A roundup of news for our publication family!
January 2018 | Issue 4, Volumn 27 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
Anna Nemec The daughter of Tim Nemec, insert supervisor for Granite Printing, she is pursuing a degree in Petroleum Engineering at Texas A&M University/ WTC.
New Year brings fresh start Happy New Year! The big ball has dropped and once again we get the opportunity for a fresh start. If you’re like me, most of your new year’s resolutions have already been broken. The new diet plan lasted only a few days. As my daughter flew into town for a holiday visit, she just had to have tres leches cake. And who can resist that? My exercise goal of walking at least a mile each day lasted zero days, as I was way too tired on January 1st to get outside. Plus, the minus 4 weather in St. Louis was a little too cold for me, as I probably would have frozen in my tracks. The first of the year is a great time to get a fresh start in sprucing up your newspaper, website and social media pages - Facebook and Twitter. Yes, you do have a Twitter page, and some of you might be surprised by how many followers you have. Usually, each of those platforms brings you a different reader, and who doesn’t want more “followers” and “likes?” It’s also a good time to make plans to fill up those empty spots on your Church page, Business Directory, and small space ads like those on the front of your newspaper. It almost sounds too good to be true, but if you have just 10 empty spots to fill on your Church and/ or Business Directory pages, you could bring in around $10,000 additional revenue for the See NEW YEAR Page 3
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Nicholas Rucker The son of Scott Rucker, advertising sales rep for Taylor Press, he is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design at Wayland Baptist University.
THANK A VETERAN OR A SERVICEMAN EVERY DAY!
FIND INSIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS
FOR THE SEASON
New Year Brings Fresh Start..........................................................1 Scholarship Recipients...................................................................1 Table of Contents..........................................................................2 Employee Anniversaries................................................................3 Top Bookkeepers...........................................................................3 What Savings Account?..................................................................4 Birthdays......................................................................................5 Question of the Month...................................................................6 THE RUNDOWN
Anahuac Progress..........................................................................8 Bandera Bulletin...........................................................................9 Boerne Star.................................................................................10 LET IT SNOW................................................................................ 11 Colorado County Citizen..............................................................12 HOME AWAY FROM HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS...............................14 Elgin Courier...............................................................................16 Liberty Vindicator........................................................................18 GRANITE PUBLISHERS MEETING....................................................19 Navasota Examiner.....................................................................20 FUN WITH THE PHILHOWERS........................................................21 HAPPY HOLIDAYS.........................................................................22 Navasota Examiner.....................................................................24 ADIOS SHANNON.........................................................................26 Taylor Press................................................................................27 DIRECTORY..................................................................................30
LET IT SNOW Page 11
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HOME AWAY FROM HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS Page 14
GRANITE PUBLISHERS MEETING Page 19
QUESTION OF THE MONTH Page 6 FUN WITH THE HAPPY PHILHOWERS HOLIDAYS Page 21 Page 22
ADIOS SHANNON Page 26
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NEW YEAR continued from 1
TOP BOOKKEEPERS
new year. I can’t think of anyone who couldn’t use MORE revenue. Add even more by filling up any empty front page ads or other sponsorship positions. Another simple revenue idea is sig pages. Not the ones we used to do in the 80s and 90s when we piled 50 2-inch x 1-inch boxes on a page, but specialty pages. In the February issue of Metro Creative Services there’s a slip sheet with dozens of trendy monthly specials that fit almost every type of business and budget. Imagine, if you produced just one page or double-truck once a month there’s a good chance you’ll sell between $1,000-$2,000 (or more) of new business. One tip you might use is to have a a spec ad built for those new businesses. Creative Services can usually have you something professionally design to show your business prospects, and spec ads do work. One last thing, you don’t want to forget about your website. I’ve been going through our websites this past week and noticed several empty spots. That’s money left on the table - lost revenue. January is a great time to start filling us those web banner spots and have that steady revenue coming in for the rest of the year. I’m pretty sure that just about everyone has at least one each of the available positions at the average weekly price– leaderboard ($55), page curl ($55), pencil ($55), center banner ($35), big ad/in-story ad ($45) or skyscraper ($45). By selling just one of each size you could bring in around $15,000 in additional revenue. Again, I can’t think of anyone who couldn’t use more revenue. A good thing to remember with your website and social media...update regularly. If you need a special position made on your website, we can get that done for you. The possibilities are almost endless. I’m ready, willing and able to help you if you want to schedule a Web or Pic 3 sales SWAT. Just shoot me an email or give me a call and we’ll schedule some time at your newspaper. I would suggest a 2-3 day sales period. If you want to do it yourself, let me know if you need any materials. January is the perfect time to get out there make 2018 the best ever. Happy selling!
1ST Fran Fox Bandera Bulletin 78.6372%
2ND Carrie Little Navasota Examiner 78.4313%
3RD Lori Ligues Columbus County Citizen 78.3989%
Jim Beaver, Director of Sales and Marketing EMPLOYEE ANNIVERSARIES JANUARY ANNIVERSARIES
Macy Chionsini, 21 years Granite Publications
Bill Pack, 2 years Bandera Bulletin
Scott Rucker, 5 years Taylor Press
Michelle Stokes, 8 years Colorado County Citizen
Carolyn Atkinson, 3 years Taylor Press
Ory Boney, 11 years Taylor Granite Printing
FEBRUARY ANNIVERSARIES
Daniel Philhower, 2 years Granite Publications
January 2018 Newsletter
Valeri Stair, 11 years Granite Publications
Rodney Marsh, 2 years Taylor Granite Printing
Kerry Barboza, 16 years Boerne Star
Matthew Hellman, 1 year Granite Publications
MARCH ANNIVERSARIES
Carrie Little, 13 years Navasota Examiner
Jason Hennington, 5 years Taylor Press
APRIL ANNIVERSARIES
Rose Stewart, 1 year Boerne Star
Stephanie Locke, 6 years Boerne Star
Matthew Schoch, 1 year Boerne Star
Fernando Castro, 10 years Elgin Courier
Cheryl Madewell, 1 year Elgin Courier
Debra Weatherford, 2 years Granite Publications
Stephen Bartell, 14 years Boerne Star
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What savings account? Daniel Philhower Granite Publications
Savings account? What savings account? Does this sound like something you would say? If you’re like about 76% of American’s who live paycheck to paycheck then this may sound familiar. CashNetUSA said 22% of people it surveyed recently had less than $100 in savings to cover an emergency, while 46% had less than $800 and 27% of people surveyed had no savings what so ever (CNNMoney.com, Johnson, 2013). If parents are struggling to save, how can they teach their children this foundational principle of financial health? It may be easier than you think. The financial choices made by parents and the economic environment at large, can impact how children view money. In the last edition of the Granite Pub, we laid out the frame work for this year’s financial education series. Last quarter we introduced methods on how to teach your kids that money doesn’t grow on trees and set the foundation on which we will build over the next few months. On a personal level, I have a mission to help every child’s potential becomes a reality. This is why I ran for Taylor ISD School Board and why I find great value in investing in children’s financial education, because one day our kids will be running our businesses and government. In this article we are going to discuss savings and how to instill good saving habits in our kids. This spring we’ll dive into everyone’s favorite topic, Budgeting, followed by a fall article on Giving. These four foundations of financial literacy are key to ensuring our children grow up to be self-sufficient citizens who can contribute to the tax base and are successful long into adulthood.
