The Tri-County Press was first published August 29, 2013, and served as a weekly newspaper connecting the citizens of Titus, Camp and Morris Counties as well as neighboring residents through responsible community journalism. In addition to local, expensive news coverage, The Tri-County Press also offered a Spanish publication to meet the needs of the diverse population. Originally called La Prensa News and later known as El Observador, today it is simply known as La Voz, and hails as the only all-Spanish publication serving residents in the three-county area each month.
In early 2017, The Tri-County Press, LLC “gave birth” to a free monthly direct-mail publication called Impress. Reaching a different group of 10,000 households in Titus, Camp and Morris Counties as well as Hughes Springs and Avinger, Impress, after a three-month cycle connects with every single household, some 30,500, in the coverage area.
The flagship publication, The Tri-County Press, is now the online platform, www.tricountypress.com, providing daily news to the same citizens since its inception.
About the Publisher/CEO
Sonya Roberts-Woods has literally spent her entire life in journalism. As a newspaper and yearbook student at Mount Pleasant High School, she began freelancing for local publications before graduating in 1988. She continued her studies at Northeast Texas Community College and later received a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism and English from the University of Texas at Tyler in 1991.
As an educator for nearly two decades, Woods has worked as a journalism and English teacher for two local school districts and also as a college administrator where she mentored and advised hundreds of students. Prior to starting her career in higher education, she also received a Master of Education degree in Educational Administration from the University of Texas at Tyler in 2001.
An accomplished writer, Woods worked as a features editor, managing editor and freelancer for several print media publications in the region before deciding to start her own media company in 2013.
The daughter of Rev. Kirthell and Gwen Roberts of Mount Pleasant, she married Daingerfield native Randy Woods in 1989. She is also the mother of two children, Ashton and Chelsea, and has one stepdaughter, Jaquina, a mother of five. Sonya cared for grandson Christian, born December 11, 2013, while literally creating her business from the ground up.
“I am truly now living my dream,” Woods said. “I’ve wanted to start my own newspaper for years, but just never had the courage. Life has a way of sometimes forcing you to do the very thing that scares you the most. It’s the hardest I’ve ever worked and I’ve always worked hard, but it has also been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I thank God every day for making this dream possible. I know, for sure, this is why He put me here on this Earth. My purpose, and ultimately my passion, is to tell the life stories of the people who make up our rich community.”
A member of the Mount Olive Baptist Church in Mount Pleasant where her father has pastored for over 30 years, Woods, resides in Pittsburg. Active with several youth initiatives, she currently serves as Program Coordinator for the non-profit 4th and 1 Football Camp created by her younger brother, Daron Roberts in 2010. An avid photographer, Woods has also owned and operated After Class Printing and Photography since 1998. Community-minded, she is a Chamber of Commerce member in all three counties and serves as a board member for the Mount Pleasant Chamber. She is also a board member for Cypress Basin Hospice and the Titus Regional Medical Center Foundation.