Florence editor named president of SCPA

Enclosed in
this issue:
SCPA Awards
Tab
South Carolina Press Association
P.O. Box 11429, Columbia, S.C. 29211 • (803) 750-9561
www.scpress.org
jbarclay@scpress.org
MARCH 2008
Florence editor named president of SCPA
Harry Logan, editor of the Morning News
in Florence, was elected president of the
S.C. Press Association at the group’s winter meeting March 7.
Other officers elected were: Taylor Smith,
publisher of the Press and Standard in Walterboro, and Laura J. McKenzie, regional
publisher of the Morris Communications’
Barnwell Media Group, as vice presidents;
and Jack Osteen, publisher of The Item in
Sumter, as treasurer.
Elected to the SCPA executive committee were: William E.N. Hawkins, executive
editor of The Post and Courier in Charleston; Frank “Butch” Hughes III, president
and general manager of the Anderson
Independent-Mail; and Arthur T. Zappa,
advertising director of the Aiken Standard.
Re-elected for continuing terms on the
SCPA executive committee were: Steve
Blackwell, publisher of the Hometown
Newspaper Group in Woodruff; Sue Detar, publisher of the Daniel Island News,
and Larry Franklin, publisher of the Clinton
Chronicle.
Logan succeeds Carl E. Beck Jr., editor
Harry Logan
Taylor Smith
Laura McKenzie
Jack Osteen
President
Vice President
Vice President
Treasurer
of the Herald-Journal in Spartanburg, as
president.
Logan has served the association as a
past board member, treasurer and vice
president for dailies. He also serves on the
board of the S.C. Press Association Foundation.
Logan has been editor in Florence since
August of 2001. He is also responsible for
three weekly newspapers under the Carolina Publishing Group.
“This is a challenging time for news-
Design workshop set April 26
The S.C. Press Association is hosting
a Mega-Design and Photography Workshop on Saturday, April 26, from 10 a.m.
to 4 p.m., in Columbia. Join us to find out
everything you ever wanted to know about
design, but were afraid to ask.
The program will feature individual hourlong sessions on page one design, overall newspaper design, multi-media and
photography. The day will conclude with
a roundtable discussion on how to get the
design, graphics and multi-media you want
into the paper or on the Web site.
Calendar
April 1
AdMall
Workshop
SCPA, Columbia
Tom Peyton, visual director of The State,
and Bill Campling, The State’s news presentation editor, will lead this seminar along
with Don Wittekind, multi-media professor
at UNC; Tim Rasmussen, assistant managing editor of photography at The Denver
Post; and Jeff Glick, assistant managing
editor of design at The Tennessean. Participants should come prepared with questions
for these award-winning designers.
To register, see page 7. The deadline is
April 18. The cost is $70, which includes
lunch.
April 24
Ad Basics
Workshop
SCPA, Columbia
April 26
Mega Design
Workshop
SCPA, Columbia
papers, but even in the changing media
world, newspapers and their Web sites
are still the primary trusted source for
local news and information. That’s our
strength, and working through organizations such as the press association we
will continue to push that message and
look for new ways to communicate with
the public,” Logan said.
The election came as part of a two-day
meeting attended by more than 400 newspaper journalists from across the state.
Save the date
Daily Publisher’s
Roundtable
hosted by SCPA and SNPA
Tuesday, June 24
Columbia
See page 8 for Winter
Meeting wrap-up
May 1
Focus Group
Workshop
SCPA, Columbia
May 22
Weekly Publisher’s
Roundtable
SCPA, Columbia
Page 2 • March 2008 • S.C. Press Association Bulletin
Civil War writer joins Hall of Fame Free AMBER alert
The newest honoree
in the S.C. Press Association Hall of Fame
is Civil War writer and
publisher Felix Gregory
de Fontaine.
De Fontaine adopted
South Carolina as his
home when the Civil
War began and be- De Fontaine
came one of the most 1834 - 1896
prolific and significant
war correspondents for the South.
Although de Fontaine was born in Boston, he joined the Charleston Daily Courier after the first shots were fired on Fort
Sumter, but before the war ended he was
writing for at least six other newspapers
and the Confederate Press Association.
A prolific correspondent and one of
the early shorthand writers in America,
he wrote three or four newspaper articles a week containing at least 1,200
words and occasionally as many as
8,000 or 9,000 words.
He interviewed dozens of generals, soldiers and Union prisoners on the battlefields, as well as top-ranking officials in the
Confederate government, including President Jefferson Davis. He traveled extensively, covering dozens of skirmishes and
demonstrations in the southern states.
Although he bought the South Carolinian in Columbia in early 1864, he continued his correspondence for the Courier
until February 1865.
After the war ended, he struggled to publish the Daily South Carolinian in Charleston with partners William Gilmore Simms
and Henry Timrod. He also planned to
start a morning newspaper in Columbia
called the Columbia Carolinian as well as
a new German-language newspaper in
Charleston called Die Charlestoner Zeitung.
To read more about de Fontaine, visit
www.scpress.org and click on “2008 Winter Meeting program.”
training at Newsplex
The Newsplex at the University of South
Carolina is offering free one-day training
sessions to journalists on the AMBER Alert.
The sessions are available to all working journalists and online editors through
a grant from the Justice Department. They
will even pay for your expenses during
training.
The AMBER Alert program has been
credited with the recovery of more than
300 missing children. Yet despite its many
successes, confusion often surrounds the
way these alerts are issued and distributed. This training will allow participants to
work through scenarios derived from actual AMBER Alert cases.
Training Dates are April 10 and 24, May
28 and 30, June 5, September 9, 11, 16,
18 and 23.
For more information and to register,
contact Terri Moorer at moorert@gwm.
sc.edu or (803) 348-0445.
Finally, the economy of black & white
and the impact of color.
Trust your copier needs to the same
company trusted by the S.C. Press Associaon.
SCPA uses the Toshiba
to produce this Bullen and for all of its
other copy, print and scan needs.
Copier Sales and Service, Inc.
“Our Name Says It All”
319 Garlington Road, Suite B-12
Greenville, SC 29615
1-800-673-6494
www.wecopysc.com
8610 Farrow Road
Columbia, SC 29203
2090 Execuve Hall Road, Suite 180
Charleston, SC 29407
South Carolina Authorized
Dealer
March 2008 • S.C. Press Association Bulletin • Page 3
FOI Briefs
Bush barely cuts
backlog of FOI
requests
Despite ordering improvements more
than two years ago, President Bush has
barely made a dent in the huge backlog of
unanswered requests under the Freedom
of Information Act.
