Dannie Oliveaux, The Pittsburg Gazette and The Steel Country Bee
PITTSBURG –Dannie Oliveaux has assumed the role of editor and publisher of The Pittsburg Gazette and The Steel Country Bee in Daingerfield. 
Oliveaux replaces Debbie Knox, who retired. 
“I’m excited about my new position as editor and publisher of both newspapers and returning closer to home,” Oliveaux said. 

Juan Castillo
AUSTIN – Juan Castillo, a veteran newsman who has reported and edited at the Austin American-Statesman, Houston Chronicle and McAllen Monitor, is returning to the Statesman to lead editorial and commentary efforts, Editor Debbie Hiott announced in a commentary. 

KATHY LU COOKE MARTIN
ROCKDALE – Kathy Lu Cooke Martin, 57, a lifetime resident of Rockdale and fourth-generation publisher of the Rockdale Reporter, died Feb. 8.
She was born Oct. 28, 1959, in Rockdale, where she grew up, married the love of her life and worked for the newspaper her family has owned and operated since her great grandfather purchased it in 1911.

Q: One of our municipal utility districts posted its meeting agenda on Facebook but not through the county clerk’s office, which is the usual way. What does the law require?

Back in the “olden days” of my childhood I could never wait for “The Wizard of Oz” to come on television. It seems like it came on as a special every year or so in those days before DVR, DVD and VHS. And even on our black-and-white television, the colors of Munchkin City came to life in my childhood imagination.
The Wizard of Oz was a powerful, almost god-like manifestation when first seen in the 1939 classic. Of course, later, little Toto drew back the curtain to expose the man operating the controls.

The simple but frustrating truth is that facts alone are not enough to convince people. Even the most thorough, accurate piece of reporting might still be trumped by a poorly reasoned and false counterargument. Therefore, it's crucial to understand how to publish persuasive factual journalism.

Poynter's coffee break course, 6 ways to spread facts, offers tips for using facts to persuade.

Check out the link here.  

A growing number of research organizations are not only placing their data online, but giving users free tools to help visualize it. 
This overview of a few of these resources focuses especially on economic and development indicators.
Check out the Tip Sheet at https://journalistsresource.org/tip-sheets/research/tools-visualize-eco….

This article from poynter.org suggests writers look through a recent story for any word that ends in -ly. If it is an adverb, delete it and read the new sentence aloud. You'll see whether the adverb added power to the sentence or merely took up space.
For more on kicking out adverbs, see the full story: http://www.poynter.org/2017/how-to-write-stronger-sentences-with-fewer-…

Numbers crop up in media stories in the most unexpected places. Your goal is to provide context and the story behind the numbers. Here's how you can write about two terms — risk and rate — accurately and ethically.

Check out the full story and how to take an online coffee break course at Poynter News University.

Four simple ways to improve writing are featured in a blog post from the Texas Center for Community Journalism at Texas Christian University.

While community newspapers don't have pots of money to use for redesigns or new equipment and software... "the good news is that there are somethings you can do to improve writing, no matter what your resources or the expertise of your reporters. Now bear in mind, we would all like to do so much more, but here’s a place to begin, something that any newspaper can do, beginning today," Dr. Tommy Thomason points out.