Clockwise: Ken Towery, Leon Hale,  Bernard Hanks and Houston Harte

The Texas Tribune wants to partner with newspapers across the Lone Star State.

Launched in 2009, The Texas Tribune (texastribune.org) is the only member-supported, digitally focused, nonpartisan news organization that informs and engages with Texans about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. 

Through public data applications, statewide events and award-winning reporting, the Tribune’s nonprofit newsroom works to hold elected officials accountable and to connect Texans to their state government. 

Texas Press Aassociation member newspapers have free access to a new series of ads promoting public notice, thanks to the Greenville Herald-Banner and its corporate parent, Community Newspaper Holdings Inc.

Herald-Banner publisher Lisa Chappell said the ads were prepared as part of a CNHI initiative to heighten public awareness of public notices in newspapers. All TPA members are welcome to use the ads, she added.

Copies of the ads can be downloaded at http://texaspress.com/print-public-notice-ads.

The 2015 Texas Better Newspaper Contest will open on  Feb. 5 at www.betternewspapercontest.com and closes March 26. More instructions will be sent at the beginning of February.

Editorial from the Greenville Herald Banner | CNHI

The public’s need for transparency has never been more important as government becomes more complex. Yet an effort is underway in Texas to lessen the ways of informing the public about what government at all levels is up to.

The deadline is approaching to reserve your room at the 2015 Texas Press Midwinter Conference and Trade Show. Rooms are available at a discounted group rate of $119 per night. The deadline for room reservations is December 30, 2014. Call 888-388-8484 and mention "Texas Press" for the room rate.

Affiliates of Boone Newspapers, Inc. (BNI) has acquired the Port Arthur News and Orange Leader and related publications in southeastern Texas from Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.  

Dirks, Van Essen & Murray, a merger and acquisition firm based in Santa Fe, New Mexico represented Community Newspaper Holdings (CNHI) in the sale.

Bill Woodall, publisher of the Kilgore News Herald, was named the 2014 Citizen of the Year by the Kilgore Chamber of Commerce during the organization’s ‘Evening Under the Stars’ end-of-year banquet. 

Governmental bodies throughout the country, day in and day out, violate their respective state’s open meetings and open records laws.

The city of Terrell is no different, and for that matter, may not be any worse.

But any way you look at it, when community members or media representatives ask governmental bodies for information, those governmental bodies may not simply choose to ignore the requests.

But Terrell officials have done that very thing, not once, but twice this year.

Print journalists: Submit your best health reporting to the Texas Medical Association Anson Jones, MD, Awards. It’s free — and easy — to enter. 

The contest recognizes journalists in 11 award categories. Print journalists can enter the small- or large-circulation print category, and/or the in-depth print category. And if you have a body of great work, you can enter the Texas Health Journalist of the Year category.