MCGREGOR, Texas — A small-town newspaper is heading back to the printing press after shutting its doors earlier this year.
The McGregor Mirror spent twelve decades bringing local news to the small McLennan County town until it closed its doors in January.
Now, McGregor ISD superintendent, James Lenamon, is taking over the paper as he transitions out of his role in education this summer.
"I think there's a thirst for a local paper in McGregor, and hopefully we meet that need," Lenamon said.
Research from Northwestern University shows more than a quarter of the country's papers have closed since 2005, making it somewhat of a surprise that the newsroom is opening once again.
Bonnie Mullens, former managing editor of the paper, joined as the Main Street newsroom celebrated the re-opening with a ribbon cutting on Tuesday.
Mullens' family led the paper for almost a century. Her grandfather, Chas Hall, worked at the paper in 1904 and purchased it in 1917.
The paper remained under the family's leadership until Mullen's brother, Charles Mooney, passed away in 2021. They decided to stop publishing.
The paper temporarily re-opened at the end of 2022 under out-of-town ownership. It closed again in January.
Now, the weekly paper will be printing again beginning next week under Lenamon.
The superintendent said the decision is a financial risk, but it's hopeful, given the outpouring of support the paper has already seen.
"I hate to say that I'm not worried about the money, because I do need to make a profit," Lenamon said.
"But the family is doing everything they can to ensure that we will be a success."
Lenamon said he will be leaving education reporting to Mullens until he wraps up his term as superintendent in June.
He plans to have the paper focus on positive stories within the community.
