• Article Photo. Jeff Hutton was a Viking Voice editor in the 80s; now he is managing editor at the Ottumwa Courier.
    Jeff Hutton was a Viking Voice editor in the 80s; now he is managing editor at the Ottumwa Courier.

 

     Editor's note: Today we introduce a new feature at Vinton Today. In "Where are they now?" we will try to catch up with former Vinton residents in their new careers and opportunities. Today we catch up with Jeff Hutton, a 1986 graduate of Washington High School in Vinton. After serving as the interim managing editor of the Ottumwa Courier for a few months, Jeff became the managing editor there last week. Here is the news release about Jeff:
 
     OTTUMWA — Former Vinton resident Jeff Hutton has been named managing editor of the Ottumwa Courier.
     Courier Publisher & Editor Dave Balcom made the announcement to Courier staff and employees last week.
     “Jeff was chosen after an extensive search that included experienced applicants from the Midwest, and we’re excited that he came out on top,” Balcom said. “Through his eight years here he has come to know a great deal about southeastern Iowa and the people who live here. Armed with that knowledge and experience, he should be able to lead the newspaper through the challenges it faces as it strives to remain this region’s most respected news and information source.”
     Hutton, 43, has been with the Courier, a 12,000+ circulation daily newspaper, since January, 2002 when he was first hired as the newspaper’s associate editor.
     Hutton said he was humbled by the announcement.
     “It is a wonderful opportunity for me,” he said. “I’m hopeful that we can continue to be a strong news and information leader here in southern Iowa. I truly appreciate the support I’ve received from community members as well as our extraordinary staff here at the Courier.”
     Before his arrival to Ottumwa, Hutton previously worked at newspapers in Beatrice, Neb., Abilene, Texas and Kokomo, Ind., as well as the newspaper at his alma mater, Iowa State University.
     “Those opportunities, as well as my previous role as associate editor, has given me the confidence to take on this challenging position,” he said. 
     Hutton is a 1986 graduate of Washington High School in Vinton, where he got his first taste of newspaper journalism working as a reporter and later as co-editor of The Viking Voice.
     "That was a wonderful time and that experience in high school certainly was part of the inspiration in pursuing a journalism career," he said. 
     Hutton's parents, Cloyce and Linda Hutton, still live in Benton County, splitting their time between Urbana and Hilton Head Island, S.C.