Texas Press Association

"PRESSing MATTERS" by Chad Ferguson, TPA President 2011-12

I recently attended a first-cousin family reunion in Louisiana.

The primary purpose was to celebrate my Aunt Rene’s 90th birthday. My mother was the youngest of the 13 Lofton siblings, born on Feb. 13. Aunt Rene, 2 years older than Mother, was the second to the youngest, and their father died when they were both very, very young.

My mother, who was my dearest friend, passed away on April 12, 1999, at the tender young age of 75.

The irony of her death was it came the weekend I had attended my very first reunion — one in which she begged me to attend. I finally broke down and made that long drive to Louisiana without her knowledge to surprise her … and I am certainly glad that I did!

After I left for home from the family get-together Sunday afternoon, I received a phone call that she had left us in the early morning hours on Monday.

Not to dwell on family, but my mother was the only one among the 13 kiddos who obtained a college degree. But it wasn’t an easy task.

One of her older brothers, Willie Dee, made it perfectly clear to her that she was going to attend college … no matter what.

And to help pay for my mother’s education, my uncle bootlegged whiskey from the drive-through window of his pharmacy in that small Louisiana town.

"TPA Hotline" by Ed Sterling, TPA Member Services Director

Q: Can a nonprofit that is giving away prizes in a bingo game advertise that bingo game? This nonprofit is not one of the groups for which this is a regular thing, so they do not have a license number. I wasn’t sure if it would fall in the raffle category or not.

A: Bingo is regulated in Texas. An organization has to have a state-issued license to run a bingo game, as stated in Occupations Code chapter 2001, the Charitable Bingo Enabling Act. It doesn’t seem like a good idea for any organization that doesn’t have a bingo license to advertise a bingo game in your newspaper. FYI, if it comes up, the Charitable Raffle Enabling Act is chapter 2002 of the Occupations Code. In the Business & Commerce Code you will find contests and giveaways covered in Chapter 621 and sweepstakes in Chapter 622. For online access to these and other Texas codes and statutes, go to www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/.

Q: Our school board has the resignation of a trustee listed as a closed executive session item on the meeting agenda. We know the trustee is moving out of the district, so this doesn’t seem right to me. Shouldn’t this be an open-session item?

A: You or your reporter would have to sniff out possible legal issues tied to the resignation. If you get nowhere with that, you could use your editorial page to tell readers why you think the resignation of the trustee should be conducted in open session, even if the law gives them the closed-session option. Sometimes it’s not necessary for the board of a governmental body to exercise the power to use the closed-session option. On a matter of legitimate public interest, like this, you could argue for openness, and if it really is about the trustee moving out of the district, that is a benign, cut-and-dried issue that should not be cloaked. If, however, it’s about more than that, the board might have a reason or reasons for a closed-door session. In any event, it’s a fair question for a reporter to ask why, before the meeting, and it’s a fair question to ask why, after the meeting. When the board votes on the matter in open session, you can ask each trustee to explain their vote.
Now, here are three statutory references that might prove handy to you as you cover the story:
1. Election Code Sec. 141.001 says a public official must reside in the territory of the district.
See paragraph (5).
2. Government Code Sec. 573.001 defines the term “public official.”
See paragraph (3).
3. Government Code Sec. 551.074, Texas Open Meetings Act, allows a closed session for certain personnel matters.

(In order of appearance)

James W. Rainey
New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung

James W. Rainey was named editor and publisher of the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung.
Rainey was most recently the publisher of the Opelika-Auburn News in Alabama. His career in publishing began in Georgia in 1990. He started as a sportswriter and has worked in various roles at newspapers and other publications in Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama during his 22-year career.
He was also on the board of directors of the Alabama Press Association and was the chairman of the APA Legislative Committee.