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Last quarter we suggested giving your kids an allowance to teach them that money is not endless. Before we start our discussion on saving, let’s first talk about the “value” of money. If you’ve implemented the principles discussed in the last edition, then the next step is to associate your kids’ allowance with work. Kids as young as 5 to 6 can be given chores around the house to earn their allowance. Don’t change the allowance amounts, but rather teach your child that money is earned, not given. Doing so will instill a work ethic that will carry them into adulthood; not to mention the satisfaction of earning their own money will give your children a sense of pride in the work they do for you around the house. Some parents may not like the idea of chores, but what kids should understand is while they’re growing up they are “citizens” of your home. When they are grown and move out, they become citizens of the country (Dave Ramsey, 2014). In either case, they need to work and earn their keep and contribute to the community; be that the household or the country. Raising kids to be finically sound individuals can be as easy as establishing healthy habits now. It is said that it takes 21 days to make or break a habit. So we’ll take this a step further and say it can take just over 21 weeks to establish a lifelong habit of healthy saving. Now, a 21 week savings lesson may not work necessarily for your 6 year old, but it will work for the older “citizens” of your household. So let’s first start with your middle school to high school
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aged kids and we’ll modify the concepts for your younger children. Assign appropriately aged chores for your kids to earn their weekly/monthly allowances. Give them an option to work “overtime” and earn more if your family budget can allow it. Just be careful not to underestimate your kids. They may just surprise you and go overboard with chores and expect a hefty allowance in return. As a stipulation of receiving an allowance, require your tween/teenager to save each week. Talk to your kids and help them set a goal amount for an item that they want to purchase that cost more than their regular allowance. For example, let’s say an Xbox or newest PlayStation is what your kids “just got’a have!” Say these game consoles are about $500. With this $500 as a goal, establish one day a week on which your child will set a pre-determined amount aside as savings. You can either open an account for your child or have an ol’ fashioned piggy bank. Though there is a sense of satisfaction in seeing a piggy bank get heavier and heavier as you save, opening an account for them may be another teachable opportunity to learn about banking. To establish a habit of saving, start small and work up, but have your child save consistently each week. For example, on week one your child could save $2. The following week, the savings amount is $4, then $6, then $8. By doing incremental savings each week, your student is establishing a healthy habit of saving….and getting the money they need to buy what they want. The table below shows how the incremental savings adds up. So in just over 21 weeks, your student will have the money needed to buy that Xbox or PlayStation, and they’re on their way to a healthy fiscal understanding of savings. Establishing good habits with your teenager is a task in of its self. Accomplishing the same goal with your kindergartner is quite another undertaking. Apply the same concepts as with teenagers with your elementary students as well, just at a much smaller scale. Working with the allowance you’ve already established, teach your children the value of this allowance by associating the money with work. Even a 6 year old can share in the family chores. There are jobs that all children should do simply because they are good
“citizens” of the house, but there are age appropriate chores for most children. Start again by establishing an end goal for your young children. For example, an $18 copy of the Disney movie Owana. Create a similar table but instead countdown from $18 every time they contribute to their piggy bank. Let them see the accumulation of the money in the piggy bank and the decline of what’s left on the savings chart/table. Use this also as a teachable math opportunity to subtract the savings amount. To ensure the student doesn’t lose interest in this lesson, pick an attainable goal to achieve within a month at most. The point here again is to establish a habit of saving with a “prize” at the end. As a final note, once the student attains their goal, allow them to take “their” money and make the purchase themselves and congratulate them on a task that few adults have mastered. For either age group, regardless of the amount being saved, the key is to save consistently and create a habit of healthy saving. Couple this with an establishment of a strong work ethic and your children will grow up to be financially literate “citizens” of the greater community.
BIRTHDAYS Dominic Sciortino, 1/06
John Chavana, 2/9
Dayna Haynes, 3/15
Ory Boney, 1/09
Macy Chionsini, 2/14
Debra Weatherford, 3/17
Ann Miller, 1/17
Phillip Guitierrez, 2/17
Ina Lindley, 3/20
Robert Blake, 1/27
Valencia Hatch, 2/27
Carrie Little, 3/23
Stephen Bartell, 2/5
Matthew Schoch, 3/10
Kim Marlow, 3/31
Jason Hogan, 2/07
Dana Smith, 3/14
Taylor Granite Printing Taylor Granite Printing Taylor Press
Boerne Star Boerne Star
Colorado County Citizen
January 2018 Newsletter
Taylor Granite Printing Granite Publications
Taylor Granite Printing Taylor Granite Printing Boerne Star
Anahuac Progress
Granite Publications Navasota Examiner Navasota Examiner Liberty Vindicator
Boerne Star
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Q
UESTION Jim Beaver Granite Publications
Michelle Banse Stokes Colorado County Citizen
My New Year’s Resolution is to check at least one more item off my bucket list this year.
