Lewter family acquires Whitesboro Record

Whitesboro’s oldest business has a new owner, and it’s a family with deep roots in Western Grayson County.

The Lewter family purchased the Whitesboro News-Record from Scott Wood. The acquisition was effective June 1.

Austin Lewter is a former longtime publisher of the News-Record. He and his wife Jennifer will oversee daily operations. Jessica Edwards will stay on board as the managing editor.

“We are thrilled to have Jessica with us.” Lewter said. “She does wonderful work. We are excited about future growth and new ideas.”

Lewter’s first newspaper job was at the News-Record. “I was in the seventh grade and Jimmy Davison gave me a camera and a roll of film,” he said. “Shooting film meant I had 36 chances to get a few decent varsity football photos. It was a great training ground.”

Since then, Lewter has been a reporter, editor and publisher at newspapers across North and East Texas. Much of that time was spent in Whitesboro, where he served as editor and publisher.

In 2021, he left the News-Record for academia. He is currently director of the Texas Center for Community Journalism at Tarleton State University, where he is also instructor of journalism and faculty adviser of the Texan News Service.

“I serve a lot of roles,” Letter said. “But they all revolve around community journalism. I am passionate about local news and Texas communities. I am thrilled to make it a family business.”

Lewter said he will carry on with his duties at the university. “Jessica and Jennifer will handle the day-to-day at the paper,” he said. “My schedule will afford me plenty of opportunities to contribute, and folks will be seeing me around town — especially this summer.”

Jennifer Lewter has more than 20 years’ experience in customer service and small business management.

The Lewters live in Collinsville with their four children — Jackson, Isabella, Mackenzie and Grace.

“The News-Record has been publishing since 1877,” Austin Lewter said.

“That’s about five years after the Lewter family first settled at Gordonville. Our roots run that deep. Those are two legacies not lost on us and we are humbled at the thought of carrying them for generations to come.”