“Being born and raised in Warren County, it has been an honor to be the publisher of the Times Observer,” Patchen said. “I will cherish the friendships I’ve built while working at the Times Observer.”

Patchen also has served as circulation director of the Times Observer since 2007. Prior to that, he had been a sports reporter and office manager. He is married to Jodi. They have three children: Noah, 20; Isaac, 15, and Seth, 13.

“I’m extremely excited for my next challenge of moving out west and what lies ahead for me and my family,” Patchen said.

With Patchen’s move, Michael C. Bird will become publisher of the Times Observer. Bird has been a publisher of community newspapers for Ogden Newspapers for more than 20 years and has had a newspaper career spanning 26 years.

Michael C. Bird

Recently, Bird has been the publisher of The Post-Journal for the last 14 years. His publisher roles have included newspapers in Houghton, Mich., Salem Ohio, and Westfield, N.Y. Other newspaper roles he has held also include advertising director, circulation director and commercial printing /production manager.

Bird lives in Jamestown with his wife Lori, a teacher, and they have four children ranging from the ages of 28 to 16 years old with three grandchildren. Bird can be contacted at mbird@timesobserver.com.