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Yes, I did have a few resolutions. 1. Exercise (broken day 1). 2. Diet (still going). 3. Stop drinking alcohol on weekdays. (modified *unless there is a football or baseball game on it’s okay).
Lori Olivarez-Ligues Colorado County Citizen
My New Year’s resolution is spending more time with my family, friends and attending more of the kids sport activities. Plan to make monthly trips to visit family whom are not able to travel anymore (older aunts and uncles) and also to knock out some bucket list items.
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Lauren Jette Elgin Courier
My resolution is to try something new each month. So far, I’ve kept that.
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What was your new
Ana Cosino
Navasota Examiner
I need to make myself understand that it is okay to say NO and it is okay to not be involved in every single thing and the most important one is I need to organize my priorities. So far, I have failed. I say YES to everything and every one and put my family second and my job first.
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w year’s resolution and how is it going? Jennifer Gray Liberty Vindicator
6 Valeri Stair Granite Publications
Gretchen Dyson Granite Publications
My only resolution this year is to finish up at least one of my current work-in-progress novels. Fortunately, I have a whole year to procrastinate breaking this resolution!
January 2018 Newsletter
NO RESOLUTIONS Richard Stone Taylor Press
My new year’s resolution? It was to make no new year’s resolutions and I’m doing pretty well with that!
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I have learned in my many years on this planet, that resolutions do me no good. An old Chinese proverb says talking doesn’t cook rice. I believe that. And a lot of people can’t actually cook rice. So, hopefully, I’ll just make a decision each day to be a better person than I was yesterday. Wait…is that technically a resolution??? Dang it!
MINE IS TO LIVE LIFE, NOT LET LIFE LIVE ME. WELL THE STRUGGLE IS REAL FOR ME SO FAR, BUT IM TAKING THE TIME DAILY TO RELAX FOR AT LEAST 10 MINS.
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Carolyn Atkinson Taylor Press
More family outings, More camping, More beach, & More walking this year, and to Drink more water and eat healthy foods. 7
Photo by Matt Hellman
The entire Granite family experienced a white christmas this year!
THE RUNDOWN
Granite Pub takes an interest in the family buzz over the past few months. ANAHUAC PROGRESS
In October I attended the Publishers Meeting out in west Texas on the Granite Ranch. Though it took almost eight hours to get there, it was worth the trip. The area was absolutely breathtaking beautiful and I would love to plan a personal trip to explore the area more. I felt the meeting was very productive and quite comfortable. Appreciate all the hard work everybody put forth to make it happen! I found a kindred spirit regarding art with Macy Chionsini while at the ranch. I shared some of my pieces with her and she very graciously had them framed! It turned out wonderful! Thank you! Macy. Appreciate your support! In a blink of an eye it was Thanksgiving and Christmas and it all kind of went by in a blur with all the parades, sales, celebrations and dinners. Even though the annual Christmas parade was re-scheduled due to snow it still was a successful event and personally I hope the cold wintery weather is done! We didn’t get a lot of snow, but it did look pretty and some locals were able to assemble a snowman. I had a lovely visit with my son, Joey and his wife, Annie for Christmas dinner at a local restaurant. They drove down from Tomball and we spent the day together. Unfortunately I brought in the New Year with the flu and was down for the count. We at The Progress are looking forward to a productive and successful New Year and wish everyone else the same!
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Bandera Bulletin / Chris Darus
Santa Claus delivery men along with the holiday elves that will help them get Christmas gifts to youngsters whose families need assistance this holiday season gather outside the Bandera United Methodist Church on Saturday, Dec. 16. They were part of the Spirit of Christmas Presents program that aimed to get gifts to about 250 children in the county this year.
BANDERA BULLETIN
Bulletin is only remaining newspaper in City of Bandera and Bandera County Bandera TX has had two newspapers for the past 14 years, The Bandera Bulletin and Bandera County Courier. The owner of the Courier was former Granite Publications/The Bandera Bulletin ceased operation leaving The Bandera Bulletin the only newspaper in Bandera County and the City of Bandera. The Bulletin has already received 20 subscriptions from previous Courier subscribers and many advertisers have moved from the Courier to The Bulletin. The Bulletin is very excited. New staff have been added since last report. Chuck McCullough is a stringer covering news and sports. Dee Russ comes to us with 30 years experience in advertising. She hit the floor running by putting together Hill Country Christmas tab. She brings many customers to us from the Bandera Courier. Christmas was busy and not so busy. Seems lots of folks traveled out of town during the two weeks while the kiddos were out of school. Traffic slowed way down. To pick up the slack, some tourists were around to enjoy the frigid cold weather in the Hill Country. And the Bandera County courthouse was decorated to the max!
Photo courtesy of Anahuac Progress
Snowfall in Anahuac was a sight to be seen as the rest of the state recieved a winter surprise this season as well.
January 2018 Newsletter
Dee Russ
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BOERNE STAR
Brian, Nicholas and Dayna Cartwright stand in front of redbrick Faneuil Hall in the historic section of Boston. The family spent Christmas there following Nicholas’s graduation from Abilene Christian University in December with degrees in history and political science. In 1742, Peter Faneuil, a wealthy Boston merchant, built the hall for merchants, fishermen, and meat and produce sellers. The 7-Eleven store next door was built later. The hall was used by the country’s most famous orators, where colonists first protested the Sugar Act in 1764 and established the doctrine of “no taxation without representation.” Samuel Adams rallied the citizens of Boston to the cause of independence from Great Britain there, and George Washington celebrated the nation’s first birthday there. The site of the Boston Massacre was nearby. Today the hall is still used as a market. The family attended a Christmas Day service at King’s Chapel, which was built in 1688. During the service a five-inch snowfall began, visible to those inside the historic chapel, in what could have been described as a setting for a Norman Rockwell painting. King’s Chapel was organized as an Anglican congregation, authorized by the Royal Governor in 1686. The chapel was built on a town burying ground when no one in the city would sell the congregation desirable land on which to build a nonPuritan church. The family also visited Concord, Lexington, Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard. For the duration of their stay, a 100-yearold record was broken for the number of consecutive days below 20 degrees, with several of those days in the single digits. Wind chill temperatures were well below 0 degrees each day. Earlier in December, folks in Boerne were treated to an early Christmas present. The perfect storm of freezing temperatures and precipitation combined to create a blanket of snow over most of Kendall and Bandera Counties. Bewildered residents
Jessica Goode (front row, third from left) and her halau perform at their Mele Kalikimaka Christmas Luau in San Antonio.
