MID-HUDSON- Mid-Hudson News Publisher Mike Martucci has announced that the Hudson Valley’s preeminent online news source has launched a new local sports page ahead of the fall sports season.

Mid-Hudson News’ sports section will be managed and overseen by Editorial Development Director Justin Rodriguez, who was hired in March. Rodriguez was a well-known sports reporter at the Times Herald-Record in Middletown for nearly two decades (1996-2015), winning numerous Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) state and national awards. He was successful in his role as Orange County’s Assistant to the County Executive for Communications and Media Relations from 2015 to March of this year.

“Justin has been a tremendous asset to Mid-Hudson News during his tenure and I couldn’t think of a better person than ‘J-Rod’ to lead our sports section,” Martucci said. “He is well-liked and respected by local coaches and athletes and has a passion for sports. In addition to his duties on the news team, I know that Justin, along with our talented team, will provide interesting and engaging content to readers. I am excited about this important endeavor and look forward to covering and promoting local student-athletes in our community.”

The website’s sports section will primarily focus on high school athletics but will also cover local colleges and recreational sports with feature stories and athlete profiles, analysis, breaking news, and event coverage. Longtime local sportswriter Sal Interdonato, who has covered high school sports and Army football for more than 25 years, will be one of the featured writers for Mid-Hudson News Sports along with other current and Mid-Hudson News content contributors.

“We look forward to working with Justin and Sal and appreciate Mid-Hudson News making this much-needed investment into local sports,” said Christopher Mayo, Orange-Ulster BOCES’ interscholastic athletic coordinator. “Student-athletes deserve recognition in the media, I am excited for our student-athletes, and look forward to working with the Mid-Hudson News team.”

If you have a sports story or tip, please email justin@midhudsonnews.com.

To view the Mid-Hudson News Sports page for all of the latest news in sports, CLICK HERE.