News Briefs

Constitutional amendment election guides available

 AUSTIN — The League of Women Voters of Texas voters’ guide for the Sept. 13 constitutional amendment election is now available.

The guide is available preprinted or in electronic format. The deadline for ordering was July 14 but orders still will be filled after that date.

The statewide election is scheduled two months earlier than normal so the league is making an extra effort to distribute information about the 22 proposed amendments the public will consider. Early voting begins Aug. 27 and runs through Sept. 9.

For information on the voters’ guide contact the League at 512-472-1100 or lwvtexas@lwvtexas.org.

The Secretary of State’s Office has posted an analysis of the amendments on the Web site www.sos.state.tx.us.

Copperas Cove goes semi; Frisco changes to weekly 

Two Texas newspapers traded publication frequency over the last few weeks. The changes keep intact the number of weekly and semiweekly newspapers statewide at 62 semis and 377 weeklies.

The Copperas Cove Leader-Press became semiweekly July 1, exactly 10 years to the day it went from publishing two days a week to once a week in 1993. The newspaper will publish on Tuesdays and Fridays.

“We have been asked numerous times if we were going to return to publishing twice a week,” publisher Larry Hauk said. “This will allow us to keep the news and sports fresh for our readers and allow our advertisers the freedom to reach their customers within a day or two of planned sales or special events.”

The Leader-Press also unveiled a redesign with the change that includes TV listings and a color weather forecast.

The Frisco Enterprise on June 6 moved to weekly publication, combining its Sunday and Thursday issues into one Friday edition.

Dan Wilson, president of parent company Star Community Newspapers, said the move would allow the Enterprise to offer expanded coverage and more room for local events.

New owners take over Canyon Lake weekly

CANYON LAKE — Don and Cindy Avery sold the Canyon Lake Times Guardian to Don and Pearl Johnson of Lake Havasu City, Ariz.

The Averys bought the newspaper in May 2001 from Southern Newspapers where Don Avery had worked for 19 years.

The newspaper was founded in 1971 and the sale was the fourth change of ownership. The purchase included a free weekly and newcomer and welcome guides published throughout the year.

The Johnsons have been in newspapers for more than 40 years and had been in retirement after selling a group of weekly newspapers in the Midwest. Don Johnson is a past president of the Northeast Nebraska Press Association.

The couple will serve as co-publishers. Their daughter Patti Kosters will be advertising manager and Pearl Johnson’s brother Ray Huls will join the staff in ad sales.

Rickenbacher Media represented the Averys in negotiating the transaction.

Friona, Bovina get new owners again

Bill and Carol Ellis announced May 30 the sale of the Friona Star and Bovina Blade to Ron Carr.

On May 1 the couple announced that the two weeklies would be sold to another employee Vickie Copley but a few weeks later the deal with Carr was completed.

Carr has been with the newspapers for eight years. He has been active in Panhandle Press Association and has served on the PPA board.

Bill Ellis first went to work at the Star in 1962 and bought the paper in 1968. He is a past president of PPA and West Texas Press Association and is a member of the PPA Hall of Fame.

Clarendon erects marker

CLARENDON — The Clarendon Enterprise marked its 125th anniversary in June by installing a new state historical marker. The newspaper claims to be the Texas Panhandle’s first newspaper and Clarendon’s oldest business. It was established on June 1, 1878 as The Clarendon News.

Same-sex union notices to appear in Morning News

DALLAS — The Dallas Morning News on July 6 began publishing same-sex commitment and union announcements alongside other marriage and engagement announcements in its Sunday editions.

Belo, the newspaper’s parent company, began offering benefits to same-sex partners of its employees in January and the new policy to accept union announcements was a natural progression, publisher and chief executive officer James Moroney III said in the July 6 editions.

Two-inch announcements are free while photographs and longer announcements are charged at the regular ad rates. To qualify, same-sex unions or commitment ceremonies must be held in a public setting and whoever officiates must be named. The guidelines are the same for marriages that are legally recognized in Texas.

According to the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Discrimination, 207 newspapers nationwide publish same-sex union announcements, including the Austin American-Statesman, Brownsville Herald, (Harlingen) Valley Morning Star, Houston Chronicle, The Monitor (McAllen), Odessa American and San Antonio Express-News.

The News also changed its advertising policy on adult entertainment and certain firearms. Sellers advertising handguns must have a federal license and be federally registered as arms dealers. The News no longer accepts ads for gentlemen’s clubs.

New presses arrive at McAllen building site

McALLEN — The first shipment of the new 28-unit press at The Monitor began arriving last month at the newspaper’s new 12.5-acre location.

The Goss Universal 45 press is the centerpiece of the newspaper’s new 97,000-square-foot facility, which officials hope to have moved into and fully running in late fall.

The press will print 45,000 newspapers per hour and is capable of printing 24 full-color pages in a 40-page newspaper. The Monitor’s old 14-unit press only printed 21,000 papers an hour.

The move marks the first time the newspaper will not conduct business in downtown McAllen since the first issue was printed on Dec. 11, 1909, according to a story in the June 8 issue.