March brought a number of changes to L’Observateur, most notably the return of Joy “J” Kennon as the newspaper’s publisher.
Kennon’s entire newspaper career has been with Wick Communications, the parent company of L’Observateur, starting in 1983 when she was an advertising sales representative at the News Banner in Covington.
Kennon later spent three years as the advertising director of the Bogalusa Daily News, seven years managing the sales department of PN Printing and five years as publisher of L’Observateur before being named group manager of Team Titanium, which includes newspapers in both Louisiana and Alaska, and publisher of the News Banner in Covington in 2000.
In 2004, Kennon also became publisher of the Daily News in Bogalusa. She also added the duties of president of Pontchartrain Newspapers.
Kennon is married to Bill Kennon, and the couple has one daughter, Nikki, who lives in Georgia.  
As publisher of L’Observateur, Kennon will work closely with General Manager and Managing Editor David Vitrano, who has been with L’Observateur since 2007.
Also beginning this month, Rhett Triche has been tapped to head the newspaper’s Circulation Department.