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Jacob and Sarah Kimbrel, son-in-law and daughter of Jessica Goode, during their Dec. 23 wedding
ventured outside to spend the evening building snowmen and marveling at the unusual event. The remainder of December was busy for Jessica Goode, who, with a fellow piano teacher, hosted a winter piano recital, performed hula in a Mele Kalikimaka Christmas luau, and planned a Dec. 23 wedding for her daughter Sarah.
Jessica Goode with some of her piano students during the reception for their winter recital.
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Let it snow!
The Boerne Star received an unexpected snow storm on Dec. 7. Jessica Goode’s drive home on Hwy. 46.
January 2018 Newsletter
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Advertising Representative Bryan Stacy traveled to Branson, Mo. with his family to meet his long-lost brother, Craig Pettit, and his wife, Carol. Pictured, left to right, are Stacy, son Sylas, wife Maddi, son Titus, sister-in-law Carol, and brother Craig.
Colorado County Citizen staff pose for a picture at Christmas. Pictured, left to right, is Reporter Vince Leibowitz, Advertising Representative Bryan Stacy, Publisher Michelle Banse Stokes, Bookkeeper Lori Ligues, and Senior Reporter Jason Hogan.
Bookkeeper Lori Ligues and her son, Jett, Bookkeeper Lori Ligues’ cousin, Jesse, Bookkeeper Lori Ligues’ office and outattended the Houston Texans versus San came home for a visit from Nicaragua Dec. buildings were covered in snow Dec. 8. Francisco 49ers game in Houston Dec. 10. 5. He is a missionary. COLUMBUS COLORADO COUNTY CITIZEN
The Citizen staff celebrated Christmas together with an office party. Bookkeeper Lori Ligues made homemade chili with rice and the rest of the staff each brought a side item to go with it. Just before Christmas, the office received an early gift when new reporter, Vince Leibowitz, joined the group. Ligues welcomed a new greatnephew, Colt. She enjoyed Christmas at her brother’s home with the family all there. Lori attended midnight Mass in Weimar with her family and publisher, Michelle Banse Stokes and her family. Advertising Representative Bryan Stacy and his
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family went to Hallettsville to spend Christmas with his family. He also recently went and met his long lost brother, Craig, in Branson, Mo. Senior Reporter Jason Hogan took a few days of vacation after Leibowitz started. He went to San Antonio for Christmas with his family and spent his time off simply relaxing. Typesetter Chris Brown traveled with his aunt and uncle to Spain for the holidays. Everyone in the office is jealous of his trip and can’t wait to see pictures and hear his stories. Leibowitz ….. Stokes and her family celebrated Christmas in their new home in Weimar. After Christmas, she traveled with her family to No Name Ranch for an exciting three-day hunting trip. On the trip she harvested her first deer, a four-and-a-halfyear-old eight-point buck. Her husband harvested a whitetail doe, antelope doe, and an eight-point buck. While on the trip, they visited the Carmelite Sisters at the Carmel of Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Christoval. Stokes is grateful to Jim and Macy Chionsini for the trip and the memories created that will last a lifetime. The Citizen closed out a successful 2017, focused on the vision of “One Team, One Vision, One Goal” and are looking forward to improving in 2018.
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Citizen Publisher Michelle Stokes harvested her first deer, a four-and-a-half-year-old eight-point buck at No Name Ranch in Christoval Dec. 27. Stokes is grateful to Jim and Macy Chionsini for the trip and the memories created that will last a lifetime.
Jim Beaver invited Citizen Publisher Michelle Stokes and her family fishing near Anahuac in November.
Citizen Publisher Michelle Stokes visits Carmel of Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Christoval Dec. 28.
Citizen Publisher Michelle Stokes and her family, Will and Zoe, take a moment to visit with Santa during Columbus’ Ladies Night Out event Dec. 7.
Citizen Publisher Michelle Stokes’ daughter, Zoe smiles with her Citizen Publisher Michelle Stokes’ new home was graced with brother, Wayne, on his birthday at Port Aransas Dec. 18. Wayne snow Dec. 8. turned 29 years old. For the first time since 1985, Vince Leibowitz, a reporter who recently joined the staff of the Colorado County Citizen, got to spend Christmas Day with members of his extended family. His late father, Richard, was one of 12 children of the late Louis Philip Leibowitz, Sr., and Margaret Rita McQuade Leibowitz, of Pharr, Texas. He is pictured with his aunts, (seated) Ruth Leibowitz Saladino, and standing, left to right Danielle Joy (DJ) Healey and Rebecca Leibowitz Healey at the Healey’s home in Sugar Land. Rebecca and Ruth are his late father’s youngest sisters. Saladino lives in Houston. Leibowitz said one attraction to the Columbus-based Citizen was being close to his family, many of whom settled in the Houston area in the last two decades. DJ wrote the book Leaves of the Tree, which was made in to an award-winning motion picture of the same name. The Healeys produced the film, directed by Ante Novakovic, and starring Armand Assante and Eric Roberts, along with Leibowitz’s cousin, Sarah Healey.
January 2018 Newsletter
Vince Leibowitz, who joined the staff of the Colorado County Citizen on December 13, celebrated the holidays in Columbus and Sugar Land with family. Pictured below are Vince’s two dogs—Lyndon “Puppy” and Senfronia on the grounds of the Colorado County Courthouse in Columbus, and celebrating the new year at home in Columbus’ historic Willrodt Building.
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Home away from ho
Granite Publications Accounting Manager Valeri Stair recently made a new friend at the Granite Christmas party. Here she is pictured with Tiny, security at 5th Street and Vance Events Center. Tiny stands at 6’10�.
There were plenty of desserts for everyone to enjoy at the annual Granite Publications and Taylor Press joined together with their Granite Thanksgiving luncheon. families for their annual Thanksgiving luncheon.
