Fall 2019 | Volume 15, Issue 3
A roundup of news for our publication family!
Morning Coffee with Valeri
ARE YOU DEAD YET?
My unofficial motto is, “if you’re not learning, then you might be dead.” Growing up the baby of six children on a farm in a tiny town in central Texas has taught me many useful things. We had chickens, horses, milk cows, pigs and coon hounds as my father liked to go coon hunting on a weekly basis. I learned how to milk a cow, make butter, get eggs from a setting hen without dying, ride a horse with no saddle or reins and many other necessary skills needed on a farm. I learned that one sister is far better at the day-to-day nurturing of a little sister than four brothers, and there are not too many things that can compare to fresh cream in your cereal or the smell of my Mama’s chocolate pound cake fresh out of the oven. See LEARNING Page 3
www.granitepublications.com
SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT
JOSEPH NEMEC The son of Tim Nemec, Granite Printing
SEE INSIDE!
FRIDAY
DECEMBER 13 6:30-10:30 PM
Annual
s ChristmaP����
OLD TAYLOR HIGH 410 W 7TH STREET, TAYLOR, TX LIVE MUSIC • DRINKS • DINNER • DANCING • DOOR PRIZES • GIFT EXCHANGE (White Santa) If you plan to participate in the gift exchange, please bring a gift valued at up to $25. PLEASE RSVP WITH A NUMBER OF ATTENDEES (Employee plus 1 guest )
MARK YOUR CALENDARS! BY MONDAY, DECEMBER 3 AT NOON.
Granite Publications is hosting its Annual Christmas Party Friday, December 13th from 6:30 pm - 10:30 pm
FIND OUT MORE on page 8
THANK A VETERAN OR A SERVICEMAN EVERY DAY!
FIND
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FOR THE SEASON
MORNING COFFEE W/ VALERI.................................... 1 Table of Contents...................................................... 2 Top Bookkeepers....................................................... 3 Employee Anniversaries............................................ 3 DIVIDE OR MULTIPLY?............................................. 4-5 Quarterly Question................................................. 6-7 Employee Birthdays................................................. 8 DIRECTORY.............................................................. 38
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THE RUNDOWN
Anahuac Progress...................................................... 8 Bandera Bulletin.................................................... 8-9 ANNUAL GRANITE CHRISTMAS PARTY........................ 10 MEET MATT HOOKS..............................................11-13 Boerne Star.........................................................14-16 Elgin Courier.......................................................16-18 Colorado County Citizen.......................................... 19 Liberty Vindicator............................................... 20-21 Navasota Examiner............................................ 22-24 Taylor Press....................................................... 25-29 Granite Publications........................................... 30-37
www.granitepublications.com
LEARNING continued from 1
With four brothers, I learned a lot of things NOT to do while growing up. For instance, never hit a horse on the nose with a curry comb while wearing the reins around your neck. The result may be quite humorous to those within viewing radius if they happen to be a boy sibling, but it is quite a different story for the victim flailing around in the air like a rag doll. My mother reminded him how fortunate he was I didn’t get hurt every time he told that story. It is a bad idea to hold a firecracker for your brother while he lights it and then forgets to tell you when to throw the lit firecracker because he is talking to his friend. Lit firecrackers tend to blow up in your face and your eyes swell a little, you get burns on your face and your hand hurts. Brothers who are the instigators of such shenanigans usually don’t get off very easily. In fact, it would have been easier to have several fireworks blow up in their back pockets than the consequences they received. You can learn from the mistakes of others. I highly recommend this type of learning as you
TOP BOOKKEEPERS
suffer the least amount of direct consequences. Mothers of four boys do not always have the greatest senses of humor, especially when said boys try to trick her with rotten eggs. (They found a nest of rotten eggs in the pasture and put them in the basket on the table for Mom to find.) As the boys ran out of the house to escape her wrath, my mother let them get a little further away and then started hurling those eggs in the air as if she had taught Nolan Ryan everything he knew. One by one the rotten eggs exploded on the heads of four mischievous boys. My mother’s sense of humor returned very quickly upon hearing the gags of her stinky sons. I wasn’t sure how she knew those eggs were rotten, but I sure never got eggs from the pasture and tried to pass them off as fresh eggs. I share these examples for the purpose of continuing education, so to speak. Whether you like to learn the easy way or choose to learn the hard way, the main thing is to keep learning. Remember, if you’re not learning, you might be dead.
1) Fran Fox
Bandera Bulletin
2) Gail Schobey Elgin Courier
3) Sonya Bobo Navasota Examiner
UPCOMINGEMPLOYEEANNIVERSARIES Ina Lindley, 4 years Navasota Examiner
John Chavana, 2 years Granite Printing
Orlando Rojo-Buendia, 3 years Granite Publications
Navy Sann, 1 year Granite Printing
Jeff Parra, 1 year Boerne Star
Grace Rangel, 20 years Granite Printing
Sandra Weeber, 6 years Colorado County Citizen
Sonya Bobo, 1 year Navasota Examiner
Matthew Ybarra, 1 year Navasota Examiner
Dominic Sciortino, 2 years Granite Printing
Fran Fox, 6 years Bandera Bulletin
Jasmine Gutierrez, 1 year Granite Publications
Michael Carrington, 4 years Navasota Examiner
Macy Chionsini, 23 years Granite Publications
Fall 2019 Newsletter
Bill Pack, 4 years Bandera Bulletin Ory Boney, 13 years Granite Printing Calyn Owens, 1 year Liberty Vindicator
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Divide or Multiply? Daniel Philhower Granite Publications
This quarter the question was asked of all staff if you had a time machine and could go back in time to an event, what would it be and why? This question or one like it is often asked to break the ice in meetings and is a good way to start a conversation with people. The purpose, we hope, is to learn more about those around you and encourage an environment of open discussion. In today’s society, in secular and political, it seems we’ve gotten away from listening to one another and learning from each other. Instead, this country seems to be more divided than ever! The internet allows even more subsocieties with which folks identify; further perpetuating this divide. But are we really more divided than ever? Looking back in history, you’ll find humans tend to repeat themselves; time and time again. Copy, Paste, repeat seems to be our go-to motto for a species. So let’s take that time machine and look back at a few notable events: • US revolution and the signing of the Declaration of the independence – One of the most beloved and memorial events in our US history. July 4th!!!! If you’ve read up on this ever, you’ll know it was anything but “united.” In fact, 13 very different colonies (later states) with very different politics and very different types of people debated, wrote, re-wrote, fought, argued, and debated some more before coming to the final draft. This is part of the beauty of this
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event; we were united in our differences toward a common goal – Freedom! I would have loved to be a fly on the wall in the meetings leading up this signing. • The Civil War, Women’s Suffrage, Civil Rights, Prohibition, War on Drugs, The 80’s (I’m kidding…), All examples of division within our society that later led to results driven by unity. • Looking further back and reading about Biblical times, you’ll see how many times people were divided then united, divided then united, copy paste repeat. Do you think Jesus and his 12 disciples all got a long, all the time? Not a chance! These were rugged fishermen, carpenters, zealots, tax collectors, romans, Jews, etc. who all came from different belief systems but were united under one man! My bigger point is that yes, we are divided in this nation. BUT division isn’t new to the US or to human society but rather it is a part of who we are. It’s what make us, us! In example after example, any historian (or a novice with Google) can show how this world is divided, united, divide, united, etc. It is my belief that we are as divided today as we have ever been, just in different ways (and because of technology, we know about it). But it’s what we do with the division that matters. Do we use it against each other to further divide or do we work together, learn from each other and multiply and get bigger and better?
