Why Local News Matters in San Angelo

In yesterday's daily newsletter, I reintroduced myself to welcome the new subscribers that have signed up over the past week. Then, thanks to two prominent leaders in San Angelo, Alvin New and Jon Mark Hogg, our community doubled in size in one day on Friday.

For the sake of those who just joined, this will explain who I am, what I’m building, and why it matters.

First, my name is Ryan Hernandez. I was born and raised here. I'm the youngest of four, and my parents were music educators. I graduated from Cornerstone Christian School in 2013. I also have a Bachelor's in Political Science from Trinity University and a Master's in Public Administration from the University of North Texas.

Hernandez: A gift for my father

a personal essay on my history of mental illness, illness, low self esteem and how I want to do something meaningful

sanangelo.newsRyan Hernandez

I've interned in the City Manager's office here in San Angelo and for former Texas House Speaker Joe Straus in his San Antonio office.

For the past few years, I've been in New York City, working as a journalist for several different legacy media companies. I've worked for Neil Cavuto's team on Fox News and for Smerconish on CNN. I also worked at ABC News for 20/20, ABC News Live, and ABC Audio. I've been able to accomplish a lot of this because I grew up in San Angelo.

Part of my education came from reading the Standard-Times. When I moved back to San Angelo last year, it was heartbreaking to see how much Gannett had gutted the paper.