Jeff Wick
Fayette County Record

Jeff Wick was promoted to managing editor of the Fayette County Record.
A La Grange native, Wick returned home in April 2009 to join the Record staff after more than three years on the sports staff of the San Angelo Standard-Times.
Before joining the San Angelo newspaper, he had worked on the sports staff at daily newspapers in Beaumont and Katy and interned as a news reporter at papers in Waco and Omaha, Neb.
Wick graduated from Sam Houston State University, where he majored in journalism, graduating in 2001.

Jan Buchholz
Austin Business Journal

Jan Buchholz joined the Austin Business Journal as a real estate reporter.
Buchholz previously served as a reporter at the Austin Business Journal’s sister publications in Phoenix and Denver. She covered commercial and residential real estate for those papers during the past six years.
Prior to joining the chain of business journals, Buchholz spent 10 years as a reporter and editor at Jefferson Sentinel newspapers in Colorado. She is a journalism graduate of the University of Kansas and studied interior design at UCLA.

Rich Macke
Port Arthur News

Rich Macke was named publisher of the Port Arthur News, a Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. publication.
Macke was previously publisher of the Woodward News, a sister publication in Woodward, Okla. While in Oklahoma, he worked closely with the state press association to help keep public notices in newspapers.
Originally from Lompoc, Calif., Macke worked as production director for Boone Newspapers, advertising manager and general manager for Pulitzer Newspapers, and circulation director for Lee Enterprise before joining CNHI.

TPA NEWSPAPER EXECUTIVES' RETREAT

THE WESTIN RIVERWALK, SAN ANTONIO, TX
JUNE 21-23, 2012

HOTEL DEADLINE: MAY 28 at 5:00 P.M.

Registration is limited to the first 80 newspapers that apply!

Visit the event page to register.

Newspapers are undergoing a transformation — redesigning front pages with fresh looks that showcase what’s on the inside. Now TPA is doing the same.

The association’s annual summer convention is new and improved this year. The convention not only has a new name — TPA Newspaper Executives' Retreat — but also a new format.

Members have often remarked that the biggest benefit of these annual events is the opportunity to discuss industry-related problems and solutions with peers.

That’s why TPA has decided to place a greater emphasis on group discussion. We’re organizing round-table talks at the retreat and asking experts from our own membership to lead the conversation.

The Robert Burns Classic, the 14th annual golf tournament benefiting the Texas Newspaper Foundation, will be held June 21 in San Antonio at The Resort Course at La Cantera, host resort for the PGA Tour's Valero Texas Open from 1995 to 2009.

This year every player will have a chance to win, regardless of skill level. The competition will use the Callaway handicap system, which allows a one-time handicap to be determined and applied to each player's net score. Plus, for the A-Players in the group, prizes for low gross scores will be awarded.

Lolly Nichols, a longtime friend and employee of the Texas Press Association, died Sunday morning at Hospice Austin’s Christopher House after a battle with lung cancer. She was 64.

Nichols served as administrative assistant to the executive director since 1994. In her 18 years of employment with TPA, she never missed a convention. Her friendship and dedication will be sorely missed.

A funeral will be held April 12 at the Marrs-Jones-Newby Funeral Home, 505 Old Austin Highway, Bastrop, TX 78602. Visitation is 12 to 2 p.m. Service starts at 2 p.m.

TPA has created a Facebook page in memory of Lolly where members can go to leave comments. Please feel free to peruse the photos and share your Lolly stories with others.

Richard P. “Dick” Richards, the 117th president of Texas Press Association, died April 7 in Houston. He was 74.

Richards has been a member of the association since 1963 and served as director, treasurer and vice president before being elected president.

He was president of South Texas Press Association (1972-73) and served as a director of Texas Gulf Coast Press Association.

Richards started in the newspaper business selling newspapers door to door in the early 1940s. He eventually worked in the backshop of the Aransas Pass Progress casting mats, sweeping floors and running the old flatbed press and folder.

His father, “Scoop,” ran the newspapers before him. As the business grew in 1973 the family acquired the Ingleside Index. When Richards was elected president of TPA, Scoop received the Golden 50 Award at the same convention.