When disaster brought national attention to Texas, local journalists did the state proud.
Texas newspaper staffs told the stories of Hurricane Harvey’s terrible destruction while reflecting the resilience of their hometowns.

Technology has made it easier than ever for reporters to connect with their sources, whether they’re across the street or halfway around the world. With so many digital recording options, it takes no more than a few clicks and swipes to record an interview with a source. The biggest problem reporters face when it comes to digital interviews, however, is how to deal with all the recorded content once the interview is over. Turning those audio files into useable text isn’t always easy. Transcription is a time-consuming and often costly part of the job.

While the presidential appointment process for a Supreme Court seat draws national attention, few take notice of federal judge appointments. There are hundreds of federal judges and these appointments, too, are for life. Because the judges wield significant power, they are at the core of a president’s legacy. 
Federal courts have jurisdiction over a wide variety of crimes and civil disputes outlined in the Constitution and other federal statutes, including election fraud, weapons trafficking and terrorism.

As publishers seek to offer new publications within their markets, they often ask the NNA Postal Hotline how they may insert their own magazines or other special publications, such as antique or tourist guides, into their mailed newspapers as value-added material.

Q: Does the county clerk really belong in executive sessions of the county commissioners court? The county judge or any of our four county commissioners could push the button to start and stop the tape recorder in an executive session. Besides, our voters didn’t elect the county clerk to take part in budget and policy decisions. 

It was a recent Saturday morning, and Facebook cheerfully informed me that it was Suzanne Bardwell’s birthday.
So I messaged best birthday wishes to my fellow alumna from East Texas State University (now Texas A&M-Commerce) and co-owner of the Gladewater Mirror.
“Thanks Pat . . . my party is a scrimmage, a community prayer meeting and a museum event!” she responded.
All of which got me to thinking about college football coaching legend Paul “Bear” Bryant and a little slip of paper found in his billfold when he died in 1982.

New publishers have taken over at three Texas newspapers.

Newsmakers for September 2017

MARGE CRUMBAKER
LLANO – Marge Crumbaker, who covered Houston’s jet set for two decades as a gossip columnist for the Houston Post, died July 31 at her home in Llano. She was 93.

Experienced journalists use research to ground their work and fact-check claims made by politicians, policymakers and others. Many journalists, however, are not trained in research methods and statistical analysis. Some have difficulty differentiating between a quality study and a questionable one.
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