www.granitepublications.com
As a company, Granite Publications is made up of 10 very different locations: 8 newspapers, 1 printing press, and 1 management office; with natural geographical division, but also very different small communities and office cultures. This is why we borrowed the motto “One Team, One Vision, One Goal” in hopes of learning from our division and strive to multiply our revenue and profits but doing so together. In spite of our differences, we are working to unite this group closer together to grow and strengthen this company to last many more years in the future. Each location is being entrusted with a franchise with a long and rich history and we are entrusting you to do what is right for your community. We encourage these differences but expect results through unity. Each location should not be held down because of these differences nor should we hold others down. Instead, use them so that we grow together! A recent shake up at one of our locations resulted in the separation of the entire staff. This is an unfortunate casualty to the natural division that existed. Instead of talking openly and honestly about the differences, actions were taken to further the divide so unfortunately we had to make some hard employment decisions. On a personal level, this was hard to swallow, but professionally this location and the Granite group will be better now moving forward! We remain united in spite of the differences that divide us. I am proud of the work we are doing and proud of each of our Staff! One Team, One Vision, One Goal!
Fall 2019 Newsletter
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Minerva Kutch GRANITE PUBLICATIONS
How amazing would it be to be at the birth of Jesus Christ, to be able to view that glorious moment when he enters the world and be a part of that or even to be around during that time frame to experience the many wonderous deeds done. Yes if I could go back in time I would choose that moment.
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Jim Beaver
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Being in the newspaper business, I would have to say seeing how the Gutenberg printing press was made. It pretty much changed the world as far as the printed word. I wonder if his first words were “Hurry, hurry. Hot off the press!” www.granitepublications.com
ble, and you could only have 1 chance to go back and moment in time, when/where would you go? Why?
Matthew Hooks TAYLOR PRESS
I would play Quantum Leap and go back to August 1962 and save Marilyn Monroe. She was such a beautiful icon. The real truth behind her death forever remains a mystery.
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Fall 2019 Newsletter
Ru s s
BAND ERA B Rom ULLET anco IN ke P Virg la in
Tressa Alley COLORADO COUNTY CITIZEN
I would go back in time to 33 A.D. to the City of Jerusalem for the scourging and crucifixion of Christ. He had very few people on his side that horrible day and I want to be able to tell Him I love Him and show Him kindness and love in His darkest hours. To defend Him against the angry and ugly mob that scorned Him during his suffering. And thank Him for suffering through the pain and rejection so that we may be saved from our sins and live an overcoming life. He could have called the whole thing off with an army of angels, but instead gave His life’s blood for mankind. I would of course stay in ancient Judea for the 3 days following the crucifixion so that I may also witness Him overcoming the grave. To be among the elite who were able to see Him and hear His final teachings one last time before He ascended into heaven.
Valeri Stair
GRANITE PUBLICATIONS Hands down – Woodstock 1969! I can’t imagine anything more fascinating than that. I was born a little too late for it, so I feel like I missed something big. I’ve watched as many documentaries as I can on the event, but it’s just not the same as actually being there. To witness all those musical performances, some of them not even really famous yet, to participate in a violence-free gathering of that magnitude. Wow. Groovy, man.
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THE RUNDOWN Granite Pub takes an interest in the family buzz over the past few months. ANAHUAC PROGRESS
loves to spend time with her three grand daughters who keep her very busy. Karen retired from the Baytown Municipal Courts a couple of years ago and was looking for something to occupy her time and accepted the position in our office as administrative assistant and has hit the ground running helping with sales calls and all the other details involved in putting out a paper. She will be an asset to our office.
Well now fall is officially upon us and school is back in session as we begin covering football, Gatorfest and Homecoming. Gatorfest had another successful year bringing in 25,000 visitors to our little town. The largest gator brought this year was a mere 11’ 6” a lot shorter than previous years. Unfortunately our area got hit pretty hard when Tropical Storm Imelda decided to dump over 40” of rain in the Winnie area and we got 26” of rain in Anahuac, causing major flooding on the east side of the county and now we are once again working through the recovery process. We welcomed a new face to our office in August, Karen Jones. She has lived in the Anahuac area since 1976 and has raised her two children, Clay and Areka here. She
Photo provided by the Anahuac Progress
BANDERA BULLETIN
The Bandera Bulletin is pleased to announce the hiring of Jon Deeley in July as its publisher, filling a position that had been vacant for almost a year after Brian Cartwright relinquished his post as publisher at the Bulletin and the Boerne Star. Deeley is a decorated veteran of the U.S. Navy and U.S. Army and an internationally recognized horse trainer who has worked as creative director for Clear Channel Communications, as a multimedia director for a San Antonio advertising agency, as the editor of the Port Isabel News and then as the founder of the The Coastal Current, a weekly tabloid that serves South Padre Island and the Rio Grande Valley. His stint at the Current before it was acquired by the Freedom Newspaper Group taught him all the skills he needed to operate a community newspaper, Deeley said. “I learned from the bottom up. I did everything,” he said. Deeley is planning to remarry next year, which convinced him to start looking for a more stable job, one where he was “not being shot at,” he said. That led to discussions with the leadership at Granite Publications and eventually to his employment as the Bulletin’s publisher.