The Archive, a private research group,
recently released its audit of 90 government agencies. It found mixed results from
Bush’s executive order in 2005 to agencies
to clear the backlog and be more responsive to requesters. The archive found that
unanswered requests government-wide
dropped just 2%, from 217,000 to 212,000,
from the end of 2005 to the end of 2007.
Of those agencies with backlogs, 31%
saw pending requests rise during the two
years, including some agencies that significantly reduced very old unanswered requests but saw gains wiped out by a surge
of new requests.
The audit praised Bush for requiring each
agency to set up an FOIA Service Center that
people can call to track the progress of their
requests; an FOIA Public Liaison to take complaints about the service center; and a chief
FOIA officer to manage agency efforts.
Public money =
public body
A leader of the state’s pro-school-voucher group has accused the South Carolina
Association of School Administrators of
violating the FOI law by refusing to grant
access to its records.
Randy Page, president of South Carolinians for Responsible Government, filed
suit against the association, saying that it
is a public body and should be required to
comply with state FOI law.
The association did not comply with
an FOI request made last August about
its relationship to a political action committee that shares its same address and
phone number. The administrators’ association argued that it is not a public body
because it is supported by membership
dues. Page’s attorney says it is supported
by public money because school districts
reimburse their employees for the association’s dues and meeting costs.
SCPA attorney Jay Bender has been involved in similar cases involving the school
boards association and the state high school
league, and in the latter, a judge found that
the league was a public body because it
was supported with public money, he said.
“I think the suit is correct in its contention
that the Association of School Administrators is a public body under S.C. law just
as the High School League and School
Boards Association are public bodies because they are supported by public funds,”
Bender said. “As a public body, the association is subject to the requirement that
records and meetings are public.”
•••
Timmonsville Town Council held a special meeting to unanimously approve first
reading of its proposed $2.3 million budget.
The council held a two-hour executive session for the stated reason of holding a budget workshop.
“This was just a time for the council
to come together to discuss the budget,” Timmonsville Mayor James Beard
Jr. said immediately after the meeting.
“This was not a public workshop,” he said.
“This was a workshop for the council.”
“There’s no such thing,” said SCPA
attorney Jay Bender, who called
such an executive session illegal.
Discussion of public money should occur
in public. “It’s a complete disservice to the
taxpayers of Timmonsville,” he said.
Beard said later in the day that the executive session wasn’t specifically for the
budget and that no workshop took place.
“There were some personnel and administrative issues that we had to deal with,
but no action was taken,” he said.
Executive sessions allowed under the
state’s Freedom of Information Act commonly involve personnel or contractual
matters or confidential legal advice.
Beard said the council will discuss the
budget in open session during an upcoming meeting.
•••
James Island Public Service District
Chairman Rod Welch has accused four
commissioners of violating the state’s
Freedom of Information Act by meeting to
discuss district business in private. At its
Feb. 11 meeting, the majority of commissioners made a motion to vote on district
business that had never been discussed.
According to the state Freedom of Information Act, the majority of the commission
cannot meet in private to discuss district
business. A public notice must be posted
24 hours before the meeting and meeting
minutes must be recorded.
•••
Two human affairs complaints were recently filed against the City of Lake City
by its former employees, according to the
Lake City News and Post.
When their employee files were requested, Lake City’s mayor, Lovith Anderson Jr.
said because the persons are no longer employed with the city, their files were “closed.”
SCPA executive director Bill Rogers said
that an employee’s status has no bearing on
whether or not the file is public.
“If it’s a document in their (the city’s) possession, it’s open under the law,” Rogers said.
In response to releasing the records to
the newspaper, Lake City Attorney Jimmy
Epps said that he was not trying to keep information, but that he was not familiar with
federal privacy laws. Epps said he didn’t
want to violate any law by allowing access
to the documents. He said he would have
to “look into it.”
FOIA
Letting the light shine
on government
The 2008 edition of The Public Official’s Guide to Compliance with South
Carolina’s Freedom of Information Act
is available as a free download in PDF
format from SCPA’s Web site: www.
scpress.org. A printed version is also
available for $1.50 per copy. To order,
call (803) 750-9561.
™
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AdMall Workshop
hosted by the S.C. Press Association
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And if you agree that acting as a advertising consultant – not just an order-taker – is
an increasingly essential part of being a newspaper advertising rep these days, you’ll
definitely want to send at least one representative to a quality half-day program devoted
to learning more about co-op advertising and the AdMall advertising intelligence
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Tuesday
April 1
10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
SCPA Office
Columbia
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marketing partners... people who know more, or care more than the others you won’t
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Newspaper: ______________________________ Contact: _______________________________ E-mail: ________________________________
Attendees Print names as to appear on name badges.
_______________________________________
___________________________________
_______________________________________
___________________________________
Payment The cost is $30 per person.
Total: $________
☐ Check enclosed Bill my: ☐ Visa ☐ Mastercard
Name as it appears on card: ___________________________________ Signature: ___________________________________________________
Billing address with city, state and Zip: _______________________________________________________________________________________
Card number: ___________________________________________________________ Exp. date: ________________ V-code: ______________
Fax to SCPA @ (803) 551-0903
Questions? Call Jen at (803) 750-9561 or e-mail jbarclay@scpress.org.
March 2008 • S.C. Press Association Bulletin • Page 5
People and Papers
Charleston wins
ASNE prize
The (Charleston) Post and Courier has
won the American Society of Newspaper
Editors prize for deadline news reporting.
The paper was awarded the “Jesse Laventhol Prize for Deadline News Reporting
by a Team” for their coverage of a summer
fire at a sofa store that claimed the lives of
nine city firefighters.
The prize carries a $10,000 cash award.
The awards will be presented in April during the ASNE convention. The winning entries and interviews with the winners will be
published in “Best Newspaper Writing” by
The Poynter Institute, St. Petersburg, Fla.
This year’s contest attracted nearly 500
entries from news organizations throughout the United States and Canada.
Andy Alexander, chair of the ASNE
Awards judging and Washington bureau
chief for Cox Newspapers, said that the
entries this year were particularly strong.
“There wasn’t even a hint that the challenges facing newspapers have affected the
quality of reporting and writing.” he said. “To
the contrary, veteran judges of the ASNE
Writing Awards found this year’s entries were
exceptionally strong in virtually every category. Taken as a whole, they underscored
the unique ability of newspaper journalists to
inform, to provide clarity and context, to entertain, to give voice to the voiceless and to
right injustices by exposing wrongdoing. All
of the finalists – and certainly the winners –
exceeded the highest journalistic standards
for reporting. But what distinguishes these
awards is their special emphasis on writing.
