Our History
Established in 1878, the Houston Herald is the award-winning county seat weekly newspaper serving Texas County. In 2021, the Herald was judged one of the state’s top newspapers in its class in the Missouri Better Newspaper Contest. It also publishes The Messenger, which is a section of the newspaper, and is also distributed to households in the county that don’t subscribe to the newspaper.
From the downtown business district, the newspaper’s offices handle news and advertising production. About 4,000 subscribers receive the newspaper weekly. The Messenger has a circulation of about 10,100 households.
The newspaper operates a popular website at houstonherald.com. The website presents itself for the best user experience depending on device, such as mobile and tablet. Other services include text messaging of breaking news and other information. Readers also follow the Herald on Facebook and Twitter.
Every newspaper published since the 1880s is available on the website’s archives.
Brad Gentry
A fifth-generation Texas County resident, Brad Gentry is publisher of the county-seat weekly, the Houston Herald. A graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, Gentry returned home to his native, Houston, Mo., in 1985.
Gentry was on the founding board that brought Internet service to the county, is president of a downtown revitalization group that constructed a welcome center, plaza in the downtown business district, the renovation of the Melba Theatre and has been involved in numerous efforts that led to the betterment of the community and county. He has served on the board of directors of Missouri Press Association, Ozark Press Association, Texas County Library Foundation and Landmark Bank, which operated in Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas before its sale in 2019. He also has taught for Missouri State University.
Doug Davison
Doug Davison is a reporter, photographer, copy editor, page designer and salesperson for the Herald, and regularly updates the newspaper’s website. He is a graduate of Newport High School in Bellevue, Wash., and earned a communications degree at Washington State University (in Pullman, Wash.). He has been in professional journalism since 2001, working at the White County News in Cleveland, Ga., before coming to Texas County and joining the Herald staff. Davison also spent many years in retail sales of audio and video equipment in Tacoma, Wash. He is an Eagle Scout and was heavily involved with basketball and golf during his school years, and spent hundreds of hours skiing in the North Cascades. He now enjoys paddling the great rivers in Missouri. Davison lives in Houston with his wife, Wendy, and their dogs.
Deanna McKinney
Deanna McKinney is an assistant to the publisher and has been with the Houston Herald since 1987. She is responsible for a variety of tasks such as bookkeeping, reception duties, subscriptions, mailing, and layout of newspaper pages.
Sharon Hayes
Born and raised here in Texas County, I love our Ozarks way of life. My favorite pastimes are flea markets, auctions, and wherever my white-line fever takes me on those road trips.
Kevin Lethco
Kevin Lethco and his wife are new to Texas County. They moved here to
pursue dreams of off-grid homesteading. His main responsibilities include page layout
and office duties. Living in this free state, flying the American flag and
gardening are what they love, along with their three dogs and 26 chickens.
Tyson Troutman
Tyson Troutman has been a Houston Herald employee since 2005. He oversees the printing operations, distribution of the newspaper, and other tasks important to readers receiving their paper. When he is not working, you might find him in the woods. He is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys turkey and deer seasons. At one time, he even was a stock car racer.
Pat Lassiter
Pat collects court, marriage, and land transfer reports and formats them for placement in the newspaper. In addition to this, she helps assemble the newspaper by adding the Messenger and inserts into the Houston Herald and preparing the paper for distribution.