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He said he loves the beauty and the character of Bandera, that his fiancée is excited about reconnecting to a town where she spent time as a youth and that he believes his work at the Bulletin “is what I was meant to do” at this time of his life. He has wasted no time in putting his imprint on the paper. The Bulletin was redesigned in the weeks after he arrived, and Deeley set in motion the creation of a new visitors’ guide for the paper produced quarterly as a pony tab on better newspaper stock that features more detailed information about many of the visitor attractions and activities that are
“[Jon Deeley] believes his work at the Bulletin “is what I was meant to do” at this time of his life.” www.granitepublications.com
scheduled in Bandera. The guide called the Bandera Bulletin Trailhead was published for the first time in September to wide applause among Bandera’s hospitality interests. He also is working with officials at Bandera High School to create a page a month that high school students will be responsible for filling with both ads and stories, has strived to eliminate some old advertising specials that made no financial sense for the paper, has examined ways to expand its distribution network and has taken steps to demonstrate how much the paper wants to be part of the community. With a reputation as a newspaper that supports Bandera County, the Bulletin should win broader support from some advertisers who had trimmed or eliminated their spending with the paper, the new publisher believes. Deeley received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Texas Christian University and joined the U.S. Navy shortly after graduation. That assignment taught him how to pilot an F-14 fighter jet and gave him a place in the VF-31 Tomcatters Strike Fighter Squadron. It also led to his deployment in Bosnia in the 1990s. Despite his extensive military service, Deeley has never been far away from one of the focuses of his life - horses. He was director of training at the Equestrian Training Center in Falls City near San Antonio for 20 years and founded Project Mustang Inc., which has brought a variety of interests together to address the needs of the nation’s mustang herds. For eight years prior to arriving in Bandera, Deeley also was the stable master for The Old Guard’s Caisson Platoon with the U.S. Army. That elite unit is responsible for handling the horses and equipment used in military funeral processions for fallen soldiers and national leaders. He still trains and raises horses and hopes to find space in Bandera where he can bring his horses, reuniting them with
his other constant companion, “Buck,” Deeley’s friendly, English lab. Call the Bulletin at 830-796-3718 or email Deeley at jonathan.deeley@ granitepublications.com to say “howdy” and welcome him to Bandera. Two Bulletin employees, Managing Editor Bill Pack and Office Manager Fran Fox, celebrated birthdays during the quarter but stayed pretty close to home in recognizing those milestones. Photo provided by the Bandera Bulletin
BIRTHDAYS Matthew Hellman, 10/3 Granite Publications
Jordan Brogan, 11/20 Granite Printing
Patricia Slavych, 10/8 Granite Publications
Even Vega-Hernandez, 11/21 Colorado County Citizen
Valeri Stair, 10/12 Granite Publications
Jim Beaver, 11/28 Elgin Courierw
Casey Stinnett, 10/30 Liberty Vindicator Kerry Barboza, 11/2 Boerne Star Richard Mendoza, 11/9 Granting Printing Jasmine Gutierrez, 11/12 Granite Publications
Fall 2019 Newsletter
Kit Brenner, 12/8 Boerne Star
Nora Rollins, 12/28 Colorado County Citizen Julianne Hodges, 1/4 Elgin Courier Dominic Sciortino, 1/6 Granite Printing
Sandra Weeber, 12/13 Colorado County Citizen
John Deeley, 1/7 Bandera Bulletin
Danita Hutto, 12/17 Granite Publications
Ory Boney, 1/9 Granite Printing
TheresaChristine Etim, 12/26 Taylor Press
Regina Taylor, 1/28 Taylor Press
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FRIDAY
DECEMBER 13 6PM-11 PM
Annual
s a m t s i Chr P����
OLD TAYLOR HIGH 410 W 7TH STREET, TAYLOR, TX
LIVE MUSIC • DRINKS • DINNER • DANCING • DOOR PRIZES • GIFT EXCHANGE Please bring a gift valued at around $25 for each person who wishes to participate in the gift exchange. PLEASE RSVP: EMAIL OR SLACK VALERI (valeri.stair@granitepublications.com) WITH A NUMBER OF ATTENDEES (Employee plus 1 guest ) 10
NO LATER THAN 10AM ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2019.
www.granitepublications.com
MATT HOOKS
‘em Horns VETERAN AND TAYLOR PRESS SPORTS REPORTER/EDITOR
M
By TheresaChristine Etim
atthew Shamus Hooks continues his service to the community, only now he’s a soldier for news. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri and was raised in eastern Arkansas. While there, he attended Palestine-Wheatley High School, a school so small it was a combination of two high schools. “I went to a small high school that was actually two high schools joined together [to make one] because they were so small,” he said. “My gradating class was about 44 people.” While in high school, Matt played football, and his hobbies consisted of writing and chasing girls. His stories were mostly
Fall 2019 Newsletter
based off of teen shows of the time. “I would write poems and short stories with the girls as the characters,” he said. “I had one that was written like a ‘Saved by the Bell’ kind of thing, or a ‘90210’ kind of thing. Everybody would be matched up as couples, but I’d never put myself as the lead role. I was always a supporting role.” Hooks likes to maintain a humble outlook on life and doesn’t like a lot of credit. The stories he’d write, however, gartered him a lot of attention. “I’d write [these stories] and the guys and the girls would read them,” he said. “Some of them liked them and some of them
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would say ‘Aw, you killed off my character.’ So I’d be like, ‘Ok, I can bring you back as a different character.’” In addition to writing these stories, he’d also write poems and stories for the yearbook. He started writing short stories when he was in the fourth grade. “I didn’t really read a lot when I was a kid,” he said. “In some of my classes, they’d say ‘if you want to be a good writer you have to read, read, read.’ I think if you want to be a good writer, you have to write, write, write.” At that point, he referenced the movie “Sister Act 2” to illustrate his passion for writing. “It’s kind of taking away from the quote from Whoopi Goldberg in Sister Act,” he said. “‘If you wake up in the morning and you can’t think of doing anything but singing, you’re supposed to be a singer, girl.’ So I took [that quote] up with writing. ‘If you wake up in the morning and you can’t think of doing anything but writing, you’re supposed to be a writer.’” As far as reading, Hooks likes to read classic American literature like Nathaniel Hawthorn, Edgar Allen Poe and Mary Shelley, who he didn’t read until he was 36. Upon graduating high school, Hooks joined the National Guard when he was 17 and joined the U.S. army after the events of 9/11 in 2001. He spent 18 years in the military and met his wife Janice while he was stationed in Fort Hood. Hooks said there was great connection between him and Janice when they first met. The two have been inseparable ever since. “I met my wife online, I was stationed in Fort Hood and she lived in Round Rock,” he said. “We started talking and our first date was at a Chinese restaurant in Killeen. We just hit it off from there.” The marriage would be his second, which resulted in the birth of his two-year-old daughter, Anastasia. He also has two boys from his first marriage, Ryan, who will be 13 this month, and Lucas, who will also be 10 this month. His sons live with his first wife in Oklahoma. His current wife works for the constable’s office in Taylor and she’s the influencing factor behind Hooks applying for his current position with the Taylor Press, where he now works as a sports writer and a sports editor. “She saw the job opening online on Facebook and she knew I had interned for an
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www.granitepublications.com
indoor professional football team in Georgia,” he said. “She said, ‘you love sports so much, how about you tryout for this?’ I got all of my paperwork and resume put together and I sent it in. Daniel messaged me that day.” Up until that point, Hooks had been working at Wal-Mart in Cedar Park for two years. “The people there were nice and everything, I’m just not a good customer service person,” he said. “A lot of people from the military probably aren’t. After that, I was looking around, but I knew I wanted to work doing something that I liked and of course I like sports.” Hooks said he’s been pretty happy since coming to the Taylor Press and although he’s not looking to move to a bigger paper, he’d probably give it a look. “I like everybody here, people in the back, everybody [at the Taylor Press office] and I get along with all of the coaches in the area that I know of.” While he works at the press, he is also a fulltime student at the University of Texas, where he’s studying English. He expects to graduate in May 2020 and while he credits his ACC professor Dr. Barbra Williams-Lewis for influencing him to study English, he also credits his journalism professor, Bob Buckalew, as an influence to pursue journalism. “[Dr. Lewis] is a hard-nosed lady, but she knows what she’s talking about. She has a PHD from USC,” he said. “I talk to her sometimes, but I don’t leave out my Journalism professor Bob Buckalew. I still keep in touch with him. He’s kind of like a paternal grandpa to [Anastasia], because she doesn’t have a paternal grandpa.” In terms of a medium for his writing, Hooks said he probably wouldn’t write films because of his love of short stories. He’s also been working on an autobiography. “For two years now, I’ve been working on my autobiography, but I’m not sure [how good it’d be],” he said. “I mean, if I could get something published, that’s good. If not, I’m ok with that.” While Hooks used to write for people in high school, he now just writes for himself and he’s happy with the results. “I have couple of favorite [articles that I’ve written] and I’m just enjoying this ride while I can,” he said.