In that regard, the judges felt they were treated to the best our business has to offer.”
•••
The State newspaper, in Columbia,
won eight international design awards in
the 29th annual Society for News Design
contest this year. The State won the following awards of excellence: Single photos, illustration: Kim Kim Foster-Tobin
and Al Anderson; Multiple photos, page
design: Gerry Melendez, Rich Glickstein, Al Anderson, Craig McHugh and
Rick Millians; Single photos, portrait:
Gerry Melendez; Multiple photos, project page or spread: Gerry Melendez, Al
Anderson, Tom Peyton and Bill Cam-
pling; Single photos, sports: Eric Campos and Al Anderson; News page(s),
sports: Merry Eccles, Rick Millians
and Craig McHugh; Redesigns, pages:
Merry Eccles, Rick Millians and Craig
McHugh; and News page(s), news:
Bill Campling and Al Anderson.
•••
The State’s C. Aluka Berry was named
Photographer of the Year by the S.C.
News Photographers Association. Gerry
Melendez of The State was runner-up.
•••
Larry Williams, who covers Clemson
athletics for The Post and Courier, and Ron
Morris, sports columnist for The State, have
been named co-winners of the 2007 South
Carolina Sportswriter of the Year Award. The
award is presented by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.
•••
The Lee County Chamber of Commerce
named Millie Scott, advertising manager with
the Lee County Observer, Citizen of the Year.
In addition to working at the paper, Scott
serves on the chamber’s board of directors and
is secretary for Bishopville Crime Stoppers.
•••
The (Blythewood) Country Chronicle recently added Wanda Branham to its staff.
In addition to writing, she will manage classified advertising and perform other newspaper production duties.
•••
The Post and Courier’s investigative series “School Bus Breakdown” has won a
second place prize in the Education Writers Association’s 2008 National Awards for
Education Reporting contest. The series
by reporters Ron Menchaca and Mindy
B. Hagen was published in March 2007.
It found that South Carolina had the oldest, most polluting and most dangerous
school bus fleet in the nation. The report’s
findings spurred state lawmakers to pass
a long-awaited school-bus-replacement
cycle that will bring hundreds of new buses
to the aging fleet each year.
Send us your news!
E-mail submissions to:
jbarclay@scpress.org
Page 6 • March 2008 • S.C. Press Association Bulletin
Industry Briefs
Survey shows
strong ad connections
The
National
Newspaper
Association recently For more survey results,
visit www.scpress.org
conducted a survey
which proves the
importance of advertising in community newspapers. The study found that
On The Web
small town America heavily relies on
weekly advertisements in paper.
Highlights of NAA’s findings include
that of community newspaper readers
across the country:
• 79% read supermarket ads.
• 72% read the classified ads.
• 64% read the public notice ads.
“Clearly, community newspapers
have a strong bond in connecting local
readers with advertisers,” said Steve
May 1 • 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
If you have ever wanted to have a community focus group for your newspaper but didn’t know how to start, SCPA will have a workshop May 1 to
help you plan one.
The workshop will be led by Ed Henninger of Rock Hill, a nationally
known newspaper consultant who has held numerous such focus groups
around the country.
The day will open with a two-hour session on how to set up the event,
plan questions and conduct the discussion. Henninger will also address
how to take what you learn at the focus group and determine how much
to apply to your newspaper.
After lunch, we will conduct an actual focus group for a Columbia
newspaper using members of the community.
The workshop will end with a wrapup going over what we learned.
Henninger will also talk about how you can expand the results to your
newspaper.
Even though though this workshop will focus on design, Henninger
will touch on how focus groups can be done on writing, advertising,
organization, editorials, etc.
The cost of the workshop will be $45 for SCPA members and $60 for
non-members, which includes lunch. For registration information, please
call (803) 750-9561 or go online to www.scpress.org.
Haynes, NNA president.
Overall, nearly 50 percent of readers
found newspaper ads helpful in making
purchasing decisions, up from 41 percent in a similar survey in 2005.
•••
The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer will cut
25 of its 41 ad production jobs on May
31, as it sends the work abroad, joining
other large companies using foreign
outsourcing to trim costs.
The deal is expected to save 35 to
40% on labor. The paper also gains access to more sophisticated technology
without the need for investment.
Affinity Express Inc., based in Illinois, maintains production facilities in
India and the Philippines. It’s one of
four companies – the other three being Express KCS, 2AdPro and American Outsourcing Solutions – targeting newspapers that want to farm
out their prepress to outside firms.
Affinity has been providing similar services for The State in Columbia, since
November.
•••
The (Charleston) Post and Courier
and its Web edition, charleston.net,
launched an alliance last month with
Monster by rolling out an online career
resource for job seekers and employers. The service allows users to upload resumes online with Monster and
search for jobs by industry or title. The
partnership will be promoted in print
and online.
•••
The Aiken Standard has launched a
new Web site to better suit readers’
needs. The new site, www.aikenstandard.com, is better organized, with
more local news and sports. It also features local job classifieds, an AP wire
and archives.
•••
Media General, Inc., reported last
week that its fourth-quarter profit
dropped 70%, hurt by a write-down,
one less week in the period and less
political revenue. Media General owns
The (Florence) Morning News, The
Lake City News and Post, the Marion
Star and Mullins Enterprise and The
(Hemingway) Weekly Observer.
Everything you ever wanted to know
about design, but were afraid to ask!
April 26 • 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. • Columbia
Join SCPA Saturday, April 26, as five industry professionals come to Columbia for a
Mega-Design and Photography Workshop.
This program will feature individual hour-long sessions on A1 design, overall design,
photography and multi-media.
The last session will be a round table discussion about how to get the design, graphics,
and photography, multi-media you want into the paper or on the web. Or with all
that award-winning experience sitting in one room why not ask the questions you’ve
always been afraid to ask.
Get your work critiqued. Bring your portfolios!
Newspaper Name
Newspaper Address
City, State and zip code
Phone Number
Fax Number
Attendee Names
e-Mail Address
To register, please fax this form to SCPA at (803) 551-0903 or call (803) 750-9561
The cost is $70 per person, which includes lunch.
‰Check Enclosed $________
About the workshop leaders
Five designers with more than fifty years of
experience and hundreds of SND awards will be
leading the workshop.
