PARAGRAPH RANCH GROUP NEWSPAPERS AMONG WEEKLY NEWSPAPERS HONORED
At the 144th convention of the Texas Press Association, June 19–21, in College Station, The Caprock Courier, The Floyd County Hesperian-Beacon, The Knox County News-Courier, The Post Dispatch and The Texas Spur were among 100 Texas daily, semi-weekly, and weekly newspapers receiving annual awards for outstanding journalism in 18 categories in ten divisions ranked by circulation size; of these, 65 were weeklies in six divisions.
The awards are given to various Texas newspapers in different categories such as sports coverage, photography, writing, and overall excellence. The contest is divided into different divisions based on the size and frequency of publication of the newspapers.
The 2023 Better Newspaper Contest covered the period from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2023. A total of 956 entries statewide were submitted in the contest.
Spur-based Paragraph Ranch LLC, which has owned The Texas Spur since March 2018, acquired The Caprock Courier in March 2020 and The Floyd County Hesperian-Beacon in February 2021; in August 2023 the group also acquired The Knox County News-Courier and The Post Dispatch, to cover a combined region of 10 contiguous counties. Under the leadership of newspaper veteran Kay Ellington, it has consistently won regional and statewide awards in multiple categories annually for each of its newspapers.
In Division 8 Sweepstakes top four, The Caprock Courier this year ranked 3rd (550 points) among the Double Mountain Chronicle (Rotan) with 725 points, the Hamilton Herald News, with 700 points, and the West Kerr Current (Ingram), with 275 points.
Judges did not always offer feedback or comments, but where they have, we’ve included them. Full results can be downloaded from www.texaspress.com.
• 1st Place, Editorials: Jan. 26, p. 2, Barbara Brannon, “Preserve, protect, promote: County Historical Commissions”; Jan. 12, p. 2, Kay Ellington, “88th Lege starts with surplus; will it mean property tax relief?.” Judges’ comments: Great writing both advocating for public participation and pledging to keep readers informed of legislative actions.
• 1st Place, News Photography: June 29, Matador tornado photos (Liz Adams); June 29, p. 12 Billie Dean’s (Liz Adams); Dec. 7. Missing piece of marker (Barbara Brannon). Judges’ comments: Great record and testament to a community’s resilience and support for one another.
1st Place, Page Design: Page 1, June 29, pp. 1, 5, “Region Rallies around Matador: Town Digs Out after Deadly Tornado”; Editorial page, July 27, p. 2; Sports page, Aug. 31, p. 14B, Paducah Dragons Prep Preview; Feature page, Aug. 17, p. 3 (Barbara Brannon, Claudia Pérez). Judges’ comments: Great layout, good color, outstanding work.
1st Place, Special Section: Aug. 24, Motley-Dickens 100th Reunion and Rodeo.
For more than a year Dickens County and Motley County, which share a boundary and a century-old tradition of cowboys and families gathering for a reunion and rodeo, had been planning a multi-day celebration of the event’s centennial, to take place in August 2023. For weeks before the big event, a tornado devastated Matador, seat of Motley County. But ranchers and citizens came together — with lots of help — to stage a hugely successful event, with parade, vendors, dances, ranch rodeo, and more. The newspaper’s contribution was a joint publication between The Caprock Courier and The Texas Spur to record the history and traditions of the Motley-Dickens Rodeo & Reunion and to provide a useful guide to the 100th Celebration.
The newspapers pledged funds for printing the section on highquality glossy stock as an enduring keepsake as well as a functional schedule. Motley County historian Marisue Potts contributed wellresearched articles. Newspaper editor Barbara Brannon gathered, arranged, and laid out the publication. An overrun was printed so that participating organizations and ranches could have copies to distribute widely.
• 2nd Place, Column Writing:
June 29, p. 2, Kay Ellington, “The fury of the tornado matched by the fierceness of compassion”; Dec. 21, p. 2, Kay Ellington, “Taking thankful stock at end of year.” Judges’ comments: Well written and very readable, and both columns were essentially a litany of people and places that contributed to a central theme. I would like to read more from this writer.
• 2nd Place, Feature Writing: Mar.
30 pp. 1, 8, Barbara Brannon, “Matador Masons mark 125”, Aug. 17, p. 1, 6 Kay Ellington, “Thacker Jewelry: A Cornerstone of Motley County.” Judges’ comments: Both these stories showcase history and the depth of local roots. Well written and easy to read.
