By JIM PUMARLO, Consultant
Are you looking for a project that can energize your news staffs, generate new advertising revenue and underscore the value of a local newspaper to potential new subscribers?
Mark Oct. 28: National First Responders Day.
Full disclosure on two fronts.    
First, highlighting the accomplishments of first responders is not my original idea. I picked it up while presenting earlier this year at a Management Boot Camp sponsored by the Texas Center for Community Journalism.

I am honestly confused about how I ended up as the president of the Texas Press Association.

Let me first say that I will do everything in my power to deliver on your trust and confidence in me. Secondly, I will need a lot of help from my friends.

By Leonard Woolsey, TPA President

In the proverbial tool shed of life, there are sharp, blunt and curious tools no one is quite sure what they might be good for. I consider myself a card-carrying member of the latter.

Drivers urged to be alert as school begins
 
Millions of Texas children are heading back to school this month, as early as this week in some districts. The Texas Department of Transportation urges drivers to be especially alert and focused when driving in school zones and near bus stops. 

DSHS gets nearly 15,000 monkeypox vaccines
 
The Texas Department of State Health Services has received and distributed 14,780 doses of the monkey pox vaccine to local health departments and DSHS regional offices. Another 27,000 doses could be made available by the Strategic National Stockpile.

Walking billboards promote pedestrian safety

Wildfire danger continues to rise
 
As we cross the halfway point of July, wildfire danger continues to increase across the state. On Friday, Texas A&M Forest Service firefighters responded to 15 new wildfires that burned 651 acres. As of Sunday, there were eight active wildfires; the largest was the Nethery Road Fire in Kimble County, involving an estimated 3,500 acres. It has been 70% contained.

By Jim Pumarlo, Consultant
Crime and public safety are garnering more headlines across the country. Law enforcement and racial disparities in the criminal justice system are under increasing scrutiny. Newspapers play a key role in examining the dynamics in their own communities.
But what’s happened to police logs, the most basic of public safety reporting? Where are the regular records of traffic citations, thefts, property damage, burglaries and much more?

By KEVIN YODER, Keep US Posted
After the massive mail slowdowns and postage hikes of 2021, Congress took action to financially stabilize the U.S. Postal Service by passing a historic, bipartisan postal reform bill. The bill freed the Postal Service from an unreasonable 2006 law demanding that it pre-fund retiree health benefits 75 years in advance—a requirement that put billions of dollars on the Postal Service’s balance sheet each year and motivated it to keep hiking postage rates while reducing services. 

Eighteen months ago, I wrote my first column as president of the Texas Press Association and said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank my fellow members of the Texas Press Association for allowing me to serve as your 2021-22 president. It is a great honor, and I am very appreciative for the opportunity to serve you and the state press association.”

That sentiment remains true and strong as I write my farewell column.

TEA releases STAAR results for grades 3-8
 
The Texas Education Agency has released the 2022 State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness
Results for grades 3-8, which showed across-the-board improvements in all grades and subjects, with especially significant gains in reading.