Fall 2019 Newsletter
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BOERNE STAR
Three new employees have joined The Boerne Star in recent months. Veteran journalist Crystal Henry was hired as the newspaper’s reporter in late August and is reporting on news affecting Boerne, Fair Oaks Ranch and Kendall County. Henry is a West Texas native, but she received her journalism degree from the University of Florida in 2006. She graduated magna cum laude. She has been a reporter, photographer and assistant editor for Tower Publications since 2005. In 2017, she became senior publicist of the RPR Firm and managed various public relations accounts in San Antonio, Austin, Nashville and New York. Also in 2017, she launched her own business, Basic Pitch Media, where she manages content creation, social media management and public relations campaigns. In all, she has more than 13 years of experience as a writer, editor, marketer and public relations specialist. Henry said she always has wanted to be a writer. “I found the journalism program at the University of Florida, and I owe all of my success to my tough teachers who taught me the art of journalism,” she said. “I learned that misspelling a name completely changed the truth of an article, and without truth there is no journalism.” Henry stayed in Gainesville for four years after her graduation and became a writer/reporter for the two area dailies – The Independent Florida Alligator and the Gainesville Sun. She then moved on to magazines with Tower Publications and was eventually named assistant editor of “Our Town” and “Senior Times” magazines. In 2008, she moved to Indiana and continued to write for community publications before relocating to San Antonio in 2013. Since her return to the Lone Star State, Henry has written for San Antonio Magazine, Rio Magazine (the River Walk magazine) and Helotes Magazine and also has been the editorial director at
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Crystal Henry
Troy Bull
Melody Whittaker
“Life at the Dominion.” “About two years ago I left to start my own firm that would cater to small businesses who couldn’t necessarily afford big PR campaigns, but who still had stories to tell,” she said. However, besides her husband and two children, The Star is now her priority. “I’m excited to cover the ins and outs of Kendall County,” she said. “Journalism is my heart, and community journalism is one of the most important aspects to a functioning society. It’s the grassroots of news and information. I’m so thrilled to be a part of that. “I feel so welcomed, and I already feel like I’ve been friends with this newspaper leadership team for years.” Troy Bull came on board as an advertising representative in early September and brought with him years of experience. His most recent advertising job was in New Braunfels, where he worked as the regional account manager for Southern Newspapers. There, he managed national and major regional accounts for 30 publications in Texas, Alabama and Oklahoma and worked with 16 publishers and advertising directors to promote their products to accounts around the country. Prior to New Braunfels, he was an advertising sales executive for Hearst Media Services, where he sold print and online advertising for the San Antonio ExpressNews and 11 other regional papers. Bull also has been a marketing director and advertising manager/graphic designer. He graduated from Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, and earned a degree in communications. In his spare time, he is a football and volleyball official and manager a karaoke business for Taco Cabana. Finally, Melody Whittaker recently was hired to be the newspaper’s delivery driver. Twice weekly, she drives The Star’s box truck to and from Taylor and hauls and delivers the paper.
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On Thursday, October 10, Boerne Star Managing Editor Keith E. Domke and his wife, Nancy, celebrated their 38th wedding anniversary. Following is the personal column Domke wrote for the October 11 newspaper: ••••• Thursday was my wife’s and my 38th wedding anniversary. Yep, that’s 38, proving again that my Nancy is a saint. Anyone who has put up with me for that long is A-OK in my book. Thirty-eight years is a long time. For those of you keeping score at home, that’s 13,870 days, about 333,000 hours, almost 20 million minutes and approaching 1.2 billion seconds. Can you count with me? One … 2 … 3 … 4 … 5 … According to the American Greetings card company, the 38th anniversary is the “exotic” anniversary. Oooh-la-la! Its website states, “Woo hoo! Thirty-eight years deserves a wild celebration! A trip to Costa Rica? A Hawaiian luau? OK, at least a round of margaritas. We all have our own definitions of exotic, but that’s what makes the 38th wedding anniversary traditional gift fun to give and exciting to get.” It continues … “Exotic to you might mean interesting foods, faraway lands or sexy lingerie, while exotic to someone else might simply mean adding mango to their smoothie. But the whole point of this 38th anniversary gift is to give or do something unfamiliar, out of the ordinary … and maybe spice things up a bit.” OK, we stayed up until 10 o’clock. After all, today is a work day. Speaking of bedtime and aging, I saw a sign recently that read as follows: “They say 40 is the new 30 and 50 is the new 40. But all I know is the older I get the more 9 p.m. is the new midnight.” Ah, the life of someone who has been married for 38 years. … But speaking of the length of marriage, my parents put almost all of us to shame. They’ve been married for 73 years … and counting. Talk about sainthood! American Greetings also states beryl and tourmaline are the contemporary gifts for this specific occasion. Huh? What? Sounds like something you would put in some kind of witchy brew, or maybe even meat loaf. Ah, but doing a little digging, I discovered beryl is a gemstone related to emeralds and aquamarine. Tourmaline, called the rainbow gemstone, is a gorgeous and unique mineral that makes a beautiful centerpiece. And both are great anniversary gifts as jewelry or art. Art? Yep, get me that picture of gemstones we can hang on
our wall! And the flower for this anniversary? The bleeding heart. “With cartoon-like hearts covering every stem, the bleeding heart is the most boldly symbolic plant of deep emotion, love, passion and connection. If you want a 38th anniversary gift that literally looks like love, then this is the flower to give.” My heart bleeds, but I do love a good cartoon. Finally, American Greetings suggested some gifts: An exotic wood cutting board or serving bowl, a subscription to a travel or leisure magazine and planting a bleeding heart garden at home. Here, honey, here’s a nice wooden bowl. Happy anniversary. Reminds me of the year … I think it’s the fifth … of the wood anniversary. All the experts suggested a gift centered on that theme. To this day, I have no idea why Nancy didn’t like the 2X4 I brought home that day for her. Hey, my thinking was brilliant: A stud with a stud. She didn’t buy it. (Remember, that was 33 years ago!) Moving on to the travel or leisure magazine, Nancy enjoys watching those travel shows where couples move to a coast, an island or overseas and go house shopping. I offered to watch one of those with her – a solid 30-minute investment in my marriage. I had to apologize that I fell asleep. Well, after all, it was past 9 p.m. Finally, the bleeding heart garden. Well, since we’re in the process of finally moving from New Braunfels to the Boerne area, I didn’t want to waste hours of sweating while planting some kind of flower garden that we’ll never get to enjoy. That actually was a legitimate excuse. So, looking for ideas I landed on Amazon and I found all kinds of cool things. A plaque that says: “Wife. Established 1981.” A mug: “13,870 mornings (see, I did my math correctly) of drinking coffee together.” And a T-shirt: “I survived 38 years of marriage and all I got was this lousy T-shirt.” Back to the drawing board. Maybe, just maybe I should have taken Nancy to that exotic location to celebrate. Like the fresh fruit aisle at H-E-B. Happy anniversary. And, as always, thanks for reading.