• Don Wittekind, multi-media professor at the
University of North Carolina
• Tim Rasmussen, the A.M.E of Photography at
The Denver Post
• Jeff Glick the A.M.E of Design at The
Tennessean
• Tom Peyton the visual director of The State
• Bill Campling the News Presentation Editor of
The State
Bill my: ‰Visa ‰Mastercard
Name on the card
Card billing address including zip code
Card number
Exp. Date _________ 3 Digit V-Code __________
Cardholder signature
HURRY! The deadline
to register is April 18!
Page 8 • March 2008 • S.C. Press Association Bulletin
Welcome to the Winners Circle
SCPA announced the winners of the 2007
News Contest earlier this month at the annual SCPA Winter Meeting in Spartanburg,
which was attended by more than 400 people.
This year’s winners are the cream of the crop,
coming from more than 3,700 entries.
Ron Menchaca (right), of The Post and Courier, was awarded
Daily Journalist of the Year from SCPA executive director Bill
Rogers (left). Sandy Foster, of the Pickens County Courier, was
named Weekly Journalist of the Year.
On the Web
Six newspapers were awarded the President’s Award for Excellence for scoring the highest number of points in their division.
Winners included The Loris Scene, Coastal Observer of Pawleys
Island, Press and Standard of Walterboro, The Island Packet of
Hilton Head Island, The Sun News in Myrtle Beach (above) and
The Post and Courier in Charleston.
John Shurr, FOI Chair (right) awards Sammy Fretwell of The
State (left) the Montgomery FOI Award for its coverage of the
DHEC Barnwell nuclear landfill investigation. The Post and
Courier was also presented with a first place FOI Award for its
coverage of the Charleston Sofa Super Store fire.
• Photo slideshows
• Winter Meeting program
• List of winners
• Duplicate awards
order form
Rates starting at $300.
SAVE $150 BY MARCH 15 TH
800-245-9278, ext. 5324 • www.multiad.com/coopseminar
March 2008 • S.C. Press Association Bulletin • Page 9
The problem with ‘raw’ data online
As I write this, South
Carolina’s Legislature
is about to block public
access to the state’s
concealed weapons
permits.
The bill’s sponsor
cited a Roanoke, Va.,
newspaper’s posting
By Doug Fisher
of that state’s conUSC School
cealed weapons perof Mass
mit database online
Communication
one year ago. (The
paper took the data
down after a public
outcry, and Virginia quickly put the database under wraps.)
Brant Houston, then director of Investigative Reporters and Editors, laid out the
argument for keeping the records open in
2004 in News Media and the Law magazine. It’s important to be able to report on
the use of concealed weapons by felons
and domestic abusers, he said. It’s also
important to check how the permitting
process itself is operating.
Keeping those records secret, Houston
said, “doesn’t make any sense...especially when you’re dealing with dangerous weapons.”
But just as dangerous a weapon to freedom of information might be the proclivity,
as newsrooms become “information centers,” to throw anything and everything
online. If it moves, digitize it.
Generally, data are good. They let people go beyond what we can tell them in
a story. They can find information they
need or develop their own data-driven
narratives, much like the Knight-funded
Everyblock project now does in New
York, Chicago and San Francisco.
Much of the information that flows from
the government’s gathering and production of data needs to be in the open and
easy for people to use.
Heretical as it may be in some quarters,
however, some information might best be
left offline to preserve some public (yes,
read journalists’) access. (The South
Carolina Press Association offered such
a compromise as it tried to keep some
access to concealed weapons permits. A
few years ago, Ohio came to a similar, if
imperfect, compromise; a “journalist” may
Common Sense
Journalism
view permit information – but cannot copy
it.)
Databases with private identifying information are so sensitive that if we don’t
think things through, we risk losing not
only the battle but also the war. A significant chunk of the public, besieged by
reports of identity theft and threats to privacy, is more likely to see these things
not as public service, but as privacy invasion.
“The freedom of information act,” as
one person commented on a during the
Roanoke outcry, “is a necessary evil” –
hardly a ringing endorsement and a position I suspect is more common than we
know.
Another wrote: “If a crook had to go to
the courthouse or the State Police to request this information, he or she would
be far less likely to do so. But now that
the information is so readily obtainable
to the anonymous individual, it’s easy for
any goon to go to the library, get on the
Web and prepare his or her new hit list.”
It’s the embodiment of what design consultant Ed Henninger calls the “cuzican”
problem – just ‘cuz I can doesn’t mean
I should. It also touches one of the digital dilemmas I’ve written about before in
describing our research into newspaper
archives and ethics questions: Stripped
of “practical obscurity,” many things that
haven’t been issues are likely to become
so in the digital world. One is tossing raw,
personally identifying data online where it
loses the obscurity of being sequestered
in a newspaper morgue. That has some
legal scholars re-examining notions of
privacy and liability and some legislators
seeing opportunity.
West Virginia, for instance, also is considering hiding its concealed weapons
data, though for now that seems to have
stalled. Numerous other states already
keep the information secret.
Like Roanoke, The (Nashville) Tennessean, put Tennessee’s concealed weapons data online last year, only to pull it
down after a public outcry.
In Hartsville, people on the community
news site I run with the Messenger newspaper have complained about printing the
police blotter. Rarely, they say, do papers
update when people are cleared. In the
digital age, where the damning information can live forever, they may have a
point.
Michigan’s Lansing State Journal took
tremendous heat, including a scathing
“open” letter from the state’s chief justice, for putting state workers’ names and
salaries online. I think those records that
get to the heart of government operations
need to be accessible. The paper stood
its ground, but said it all in one of its later
headlines: “More context needed with database launch.”
And that’s the key question – do we
need the data, or the information?
In Tennessee, where permit data remain public for now, a Knoxville TV station did not throw the records online. But
in November, WBIR posted stories and
maps so that people can search by census tract to find how many permits are in
their area. Other census data give some
perspective. No result pinpoints a specific
person, and I’ve not heard of any outcry.
Investigative producer Jake Jost wrote:
“Ultimately, this story is about fostering dialogue on a topic close to all of us:
safety. ...
This story was possible only through
Tennessee’s open records laws. There
has been talk in recent years of the legislature closing the record on handgun
carry permits. ...
An intelligent debate over policy is unlikely without good information. Without
strong public records laws, we can’t provide you with good information.”
And if we rush online with every bit of
data “cuzican,” we may do those laws irreparable harm.