• 3rd Place, General Excellence: issues of March 2, June 29 (Liz Adams, Barbara Brannon, Kay Ellington Judge’s comments: The Courier has a solid front page, good photographs and an effective layout. Its coverage of a local tornado was thorough and included both the hard-news facts and the emotional human side so vital to a community.
• 3rd Place, News Writing: June 29, p. 1, 5, Liz Adams, “Region Rallies around Matador: Town Digs Out after Deadly Tornado”; Dec. 7, p. 1, Barbara Brannon, “Marshall Mends Missing Matador Marker at Motley Museum.”
• 2nd Place, Headline Writing: Oct. 19, p. 1, “A Passion for Punkins: Floydada’s 36th Annual Signature Event a Smashing Success”; Oct. 26, p. 1, “Everything’s Coming Up Roses as Cathy’s Floral Celebrates 20 Years”; Nov. 2, p. 1, “Floydada Outshines Bold Gold.”
• 3rd Place, Editorial: Mar. 9, Fred Cervantes, “Floydada Basketball: ‘F.T.T.’ and all of it mattered”; June 8, Kay Ellington, “What commences after the speeches.”
• 3rd Place, Page Design: Page 1, Sept. 7, p. 1; Editorial Page, Apr. 20, p. 2; Sports Page, Oct. 19, p. 5; Feature, Oct. 19, p. 3.
Judges’ comments: Excellent use of color to bring attention to the reader without being distracting.
• 4th Place, General Excellence: issues of Mar. 9, Sept. 7.
• 3rd Place, Sports Coverage: Nov. 17, p. 1, Sue Jane Sullivan, “Lady Stangs Bow Out to Harrold,” Dec. 15, Kay Ellington, “Benjamin 45s Oglesby in State Championship.” Judges’ comments: Good local school coverage, including six-player football championship coverage.
• 2nd Place, Advertising: Garza Courthouse 100th special section, Sept. 29, Dr. Anderton ad; Winehouse at 127 ad; OS Ranch ad. Judges’ comments: The dentist ad stood out to me for the use of the actual people rather than file art. Including locals in the paper is a great way to create a sense of community and vested interest.
• 4th Place, Column Writing: Sept. 1, Voda Beth Gradine, “Do You Remember: Terry Funk”; Julia Childs, Nov. 17, “From My Desk: Thanksgiving.”
OS RANCH
• 1st Place, Editorial: Jan. 19, p. 2, Kay Ellington, “Run for something”; Aug. 10, p. 2, Barbara Brannon, “Covering the news in a small county.” Judges’ comments: Thought provoking and helpful to readers.
• 1st Place, Feature Writing: June 22 p 1, 10 Barbara Brannon, “A summer’s journey north on the ‘Last American Highway’”; Oct. 19, p. 2, Barbara Brannon, “Spur beekeeper Shipp passes.” Judges’ comments: Great writing and story telling.
• 1st Place, Public Notice: Patton Springs bond proposition: Notices, news, and $9.2 million question for a tiny school district. The time was ripe for a bond issue on a scale tiny Patton Springs ISD never imagined, leaders decided. If they didn’t vote to secure the eventual dollars, the windfall would go to Austin to be divvied up statewide. Public notice helped ensure that voters knew what was on the ballot—for better or worse, depending on your viewpoint.
• 3rd Place, Community Service: “Learning from Home Town Takeover”; June 1, Kay Ellington, “Hometown Takeover: Where Are They Now?”; July 6, Kay Ellington, “Mapping Out Local Charm for Visitors”; July 6, p. 1, “Nomadic Newspaper: Fort Morgan, Colorado”; p. 10, “Spotlight on Fort Morgan”; August 17, “Come Along to Fort Morgan.”
• 4th Place, Advertising: Barbara Brannon, May 18, p. 11B, Graduation issue, Dickens County Library; Aug. 17, Aug. 24, Armchair Travelogue to Fort Morgan, Aug. 31, p. 11B, Jayton Bell Schedule.
Judges’ comments: Topical, clean and good use of pictures and color.
• 4th Place, Headline Writing: Mar. 16, “Over time, it took overtime to beat Jayton”; May 18, “When dogsitting gets ruff”; Aug. 24, “A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Galaxy Digital.”
• 4th Place, News Photography: Aug 24, pp. 1, 9, Barbara Brannon, “A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Galaxy Digital” (5). Judges’ comments: Well packaged feature photos.
