Shown during the presentation of the James Madison Award at the recent FOIFT conference in Austin are (from left) Yvonne Mintz, FOIFT vice president and TPA president; Lydia Aranda, Diana Fuentes’ sister; Ysa Aranda, Diana’s niece; Sylvia Fuentes, Diana’s sister; and Josh Hinkle, president of Investigative Reporters and Editors, where Diana was executive director.

A-MARK PRIZE

During the 2027 contest season, TPA members will have the opportunity to compete for cash prizes  in a statewide competition.

In June, 2027, TPA will award its first A-Mark Prize for Investigative Journalism totaling $15,000 in cash prizes for winners.

A series by The Dallas Morning News on a failed crime-fighting plan at the local housing authority and reporting by KRIS 6 News on questionable land deals and tax incentives involving the Corpus Christi Housing Authority have won this year’s Spirit of FOI Awards.

While describing the atmosphere in covering the Trump administration, NBC News Chief White House Correspondent Garrett Haake pointed out that Donald Trump is the only U.S. president in the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame. He described covering the Oval Office as a wrestling match where one “might get hit with a proverbial steel chair.”

BurnAtlas, a burn planning tool for landowners and burn associations, publishes a free national burn ban map that is updated every day. Each county lists its official source agency and the time it was last checked. Newspapers can link readers to the map at burnatlas.org/burn-ban-map, link to individual county pages, or add a free widget to their own website that updates itself.

Two TPA member newspapers have changed ownership.

South Texas News acquires Hood County News in Granbury

GRANBURY – South Texas News, Inc., has expanded well beyond its namesake by acquiring The Hood County News from Hyde Media Group, LLC, owned by Paul Hyde, a longtime Hood County resident and founder of the Hyde Law Firm.