(To see WBIR’s package, go to:
http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.
aspx?storyid=50782)
More Information
Doug Fisher, a former AP news editor, teaches
journalism at the University of South Carolina
and can be reached at dfisher@sc.edu or
803-777-3315. Past issues of Common Sense
Journalism can be found at
http://www.jour.sc.edu/news/csj/index.html.
Page 10 • March 2008 • S.C. Press Association Bulletin
Kindle reaches masses with paperless papers
Over the past few
weeks I’ve spoken at
several press association conventions on two
topics that have filled
rooms. The first, “Converging Media: Online
Journalism,” relates to
new ways newspapers
By Kevin
are using technology
Slimp
to compete with other
Institute of
Newspaper
forms of media. The
Technology
second, “New Technology For Newspapers,”
is a chance to show off some of the newest
gadgets and hardware, as well as compare
current and upcoming software products. I
could always count on a line of folks wanting to visit after speaking on these topics.
Recently, with the advent of Amazon’s Kindle, most folks in line want to take a look
at this new gadget that’s getting so much
press.
The Kindle is a device that is literally
stopping a lot of presses. And many of the
presses that haven’t stopped are spitting
out books, magazines and newspapers at
a slower rate.
Introduced by Amazon in November, the
Kindle is an e-book reader. No one is reporting how many Kindles sold when first
released, but we do know that Amazon
sold out in less than six hours.
A little about the Kindle. It’s about the size
of a small paperback book. Using a new
high-resolution display technology called
“electronic paper,” the Kindle reads more
like a book than a computer screen. And,
by adjusting a dial, the user can make the
text appear larger or smaller on the screen.
So much for wishing the Kindle was hard
to read. Using wireless technology called
“Whispernet,” the Kindle uses standard
cellphone signals in the U.S. to download
books, newspapers and magazines.
Customers shop from the Kindle Store
wirelessly. No need for a computer. Orders
can be processed and downloaded directly
from the Kindle.
My first purchase was a newspaper. I
clicked on the “home” button, selected
“Newspapers” form the list of choices and
selected the New York Times. From there,
I had two options. The first allowed me to
receive the newspaper free for two weeks.
Newspapers and magazines can be downloaded in just a few seconds on Kindles. Users can subscribe to newspapers at Amazon.com or directly from their Kindles. Most
newspaper charge about half of their cover price for Kindle subscriptions. Less than 20
newspapers are currently available.
It would automatically download and appear in my list of purchases each morning.
After two weeks, customers are billed for
their subscriptions unless they cancel them
online. The second option was to download the current issue. I chose the first option (yes, I cancelled my subscription after
a few days). I didn’t get my watch out, but
it seemed to take less than ten seconds for
my first issue to arrive on the Kindle. Next,
I purchased a single issue of The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution. Buying a single issue
cost the normal purchase price. A monthly
Kindle subscription to AJC was $5.99, compared to $10.99 for the printed version.
I wondered how hard it would be to list
a book for sale on Kindle. I decided to try
listing my wife’s recent book. Sure enough,
I found the Web site and was instructed to
enter the ISBN code for the book, a PDF
of the cover and either a PDF or HTML
file of the book. I designated a price and,
within a few minutes, her book was listed
on Kindle.
OK, here’s the scoop. I liked some things
about Kindle and I didn’t like some. As far
as books are concerned, it seemed just as
easy to read a book on Kindle. Magazines
and newspapers were a different story.
While the experience was quite different,
I especially missed the photos and ads.
Kindle newspapers – at least the ones I’ve
read – are all text.
Don’t jump for joy yet. Here’s why I think
it’s important for us to be familiar with Kindle, as well as other new technologies that
impact our business. Reading a newspaper might not be the same experience on
Kindle and newspapers might not feel an
immediate impact in sales. However, you
can bet this month’s paper bill that Kindle –
and other devices like it – will improve with
time.
Instead of worrying about this technology,
newspapers would be wise to take advantage of it. Rather than pretending it won’t
affect us, we might be wise to find out how
we can get our newspapers on Kindle. Not
because we’ll make money from it, but to
help us prepare for whatever technology
comes along next.
Radio, television and the Internet all
threatened our existence. Instead of closing our doors, newspapers found ways to
compete and prosper. E-reading might be
the next technological advance to compete
for our readers. With a little forward thinking, we can take advantage of the new audience Kindle (and whatever comes next)
offers.
Kindles are currently available only to
customers in the U.S. at Amazon.com. The
Kindle retails for $399.
More Information
Kevin Slimp is the director of the Institute of
Newspaper Technology. He can be reached at
kslimp@newspaperinstitute.com.
March 2008 • S.C. Press Association Bulletin • Page 11
Shaping up, no matter the shape
You’ve come faceto-face with a reality you hoped you’d
avoid. You’ve seen it
in other publications
but you didn’t think
you’d ever see it in
your newspaper.
There, on your
page, is a triangular
By Ed
Henninger
ad.
Henninger is
Or maybe it’s circuan independent
lar.
newspaper
Or octagonal.
consultant
Or trapezoidal.
and director
of Henninger
Whatever.
Consulting in
Like it or not, it’s
Rock Hill
our job to make the
page work – and that means giving the
story next to that ad the best display
possible. Whatever the shape of the
ad, there are methods we can use to
give that area of the page a design that
is comfortable and easy to follow.
Here are some tips:
1. Adjust the number of columns.
Perhaps your grid calls for a standard
of six columns – but if four or five legs
works better next to that ad, don’t be
timid about going off-grid. The more
legs, the better to help fill in next to the
ad.
2. Consider setting the type flush
left. It will help fill those odd gaps right
next to the ad. Some editors might object to running a news story in flush
left here. If that’s so, here’s an option:
Look for a less newsy story that you
won’t object to running flush left.
3. Do some judicious tracking. To
make the text fit better, it’s OK to pull
the text in a bit here or there – or to
stretch out the tracking where needed.
If you’d do some tracking next to a mug
shot to adjust word and letter spacing,
it’s logical to do the same next to an
ad.
4. Fit the headline close to the ad.
Don’t concern yourself if the headline
actually runs a bit farther to the left or
right of the text – the objective is to get
the headline to fit well with the shape
of the ad.
5. Watch for widows. Make sure the
top line of type on each leg goes fully
Continued from page 13
On Design
across the column. A widow is distracting and leaving one makes you appear
less professional.
Odd-shaped ads certainly don’t make
our lives as designers easier. But the
choice is ours: We can whine about the
space we’ve been given and complain
that the advertising department has
done us dirty again – or we can get
down to the work of making our newspaper more comfortable to read.