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ome for the holidays
Graphic Artist Orlando Rojo-Buendia showing off his new Halloween look.
Graphic Artist Orlando Rojo-Buendia celebrated his 1 year anniversary in October and to celebrate the Ad Services crew wrapped his desk in preparation for Halloween.
January 2018 Newsletter
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ELGIN COURIER
This past quarter included a promotion and the first full quarter for two of the Elgin Courier’s staff. Lauren Jette was promoted to managing editor and has taken quick charge of editorial content, stringers and everything else that comes with the title. She’s kept her previous responsibilities as sports and education editor, as well as her other beats such as commissioners court. So, her schedule has filled up to say the least. Publisher Kevin Wright and reporter/page designer Fernando Castro have both settled into their new positions at the Courier. Kevin has been busy running throughout Elgin and elsewhere taking care of business. He’s establishing relationships with advertisers and city leaders. He’s also stepped up to take photos and write columns occasionally.
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Fernando has taken on the city council beat and has been attending meetings regularly. It’s been four years since he’s had such a beat, but it’s come back to him pretty fast. He’s also busy designing the paper, special sections and updating the website. Cheryl Madewell has also been running around town racking up ads and getting them into the paper. Gail Schobey has continued to keep the peace up front from dawn ‘til dusk. Speaking of special sections, the recent Letters to Santa edition became a different type of challenge this year. Instead of copying and pasting typed up letters into the paper, the Courier took each letter as written on their sheets of paper and dropped them onto pages side by side in blocks. This new way to do Letters to Santa took a day or two of standing by the scanner though, but they all got in.
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We are a skydiving family. My brother, Vincent Hawkins started skydiving when he was 18. He took a hiatus while he raised his family. Then in the summer of 2008 I think it was, my sister and I met up in Dallas and we all did a family jump. My sister, brother-in-law, my sons David and Jason and myself all went on a tandem skydive. That was our first time. My son David went two more times that day. A few years later he decided to start taking lessons at Skydive San Marcos. That is where he got his A license allowing him to jump on his own. By this time, he decided to quit his job at SXSW and go full time skydiving and became an instructor. For Mother’s Day that year, he paid for me to jump a tandem again and he jumped with me. Then in November of 2015, I went with my granddaughter Katie for her 18th birthday. I told my granddaughter Shelby I would go with her on her 18th birthday which was in October of this year. By this time, my son David was in Rockmart, Georgia which is about an hour from Atlanta. Skydive Spaceland was opening a drop zone there and asked him to go and be the lead instructor. He just recently also got his tandem instructor license. He wanted to come to Texas and take Shelby for her jump. As it worked out, he found out about a private jump club who was jumping outside of Paige the weekend of Dec. 2nd. They were jumping out of a helicopter instead of a plane. He called them and arranged to come down and jump with Shelby. As it worked out, he couldn’t do the tandem with her since he would have to use their equipment but he was able to jump and do the video. I didn’t jump with her as it was planned at the last minute. I really enjoyed watching her jump and just seeing the look on her face when she landed was priceless. If I had also jumped, I would have missed seeing that. If I had jumped when I was younger and had the money, who knows, I may have become a skydiver myself. My son says he doesn’t really work since he loves being an instructor. He goes home in the evening with his jaws hurting because he smiled so much during the day. How can you call it work when, at the end of the day, you brought such happiness to people and helped them make family memories? Gail Schobey, Elgin
January 2018 Newsletter
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LIBERTY VINDICATOR
The Vindicator’s year ends with a look back and Nerf gun wars The Vindicator and Progress staff gathered at a local Mexican food eatery, Dec. 18, to celebrate the coming holidays, then exchanged presents at The Vindicator office with each member of the staff receiving a laundry basket full of goodies. Ads Director Kim Marlow’s contribution to each Christmas basket was a Nerf gun, with which she has since wreaked havoc in the office. The Season’s Greetings and New Year’s special sections were well received. For Season’s Greetings The Vindicator invited area pre-K through second-grade classes to submit class photos sending their holiday good wishes to the community. The response to that invitation was very good, and all the photos received were nearly too much to fit the section. The Vindicator took advantage of the New Year’s special section to brag on itself a bit with its top 10 news stories of the year, top 10 sports stories, and a selection of the year’s best photographs. Those best photos were also posted online the last week of December and have gotten over 750 page views so far. While that might not be an earth shattering number of views, it is pretty good for a collection of 18 photos that had already been published once. In December, The Vindicator published the concluding chapter of one of its most popular stories of the year: the Liberty Whataburger reopened after having suffered a fire in June and was torn down. Another very popular story in December was that of a local family who appeared on ABC’s “Great Christmas Light Fight” and won the big prize, $50,000, for their front yard light display.
Liberty Vindicator publisher Jennifer Gray and Louis Richardson were married on Dec.13. Congratulations to the happy couple.
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Granite publishers meeting The annual publishers meeting was held at the No Name Ranch in October. Some old friends were on hand to help us with our planning. Pictured left to right are Robert Swonke, Jim Chionsini and Leon Aldridge. Robert is a former publisher/press manager for Granite and Leon is a former publisher of several Granite papers.
Elgin publisher Kevin Wright, Macy Chionsini and Terri Marsh of the No Name Ranch watch as Jim Beaver, Valeri Stair, Michelle Banse and Ana Cosino perform karaoke at the publishers meeting.
Valeri Stair, accounting manager for Granite Publications lead a session about Expense Budgets during the recent publishers meeting. Valeri also took part in the post-meeting entertainment, singing dozens of songs in perfect key.
January 2018 Newsletter
Richard Davis karaoke’s and performs Poker F a c e by Lady Gaga. H e should h a v e definitely been awarded the Best P e r former of the Night.
Granite Publications owner Jim Chionsini prepares the meat to place on the bbq pit at the publishers meeting held in October.
Jim Beaver, Daniel Philhower and Valeri Stair performing karaoke at the October publisher’s meeting held at Jim and Macy Chionsini’s No Name Ranch.
Ranch hands for the No Name Ranch, Terri and Rodney do a little singing at the recent publishers meeting. Not only did they sing, they danced, cooked, cleaned and gave some nice sight-seeing trips of the ranch.
