The Dallas Morning News is bringing back "High Profile"

The Dallas Morning News is reviving "High Profile," a popular features section that's been dormant for nearly 20 years, the paper recently announced .

Why it matters: As local newspapers across the country are contracting and vanishing , hiring bestselling author Sarah Hepola — who's also written for the New York Times and The Atlantic — gives readers a glimmer of hope.

Context: The paper has had a rough stretch of late. In the last year, the DMN has issued a rare front-page retraction , ended a protracted union negotiation and its parent, DallasNews Corp. lost dozens of positions to buyouts.

Catch up quick: "High Profile," the Sunday profiles section, was a staple of the paper from 1981, when it launched with a story about Larry Hagman, until its quiet end in 2005.

• The section included magazine-style stories about the region's most notable characters, including politicians, musicians and entrepreneurs.
• Hepola wrote the 2015 New York Times bestselling memoir " Blackout " and created and hosted the Texas Monthly podcast "America's Girls," about the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders .

What they're saying: "This brand of coverage is a blast from the past, but it's also a reinvention," Hepola wrote in her first story for the paper . "Glamour, yes, but also grit."

What we're watching: Will the paper ever make the illustrious "High Profile" archives available online?

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect the DMN did not lose dozens of reporters, but its parent company, DallasNews Corp., lost dozens of positions overall.