March 1 is the deadline to submit nominations for Texas Press Association awards to be presented at the 2023 Convention and Trade Show June 1-3 at the Kalahari Resort in Round Rock.

The honors include:

• Fred Hartman Award for Outstanding Sports Writing

This year, the award honoring the late Fred Hartman of Hartman Newspapers will be presented to a sports writer working at a Texas newspaper of less than 10,000 circulation. The award includes a cash prize.

CORPUS CHRISTI — Honors, contest awards and informational sessions were on the agenda when the South Texas Press Association gathered for the group’s 96th annual convention.
Speakers included Bradley Wilson, associate professor at Midwestern State University, where he teaches reporting and mass communication classes; and Robert Muilenburg, associate professor of journalism at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi. They gave sessions on photography and working with student and young reporters.

Sweepstakes winners in the South Texas Press Association contest include (from left) the Frio-Nueces Current in Division 1 for small weeklies, represented by Editor Marc Robertson ; the Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post, in Division 2 for large weeklies, represented by Managing Editor Samuel Sutton and Publisher Ken Esten Cooke; and Uvalde Leader-News in Division 3 for semiweeklies, represented by General Manager Pete Luna and Managing Editor Meghann Garcia.

VERNON – Owners and managers of the Vernon Daily Record Bret and Teri McCormick have announced their retirement from the newspaper industry and the sale of the North Central Texas Publishing Corp. group of newspapers to Daniel and Michele Walker of Vernon.
The acquisition includes the Vernon Daily Record, Burkburnett Informer Star and Clay County Leader.
The McCormick family invested in the Vernon Daily Record 45 years ago as a part of the Roberts Publishing Group. In 2010, the McCormicks moved to Vernon and Bret assumed the president and publisher’s role for NCTP.

LEVELLAND – Stephen and Pat Henry have sold the Levelland and Hockley County News-Press to Brett Wesner and his San Saba News and Star corporation.
Wesner owns the Lamb County Leader-News in Littlefield, purchased from the Henrys in 2013, and the Castro County News in Dimmit. He serves as chairman of the National Newspaper Association and is principal in Central Oklahoma Publications, which owns several newspapers in that state. He also owns the newspaper in Gallup, New Mexico.

KIRBYVILLE – Amanda Rodrigues has purchased The Kirbyville Banner from Danny Reneau.
The newspaper continues to be published in Kirbyville as The East Texas Banner.
With the sale, Reneau announced his retirement after nearly 50 years in the newspaper business. He praised Rodrigues as one of his former employees and noted she has great ideas and lots of energy to put into the newspaper.

Promotions, new hires and other staff changes at Texas newspapers published in the June 2022 edition of the Texas Press Messenger.

As 2021 draws to a close, it’s time to start considering entries for the next Texas Better Newspaper Contest, which opens for entries Feb. 1.
As part of the transition to an annual summer convention, the 2020-21 contest covers the period from Sept. 1, 2020, through Dec. 31, 2021.
To be eligible for the contest, the newspapers must be members in good standing at the time of entry in 2022 as well as during the contest period, 2020 and 2021.

DENTON – Jim Bardwell received the gavel of Texas Press Association presidential leadership from a long line of predecessors at the 141st TPA Convention and Trade Show in Denton.
The traditional passing of the gavel was followed by the Texas Newspaper Hall of Fame ceremonies featuring a surprise guest speaker. Inducted were Charles Moser, Brenham Banner-Press; the late Morris Roberts, publisher of the Victoria Advocate and Founder of M. Roberts Media; Don Richards, lifelong newspaperman and attorney; and Tommy Thomason, founding director of the Texas Center for Community Journalism.

DENTON – The Texas Press Association honored veteran newspaper publisher and book author H.V. O’Brien with the Frank W. Mayborn Award for Outstanding Community Leadership.
TPS President Jim Bardwell presented the award June 12 at the concluding luncheon of the TPA Convention and Trade Show in Denton.
O’Brien, editor and publisher of Eastland County Today, noted that he and his wife, Gaynell, have been associated with the newspapers in Eastland County since 1962.