LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Arkansas Society of Professional Journalists has announced the opening of the 2025 Diamond Journalism Awards. The annual contest is open to professional and student journalists, freelancers and communications professionals from  Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.

New hires, promotions and other personnel news reported at Texas newspapers and published in the February 2025 edition of the Texas Press Messenger.

- - -

EMILY BANKS WOOTEN & MADISON BLAND

Polk County Enterprise

Obituaries published in the February 2025 edition of the Texas Press Messenger.

APRIL SUZANNE KELLEY

TAYLOR - April Suzanne Kelley, who had served since August as Granite Media Partner’s Central Texas area editor, including the Taylor Press and Elgin Courier, died Christmas Eve. She was 36.

The 2024 Texas Better Newspaper Contest opens Jan. 20 on the Advanced Contest Entry System (ACES) platform.

Participants have until Feb. 18 to upload entries on the platform, www.newspapercontest.com/Texas. 

Contest rules and eligibility guidelines are available now on the Texas Press Association website, www.texaspress.com/better-newspaper-contest-0.

WASHINGTON — Disclaimer: This is not a newspaper story. Let’s call it an analysis of an analysis.

Analysis by Donnis Baggett, Texas Press Association

The Poynter Institute’s latest “OnPoynt” report on the state of journalism has good news and bad news for hometown newspapers.

Every year, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) collects data on recycled newsprint. Texas law requires that newspaper publishers submit their report for 2024 to the TCEQ by Jan. 31. More information about the reporting requirement is available in the Texas Health and Safety Code, Section 361.430.