The Wood County Monitor has been awarded first place in three categories of the Better Newspaper Contest sponsored by the Texas Press Association.

Awards were presented at the association’s annual conference Saturday, June 22 in College Station.

Entries were from calendar year 2023.

Photographs by Sam Major were awarded first place for news photos and for feature photos.

Ads designed by Lesa Major were awarded first place, and the newspaper also placed fourth in the general excellence category, as well as placing fourth in the sweepstakes contest which is determined by the points received in the individual categories.

Bill Patterson of the Denton Record-Chronicle was installed as the new president, replacing Ken Cook of Fredericksburg.

Patterson appointed Phil Major to serve a one-year term on the TPA board of directors.

Major has previously served as an association officer and president as well as an elected director and an appointed director. He also served 18 years on the board of the Texas Newspaper Foundation, including chairman of the hall of fame selection committee.

This year’s inductees into the Texas Newspaper Hall of Fame included the late Carl Estes of Longview, a former owner of the Mineola Monitor and homeowner at Rock Creek Lake in Wood County.