Harton Is Named Times Editor

Greg Harton, assistant city editor for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s Northwest Arkansas operation, took over on Feb. 19 as executive editor of the Northwest Arkansas Times. He replaced Ritta Martin Basu, who resigned Feb. 16 after holding the title of executive editor since June.

Harton served as assistant city editor at the D-G from 1998 until Feb. 19. Before that, he was a reporter for the D-G, working from its Springdale office.

The Times also announced that Lucas Roebuck was named managing editor, replacing Patricia Davis, who has switched to being an “editorial assistant.” Roebuck was previously editorial page editor at the Benton County Daily Record.

The Times and Daily Record are both owned by Community Publishers Inc. The two newspapers entered into an “alliance” with the D-G in August. Since then, the two CPI dailies have dwindled to one or two sections included with the regional edition of the D-G.

Basu declined to comment when asked if her departure had anything to do with the D-G’s apparent de-emphasis of the Times.