Newsmakers

Promotions, new hires and other staff changes at Texas newspapers, published int he August 2022 edition of The Texas Press Messenger.

MELANIE BERGER
The Flatonia Argus
FLATONIA – Melanie Berger has been named editor of The Flatonia Argus.
Publisher Paul Prause, who had held the title of editor since purchasing The Flatonia Argus in 1994, said that it was time to pass that title to Berger.
“Melanie has been the assistant editor for several years now,” Prause said. “She has plenty of experience to fill those shoes.”
Berger, 28, has been employed at The Flatonia Argus for nearly 10 years. She was originally hired as a part-time mailing/production assistant, but transitioned to full-time office manager in 2012. Since then, she has filled numerous roles at the newspaper, including assistant editor and sports editor. 
As a reporter and photographer, Berger also covers numerous meetings and events in Flatonia.
Berger was elected as a director to the Texas Gulf Coast Press Association Board of Directors in May 2021. She was elected to serve as second vice president of the TGCPA Board in May 2022.

MIKE LEE
The Brownwood Bulletin
BROWNWOOD - Mike Lee, a veteran Texas sports writer, has joined the Brownwood Bulletin after two years covering local high school sports on a freelance basis.
He covers sports for the seven high schools in Brown County and also covers sports at Howard Payne University.
A Goldthwaite native and graduate of Angelo State University, Lee covered sports for daily newspapers in San Angelo Corpus Christi, Lubbock and Amarillo from 1980 to 2005. He was sports editor in San Angelo, Corpus Christi and Lubbock.
From 2006 until 2018, Lee was an instructor in the Department of Communication at Howard Payne University. From 2019-2022, he taught English with the Priddy ISD, while working as a freelance sports writer for multiple news outlets in the area.

GLADYS YARBROUGH
Blanco County News
BLANCO – Gladys Yarbrough was recently welcomed back to the Weiner Media family.
Previously the ad sales director at the Llano News, Yarbrough now covers news for the Blanco County News, Johnson City Record and other publications in the area.

RICHARD SIRMAN
Madisonville Meteor
MADISONVILLE – Richard Sirman is the new editor of the Madisonville Meteor.
A native of Houston, Sirman has lived in the Magnolia area most of his life. 
He is a graduate of Sam Houston State University with a degree in English and a minor in creative writing.