EDITOR LOU DURO comes to The Khronicles with over 40 years experience as a journalist. A graduate of New York University's School of Journalism, he was an award-winning reporter/columnist for The New York Journal-American and The Long Island Press in the U.S., and a feature writer for The Athenian, in Greece. A published author, he is the founder and former editor of The Crete Gazette. In addition to his duties as editor of The Khronicles, he is the international correspondent for The Queens Times, a leading New York City weekly newspaper.

editor@ko-go.gr

PUBLISHER SOFIA KLIDI, a native of Rethymnon, Crete, who repatriated to her homeland in 1985, was raised and educated in the U.S. After university, she worked in several creative fields before becoming manager of Creative Encounters, a full-service media company in New York. As publisher of The Khronicles, Ms. Klidi is responsible for overall business activities, including advertising sales, as well as serving as proof-reader and researcher.

publisher@ko-go.gr

ASSOCIATE EDITOR TONY BOWES comes to The Khronicles by way of Great Britain, where he was an accomplished boxer, footballer and avid sports fan – excellent credentials for writing the popular Sports Column which appears in these pages every month. A resident of Crete for over 16 years, Tony was head chef of the Neraida Restaurant in Kokkini Hani prior to becoming a full-time editor. In addition to writing sports, as well as other stories, Tony fills in as circulation manager, supervising the newspaper's ever-expanding distribution.

tony@ko-go.gr

ASSOCIATE EDITOR CHRISTINE BOWES, who worked for 25 years as biochemistry medical laboratory officer in England, moved to Crete in 1992 with her husband, Tony. Together, they ran the Neraida Restaurant for 15 years. After joining the staff of The Khronicles, she put her food experience to good use by creating this newspaper's popular Cooking Column. As an associate editor, she also contributes feature stories on a host of other subjects. In addition, she manages the classified advertising department.

chris@ko-go.gr

WEB EDITOR JOHN MCLAREN, holder of a BA in Internet Studies, is a native of Scotland and a long-time resident of the Gouves-Hersonissos area. He is the creative force behind the exciting on-line design of The Khronicles, and serves as its editor. John, who is the creator of Crete's first aquarium, the popular Aquaworld, in Hersonissos, is also a regular feature writer for The Khronicles.

GRAPHIC ARTIST GEORGE DRAKAKIS, born and raised in the Iraklion suburb of Poros, is responsible for the exciting layout of the newspaper’s print edition. Educated in private schools, he studied engineering in England for a year before being bitten by the creative bug and transferred to the prestigious AKTO School of Design in Athens. In addition to his graphic design duties, he writes the popular Music Beat column.

 g.drakakis@yahoo.gr

DISPLAY SALES MANAGER/REPORTER Maria Aretaki of Gouves received her degree in Shipping from the Institute for Vocational Education and Training, and has a first certificate in English, Ms Windows, Word, Excel, Access, Powerpoint, and Internet Tools. Also, she has participated in seminars regarding Business Communication and Public Relations and Customer Services in Tourism Enterprises, among others. Before joining The Khronicles staff, Maria worked at the Port Organization of Iraklion and as Airport Guide for Cretan Holidays.

COLUMNIST MARIA DASKALAKI, born and raised in Iraklion, writes equally well in both Greek and English, and her column, The Other Side, is a popular feature of The Khronicles. She is a true observer of the people and places that give character to her native city, and her in-depth articles are also featured regularly in Iraklion's daily newspaper, Patris. In addition, Maria hosts her own radio show at Star 88 FM.

COLUMNIST VASILIKI ALEXAKI-HRONAKI, who resides in Gournes with her family, writes the informative Education Column, which covers all issues dealing with the local schools in the Gouves Township. She is a Professor of Literature at the Heraklion School of Arts in Gournes, as well as an experienced writer, and has been published in several magazines. In addition, she is a noted environmentalist and president of the Gournes Association for Development and Environment.

COLUMNIST BOB BAYES and his wife, Chris, are Gouves residents. Bob, who has the proverbial Green Thumb, writes the Home Garden Column, and is a big reason why many local gardens stay in bloom year round. A noted horticulturist, he is the host of the popular website www.qualitygardens.biz. In addition to his writing, he also serves as distribution manager for The Khronicles.

COLUMNIST RENIE SPYKERMAN, a native of Holland, writes the popular Through My Eyes Column, which provides readers with an insight to life in general, and, particularly, in Crete. The working mother of three, Renie gets much of her inspiration for the column from her everyday ordeals. She is a long time resident of the Gouves area, and one of the co-owners and creative geniuses behind the B-Younique accessories and design workshop in Gournes.

COLUMNIST PETRA KARREMAN, a pet owner and an international expert in animal care, authors the popular Pets with Petra column, in addition to contributing occasional feature articles. Along with her husband, Dimitri Kakoudaki, she's been running the Pet Planet in Hersonissos for the past nine years. Prior to that, Petra worked as a vet technician in a veterinarian hospital for 15 years. And, of course, her hobby is related to animals, as she's an accomplished horse rider.

COLUMNIST FATHER LEONIDAS HATZAKIS, a native of Gournes, serves the two churches in Gournes, Aghios Georgios and Evangelismos tis Theotokou and devotes his time for the betterment of the entire village and its residents. He is the co-author of the informative Voice of the Church Column, and his timely remarks and observations appear in the Khronicles every other month.

COLUMNIST FATHER DIMITRIS MIHOUTHIS has served as the parish priest of the Cathedral of Zoothohou Pigis in Pano Gouves, since being ordained in 2004.  He was born and raised in Iraklion, and is married with two children. Father Dimitris holds a degree in Byzantine Ecclesiastic Music from the Archdiocese Conservatory of Crete, and is also a graduate from the teaching department for public education at the University of Crete.

COLUMNIST EVI KARVOUNAKI may be the youngest member of The Khronicles staff, but her contribution to the editorial content of the newspaper is equal to that of many more senior writers. Evi pens the all-important "Teen Report" column, which provides a "voice" for the youth of the area. The high school student resides with her family in Hersonissos, and plans to pursue a university degree in education.

COLUMNIST NIKOLAOS PAPADAKIS, a dental surgeon with a degree from Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, writes the dental care column which appears in pages of the Health Talk Section.  Before opening his office in Kokkini Hani, Dr. Papadakis worked in Athens for several years. In addition to his private practice, he is continuing to study for a medical degree in maxillofacial surgery at University Hospital.

TRANSLATOR ADA VAMVOUKAKI was born in Iraklion, and attended local schools.  After graduation from high school, she went on to higher education and studied English Language and Literature at the School of Philosophy of the University of Athens. Upon her return to Crete, she worked as a substitute English teacher in Iraklion and Rethymnon. In 2003, she became a permanent state school teacher, and is presently teaching English at the Evening Senior High School of Iraklion.

PHOTOGRAPHER SAMI MOUDAVARIS has been working as a professional cameraman for more than 20 years. Before settling in Crete, where he runs FotoSami in Kato Gouves, he travelled extensively throughout the Middle East and Europe. His photographs have appeared in many important publications in several countries.

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