Obituaries published in the January 2024 edition of the Texas Press Messenger.

JOHN M. ROBERTS

VICTORIA — John M. Roberts, retired publisher of his family newspaper the Victoria Advocate, died Dec. 12 in Round Rock. He was 78.

Promotions, new hires and other staff changes at Texas newspapers reported in the January 2024 edition of the Texas Press Messenger.

Sarah Forsythe, Brenham Banner-Press

BRENHAM – Sarah Forsythe has joined The Banner-Press newsrooms as a reporter.

As 2023 draws to a close, staffers of TPA member newspapers should start thinking about coverage, photos, special sections and other work they will enter in the next Texas Better Newspaper Contest. The contest opens for entries Jan. 22, so it’s already time to start narrowing down choices and gathering page PDFs for entries.

By AL CROSS

University of Kentucky

Nonprofit newspaper journalism, until now largely a feature of urban areas, is going rural – especially if the National Trust for Local News keeps up what it’s doing and plans to do.

Lange Svehlak, publisher of the Athens Daily Review, has been appointed regional publisher of CNHI’s newspapers in East Texas.

Svehlak’s expanded responsibilities now include the Corsicana Daily Sun, Huntsville Item, Jacksonville Progress, and Palestine Herald-Press. He replaces Jake Mienk as group publisher.

Former Lufkin Daily News staff writer Jess Huff has joined the Texas Tribune as its East Texas reporter.

Huff, who won numerous investigative reporting awards while writing for the LDN, continues to be based in Lufkin as she reports on issues of importance throughout the Pineywoods region.