Emery and Virginia Styron have purchased the River Hills Traveler, a publication covering outdoor activities in the Ozarks. The Traveler is a monthly journal about floating, fishing, hunting, camping, hiking and history in the scenic southeast Missouri river and lake region. Emery and Virginia are former Granby residents, where they operated the Newton County News from 1978 to 1990. Emery is a 1968 East Newton graduate. Virginia is a former Granby Elementary School teacher. They have lived in Mt. Pleasant, IA, since 1995, where Emery was publisher of the Mt. Pleasant News until purchasing Traveler in September of this year. Virginia is k-12 counselor for the WACO School District. They have two grown children, Amanda, who works for the Richard Florida Creativity Group in Washington, D.C., and Jackson, who works in the television and video production industry in St. Louis. Emery and Virginia are raising three grandchildren, Garrett, 16, Shael, 11, and Cameryn, 7, all children of their late daughter, Cynthia. The Styrons expect to maintain their residence in Mt. Pleasant for the immediate future, as the children are in school and Virginia is working. Emery spends a good deal of time in Missouri promoting the new venture. All friends, acquaintances and former schoolmates are invited to visit www.riverhillstraveler.com for a free look at the paper or just to e-mail and say hi. emery@riverhillstraveler.com
Emery was kind enough to hire me for my second stint at the Newton County News while I was attending Missouri Southern in 1980. At first, I worked as a telephone solicitor selling subscriptions, then later I got back into the reporting area, covering community news and sports. I graduated from Southern the following year with a teaching degree, but when no teaching jobs were forthcoming, Emery arranged for me to take over as editor when he left the newspaper for another position.
Emery also offered a helping hand when I was fired at The Carthage Press in 1999, offering me a position at his newspaper in Mount Pleasant, but by this time I had already decided I was going to use my teaching degree.
Best of luck, Emery!
Is the Newton County News still in existence? If so, how is it doing? Can it survive?
ReplyDeleteOld Timer:
ReplyDeleteThe Newton County News is alive, but it isn't well. With about a quarter page of advertisements on the front page, and regular front page features on couples celebrating their Golden Anniversary, the News is in dire need of life support. There's little of news value in this paper. If you want to find out what's happening in Granby, you'll have to go elsewhere.
Not an old timer, but getting there.