Jeff Moreland has been named regional editor of Bluegrass Newsmedia. The company is a division of Boone Newspapers which publishes The Advocate Messenger, The Interior Journal (Stanford), The Jessamine Journal (Nicholasville), The Winchester Sun, The Harlan Enterprise, and The Middlesboro News.

A native of Irvine, Kentucky, Moreland has more than two decades of experience as a reporter, editor and publisher in Kentucky newspapers. He has also served multiple terms as a member of the board of directors of the Kentucky Press Association. After studying journalism at Eastern Kentucky University, he began his career at the Citizen Voice & Times in Irvine and has since held positions at newspapers in Kentucky and Maryland.

Moreland left the industry briefly to work for a non-profit organization, but his passion for local news brought him back to journalism.

“It’s a blessing to be back in the news business where my passion has fueled my work for more than 20 years,” he said. “I’m excited to join Boone Newspapers and become a part of the Danville and Boyle County communities.”

Moreland has won numerous individual awards from the Kentucky Press Association and the Maryland-Delaware-District of Columbia Press Association, and his newspapers have received multiple awards as the best in their class in the state.

“I look forward to working with the staff of The Advocate Messenger and the other papers in our group. Providing quality news coverage for our communities is so important, especially in today’s difficult times, and community newspapers do that like no other news outlet can,” Moreland said.

Moreland and his wife, Betsy, have been married for 24 years and have a son, Michael, 23. They are familiar with the local landscape and regularly attend events in Boyle County, including festivals and theatrical performances.

Boone Newspapers, based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, publishes newspapers, websites, shopping guides and various specialty publications in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.