“Anyone who has put up with me for that long is A-OK in my book.”
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By Crystal Henry Boerne Star reporter One of my favorite aspects of being a writer is how portable this job can be. Sometimes my office is a coffee shop, other times it’s the comfy corner of my couch. Then every two years it’s the Isle of Capri. Opposites attract, so it makes sense that my writer brain was attracted a textbook Type A engineer. His research is in engine combustion and emissions, which I describe as “pointing lasers at gas bits.” But my favorite part of his job is the conference he helps organize every two years for the Society of Automotive Engineers. The conference takes place in September in Capri, Italy, so every two years I transform into a foreign correspondent for a week and set up shop on the small island off the coast of Sorrento. In the weeks before I left this year, my life was a whirlwind of reporting to make sure I had all my interviews and information gathered before my time zone was shifted. It’s about an eight-hour flight there, so I had plenty of time to write while still binge watching a few episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale and eating the gourmet mushed chicken plated on the finest plastic ware United Airlines had to offer. My first two days in Italy I wrote a planning and zoning recap from our Airbnb in Sorrento with a clear view of Mount Vesuvius. On Wednesday, I conducted a phone interview with a council member on our balcony overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea. Then at the tail end of the trip I fielded a call from a Kendall County commissioner while sipping a glass of Montepulciano and nibbling fresh green olives on a terrace surrounded by lemon trees. When I tell people what I do, I hear a lot of groans about sitting through four-hour council meetings and working late nights to
Photo provided by the Boerne Star
Crystal’s “office” view from her hotel room balcony overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea in Capri, Italy.
meet deadlines. But it’s much easier to sit through a meeting or crunch up against deadlines with the promise of writing a few of those articles in my favorite place on the globe.
ELGIN COURIER
The Elgin Courier staff had a great Summer and a fantastic start for the Fall. For a small town like Elgin, it’s hard to believe it’s so busy that you can only make a handful of the dozens of activities that go on. Actually, all of our town’s are pretty much the same, with the festivals, gala’s, school and church activities, ribbon cuttings, meetings, rodeo’s…. well, you got the picture. Speaking of pictures, here’s a few photos from our summer! Gail, our bookkeeper/classified manager, and her husband Bill, along with Jim Beaver and his wife Penny attended the 16th annual Down Home Ranch Gala, held at the Bastrop Convention Center.
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Photo provided by the Elgin Courier
Nearly 400 people packed the building to donate to the ranch, which was founded in 1989, serving people with disabilities, as they live and work the ranch. It was a fantastic evening and the ranch raised over $100,000. The Elgin Courier was one of the proud sponsors for the Gala. There were many areas where our appearing throughout
logo was the event. Our very own Dock Jackson was voted to the Bastrop City
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Photos provided by the Elgin Courier
Heather giving a presentation at the launch party.
Council. Dock is a parttime writer for the Courier, mostly covering Bastrop and Smithville. He also attends some of the social functions in those towns, giving our newspaper a presence when we can’t make it. The Courier launched it’s N.I.E. (Newspaper
Classroom bundles art tagged with N.I.E. sponsor tags
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In Education) program into the 3rd thru 8th grades at Elgin ISD. We hosted a launch party at the office which was attended by advertisers and 30 teachers, along with the Elgin superintendent. The program has been a great success for our newspaper and the schools. Heather Ott, salesperson and N.I.E. manager is pictured at a booth we had at the Back-To-School Teacher Convocation in
N.I.E. launch party well attended
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Photos provided by the Elgin Courier
early August. Jim’s son, Danny and grandson, Cael, goofing off at Danny’s birthday party. Danny says he’s 44, but Jim still claims to be 59 and holding. That’s probably not going to work anymore. Valeri Stair is always looking for a hug, and she got one from our very own Jonathan Deeley, publisher of the Bandera Bulletin. Jonathan was at Granite Publications training. The Courier continues it’s “Couri-Oke” night during the monthly Sip, Shop & Stroll evenings. It’s grown to be a hit with the crowds that pour onto mainstreet on the 2nd Thursday of each month. Most of the Beaver family made their annual trek to Schlitterbahn, thanks to Granite Publications arranging for the tickets. Once again, it was a great time, as you can see by this photo!
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COLORADO COUNTY CITIZEN
July, August and September were months of transition and new beginnings for Colorado County and the Colorado County Citizen. The Citizen welcomed temporary and permanent citizens Larry Jackson, Nora Rollins, Alesia Woolridge, Tressa Alley and Royce Caldwell. Jackson, retired editor and publisher of the Fayette County Record, served as interim publisher for the Citizen from August until the end of September. He has been editor and publisher of daily and weekly papers across Texas and in California. Larry shared his editorial and advertising wisdom with us and we enjoyed his time “along the stream” with us. Nora Rollins joined the Citizen as general manager. Nora, a Columbus resident, has over 25 years of sales, customer care and office management experience. The Citizen welcomed Tressa Alley as bookkeeper. Tressa is a Columbus native, is a Sam Houston State University graduate with a BBA in Accounting and has 20 years of experience to her Nora Rollins credit. Tressa’s daughter, Kayli, was a member of the historic Columbus Junior softball team who made an appearance at the Little League World Series this summer. Alesia Woolridge returned to the Citizen as managing editor in September. She served as the Citizen’s ME from 2016-2017. Royce Caldwell joined the Citizen at the end of September as sports writer. Royce was a standout Columbus Cardinal athlete, and was running back for New Mexico State Aggies. He graduated from New Mexico State University in December 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Individualized Studies and minored in Business Management and Social Marketing. The community has rallied around the new Citizen staff, and the feedback about the feel, look and tone of the newspaper office and publication has been positive. We look forward to continuing the Citizen’s longstanding Alesia Woolridge reputation of delivering news important to Colorado County.
