TITLE: Commemorating the centennial of The Facts newspaper in Brazoria County.

SUMMARY: Commemorating the centennial of The Facts newspaper in Brazoria County.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, For a century, The Facts newspaper has served citizens of Brazoria County as a vital source of information; and WHEREAS, This venerable publication was established by printer R. Roy Ruffin as The Freeport Facts,a weekly that debuted on February 28, 1913, not long after the founding of Freeport; the first edition reported on the growth of the city and included accounts of the completion of the Hotel Carlton and the opening of a new grocery store; at the time, the paper was one of seven in the area; and WHEREAS, In 1914, a local editor and publisher, C. P. Kendall, Sr., purchased The Freeport Facts;he was committed to covering the news thoroughly while supporting community and emphasizing positive developments, and this legacy was carried on by his sons, Manis Kendall and C. P. Kendall, Jr., who assumed leadership in 1931; and WHEREAS, The current owner, Southern Newspapers, Inc., purchased the paper in 1952 and briefly called it The Daily Facts-Review before public opinion prompted a change to the Brazosport Facts;five years later, publisher James Nabors took the helm and built readership by adding a weekend edition and increasing the size of the paper; Hurricane Carla temporarily halted production in 1961, but the publication quickly rebounded and eventually outgrew its offices, leading Mr. Nabors to move its headquarters to Clute in 1976; following his retirement, the paper was led for six years by Bruce Morisse; and WHEREAS, On July 1, 1992, Bill Cornwell began a distinguished tenure as editor and publisher that has continued for more than two decades; he expanded publication to seven days a week, extended coverage to most of the county, and changed the name from the Brazosport Facts to The Facts to reflect the wider reach; in recent years, the paper has kept pace with the digital age by establishing a website and social media presence; and WHEREAS, The six original competitors to The Facts have long since vanished, and it is now the only daily newspaper in the county; its enduring presence is a testament to its proud tradition of quality journalism and its steadfast dedication to the community it serves; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas Legislature hereby commemorate the centennial of The Facts newspaper and extend to all those associated with the publication sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for the newspaper as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. Bonnen of Brazoria Straus M. Gonzalez of El Paso Oliveira Allen N. Gonzalez of El Paso Orr Alonzo Gooden Otto Alvarado Guerra Paddie Anchia Guillen Parker Anderson Gutierrez Patrick Ashby Harless Perez Aycock Harper-Brown Perry Bell Hernandez Luna Phillips Bohac Herrero Pickett Bonnen of Brazoria Hilderbran Pitts Bonnen of Galveston Howard Price Branch Huberty Raney Burkett Hughes Ratliff Burnam Hunter Raymond Button Isaac Reynolds Callegari Johnson Riddle Canales Kacal Ritter Capriglione Keffer Rodriguez of Bexar Carter King of Hemphill Rodriguez of Travis Clardy King of Parker Rose Coleman King of Taylor Sanford Collier King of Zavala Schaefer Cook Kleinschmidt Sheets Cortez Klick Sheffield of Bell Craddick Kolkhorst Sheffield of Coryell Creighton Krause Simmons Crownover Kuempel Simpson Dale Larson Smith Darby Laubenberg Smithee Davis of Dallas Lavender Springer J. Davis of Harris Leach Stephenson S. Davis of Harris Lewis Stickland Deshotel Longoria Strama Dukes Lozano Taylor Dutton Lucio III Thompson of Brazoria Eiland Marquez Thompson of Harris Elkins Martinez Toth Fallon Martinez Fischer Turner of Collin Farias McClendon Turner of Harris Farney Menendez Turner of Tarrant Farrar Miles Villalba Fletcher Miller of Comal Villarreal Flynn Miller of Fort Bend Vo Frank Moody Walle Frullo Morrison White Geren Munoz, Jr. Workman Giddings Murphy Wu Goldman Naishtat Zedler Gonzales Nevarez Zerwas Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 968 was adopted by the House on March 19, 2013, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House