Lou Brancaccio Photo

Editor Lou Brancaccio announced Tuesday that he will step away from daily management of The Columbian’s newsroom effective Feb. 17 and assume a new role as editor emeritus.

In his new role, Brancaccio will write his popular Press Talk column on a monthly basis, and continue as a member of the newspaper’s editorial board, which sets the newspaper’s editorial stance on issues and candidates.

“It’s been both a pleasure and a privilege to work for this community and The Columbian as editor. After growing up in Chicago and working in the four corners of the United States, after 20 years in Clark County, I call this home,” Brancaccio said.

Brancaccio, 66, joined The Columbian in November 1997 as its managing editor and was named editor in January 2001 upon the retirement of Tom Koenninger.

Under Brancaccio, The Columbian transitioned from an weekday afternoon newspaper with a Sunday edition to a seven-day digital and print news organization, with extensive social media outreach on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other platforms.