Preston County News & Journal this week.
Kathy Plum will be bringing more than 40 years of reporting experience as she joins the newspaper and WV News as a staff writer covering general news and local issues.
“I’m happy to be working with a team that is devoted to providing the people of Preston County with news and information,” Plum said.
Plum is the Preston County News & Journal’s newest full-time staff writer, but this is not her first time with one of the publications.
“In 1976, my first job was with the Preston County News,” Plum said. “I had just graduated from Potomac State in journalism, and I was an advertising representative during that summer.”
A native of southern Preston County, Plum is a 1974 graduate of Kingwood High School, a Potomac State College graduate, and the recipient of a degree in journalism from West Virginia University in 1978.
In 1979, Plum helped establish the Preston County bureau of the Dominion Post, and aside from five years working in Morgantown, her career has been focused on reporting on Preston County happenings.
“I am thrilled that Kathy has joined Theresa Marthey and everyone here at the News & Journal,” Editor Joseph Hauger said.
“This is a tremendous opportunity to expand our coverage of Preston County and continue to be the primary source of local news for thousands of readers,” Hauger said.
Plum, Marthey and Hauger have a combined 80-plus years of experience in the newspaper field.
“Kathy brings a strong news background, as well as a passion for community reporting, that will become a core part of the Preston County News & Journal’s print, digital and social media audiences,” said Brian Jarvis, president of WV News.
Plum also will become known to readers of the newspaper’s sister publication, the Garrett County Republican, as she assists Hauger in developing additional content in Western Maryland.
Plum may be reached at the News & Journal office in Kingwood at 304-329-0090, by cell phone at 304-290-4805 or via email at kplum@prestonnj.com.