Hill Navigator is a strong advocate of the power of entry-level jobs: Get your foot in the door, work hard and learn all you can from those ahead of you. If you’re lucky, you’ll have the chance to work with some amazing people — both on and off Capitol Hill.

So this week, Hill Navigator bids adieu to one of our longtime established and respected journalists. John Cranford, CQ Weekly’s editor, is retiring from the newsroom and embarking on a nationwide tour of baseball stadiums.*

Many Hill staffers have relied on CQ Roll Call’s coverage of news and policy to get through the workday. If you’ve read anything on budget, economics or finance, it likely had the imprint of Cranford, a stalwart of budget policy and a great steward of newsroom morale. At a time when newsrooms are getting smaller, we rely even more on established journalists’ insights and guidance. For someone like Cranford, who was always quick to encourage anyone new to journalism — including Hill Navigator herself — he will be sorely missed.

*Hill Navigator recommends stopping for UDF’s Homemade Ice Cream at the Great American Ballpark and the capicola overstuffed sandwich at Panini’s outside Progressive Field.