A time to say goodbye: Lance Gideon departs Reporter-Times, Mooresville-Decatur Times and Times-Mail

For some reason in recent years, eating pizza on election night has become synonymous with journalism.

Over the last six years, I've had many pizzas on election night as I've covered the process across multiple newspapers.

I started working for the Reporter-Times on Oct. 24, 2016, just days before the 2016 election.

Of course in that first election I covered, pizza was on the menu in our newsroom.

The 2022 election night was no different in terms of the menu; once again pizza.

One major difference between that 2016 pizza and the 2022 pizza is that this year's pie will likely be my final election night dinner as part of a newsroom.

I have decided to take a position with the Indiana Senate at the statehouse in Indianapolis.

My final day as editor of the Times-Mail, Reporter-Times, Mooresville-Decatur Times and Spencer Evening World is Friday, Nov. 11.

The decision to leave the papers was a difficult one to grasp. For the last six years, I've been "Lance Gideon from the Reporter-Times and/or Mooresville-Decatur Times" and since July 2021, I got "Times-Mail" added to that identity.

This past May, more duties were added to my plate when I took over the Spencer Evening World in Owen County.

When I started my job with the Morgan County publications, I was a 26-year-old who was still learning how to live in the real world.

I was hired by Ali Fitzpatrick, who had only recently been hired to serve as the managing editor for both the Reporter-Times and Mooresville-Decatur Times.

At the time, I was still living in Modoc, Indiana — nearly a two-hour drive from Martinsville.

After about two weeks on the job, my wife Amber, daughter Rayne and I moved into our apartment in Mooresville.

I remember entering Martinsville City Hall, heading up the stairs and walking into the council chambers for the first time.

I can't capture the countless hours I spent in city hall over the years, attending meetings and other events hosted in the building.

For the first year or so I worked at the Reporter-Times, my main focus was the city of Martinsville and construction of the I-69 project.

Six years ago, actual work on the interstate project seemed so far away. But today, it's a reality for folks who live in South Central Indiana.

Eventually, I started covering the Mooresville government.

All this happened as my family expanded by one, with my son Hunter being born in 2019 amongst ownership changes at the paper.

Then COVID hit, and even more changes came as our newsroom dealt with an ever-changing media landscape.

In those six years, I've covered just about anything you can think of — from a tornado that hit Mooresville, fairs and festivals, as well as numerous government meetings.

I'll never forget getting a photo texted to me on April 8, 2020, of the downtown building in Mooresville that had been hit by a tornado.

As soon as I got that photo, I had to get my shoes back on (in the dark since my apartment had lost power) and take a trip downtown to see what I could find. Immediately, I saw the building and pulled my phone out to take a photo of the damaged structure and debris.

I've also had the chance to interview a wide range of folks including two United States Senators, two members of the House of Representatives, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb and a few country musicians.

This doesn't include the countless locals I've interviewed over the years for stories.

By July 2021, I was hired to serve as editor of not only the two Morgan County newspapers but also the Times-Mail in Bedford.

Since that promotion, the newspapers have dealt with a reduced staff which has caused the papers to be less local than folks were used to. While everyone in our newsrooms worked hard to produce local content, difficult decisions had to be made so that we could get a paper out the door every day.

In recent weeks as I've looked forward to my future, I have been looking back at all the time I've spent writing, editing and photographing local news.

In the news business, I've learned to always expect the unexpected and roll with it.

I've laughed with my colleagues, cried with them and had my fair share of Tylenol over the years.

Saying goodbye is difficult for me, so instead I'd like to say Thank You.

Thank you to Martinsville, Mooresville, Bedford and Spencer for welcoming an outsider into your communities.

Thank you to all the folks who always answered their phones, called me back or offered tips for stories.

And finally, thank you to Ali Fitzpatrick, Stephen Crane, Julie Varnell, Keith Rhoades, Andrew Crowley, Anthony Woodside, Cody Thompson, Steve Page, Jennifer Paul, Angie Skaggs, Pam Bird, Carol Johnson, Noah Dalton, Grace Phillips, Peter Blanchard, Tyler Haughn, Devin Voss, Amanda York, Larry Hensley, Nicole DeCriscio, Amy Hillenburg and all other staffers at the Reporter-Times, Times-Mail, Mooresville-Decatur Times and Spencer Evening World I've had the pleasure of working with in recent years.

This article originally appeared on The Reporter Times: Lance Gideon departs Reporter-Times, Mooresville-Decatur Times and Times-Mail