Current earns honors for journalism at TPA convention

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The Frio-Nueces Current has received a number of accolades for its reporting during 2023 from the Texas Press Association.
The statewide journalism organization held its annual convention at College Station from June 20 to 22, featuring guest speakers, roundtable discussions and an awards ceremony in the newspaper contest.
Judging covered news and features, sports, photography, editorials, special editions, design, headline writing and advertising by publications from across Texas between January and December 2023.
Honors to the Current included a first-place ranking in sports photography to Managing Editor Manuel Azocar III for his coverage of the high school varsity football season; first place for the special section Fall Sports Preview by Azocar and Business Manager Kasie Rendon, covering the sports teams and coaches’ interviews in advance of the season last year; and first place to Editor Marc Robertson for his column, “A View From the Bridge,” covering the Cotulla City Council’s hopes of attracting retail and grocery store corporations to the community.
The Current earned second place for feature story writing by Robertson and by Chief Staff Writer Breyana Segura; and fourth place for sports coverage by Azocar in high school varsity and junior varsity events.
Weekly, semi-weekly and daily newspapers from across the state entered the competition in a range of divisions based on distribution.
“I am extremely proud of the Current staff for their recognition in the Texas Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest,” publisher Craig Garnett said this week. “Competition in the statewide judging is intense, and winning entries represent journalism at its best.”
Azocar has been employed at the Current since 1993 in sports coverage and as managing editor since 2016. Robertson joined the Current as staff writer in 1995 and served as editor from 1999 to 2016 and since 2019. Segura served as a contributing reporter from 1996 to 2003 and has been chief staff writer since 2012. Rendon joined the Current in 2011 in the classified department and circulation and later in advertising sales. She became business manager in 2019.
Advertising designer Leonard “Lonnie” Herrera has served the Current for over 50 years, joining the staff of the newspaper then known as the Pearsall Leader in 1973, working in newspaper layout and advertising design.
The Frio-Nueces Current is a member of the Texas Press Association and the South Texas Press Association, the largest regional organization of its kind in the United States. Both Azocar and Robertson have served on the board of directors of the STPA.