I know which choice makes more
sense to me.
More Information
Ed Henninger is an independent
newspaper consultant and the Director of
Henninger Consulting, offering comprehensive
newspaper design services, including redesigns,
staff training, workshops and evaluations.
You can reach him at: 803-327-3322.
E-mail: edh@henningerconsulting.com.
On the web: www.henningerconsulting.com
Space is
limited to the
first 18 people.
The cost
is only $40.
Subpoena
litigants in the belief that having to provide
material or testimony interferes with the essential function of a newspaper, the providing of news and information to the public.
The shield law works best to protect unpublished material in those situations where
your paper does not provide unpublished
material. The shield law protection may be
diminished in those situations where what
is sought has been published and the party
seeking it can demonstrate that it is not reasonably available from another source.
I would suggest that each paper consult
with its attorney to develop a strategy regarding subpoena response that seems
right for your paper. Once you have the
strategy in place, train your personnel to
protect the privilege by not sharing material with outsiders, and train your front office staff to get any subpoena that comes
through the door to the appropriate member of management.
Ad Sales Basics
Workshop
April 24
10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
SCPA, Columbia
New sales people on staff? Help them get started with the
essentials of ad sales. Register today for SCPA’s popular quarterly
sales training for new sales reps.
This workshop will cover the basics in advertising sales and get
your revenue-producing staff off to a great start.
Alanna Ritchie, Director of Advertising for the SCNN, will
conduct this full-day workshop on understand the basics of sales.
Topics will include selling
against competition, dealing
with objections, closing skills,
On-line registration
basic design, and consultive
forms and directions
to SCPA’s offices
selling. For additional
may be found at
information, contact Alanna
www.scpress.org.
Ritchie at SCPA at (803)
750-9561 or e-mail her at
aritchie@scpress.org.
Page 12 • March 2008 • S.C. Press Association Bulletin
What influences client retention?
Ad-Libs
make it ring later – and longer.
When advertisers are convinced that
their ads are meeting (or exceeding) extention. The presence of all four will pectations, they’ll stick with your paper.
2. Positive relationships. Customer
practically guarantee it:
1. Positive results. There are two service is more than passively saying
types of advertising: image and re- “thank you.” We all want to do business
sponse. Image ads – or branding ads, with people we like, and with people who
as they are sometimes called – are in- care about us. Do you call a client only
tended to increase name recognition when you want to sell something, or do
(“Got milk?”), assign a unique benefit you call to ask about his or her child’s
to a brand name (Burger King’s “Have it soccer game last weekend?
3. Competitive pressure. Let’s say
your way.”), and give consumers a good
there are two widget companies in your
feeling about an advertiser.
Response ads are designed to gener- town, and both are running ads in your
ate immediate results. The auto dealer paper. Given their competitive nature,
who runs a special offer can measure each watches the other carefully, and rethe advertising’s effectiveness by the sponds to every sale with a counter sale.
number of cars sold during the promo- Do you think either company would be
willing to surrender their newsprint turf?
tion.
Although both types of ads are effec- No way.
4. Habit. This is perhaps the strongest
tive when properly executed, it’s important to help advertisers set realis- influencer of all, because (1) people retic expectations. Response ads make sist change, and (2) loyalties run deep.
the cash register ring If you’ve owned several Chevrolets, it
now. Image seems like less trouble to buy another
a d s Chevrolet than to switch to Ford. If
you’ve been eating Wheaties for years,
it’s easier to keep the status quo than to
switch to Raisin Bran.
And if a (reasonably successful)
business has always advertised in
your paper, it’s easier to stay put
than to consider other options.
But, as Emmett cautioned,
“Don’t take anything for
granted. We set out to
prove the value of our
Join us for our second weekly publisher’s roundtable discussion.
paper – and our commitJerry Bellune of the Lexington County Chronicle & Dispatch News
will be the moderator.
ment to our advertisers
– every single day.”
Emmett is an advertising
director
who
understands
the importance of
client
retention.
“Even though we’re
well-established in
our market,” he told
me, “we can’t afford
to assume that any
By John Foust
of our advertisers
Advertising
will
automatically
Trainer
renew their contracts.”
According to research, the average
business loses 20% of its customers a
year. While any loss is cause for concern, a rate of more than 20% raises a
gigantic red flag.
“I’ve heard that it costs five times more
to get a new customer than to keep an
old one,” Emmett explained. “Of course,
I realize that a business has to develop
new customers. But there’s a lot of truth
in the saying: ‘The best source of new
business is old business.’”
Let’s take a look at a few
factors which influence
client
retention.
The presence of
any one will
improve
chances
of re-
Thursday, May 22
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Newspaper Name
Sign up
now! is
Registration
limited to
nts.
20 participa
Attendee Name
E-Mail address
The cost is $20 per person, which includes lunch.
☐ Check Enclosed $______________
Bill my: ☐ Visa ☐ Mastercard
Name on the card
Card billing address including zip code
Card number
Exp. Date ____________ 3 Digit V-Code __________
Fax form to SCPA at: (803) 551-0903
Cardholder signature
More Information
John Foust conducts
on-site and video
training for newspaper
advertising departments.
His three new video
programs are designed
to help ad managers conduct in-house
training for their sales
teams. For information,
contact: John Foust, PO
Box 97606, Raleigh,
NC 27624 USA, E-mail:
jfoust@mindspring.com,
Phone 919-848-2401.
March 2008 • S.C. Press Association Bulletin • Page 13
Q:
From time
to
time,
we
have
people bring in these old
city postcards that show
streets, old businesses,
homes, etc. that they
would like for us to reprint.
Is this okay to do or is it
a violation of copyright?
I notice some do have
copyrights on them but
these places have long
been out of business.
Legal Q&A
By Jay
Bender
SCPA Attorney
A:
The copyright issue is not determined on the basis of the business shown on the postcard, but
the ownership of the copyright. Depending
on when the work was created ( prior to 1988
for example), the publication without a copyright notice puts the work in the public domain
where it can be reproduced without violating
a copyright. For work created after 1988 no
notice is required for the work to be protected
by copyright.
My best advice is not to publish any material
created after 1988 unless you have the consent of the copyright holder to reproduce it. For
work prior to 1988 without the notice, publication would expose you to very little if any risk
of infringement. On the other hand, publication without permission of a work with a notice
would subject you to an infringement claim.
