Avok appointed Capital Journal editor
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PIERRE — Michael Avok, a 40-year-old newsman who grew up in South Dakota, is the new managing editor of the Capital Journal.
“Mike’s got a lot of experience,” Publisher Steve Baker said Wednesday. “He has a good news background.”
Avok comes to Pierre after serving more than 15 years with the Omaha World-Herald newspaper. While in Omaha, he led coverage of Omaha and several other communities and school organizations.
“I think it’s important that the editor knows what’s going on in the community,” Baker said. “That’s how you let the community know you want to make the community better — not just the paper better.
Avok moved from Minnesota to Yankton, when he was 4-years old. His father was a welder and later a supervisor at a manufacturing plant. His mother was a homemaker until the economy got tough in the late ‘70s, when she went to work at Gurney’s Seed and Nursery.
Avok is a 1987 graduate of Yankton High School and moved on to be a Jackrabbit at South Dakota State University in Brookings, graduating from State in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism “I took off several spring semesters to come to Pierre to cover the Legislature as a reporter,” Avok said. “I lived here, in Pierre, from Jan.-March over the years of 1989-93. That’s part of why I am already comfortable here.”
“After working at newspapers in Huron, Columbus, Neb., and Omaha, I now have a chance to bring to you my years of experience in the news business. For me, it’s also a chance to come back home.”
Avok will soon be joined in Pierre by his wife, Carol, who currently manages a store in Omaha.
“After meeting with the newspaper staff several times, you should know that I believe your newspaper is in good hands,” Avok said. “They are a talented lot, and they care about the community and the region. These are good folks.”
“We look forward to serving you. We look forward to hearing from you. We look forward to living and growing with you.”