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GRANITE PUBLICATIONS (MAIN OFFICE)
For Granite Publications, we let our pictures do the talking. Check out what has been going on with all of our people.
Fun was had by all at a team building exercise held at 15 Locks in Round Rock in October. Pictured above are, back row, Gail Schobey from Elgin Courier, Jennifer Richardson from Liberty Vindicator, Jim Beaver and Danita Hutto from Granite Publications, Lori Ligues from Colorado County Citizen and Daniel Philhower from Granite Publications. Front row, Carolyn Atkinson from Taylor Press, Dayna Haynes from Anahuac Progress, Valeri Stair from Granite Publications, Carolyn Hill from Taylor Press and Debra Weatherford from Granite Publications.
Granite Publications Controller Daniel Philhower tries desperately to open this “mangos” sent to him from the Colorado County Citizen in appreciation on Bosses Day. Who knew it took so many tools to get a little box open.
Amie (Beaver) Smith, daughter of Director of Sales & Marketing Jim Beaver recently received the Customer Service Award at Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Only 7 of 600 employees from different departments earned the award. Amie has worked at the corporate office in St. Louis for 7 years. She has worked her way up to Senior Incentive Coordinator, working with major auto dealerships throughout the country. Jim really likes it because he gets a discount on his rental vehicles! Jim Beaver…. doing his thing!
Last year we found out that we will be adding to our little family this May! I am currently halfway through pregnancy with what we believe is a baby girl (hello, nausea), though surprises are always possible. Can’t wait to introduce her (or him) to everyone this summer!
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Fun with the Philhowers
Christmas at the Philhower’s house…Santa (my father) stayed over in Texas for an extended visit Family outing to the George Bush Museum in College Station
Successful Fishing Trip to Port O’Conner with friends
Halloween chaos at the Philhower household
Montana Grizzlies vs. Montana State Bobcats – In-state rivalry watching party in Austin…We’re Griz Fans!
We hosted 5 boys from an Ugandan Choir for a week while they toured Central Texas and performed
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Happy Holidays
Debra Weatherford: Well of course my Holidays revolve around my Grand Kids. So starting the school year off (in Midland Texas), Jaxson, my youngest grandson, started playing the trombone and had his first concert for Christmas. Then they got to have a snowy skiing holiday in Ruidoso. Then on the other side of the USA in Eagle River Alaska my son and his family are having a ball in this Winter Wonderland. As her mother say’s, “This bitter cold weather ain’t gonna keep this girl inside. When you want to make a snow angel, you wanna make a snow angel. Wish I could have been with them all.
Jim Beaver, Valeri Stair and her husband Charles sang for the Jim Beaver and his wife Penny (right) got together with Penny’s Granite Christmas party. It was a great time, with over 50 employ- family over the Christmas holidays. It was the first time in several ees in attendance. years that Penny and her 3 sisters were together at the same time.
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Oliver Slavych shows off his new Paw Patrol flashlight.
Ciel and Oliver Slavych, grandsons of Ad Services Manager Patti Slavych, enjoyed Christmas with their Nana and parents Cody Slavych and Stephanie Schwan.
Ciel Slavych tries to figure out his new Christmas toy. Valeri and her luggage rack upon check -in at her hotel just a couple of blocks away from the French Quarter in New Orleans. She did have her daughter with her, so that can’t all be hers...right? As Valeri and her daughter, Brooke, wander aimlessly through the streets of the French Quarter in New orleans, they stumble upon this beauty. Valeri and her skulls... Valeri at Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans savoring her first taste ever of beignets & cafe au lait. Valeri couldn’t resist snapping a photo of a table at the B.B King Blues Club in New Orleans. We all know she agrees 100%. And Happy Birthday to the King on 1/8! Valeri at B.B King Blues Club in New Orleans enjoying a drink called “Lucile” in honor of his famous song. Objects in photo are MUCH larger than they appear.
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NAVASOTA EXAMINER
From flooding to snowfall, it feels more like years than only three months in Grimes County. The community has been showing us as much love as we have shown them with four successful back-to-back special sections – especially the Chamber map produced in October and the Hometown Memories Christmas edition produced in December. Ana and Nicole found out they were on the “nice list” when they met Santa and Mrs. Claus at one of our local elementary schools. Santa was on the fence, but Mrs. Claus gave them candy so all is good. Examiner Publisher Ana Cosino is the current man-standing in her current household. They all came down with the sickness – the evil flu. She and her son, Jason, are incredibly happy to have her husband Manuel back in the state of Texas for work – even though he is a couple of hours away. Although she was very hesitant and nervous at first, Ana had a great time at the annual Publisher’s Meeting in Cristoval, Texas. She enjoyed mixing and mingling with everyone. Courtesy of our good friend and longtime VIP client, Michael Gessner with Gessner Heating and AC, Ana was “Chewbaccaed for a Cure”. The Grimes County Relay holds a fundraiser each year by having donors pay to send a Chewbacca blowup to their friends or enemies, we are still trying to figure out which. Carrie, although a Star Wars fan, did not appreciate the furry Wookie starring at her for a straight week. Ana implemented an Examiner family Christmas dinner which we hope will be a long-held tradition. She is still bitter that Nicole, due to pneumonia, and her family had to miss since they were providing the cheesecake and green beans. Luckily, the rest of our little family could make it. We had a great time. Ana’s son, Jason, was extremely happy that he finally got to see and play in some snow in Texas. Carrie Little had some fun and exciting news when she celebrated her graduation from Blinn College. After 21 years of life detours, Carrie decided to complete her longtime goal of walking across the stage with an associates degree. And that she did. She proudly walked across that Bryan Performing Arts Centers stage Wed., Dec. 13. Examiner Publisher Ana Cosino, Examiner Editor Nicole Shupe and Granite Publication’s Accounting Manager Valeri Stair hooted and hollered in support. Carrie also celebrated her great niece Ilene’s third birthday! Examiner Editor Nicole Shupe has survived her son’s 15th birthday. Hopefully, she survives the upcoming driving lessons. Let’s keep her in prayer and everyone else in the county. She also welcomed a new member to her family – Angus McSmooshy Potato Reed. Angus is now 3-months-old and five pounds and he is terrorizing his three larger mastiff siblings. Examiner Sales Rep Angelique Galvan has taken to decorating her boyfriend’s newly purchased home… with his money. Lucky for her, it is a large house since each of their collective five children decided they needed their own separate rooms. Her youngest daughter, Maddie, entertains the entire office when
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she enters as “Big Daddy Maddy” and joins us for the occasional breakfast during school holidays. Her lifelong Texas babies thoroughly enjoyed the freak snowstorm especially since Mom overruled the school and made it a “snow day”. Things are going well at The Examiner. The crew looks forward to the upcoming months and is hopeful that 2018 will be the best year yet.
