New hires, promotions and other personnel news reported at Texas newspapers and published in the February 2025 edition of the Texas Press Messenger.
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EMILY BANKS WOOTEN & MADISON BLAND
Polk County Enterprise
LIVINGSTON – Two promotions within the ranks of Polk County Publishing Company Inc. were recently announced by Publisher Kelli Barnes.
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.
A native of Monroe, Louisiana, Kelley was the first of her siblings to earn a college degree and worked nights to put herself through school before earning a Bachelor of Arts from Louisiana Tech University, with a focus on journalism.
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.
The good news: Your readers still consider you credible. They differentiate between the believability of their hometown paper and the national media, thank goodness.
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.
The current survey form is available online for publishers to fill out and return to the TCEQ. To access the 2024 survey form and for more information about the program, visit the TCEQ Recycled Newsprint website at https://www.tceq.texas.gov/p2/recycle/newsprint.html.
Nominations are sought for annual awards and recognitions to be presented at the 2025 TPA Convention and Trade Show in June.
Nominations are sought for the Texas Newspaper Hall of Fame, which recognizes newspaper veterans who have made outstanding contributions to the industry and to the communities they serve while mentoring and inspiring others to improve the quality of journalism. Nomination forms are available on the Texas Newspaper Foundation website, www.tnf.net.
AZLE – Longtime newspaper publisher and Hyde Media President Kim Ware has retired.
Ware served as publisher for the Axle News and Springtown Epigraph, and their successor the Tri-County Reporter, for more than a decade. In all, she has worked for the newspapers for more than 25 years.
LONGVIEW – Carpenter Media Group has acquired M. Roberts Media, a cornerstone of the Texas media landscape since 1942.
M. Roberts Media is the parent company of seven award-winning newspapers and a variety of magazines and publications that serve Victoria and East Texas.
UVALDE – Texas A&M University Press has released Uvalde Leader-News owner and publisher Craig Garnett’s book “Uvalde’s Darkest Hour.”
Garnett’s firsthand experience covering the May 24, 2022, mass shooting at Robb Elementary provides critical insights for those seeking to understand the impact of the tragedy on the Uvalde community.
SAN MARCOS – The San Marcos Record has transitioned from five to three print days per week.
Publisher Mandy Farrow announced the Dec. 1 change in a story published Nov. 24.
“This change has been discussed for years,” Farrow, said. “It’s not about delivering less; it’s about delivering better. This strategy allows us to adapt to how our readers consume news while continuing to uphold our standards for quality journalism.”
The Daily Record is embracing the change to meet readers’ expectations in the digital age.