Q:
My publisher would like to
know the difference between
a subpoena from a judge and
one from an attorney. They are asking us
for photos in a wreck. We gave a copy to a
local attorney. How should we respond to
these additional request?
A:
I do not recall ever seeing a
subpoena signed by a judge, but
I suppose it is possible. Typically
subpoenas in South Carolina are signed
by the attorney for one of the parties in
the litigation or by the clerk of court in the
county where the subpoena is issued.
Assume for the moment that a subpoena
is lawfully issued and calls on your paper
to produce copies of the paper, notes or
photographs. Under S.C. law, news organizations have a privilege, or protection,
against being required to provide any of
this material unless the party seeking it
can establish the necessity for the material
and its unavailabilty from another reasonable source. This privilege does not apply
if the newspaper is a party to the court proceeding. If the subpoena really is from a
judge seeking information regarding the
enforcement of a court order, and not for
purposes of the litigation in which the order
was issued, the privilege does not apply.
Many newspapers in South Carolina
are willing to provide attorneys involved
in litigation a copy of a published photo
at the paper’s customary charge for such
reprints. Most newspapers assert the privilege under the shield law and decline to
provide the unpublished material sought
by the subpoena.
It is a good idea to have considered what
your paper’s policy is to be regarding subpoenas prior to the time one is served. If it
is your practice not to provide unpublished
material to anyone, you can object to the
subpoena seeking production of this material by writing a letter to the attorney issuing the letter and stating that you object
to the subpoena on grounds that the material sought is privileged. Many attorneys
have not dealt with the notion of a shield
law before, and may be startled to learn
that news organizations must be dealt
with differently than other organizations or
persons who may have information about
a case. If you have objected to the subpoena, the attorney who has issued it may
pursue the subpoena by filing a motion
to compel the production of that which is
sought by the subpoena. If that happens,
you would be well-advised to seek an attorney’s assistance in continuing to resist
the subpoena.
In some instances the subpoena seeks to
compel the attendance of a reporter or photographer for a deposition or trial. In such
cases if you wish to assert the privilege
against testifying, have your attorney file a
motion in court to quash the subpoena.
The SCPA and its member newspapers
expended a great deal of money and energy to obtain passage of a shield law to
protect news organizations and their employees from becoming investigators for
Please See SUBPOENA page 11
Obituaries
Ann Thomas
Publisher, News and Press
DARLINGTON
Ann Boyd Thomas,
45, former publisher
of the Darlington
News and Press,
died February 23.
Thomas succeeded her father, Morrell L. Thomas Jr., as
publisher of the Pee
Thomas
Dee’s oldest independent newspaper.
Although she served as publisher, she
also used her skill in the graphic design
side of the paper. She was recognized
many times over by the S.C. Press Association for her newspaper layout and design skills.
She also co-founded the arts and entertainment magazine, Five O’clock Friday, of
which she was publisher.
She was a graduate of the University of
South Carolina.
Frances C. Moore
Editor and reporter, The Sun News
WOODS HOLE, MASS.
Frances Collier Moore of Woods Hole,
Mass., died March 1. She was 76 years
old.
From 1960-1971, she worked as a reporter, editor and columnist for The (Myrtle
Beach) Sun News. She also covered the
S.C. coast for the Charlotte (N.C.) Observer and wrote a weekly column entitled,
“The Beachcomber.”
She won numerous awards for her work
including S.C. Newspaper Woman of the
Year twice.
Moore was born in 1931 in Florence,
S.C. She is a graduate of the University of
South Carolina.
As a reporter, she covered the civil rights
movement, which as a columnist, she consistently supported.
Her writings spoke of a love for the land
and people that corner the S.C. coast. She
touched the hearts of many readers.
Page 14 • March 2008 • S.C. Press Association Bulletin
SCPA welcomes 4 new member newspapers
The S.C. Press Association is pleased
to welcome four new member newspapers.
Joining SCPA as free distribution members are The Aynor Journal, Carolina Forest Chronicle, The Fort Jackson Leader
and the Sumter Herald.
New individual members are Clinton B.
Campbell, freelance writer and photographer; Brian T. Fulkerson of Spartanburg
Methodist College; and James Christian
of Francis Marion University.
New associate members are Advantage Marketing Consultants, represented
by John Jones of Fayetteville, N.C.; and
Print2Web, represented by Pam Baird of
St. Petersburg, Fla.
WEATHER
Thursday
Fri. Hi: 66
T-Storms Low: 51
Sat.
Partly
Cloudy/
windy
SCPA Officers
President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Harry Logan
Morning News, Florence
Vice-President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Taylor Smith
Press & Standard, Walterboro
Vice-President . . . . . . . . . . . . Laura McKenzie
Barnwell Newspaper Group
Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jack Osteen
The Item, Sumter
Immediate Past President . . . . . . . . . . . . Carl Beck
The Herald Journal, Spartanburg
Executive Committee
Steve Blackwell. . . . . . . . Hometown News, Woodruff
Sue Detar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Daniel Island News
Larry Franklin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Clinton Chronicle
Bill Hawkins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Post and Courier,
Charleston
Butch Hughes . . . . . . . . . Anderson Independent-Mail
Art Zappa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aiken Standard
Executive Staff
William C. Rogers . . . . . . . . . . . . . Executive Director
Michelle Kerscher . . . . . . . . . . . Director of Marketing
and Programs
Randall L. Savely . . . . . . . . . . . Director of Operations
Jen Barclay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Communications and
Development Coordinator
Sharon Bailey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Director of Finance
Bulletin
Jen Barclay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Editor
jbarclay@scpress.org
843-236-4810
WINDY
Sun. Hi: 59
Sunny Low: 36
E-mail: cfcnews@sccoast.net
Aynorjournal.com
Source: The Weather Channel online
75 Cents
Page 4
NEW
Technology corner: Mac V. PC
Page 6
FISHING
reports: find out
what’s biting in
the area
Aynor is the Home of
Pat and Jimmy Ray Johnson
Ph. 843-358-2010
F. 843-358-0250
12 PAGES
Page 3
Miss Blue
Velvet Pageant
crowns new
winners
aynorjournal@yahoo.com
ph. 843-358-2010
fax 843-358-0250
PO Box 665
Aynor, SC
29511
Bulk Rate US POSTAGE PAID
By Aynor Journal, Inc. L.I.# 5000446711
Company Imprint Sec. 145.35
March 6 - March 13, 2008
TODAY
Mostly Sunny
High 64, Low 47
FRIDAY
Showers, 30%
High 64, Low 41
SATURDAY
Partly Sunny
High 56, Low 37
SUNDAY
Mostly Sunny
High 58, Low 41
If bill gains Senate, Governor
approval, tests will drop in ‘09
designed as part of the 1998
Education Accountability Act
Josh Dawsey
to rate South Carolina schools
josh@aynorjournal.com
based on their proficiency,
The State House passed Rep. Liston Barfield believes
a bill last Wednesday that it needs a large overhaul.