The Examiner crew host their first ever Examiner Christmas Dinner at the Examiner office. Examiner Bookkeeper Carrie Little accomplished one of her lifel o n g goals of graduating from college.
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Examiner Sales Rep Angelique Galvan’s kiddos took advantage of the Texas snowfall and played in it for hours. Right to left: Examiner Publisher Ana Cosino gets “chewMaddie (also known as Big Daddy Maddy baccaed” by a longtime Examiner VIP client or Big Muffin), Mia and Micah Galvan. and friend.
Examiner Publisher Ana Cosino and Examiner Editor Nicole Shupe pose with Santa and Mrs. Claus after Santa confirmed they were not on the “naughty list” this year.
ABOVE: Examiner Editor Nicole Shupe is proud to introduce the newest member of their family, Mr. Angus McSmooshy Potato Reed. TOP LEFT: Examiner Publisher Ana Cosino’s son, Jason, is extremely happy that he finally gets to see some snow. He said, “God and Santa worked together to bring us some snow.” BOTTOM LEFT: Examiner Publisher Ana Cosino and her family are all smiles because Daddy has finally made it back to work in Texas.
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Adios, Shannon
Creative Services show Shannon Davis how much we appreciate her and how much we will miss her. Ad Services Manager Patti Slavych, Tia Stone, page designer Matt Hellman, and graphic artist Minerva Kutch are pictured with graphic artist Shannon Davis on her last day. After 12 years with Granite Publications, Shannon decided it was time to spread her wings and leave our little family. We wish her the best in all her future endeavors.
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Hennington tapped as ME of Press
Jason Hennington has been promoted to managing editor of the paper. “Jason has grown and matured as a newspaper guy these last few years,” said Stone. “This promotion won’t really confer many more responsibilities. Instead, it’s intended to recognize the fact he is already performing the responsibility of managing the bulk of our news product.” Hennington began his tenure at the Press March, 2013 as a reporter. In early 2014, he was promoted to news editor in the wake of Candace Velvin’s departure. In that time, Hennington has helped the paper
broaden its digital presence and added video reporting to its arsenal. In 2013, he launched the Taylor Press 3-on-3 charity basketball tournament, which has grown stronger each year. He was also part of the reporting team that brought several major state-wide press awards to Taylor. “I’m blessed and thankful to have the opportunity to work at the newspaper I grew up reading,” said Hennington. “We’re very proud of Jason,” said Stone. “This promotion is well-deserved.” Photo by Matt Hellman
TAYLOR PRESS
Bookkeeper Carolyn Hill’s grandson Christopher Hill graduated from The Art Institute of Austin with a Bachelor’s degree in Graphic & Web Design. He graduated with honors and a 3.8 GPA. Christopher is Carolyn’s first grandchild. Sports writer Reagan Roehl spent the holidays in Flagstaff, Arizona with his girlfriend. The couple visited a ski lodge at Flagstaff. Managing Editor Jason Hennington spent the holidays with family on both sides – his and his wife’s. They hosted Christmas dinner at their house, and welcomed in the New Year with his inlaws from El Paso. Jason’s oldest daughter Jasmine enjoyed the hour of snow but was too cold to stay outside for long. Jason’s youngest daughter Tiana turned 2 years old on Jan. 3, and had a birthday party with her family. For Circulation clerk Carolyn Atkinson (Cat), 2017 was a great year, Christmas of course with her boys. Christmas Day was spent at their home and her mom’s house in Kingsland. Otherwise she spent time with her boys from Nate making a snowman, from our grand snowfall here in Taylor, to Nate playing his saxophone at the school’s Christmas concert, to Nate going to winter camp. Oh, not to forget Matt is still working towards that Eagle rank in scouts, he spent the break working those two weeks at LCRA. Now everyone is refreshed and anew and ready for whatever 2018 has to offer.
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Nicholas Rucker, son of account executive Scott Rucker, along with his college baseball team, Wayland Baptist University, went to Houston November 16 - 19 to help with Hurricane Harvey cleanup and rebuilding and with whatever they could. Carolyn Atkinson: 2017 was a great year, Christmas of course with our boys. Christmas Day was spent at our home and my mom’s house in Kingsland. Otherwise we spent time with our boys from Nate making a snowman, from our grand snowfall here in Taylor, Nate playing his saxophone at the school’s Christmas concert, to Nate going to winter camp. Oh, not to forget Matt is still working towards that Eagle rank in scouts, he spent the break working those 2 weeks at LCRA. Now everyone is refreshed and anew and ready for whatever 2018 has to offer us. Happy New Year!
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ABOVE LEFT: Jasmine plays in the snow. ABOVE MIDDLE: Jasmine helps Tiana blow out her candles ABOVE RIGHT: Tiana eats birthday cake LEFT: Cathrin Winsor, Richard & Tia’s daughter, works for a Los Angeles company that builds, among other thing, museums. She was the project manager for the third floor of the new Bible Museum in Washington DC, which opened in November. Cathrin spent the better part of a year in D.C. overseeing the project. The third floor of the museum tells the stories from the Old Testament and has been described as a theme park ride. LEFT: Taylor Press publisher Richard Stone had a houseful for Christmas, including these two delights, Connor James Daniels (l) and Penelope (Penny) Bell Stone. Conner celebrates his first birthday in January and Penny was born in October.