Larry Jackson
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Tressa Alley
Photos provided by the Colorado County Citizen
Royce Caldwell
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Photo provided by the Liberty Vindicator
LIBERTY VINDICATOR
The news from Liberty is a bit repetitive of earlier reports — it’s wet, again. Different measures of how much rain fell on Liberty County during Imelda’s three days here have been reported, but depending on location, it was somewhere between 40 inches and all of the water in the world. At Tarkington, one of The Vindicator’s stringers, Sean Jones, keeps a home weather station, and it recorded 20.08 inches fell in 24 hours from noon Sept. 18 to noon the next day. Imelda was not even a tropical storm any longer by the time it reached Liberty County but had been downgraded to a depression. Most of Liberty County is flat and low. About a third of the county is wetlands, or bottom land as we call it. The town of Liberty is only 30 feet above sea level. Folks here have weathered the storm better than they have taken a couple of recent and purely local cultural shocks. First, the owner of Liberty’s radio station, Bill Buchanan, sold out. He is nearly 80 and has broadcasted here for over 40 years. He sold KSHN’s license to an Humble station, KSBJ, which uses it as relay to broaden its own area. KSHN is trying to continue as an online station, but the transition has not gone smoothly. They have had a lot
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of technical problems and many of the older listeners won’t or can’t listen to it on those new fangled computer contraptions. Buchanan has been a fixture here for decades. It is difficult to beat him to the scene of any newsworthy event, and he is fearless. He will walk right up into the middle of almost anything and start asking questions. The second shock came this week, and The Vindicator delivered it, reporting that Union Pacific had informed the city of its plans to replace its bridge over the Trinity River. People in Liberty are weirdly attached to old bridges. There is an old highway truss bridge here that has been out of use for well over 30 years, but whenever TxDOT proposes removing it, and TxDOT has put that plan forward several times, Liberty residents pitch fits over it until TxDOT backs down. TxDOT is a state agency. It owns the bridge. It does not have to answer to Liberty, but the old bridge is still there and probably will be for a long time. Not being a government agency, Union Pacific should have an easier time of it, but its executives can expect to get an earful about their plans. The railroad bridge is also a truss bridge. Its longest expanse was
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built in 1904. The shorter length was constructed in 1919, replacing the original swinging structure designed to let tall boats pass. That was back when people still imagined the Trinity River could be made navigable and might one day have tall boats traveling its waters. It cannot be made navigable and never had tall boats. Will Rogers once said, “The best way to navigate the Trinity River is on horseback.” He also said, “The only way to make the Trinity River navigable is to pave it.” Rogers was referring to the northern end of that unreliable and
intermittent stream at Dallas, but it holds true on the southern end as well. Next up for The Vindicator is Trinity Valley Exposition Livestock Show and Rodeo, a 111-year-old tradition that began as a county fair, launched in 1909 largely through the efforts of The Vindicator. There will be two parades, a 5K run, a pageant, a wine tasting, a dance, a carnival and a bunch of other nonsense that has nothing to do with either livestock or rodeos, but people enjoy it and the newspaper will cover nearly all of it.
THE STORY OF CLARENCE AND MYRTLE By The Liberty Vindicator Here’s the story of Clarence and Myrtle and the county fair. Clarence was the son of the local newspaper publisher. He was brought up in the trade and took over the operation of the newspaper as a young man early in 1909. Right away he became a proponent for the creation of a county fair as a means of promoting local businesses and the produce of area farms. A lot of other people in the county liked the idea and got behind it. They organized it through the Liberty Business League, and after it was held everyone thought it was a grand success. Prizes were given for best mule, best colt, best hog, best Rhode Island Red, best canned fruit, and so on. A prize was given to the oldest married couple who attended the fair, and another prize for the family with the most children. It was such a success the Business League decided to hold a county fair every year, and every year Clarence made a big deal about it in the newspaper. The second year the fair was held, in 1910, a new contest was introduced for young ladies wanting to be named the Fair Queen. The winner of that first queen contest was Miss Myrtle Green. Then, a year later, the Fair Queen married the young newspaper editor on a Thursday afternoon, Nov. 16, 1911, in the Catholic Church about a block from where this photograph was taken of the two of them in front of The Liberty Vindicator’s office. You can find out who the next Fair Queen was and who won that prize in 1909 for best mule in this week’s edition of The Vindicator. Photo provided by the Liberty Vindicator
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NAVASOTA EXAMINER
The Navasota Examiner is happy to introduce their newest employee Caitlyn Druckhammer. Caitlyn is a Navasota native and comes to us after being with the Chamber of Commerce for two years. She has been a great asset to our paper! Examiner Publisher Ana Cosino enjoyed a weekend getaway at the Frio River with her son Jason and coworker Sonya and family. Ana, Jason and Jason’s dad also had a “Fun Day with Jason” at Splashway in Spring, TX. Jason started 5th grade at John C. Webb Elementary and looks forward to May 28, 2020 – the last day of school. Ana and Jason enjoyed a date night at Lions Pride Wresting. Jason absolutely loved it! Examiner Bookkeeper Sonya Bobo also enjoyed her weekend getaway at the Frio River with family and friends. Sonya celebrated her son Austin’s 22nd Birthday on July 10. Her son Bran, whom recently graduated high school, started working for the City of Navasota. Sonya enjoys seeing him drive in the tractor down Railroad Street. Examiner Sales Rep Angela Scurlock has stayed busy with her daughters. Her oldest, Jayda turned 16 on July 8 and got her Examiner Publisher and her son Jason. learner’s permit!! She insists on driving as much as possible. Layla, has started showing her athletic abilities while playing for the local Lil Diggers volleyball club in Navasota. Angela has been spending her free binge watching tv series’ on Netflix with her favorite fluffy companions. Navasota Examiner Senior news reporter Matthew Ybarra values time spent with his family when he isn’t working. The Ybarra family, Matthew, Lucy, Mahayla, Katalena and Lilyanah make the most out of a sad situation by stopping for sightseeing on the way home from a family funeral. They visited Sea Center Texas in Lake Jackson and spotted historic Guardian Angel Catholic Church in Wallis that they stopped to explore. School also started for the Ybarra girls. Mahayla begins junior high as a sixth grader and Katalena started third grade while Lilyanah began first grade. Before school began the Ybarra’s crammed Newest Employee Examiner Office Assitant Caitlyn in a last minute trip to the beach in Bay City. Work also provides Druckhammer and her son Cutter and daughter Millie. unique opportunities which family are able to join in. Matthew and Lucy attended an invitation only afternoon tea with the king and queen at the Texas Renaissance Festival. Examiner Office Assistant and Everything else Caitlyn Druckhammer has enjoyed being a part of our family. Caitlyn has two little ones, Mille and Cutter. Miller is 5 years old and is a kindergarten student at John C. Webb Elementary and Cutter is 2 years old and is at preschool at A Bright Beginning Day Care. The Examiner staff celebrated many things this quarter. They said goodbye to their intern Erica Grifaldo. Erica graduated high school in May 2019 and went off to the University of Austin! We also celebrated Angela’s 35th Birthday and Caitlyn’s Examiner Senior News Reporter Matthew Ybarra and family at Sea Center Texas. 26th Birthday.
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Examiner Publisher Ana Cosino, Jason and Jason’s dad enjoy “Fun Day with Jason” at Splashway.
