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Three History Making Dates In The Evolution Of The North Dallas Gazette.com

July 1991 - The Birth Of Minority Opportunity News
It is probably more than an interesting twist of fate that the birth of the Minority Opportunity News occurs within a month of the demise of the Dallas Times Herald. Within the African-American community, the Times Herald had a reputation for being more sensitive to the issues and concerns we face.
The Minority Opportunity News is established and dedicated to this very premise. We will be attentive not only to those problems with our community but to those opportunities that exist as well. For us, the word “opportunity” is the key. It reflects a number of characteristics we hope to have the paper address. Collective economics, hope for the future sharing of our resources, and working together to help each other are but a few of the goals we drive to facilitate through our efforts to support the African-American community.
In future issues you will see…commentary by civic and community leaders such as the Rev. Zan Holmes; Listings of current job positions available for immediate hire; Referrals to bid and business opportunities from the corporate and government sectors; Letters to the editors to allow for direct commentary to our readers.
To support this mission, we are fortunate to have the services of a highly professional staff. Mr. Jim Bochum, Editor-In-Chief and Mr. Randy Luster, Business Editor, bring varied talents to their respective assignments.
Please consider the Minority Opportunity News as your paper and your opportunity to help us help ourselves.
Editor’s Disclaimer:
The above editorial was written almost 17 years ago. MON’s goals and objectives outlined in the editorial have served as a guide for our editorial coverage. For our long-time readers it is a testament to our adherence to our mission statement. We will continue to live up to our promises in our new area as we have done for so many years here.

October 2000 - MON Says Farewell To Dallas
Nearly ten years ago, born out of entrepreneurial zeal and desire to serve the African-American communities of north Texas, we published our first edition of Minority Opportunity News (MON). From our very first edition, our vision was to produce a newspaper that could serve as a link to bring together the myriad of political, educational and business issues, and opportunities that otherwise might not have received the focus and attention they deserved.
In that effort, we must admit that, from time to time, we have “pushed the envelope” to bring a new and meaningful light to topics. In this sense our aim was not only to report news, but also to serve as an agent for change towards making a difference for the good in the lives of our readers. Taking this more controversial posture has brought significant and far-reaching improvements in the community. For example, the profile and responsiveness of many of the area financial institutions has been heightened, largely because of the consistent examination and focus that MON brought to their lending and community reinvestment practices. Likewise, MON has been a long-term partner with non-profit organizations, such as the African-American Pastors Coalition, to encourage housing and economic development efforts throughout our area.
An old adage suggests, “Change is not produced by complacent people.” Clearly, producing positive change has been a hallmark of MON, and will continue to be so in the future. With all the successes of the last ten years, including acclaim from other professional media organizations, we know that much more remains to be done. In this regard, we are now embarking on what we believe to be the new vista of our service to the community.
With this edition, we close our offices in Dallas and relocate to Plano. This move is based on the recognition of the substantial and growing minority community in the north Dallas/north Texas region and the need for a quality publication that speaks to their interests, needs and desires. Our move in no way indicates a diminishing of our concern and attention to central Dallas and the southern sector. Rather, the relocation gives us a fresh opportunity to base our operations so as to expand the nature and scope of the coverage, and hopefully, our impact. We are excited about the move and are encouraged by the very positive reception we have received thus far.
As is the case with any major change, this move also gives us a moment to reflect and thank those who have made our success possible. We continue to be blessed with a strong and committed editorial and business staff that will bring this same professionalism and emphasis to our new offices. Their efforts throughout our existence have helped MON gain great prestige, business and circulation, and its greatest asset - the confidence of our readers. Their great work has contributed to turning out a newspaper that met the needs of our readers and became a welcome friend in homes and businesses throughout our circulation area. We remain mindful of the vital contributions to its progress by our workers in all departments; their fidelity, energy and vision has lead to our success through the years.
We are proud to have sponsored internships and scholarships to support young journalists. MON was quick to support fund-raisers for the needy, contributing monetary and editorial support to ensure their success. And there were the intangibles, the contributions not noticed by much of the public, such as assisting hundreds of families in obtaining employment, clothing, food and shelter through our news stories. We didn’t forget that it was your newspaper, too, and our letters to the editor section was heavily solicited to express your views. Yes, you have a voice in every issue.
All these strengths go with us to our new offices and should serve to boost the confidence of our readers, advertisers and employees that truly, the best is yet to come.

MON-The Gazette Changes To The North Dallas Gazette - June 2007
Since MON-The Gazette moved to Plano from the southern sector of Dallas in October 2000, the world has changed, America has changed, and North Dallas has changed. And we believe it is time for us to change. With this issue, we are changing our name to The North Dallas Gazette, to better reflect our territorial coverage and the people we serve.
Our vision when we relocated was to serve the interests and needs of the growing minority community in the northern sector of Dallas. We have accomplished this with thanks to a dedicated editorial and business staff, and with the support of our readers and sponsors.
And although we knew our move would bring change and challenges, nothing could have prepared us for the changes that have occurred locally, nationally and around the world during that time, and the challenges they have brought.
It was with you in mind, the citizens we serve in the north Dallas sector, that we faced those challenges head on - through hard news reporting, features, spiritual insights and editorials. We did it by building business and personal relationships in our new area, whilst maintaining some of the ties we had when we were based in the southern Dallas corridor, knowing that what happens in the minority communities around Dallas affects the minority communities of north Dallas.
But we recognize that north Dallas is one part of a big picture, and is affected not only by what happens in other areas of Dallas, but by what happens state-wide, nationally and internationally. And we’ve been there for you every week for over six years.
MON-The Gazette – now The North Dallas Gazette, has been with you through two controversial general elections, local governmental elections and even the Texas redistricting debacle of 2003.
Together, we saw the Twin Towers being destroyed, and we have served you through the ensuing economic and emotional trauma. We’ve seen our sons and daughters go to war, and have provided hard news reporting, editorials and spiritual columns to keep you informed and encouraged.
In December 2002, we welcomed DART Rail to Plano with you; yet only two months later we were mourning the loss of the space shuttle Columbia when it exploded over Texas.
We sat in traffic with you as we waited for, and saw in 2005, the completion of the High Five Interchange. We’ve driven down the ever-expanding President George Bush, joining the eastern part of our territory to the west.
When the Rev. Zan Holmes retired, we were with you. When our area churches held their anniversary services, we were with you. When two of our board members died (Mr. John Hightower and Mr. Ben Thomas), we mourned with you.
And when Hollywood agent, Benny Medina, and actor Blair Underwood attended the grand opening of Kicks Coffee Café in Plano, we were there with you.
The world we knew when we moved to Plano has changed. The City of Plano has changed. But our dedication to providing our readers with a quality publication that addresses your needs, interests and desires stays steadfast.
Our name has changed, but our resolve to serve the minority community of the north Dallas region remains constant. We are proud to have served you through many changes. And we thank you for inviting us into your homes and hearts every week with our publication.
We look forward to the years ahead, as we continue to address issues important to the minority community, and to build positive business and personal relationships in the north Dallas region.