Staff changes, additions at Texas newspapers.
ATLANTA – The Atlanta Citizens Journal and the Cass County Sun recently welcomed Shawn Larson as editor and publisher.
Larson joined the staff in Atlanta after three years in Bellville, where he was the managing editor for a local newspaper, and had a business managing internet marketing and building websites.
Larson previously served as managing editor of a small newspaper in Hoxie, Kansas, where he said he grew to love the community newspaper industry while developing skills as an editor and manager.
MOUNT PEASANT – Tony Cooper is the new publisher of the Mount Pleasant Tribune, succeeding Mark Henry.
As publisher, Cooper also oversees operations at the Pittsburg Gazette and the Steel Country Bee in Daingerfield.
The three newspapers are part of the Northeast Texas Publishing Group.
Originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Cooper is a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi.
He spent the past nine years in advertising and management, most recently with the Democrat-Gazette in Little Rock, Arkansas.
The federal Department of Labor is proposing an increase in the base salary level of exempt employees who work primarily by salary and do not receive overtime pay. The increase would be about a 50% jump in a single year from $23,660 to $35,308 annually.
"This increase is a daunting single step for a small business to make in one year," NNA President Andrew Johnson writes in a public statement. "It is more likely to lead to job cuts than a general boost for employees. The National Newspaper Association proposes instead that the increase would be set to rise gradually over six years."
GREENWICH, Conn., (Press release) - White Birch Paper announced it will cease production of newsprint effective immediately at the Bear Island facility in Ashland, Va.
White Birch sold the mill to Cascades in July of 2018, and leased the mill back with the intention of making newsprint for two more years. The mill had an annual capacity of approximately 240,000 MT per year of newsprint and employed just over 140 people.
Legislative sessions are always hectic, but the 2019 session could be one of the busiest ever for the Texas Press Association.
With the bill-filing deadline for regular legislation still two weeks away as of the Messenger’s deadline, lawmakers already had filed 4,259 pieces of legislation. The total could easily top 7,000 when the filing frenzy comes to an end.
Analysis by by Donnis Baggett, Texas Press Association
Deadline is Nov. 17 for the 2016 Lone Star Journalism Writing Contest co-sponsored by the Texas Press Association and the Interscholastic League Press Conference. Through the annual contest, participating students write general interest features for publication in the student's hometown newspaper.
Cash prizes are awarded to the winners of the contest. Since UIL Academics does not have an amateur rule, students may participate in this contest as well as participate in UIL journalism (or any academic contest).