Jim Bardwell, publisher of the Gladewater Mirror, Lindale News & Times and the White Oak Independent, was elected president of the Texas Press Association at a special virtual TPA board meeting held Jan. 21. The virtual meeting was held instead of the usual in-person convention meeting due to COVID-19 pandemic health concerns.

Jim Beaver has assumed duties as publisher of The Boerne Star, part of Granite Publications.
Beaver has been with Granite for 12 years, first heading the group’s website sales program and later working with various newspapers in improving sales. Most recently he served as publisher of the Elgin Courier for two years.

We have all seen challenges to the future of a free and independent press. Yet I remain an optimist if we in the community newspaper business can learn best practices from the large media outlets and harness the best tools to help us disseminate information, which will always be in demand.

By Ken Esten Cooke, TPA Second Vice President

Awards in the annual Lone Star Writing Contest for high school students have been released.
The contest is co-sponsored by Texas Press Association and the Interscholastic League Press Conference.

Staff changes, promotions, retirements at Texas newspapers.

JILLIAN SMITH
The Kerrville Daily Times

Past TPA President Chris Barbee, former publisher of the El Campo Leader-News and Wharton Journal-Spectator, is El Campo’s first directly elected mayor.