LEFT: Reagan and his girlfriend RIGHT: Our generations at Taylor Press publisher Richard Stone’s house for Christmas, includes his mom, Jo (back row, far left), his kids Ryan, Ryan’s SO Cally, Rebecca and her husband, Matthew and Jo’s partner Mary … Cathrin (front center, on a rare visit home from Los Angeles)… and two grandchildren Connor and Penny.
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GROUPWIDE DIRECTORY GRANITE HEADQUARTERS GRANITE WEST 3115 Loop 306 Ste. 111, San Angelo, TX 76904 monetta@granitepub.com ACCOUNTING CENTER PO Box 1010 • 211 W. Third St. • Taylor, TX 76574 512-352-8285 • Fax: 512-352-8295 CREATIVE SERVICES 512-352-1009 • Fax 512-352-3227 ads@granitepublications.com pages@granitepublications.com JIM CHIONSINI jchionsini@yahoo.com O: 325-949-4700 | C: 325-315-6328 DANIEL PHILHOWER daniel.philhower@granitepublications.com Cell: 512-203-1893 JIM BEAVER jim.beaver@granitepublications.com Cell: 512-461-6906 VALERI STAIR valeri.stair@granitepublications.com Cell: 512-955-9139 PATTI SLAVYCH patti.slavych@granitepublications.com Cell: 713-377-1372 RICHARD DAVIS richard.davis@granitepublications.com Cell: 479-445-5465 ORY BONEY ory@graniteprinting.net Cell: 512-269-9837 STAFF ACCOUNTING Danita Hutto danita.hutto@granitepublications.com Debra Weatherford debra.weatherford@granitepublications. com AD SERVICES Minerva Kutch minerva.kutch@granitepublications.com Orlando Rojo-Buendia orlando.rojo-buendia@granitepublications. com PAGE DESIGN Gretchen Dyson gretchen.dyson@granitepublications.com Matt Hellman matt.hellman@granitepublications.com
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PUBLICATION OFFICES THE ANAHUAC PROGRESS (Wednesday) General Manager: Dayna Haynes PO Box 100 • 306 Willcox St. Anahuac, TX 77514 409-267-6131 • Fax: 409-267-4157 theananahuacprogress.com theprogress@theanahuacprogress.com • Dayna Haynes: theprogress@theanahuac progress.com THE BANDERA BULLETIN (Wednesday) General Manager: Bill Pack PO Box 697 •606 State Hwy 16 South Bandera, TX 78003 830-796-3718 banderabulletin.com • Bill Pack: bill@banderabulletin.com • Fran Fox: office@banderabulletin.com • Chris Darus: chris@banderabulletin.com BOERNE STAR (Tuesday & Friday) Editor & Publisher: Brian Cartwright PO Box 820 • 941 N. School St. Boerne, TX 78006 830-249-2441 • Fax: 830-249-4607 boernestar.com briancartwright@boernestar.com • Brian Cartwright: briancartwright@boernestar.com • Kolleen Roe: kolleen@boernestar.com • Kerry Barboza: sports@boernestar.com • Robert Blake: robert@boernestar.com • Dana Smith: subscriptions@boernestar.com • Stephanie Locke: stephanie@boernestar.com • Kit Brenner: kitbrenner@boernestar.com • Suzy Nelson: Suzy@boernestar.com • Jessica Goode: jessica@boernestar.com COLORADO COUNTY CITIZEN (Wednesday) Editor & Publisher: Michelle Banse PO Box 548 • 2024 Hwy. 71 • Columbus, TX 78934-0548 979-732-2304 • Fax: 979-732-8804 coloradocountycitizen.com publisher@coloradocountycitizen.com • Michelle Stokes: publisher@colorado countycitizen.com • Lori Ligues: bookkeeper@coloradocountycitizen.com • Bryan Stacy: ads@coloradocountycitizen.com • Jason Hogan: reporter@coloradocountycitizen.com • Chris Brown: copy@coloradocountycitizen.com
ELGIN COURIER (Wednesday) Editor & Publisher: PO Box 631 • 105 N. Main • Elgin, TX 78621-0631 512-285-3333 • Fax: 512-285-9406 elgincourier.com publisher@elgincourier.com • Kevin Wright: kevin.wright@elgincourier.com • Gail Schobey: gail.schobey@elgincourier.com • Lauren Jette: lauren.jette@elgincourier.com • Fernando Castro: fernando.castro@elgincourier.com • Cheryl Madewell: adselgincourier@outlook.com GRANITE PRINTING Director of Print Operations: Ory Boney 2675 CR 374 • Taylor, TX 76574 512-352-3687 • Fax: 512-352-613 • Ory Boney: ory@graniteprinting.net • Grace Rangel: grace@graniteprinting.net THE LIBERTY VINDICATOR (Thursday) Editor & Publisher: Jennifer Richardson 1939 Trinity • Liberty, TX 77575 936-336-3611 • Fax: 936-336-3345 thevindicator.com publisher@thevindicator.com • Jennifer Richardson: accounting@thevindicator.com • Casey Stinnett: editor@thevindicator.com • Kim Marlow: ads@thevindicator.com NAVASOTA EXAMINER (Wednesday) Editor & Publisher: Ana Cosino PO Box 751 • 115 Railroad St. • Navasota, TX 77868 936-825-6484 • Fax 936-825-2230 navasotaexaminer.com publisher@navasotaexaminer.com • Ana Cosino: publisher@navasotaexaminer.com • Carrie Little: bookkeeper@navasotaexaminer.com • Angelique Galvan: ads@navasotaexaminer.com • Nicole Shupe: news@navasotaexaminer.com TAYLOR PRESS/HUTTO NEWS (Sunday, Wednesday) Editor & Publisher: Richard Stone PO Box 1040 • 211 W. Third • Taylor, TX 76574-1040 512-352-8535 • Fax: 512-352-1505 taylorpress.net publisher@taylorpress.net • Richard Stone: publisher@taylorpress.net • Jason Hennington: news@taylorpress.net • Carolyn Hill: business@taylorpress.net • Carolyn Atkinson: classified@taylorpress.net • Reagan Roehl: sports@taylorpress.net • Scott Rucker: scott@taylorpress.net • Ann Miller: amiller@taylorpress.net
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