Richard Walker, editor of The Journal of the San Juan Islands since November 1999, has been named editor of the North Kitsap Herald, a sister newspaper headquartered in Poulsbo. His last day at The Journal is Jan. 11.

Scott Rasmussen, who joined The Journal as a reporter in December 1999, succeeds Walker as The Journal’s editor.

During their time together at The Journal, the newspaper won four awards for General Excellence and eight awards for Community Service in the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association Better Newspapers Contest. The Journal also received awards for design, editorial writing, photography, and feature, news and sports coverage.

The Journal also publishes SanJuanJournal.com, a daily online news site; as well as an annual almanac, a visitors guide, and special sections related to business, education, sports and the San Juan County Fair.

“Richard has done a terrific job at The Journal and will be missed,” Publisher Elyse Van den Bosch said. “He and Scott made an excellent team and Scott will move into the editor’s position with ease.”

Rasmussen is a native Oregonian, growing up in the Portland/Beaverton area. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 1988 with a B.A. in English literature.

His career in journalism began as a freelance writer, producing articles for several publications in the Portland area in the late 1990s.

For The Journal, he’s covered sports, local government, environmental issues, courts and crime, dozens of fires and numerous plane crashes, myriad human interest stories and authors the weekly “Sheriff’s Log.”

Rasmussen is the father of two teen-age girls, 14 and 13, who’ve been raised mostly on San Juan Island. His hobbies include skiing, tennis, bicycling and playing guitar, and he enjoys taking long walks in the wilderness, especially in the company of his 9-year-old black Lab, Jo Jo Midnight.