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Hennigan succeeds Stone as publisher at Taylor Press

TAYLOR – Managing Editor Jason Hennigan has been promoted to publisher of the Taylor Press.
Daniel Philhower, vice president of operations for Granite Publications, announced the appointment.
Hennigan succeeds Richard Stone, who retired March 1.
A native of Taylor, Hennington began his tenure at the Press in March 2013 as a reporter. In early 2014, he was promoted to news editor. Last year, he was promoted to managing editor.
Hennington has helped the paper broaden its digital presence and added video reporting to its arsenal. In 2013, he launched the Taylor Press 3-on-3 charity basketball tournament, which is approaching its seventh year.
He will continue to co-host the www.taylorpress.net weekly local sports wrap-up show, Around the Watercooler, with Reagan Roehl, sports editor.
Hennigan was also part of the reporting team that brought several major statewide press awards to Taylor.
A 1999 graduate of Taylor High School, Hennigan earned a bachelor of arts in communications and a master’s in liberal arts from Sul Ross State University.
Stone came to the publisher post at the Press in May of 2014 and led the staff through a tumultuous time after converting from daily to twice-weekly distribution. He raised the profile of the newspaper with additions such as the successful quarterly magazine, Taylor 76574. He also expanded the newspaper’s social media presence and instituted website innovations such as video programs that helped taylorpress.net win best website in the Texas Press Association Better Newspaper contest. Under his leadership, the paper won more than a dozen statewide press citations, including finishing third in 2015 and second last year in the sweepstakes competition.
In addition to the Taylor Press, Stone has worked at the Temple Daily Telegram and other Central Texas newspapers, including serving as editor and publisher of The Cameron Herald, Thorndale Champion and Rosebud News. 
Stone has also built a successful consulting business, mostly working with small newspapers but also helping businesses with marketing and communications issues. In announcing his retirement, he said he plans to expand that work. Philhower noted that Stone had been asked to help analyze and assist on the editorial product at another of Granite’s papers.