Ahlqvist, Austin Cudmore Expand Newpapers’ Reach

Seeking to expand its service to the Otsego County community, Hometown Oneonta & The Freeman’s Journal this week adds a sports editor, photographer and reporter to its editorial effort.
They are Eric Ahlqvist, Ian Austin and Libby Cudmore respectively.
“Without community support, this simply wouldn’t have been possible,” said Bill Reeves, Hometown Oneonta publisher.
“We thank Cooperstown for its enduring commitment to one of the country’s oldest newspapers, and Oneonta for embracing one of the youngest,” added Jim Kevlin, editor of both papers and Freeman’s Journal publisher.
Eric Ahlquist, after graduating from Hartwick College in 1990, worked for the Daily Star and Cooperstown Crier until February.  During his tenure with the newspapers, he won five New York State Press Association Awards for sports writing.
He has been a familiar presence on both the Oneonta and Cooperstown sports scenes, and has wide experience in covering the local sports scene.
He lives in Laurens with his wife, Kelly, and daughter, Emily.
Ian Austin is a Oneonta artist, illustrator and photographer.  As a working artist, Ian has painted sets for The Oneonta Stage Players, Orpheus Theater and the SUNY Oneonta Theater Department, contributed drawings to the O-Town Scene, freelanced for the Daily Star and still finds time to manage the Oneonta Teen Center. 
He is a graduate of Sage college at Albany and The School of Visual Arts in New York City, where he studied graphic design and Illustration.
Ian has been freelancing for Hometown Oneonta since he was observed climbing onto a roof to get pictures during the initial Bresees’ demolition.
Libby Cudmore’s stories and essays have been published in PANK, KneeJerk, The Postcard Press, Connotation Press, The Yalobusha Review, the MacGuffin, Criminal Class Review, The Midnight Diner (where she is also an editor) Crime Factory, Celebrities in Disgrace, Xenith and many other magazines.  
She was Long Story Short’s Author of the Year in 2004, wrote The Subway Chronicles Essay of the Year in 2004, was a 2005 Finalist for the Writers of the Future Award, a 2009 Bullet Award winner and a 2010 Derringer Award Finalist.
She attended Binghamton University.
Libby and Ian live in Oneonta with Bosco, The World’s Cutest Kitten.