Examiner Publisher Ana and her son Jason enjoy their weekend getaway at the Frio River.
Examiner staff celebrates Examiner Office Assistant Caitlyn’s 26th Birthday.
Examiner Sales Rep Angela Scurlock and oldest daughter, Examiner staff celebrates Jayda participated in the 2019 Examiner Sales Rep Angela’s Diamonette Dance Team’s annual golf tournament. 35th Birthday.
Examiner Senior News Reporter Matthew Ybarra’s daughters start their first day of school.
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Examiner Sales Rep Angela Scurlock’s daughters Layla and Jayda go tubing at Lake Bryan.
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Examiner Bookkeeper Sonya Bobo and Examiner Publisher Ana Cosino enjoy floating the Frio River.
Examiner Sales Rep Angela and pitbull Skye relax at home watching movies.
Examiner Office Assistant Cailyn’s daughter, Millie, starts her first day of Kindergarten.
Examiner Publisher Ana Cosino’s son, Jason, starts his first day of 5th grade at John C. Webb Elementary.
Examiner Senior News Reporter Matthew Ybarra and Lucy attended an invitation only afternoon tea with the king and queen at the Texas Renaissance Festival
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Examiner staff celebrates interns last day. Erica Grifaldo leave The Examiner to start her new journey at the University of Austin.
Examiner Sales Rep Angela Scurlock’s youngest daughter Layla started playing volleyball for Lil’ Diggers in Navasota.
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The Taylor High School class of 1999. Can you find Jason? TAYLOR PRESS
For Taylor Press Publisher Jason Hennington, this summer was kind of quiet. Aside from the annual trip to El Paso and the 7th annual 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament, he didn’t do much. In late June, Jason and his wife Tynna took their daughters, Jasmine (8) and Tiana (3), to El Paso to visit family. The girls stayed out west for about two weeks and returned just in time to help with the tournament. This year, the tournament had 26 teams, but still brought in more than $5,000. A new team was crowned champions in every division this year. Jason was happy to see four of his friends from Sul Ross at the tournament again this year. Also this year, Jason had a new apprentice at the tournament, his cousin Jayden (12), from Denver, Colo. Jayden followed Jason around all day Saturday and Sunday and met plenty of people. This was the first year that every person that signed up, win or lose, left with a prize. After the tournament it was back to business. Jasmine and Tiana got had their first trip to Schlitterbahn
Jason and his wife Tynna catch up with his classmate and good friend Jonathan and his wife Kara.
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this year. They loved swimming and going on the little slides. School shopping was . . . interesting again. Jason stopped asking for a Big Chief tablet because he got tired of being directed to electronics. Jasmine started third grade at Ray Elementary and has already made new friends and brought home some awards. Tiana started a new daycare, Trinity Lutheran Child Care Center in Taylor, and has made tons of new friends. In September, Jason celebrated his 20th school reunion at Taylor’s homecoming. This was the first time he saw many of his classmates in 20 years. Although Taylor lost, the event surrounding homecoming were fun and he enjoyed catching up with some old friends. Jason shows he’s still got it in the tournament promotion photo – Yes, I made that dunk!
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Jasmine tells Jason to hurry up and shoot the ball while Tiana gets tickled by her uncle Antwon. Jasmine and Tiana show off their style for the first day of school.
Jasmine and her folder full of school awards.
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Jasmine and Tiana dance to Tejano music at the Tex Mex Festival in Taylor.
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HI, I’M THERESACHRISTINE and I’m a reporter
for the Taylor Press, where I have been working as a writer for five months, but on October 29, it’ll be six months, marking a half-year point in my position. Since the summer months, things have been pretty good and plenty busy. I moved and I’m currently redesigning my apartment. I’ve also started a workout program and renewed my gym membership. I’ve also been getting around town better and I know the streets of Taylor and other areas without using a GPS (lol). I’m able to go to different events quicker and I’m more comfortable with driving to certain places more than I was before. I’ve also experienced some family
loss and I’ve spent more time with my family to deal with them and help other family members that need me. It turned out for the best, because it’s pulled my family and I closer together. Additionally I’ve been learning more about a journalistic form of writing, as I’ve been getting better with remembering certain rules. I’m typically a creative, lifestyle writer, but my current position has me writing more serious news stories, like council meetings. Typically I’m not very comfortable with these types of topics, but I’m learning how to be and I’m glad. In the future I just hope to become a better writer.
MATT Looking over the past few months my family and I have not done a whole lot recreationally. We celebrated my birthday in August, both at work and with family in Killeen. I began my senior year at UT-Austin and am on track to graduate this May. My daughter Anastasia was given her first college tour as we showed her around the UT-Austin campus. I am also working with her to teach her the Hook ‘Em hand sign. Ana experienced her first Taylor Homecoming. We are currently in the process of potty training. Mostly our time together has been spent at the park and at the mall. We traveled to Lockhart to spend a Saturday with a college friend of mine to watch the Texas/ LSU game. We also traveled to San Antonio for a Stranger Things themed birthday party. I have been mostly focused on work and school. In July I helped out with the 7th Annual Taylor Press 3-on-3 basketball tournament. By summers end I started covering high school football on Friday nights which has been exciting. I also helped bring back the Taylor Press Pick ‘Em contest and started up a fantasy football league here at work.
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There is a new face in the advertising department of the Taylor Press. REGINA MILLER-TAYLOR, the lead advertising rep, has been made the bi-weekly newspaper her home since her first day, Aug. 28. “Taylor is like home to me,” she said. “I feel at home here, even more than when I was in Rockdale, and it’s only a 30-minute drive.” Originally from Milano, Taylor still lives there and commutes to town for work. “I grew up there my whole life,” she said. “I liked playing with friends and going to church.
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“Taylor is like home to me.” But I’ve been working ever since I was 16 years old. Taylor got her start in advertising at the Rockdale Reporter, and saw growth in the position. “Once I got into sales, I saw that I could make my own job,” she said. “When you’re working as a teller, nine times out of 10, you’re not going to get a raise. In sales, you will make more money and there’s [more growth in that field].” She also worked in advertising at the Temple Daily Telegram. Taylor believes she is a people person, as her hobbies include helping and meeting new people and shopping. She hopes to make lots of new friends and help connect businesses with the Taylor Press.
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CAROLYN’S
BUSY
SUMMER
Busy summer, just do not remember what happened. With 11 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren now, someone is always popping in to see the Grandma. And they say, “Well we know you have nothing to do these days, so we thought we would pop in and see you. Want to take the kids for a couple of days”. What? Well of course. Let me just change my schedule around and accommodate you. I have nothing better to do. The Shining Stars (is the adult special needs group in town) loves when Jason puts on the 3-on3 tournament every summer. This adult group (in their 30’s now) went to high school together and the competition starts all over again when they play basketball. I helped with the concession stand this year, as I usually do. This is the parents’ job at this point. We, as a group try to get as much donated as we can. The concession stand sells nachos, water, Gatorade, candy bars and that money goes to the Shining Stars. Some say this is what we contribute to the tournament, but actually it is the tournament contributing to us. Thank you Jason. My youngest daughter who lives in Illinois came down for a few days. Now that was a delight. When she comes home, it is usually for a day or two, and she is gone most of the time seeing old friends. She stayed longer this time and we actually had time together. She played tennis a couple of times with friends and I was able to take her daughter Rebecca to the new Splash pad in town where we watched a homeless man take a bath. He kept his clothes on. And Rebecca danced around the suds. Now, getting ready for another wedding. My oldest daughter Melanie will be married November 16th.
