Media News

Dallas Morning News buyout eliminates many of paper's most familiar names

The Dallas Morning News is about to experience a big change.

Courtesy photo

Nearly 40 employees of the Dallas Morning News will leave in a buyout, and those departures include some of the newspaper's longest-running and best-known names.

The list includes writers such as Brooks Egerton, Randy Lee Loftis and Todd Gillman, as well as columnist Steve Blow. There are also a number of longtime editors who've been the behind-the-scenes bedrock, such as business editor Dennis Fulton, features/food editor Cathy Barber and metro editor Steve Harris.

The newspaper offered a buyout to 167 employees "whose age and years of service [at the DMN] total at least 60 years," from across a range of publications that included DMN, Al Dia, NeighborsGo, FD, Briefing and GuideLive.com.

Editor Mike Wilson described the buyouts as part of an effort to make the newsroom more digitally minded, saying that the staffers who left would be replaced with "outstanding digital journalists."

The list of candidates includes photographer Michael Ainsworth, Oak Cliff reporter Roy Appleton, features/food editor Cathy Barber, columnist Steve Blow, copy editor Amy Burt, classical music critic Scott Cantrell, writer Brooks Egerton, business editor Dennis Fulton, Washington bureau chief Todd Gillman, metro editor Steve Harris, education reporter Tawnell Hobbs, former Austin bureau chief Christy Hoppe, municipal government reporter Wendy Hundley, writer Gary Jacobson, health reporter Sherry Jacobson, reporter Diane Jennings, Irma Jones, editorial writer Rodger Jones;

writer/columnist Jim Landers, environmental writer Randy Lee Loftis, airlines reporter Terry Maxon, copy editor Mike Kondracki, editor Lowery Metts, copy editor Carolyn Poh, editor Lois Reed, assistant sports editor Dave Renbarger, Al Dia writer Julian Resendiz, copy editor Ed Sargent, hunting columnist Ray Sasser, graphics editor Tom Setzer, designer Layne Smith, reference librarian Darlene Spangenberger, Austin bureau deputy chief Terry Stutz, office manager Sharon Terrell, financial writer Pamela Yip, photographer John Zak, plus recent retirees who were grandfathered in including columnist Bob Miller and gardening editor Mariana Green.

According to a staffer, those on the list were given 45 days to change their minds; some may decide to stay.

The newspaper's personality stands to change significantly with their departure.

In a recent digital-lingo-filled interview with Columbia Journalism Review, Wilson said that the staff would need to be better at building audience online, stating, "We are all salespeople now." He described categories such as education and the Cowboys as "verticals," and used the verb "curate."

In a request for a statement on the buyouts, Wilson said he was busy and would respond later.

According to the Dallas Business Journal, those who take the buyout will leave the company around September 11 on a staggered basis.

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Outpacing the competition

Dallas suburb flexes as No. 1 fittest city in Texas for 2026

Photo courtesy of City of Plano

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The people of Plano deserve to take a victory lap: The Dallas-Fort Worth suburb has been crowned the fittest city in Texas for 2026.

This year’s American Fitness Index puts Plano at No. 12 among the country’s 100 most populated cities, up from 14th place last year, and at No. 1 in Texas, the same spot as last year. Plano ranks 10th in the personal health category and 30th in the community and environment category.

The index shows 86 percent of Plano residents had exercised in the previous month, 67 percent had met aerobic activity guidelines, and 37 percent had met aerobic and strength activity guidelines. All three of those numbers are above the 100-city averages.

The Elevance Health Foundation and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) produce the annual index, which they say combines measures of personal health behavior, chronic disease outcomes, community infrastructure and environmental factors “to provide a comprehensive picture of how well cities promote fitness and well-being.”

Arlington, Virginia, tops the index, followed by Washington, D.C.; Minneapolis; Seattle; and Denver.

“The cities that consistently rank at the top aren’t succeeding because of one program or one investment,” Stella Volpe, past president of ACSM and chair of the Fitness Index Advisory Board, says in a press release. “They’ve built systems that support healthier living over time. They are the ones creating environments where physical activity can easily become a part of everyday routines.”

In Plano’s case, the highly rated park system contributes to the city’s healthy environment. In May, Plano landed at No. 1 in Texas and 13th in the U.S. in the annual ParkScore Index. Plano’s No. 13 ranking marked an all-time high for the city.

Every year, land conservation nonprofit The Trust for Public Land rates park systems in the 100 biggest American cities on accessibility, equity, acreage, investment, and amenities.

Here’s how other DFW cities in the American Fitness Index:

Frisco ranks 32nd (making its index debut).
Dallas ranks 43rd, up from 46th last year.
Fort Worth ranks 69th, up from 80th last year.
Garland ranks 72nd, up from 75th last year.
Arlington ranks 78th, up from 83rd last year.
Irving ranks 86th, down from 84th last year.

Among other Texas cities appearing in the American Fitness index are:

No. 28 Austin, down from No. 21 last year.
No. 44 Houston, up from No. 49 last year.
No. 80 San Antonio, up from No. 94 last year.

“Where you live increasingly determines how healthy you are,” Volpe says. “The healthiest cities don’t just encourage exercise — they make movement part of daily life through infrastructure, transportation, and community design.”

fittest city plano rankings health