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GRANITE PUBLICATIONS (MAIN BUILDING)
For Granite Publications, we let our pictures do the talking. Check out what has been going on with all of our people.
Valeri finally got Barbie Loves Elvis which is the first in a series of Elvis dolls that she started collecting back in 1996. She’s waited over 20 years for this day, and she got it for $5!!!!
Ana Cosino, publisher at the Navasota Examiner receives her 10 year service award leather bag from Daniel Philhower, VP of Operations for Granite Publications.
Patti Slavych, Minerva Kutch, and David Kutch enjoy the evening at Dell Diamond at a Round Rock Express game. The Express play the New Orleans BabyCakes and won in the last inning. The fireworks was a tribute to Woodstock and were awesome.
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Jasmine Gutierrez and her husband, David, celebrate their two-year anniversary at Flix Brewhouse.
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The quarterly publisher’s meeting in September was held in Taylor at the Granite offices. Pictured (back row) Jim Beaver, Elgin Courier; Daniel Philhower, Granite Publications; Jeff Parra, Boerne Star; Jon Deeley, Bandera Bulletin; Jason Hennington, Taylor Press. (Front row) Patti Slavych, Granite Publications; Ana Cosino, Navasota Examiner; Nora Rollins, Colorado County Citizen; Valeri Stair, Granite Publications.
ABOVE: Fernando Castro went to Columbus for a few weeks to pinch hit when needed for the Colorado County Citizen. While there, he stepped next door to Potter’s Western Store to buy his first cowboy hat. He’s yet to test how much of an expert this makes him at horseback riding.
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Minerva and David Kutch recently attended the Pride Parade held in Austin.
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Granite Publication and Granite Printing joined together in our annual 4th of July cookout. This year the cook-out was held out at the press so they could join us. Hamburgers and hotdogs were grilled by Master Chef Daniel Philhower. Fun was had by all.
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DYSON’S SPHERE In June, Gretchen and family traveled to Colorado to see her cousin’s wedding. It was the first time both of her kids flew on a plane, went out of the state, and saw (real) snow. They spent a wonderful week in and around Denver enjoying the pleasant weather.
Several of Gretchen’s photos were on display at the Taylor 120 Art Gallery (TAG120) for the “Back to Nature” and “Architecture” shows. She attended openings for both and looks forward to being more involved in the local art scene.
July involved two trips to the coast at Port Aransas, once with friends and then again with family. Alexandra (1) got to enjoy her first of many boat rides and enjoyed every second she could on the beach.
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PATTI’S VACATION In July, Patti Slavych spent her vacation in Delaware with her son, Cody, and his family. While there they took a tour of the Longwood Gardens, located in Pennsylvania. Once the home of the DuPont family, it has been donated and is now just acres of marvelous gardens, fountains and paths to explore.
LEFT: Oliver Slavych enjoys playing in one of the many fountains. RIGHT: Patti Slavych and her grandson Ciel enjoy the Longwood Gardens.
Cody and Stephanie Slavych pose here in front of one of many fountains.
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Ciel Slavych fountain.
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checks
out
this
miniature
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MODEL MERMAID Matt Hellman spent one of his summer evenings working with newly certified named Kira as she demonstrated her new fin. Matt also received the opportunity to work with his underwater photography gear.
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P hilhower P hun Recently Daniel’s cousin’s from Seattle came to visit Taylor.
A Philhower selfie at Schiltterbahn.
All ready for the first day of school. Pictured are KatiAnn, Tanner and Grace.
Flounder gigging in Port O’Connor.
Red Fishing in Port O’Connor.
Daniel’s son Tanner receives his 1st degree Black belt in Taekwondo.
Tanner Philhower pictured here giving his dad a WHAT hair cut.
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Daniel’s daughter, Grace, attended her first middle school dance.
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GROUPWIDE DIRECTORY GRANITE HEADQUARTERS GRANITE WEST 3115 Loop 306 Ste. 111, San Angelo, TX 76904 monetta.dusek@granitepublications.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 ORY BONEY ory@graniteprinting.net Cell: 512-269-9837
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GRANITE PRINTING Director of Print Operations: Ory Boney 2675 CR 374 • Taylor, TX 76574 512-352-3687 • Fax: 512-352-613 granitepublications.com • Ory Boney: ory.boney@granitepublications.com • Dave Williams: dave.williams@granitepublications.com • Grace Rangel: grace.rangel@granitepublications.com THE LIBERTY VINDICATOR (Thursday) Editor & Publisher: Jennifer Richardson 1939 Trinity • Liberty, TX 77575 936-336-3611 • Fax: 936-336-3345 thevindicator.com • Jennifer Richardson: publisher@thevindicator.com • Casey Stinnett: editor@thevindicator.com • Kim Marlow: ads@thevindicator.com
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ELGIN COURIER (Wednesday) Editor & Publisher: Jim Beaver PO Box 631 • 105 N. Main • Elgin, TX 78621-0631 512-285-3333 • Fax: 512-285-9406 elgincourier.com • Jim Beaver: publisher@elgincourier.com • Gail Schobey: gail.schobey@elgincourier.com • Julianne Hodges: julianne.hodges@elgincourier.com • Heather Ott: ads@elgincourier.com
COLORADO COUNTY CITIZEN (Wednesday) General Manager: Nora Rollins
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 • Ana Cosino: publisher@navasotaexaminer.com • Angela Scurlock: ads@navasotaexaminer.com • Sonya Bobo: bookkeeper@navasotaexaminer.com • Matt Ybarra: sports@navasotaexaminer.com TAYLOR PRESS/HUTTO NEWS (Sunday, Wednesday)
Editor & Publiser: Jason Hennington 211 W. Third • Taylor, TX 76574-1040 78934-0548 512-352-8535 • Fax: 512-352-1505 979-732-2304 • Fax: 979-732-8804 taylorpress.net coloradocountycitizen.com • Jason Hennington: publisher@taylorpress.net • Nora Rollins: publisher@coloradocountycitizen.com • Carolyn Hill: business@taylorpress.net • Tressa Alley: bookkeeper@coloradocountycitizen.com • Regina Taylor: regina.taylor@taylorpress.net • Alesia Woolridge: editor@coloradocountycitizen.com • Matt Hooks: sports@taylorpress.net • TheresaChristine Etim: news@taylopress.net • Even Vega: copy@coloradocountycitizen.com PO Box 548 • 2024 Hwy. 71 • Columbus, TX
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