“We waste a lot of money
scrapped the much-criticized
Palmetto
Achievement on the tests, and they don’t
Challenge Test and broke the give us a lot of feedback,” the
weeklong exam session into 52nd District Representative
smaller parts during the year. said. “We need to be giving
tests where
According
feedback can
to the House
“We Need To give
be given in a
bill,
the
annual PACT tests where feedback few days so
sessions will can be given in a few teachers can
find
where
be exchanged
days.”
students
for more tests
are missing
throughout
-Rep. Liston Barfield
information
the
year.
L e g i s l a t o r s District 52 Representative and be caught
up to speed.”
claim the new
Barfield
methodology
thinks the tests
will
allow
the diagnostic results to help grade teacher performance
students immediately in areas more than actual student
needs.
in which they are struggling.
“It only assesses teachers
The PACT sessions were
initially designed to test on if they are doing well,”
mathematics and English Barfield said. “The other tests
proficiency for third through can be given more than once
eighth graders. As the years a year and there is immediate
went on, the May tests feedback. It doesn’t help the
expanded to test subject students whatsoever.”
Others point out that the
knowledge in writing, social
test puts more pressure on
studies, and science.
Though the test was local students.
THE CHRONICLE
Matt Montgomery
matt@aynorjournal.com
Developers of a local
residential area have
been approved by the
county, submitted the
necessary permits for
road construction and
have been pre-approved
wetland organizations.
Now the only thing
delaying progress at
the Palmetto Breeze
residential development is
the slow economy.
Hopefully, says John
Therrell, a partner with
T&G 2 Construction,
LLC., by election time the
company will be on the
move.
Therrell said over the
phone that in January,
T&G 2 received preapproved confirmation
that their engineering
plans met regulations.
“All we are waiting on
now is a little turn in the
economy,” Therrell said.
He said that the
current state of the
economy, especially the
housing market and real
estate downfall, would
be detrimental to any
progress at this time.
In fact, Chairman of
the Federal Reserve Ben
Bernake echoed Therrell’s
contention at a speech
2 a.m. Sunday March 9.
Matt Montgomery matt@aynorjournal.com
B1
PHOTOS BY MICHAEL SMITH | THE CHRONICLE
Janet Cole of Conway holds her pet dog named Chuckles, a Beagle mix she and her husband, Ed, recently rescued.
Attorney general, MB council
say shelter is a public body
BY MICHAEL SMITH
EDITOR
Horry County
Council got a
first-hand
look
Tuesday
night
at plans for the
Eastside Terminal
Project slated for
Myrtle
Beach
International
Airport.
Senior executive vice president for
the M.B. Kahn Construction Company
Rick Ott presented Council with a
detailed PowerPoint presentation of the
company’s intentions, objectives and
similar successful projects.
Kahn Construction is the contracted
company hired to complete the job. Ott
emphasized that the company would
look to resident and council feedback
before making any decision.
“This is going to be an open book
project,” he said.
Along with Kahn will be The LPA
Group, an architectural and engineering
firm, which has completed similar jobs
See COUNCIL page 2
A
IMPACT TEAM
COMING TO CF:
Christian strongmen to put
on show at area school.
C1
School Board narrows
superintendent search
to six
Josh Dawsey
josh@aynorjournal.com
The Horry County Board
of Education took its next
step towards hiring the
superintendent of education
this week, as four of the
six semi-finalists
were
interviewed on Tuesday
and Wednesday evening in
executive sessions.
The remaining two are
scheduled to interview today,
and the Board will announce
its three finalists following
the conclusion of the last
interview. However, exactly
who is vying for the open spot
is still a mystery.
The county has declined
to release the identity of
the semifinalists until all
interviews are completed and
the Board names its three
finalists. According to District
Spokeswoman Teal Britton,
the push of The Sun News to
reveal the identities has hurt
the search.
“We’ve already had one
candidate drop out and some
of the others are considering
removing their names from
the search,” Britton said. “If
we reveal the names this early
in the process, it endangers
their current employment if
they don’t become a finalist.”
The Board initially fielded
seven semi-finalists, but
recent attempts to uncover the
identities of the candidates
prior to the final three led to the
withdrawal of the candidate
scheduled for interview on
Monday evening. Instead of
going into executive session
as planned, School Board
Chairman Will Garland read a
prepared statement.
“Earlier today, we were
informed that The Sun News
planned to aggressively cover
our initial interview process to
majority of Myrtle Beach City Council members thinks
the Grand Strand Humane Society should conduct its
business more openly, according to a poll conducted by
the Carolina Forest Chronicle.
The council member opinions come on the heels of a humane society request for another $100,000 in funding from
City Council.
Grand Strand Humane Society already receives $100,000 of
its $601,225 budget from City Council.
“The days of smoke filled rooms are gone, not that that’s germane to the humane society,” said MB Councilman Phil Render . “Anything that we fund I would hope would lend itself to
public scrutiny.”
Mayor John Rhodes and council members Randal Wallace,
Susan Grissom Means, Mike Chestnut, Wayne Gray and Render
said they think the humane society should allow the public to
attend its board meetings.
Carolina Forest Chronicle
launches new Real Estate
section.
D1
SWA adds recycling service to International Drive
BY MICHAEL SMITH
EDITOR
Carolina Forest residents
won’t have to drive to Socastee
or Conway anymore to dispose of recycled material.
That’s because a new recycling and convenience center
is up and running in
“We’re trying to make it a
one-stop shopping center,”
said Esther Murphy, director of
recycling and corporate affairs
for the Horry County Solid
Waste Authority, which build
the center.
“You’ll be able to take all
your recyclables to the center,”
Murphy said. “It’s one of our
largest centers.”
The new convenience center, which opened for business
Feb. 22, held a ribbon cutting
ceremony Monday morning.
It’s located off International
Drive, next to the new fire station that’s under construction.
The center cost about
$400,000 to build the new center.
RECYCLING, A3
MICHAEL SMITH | THE CHRONICLE
A sign lets visitors of the Horry County Solid Waste Authority’s
new convenience center in Carolina Forest know what items they
can and can’t deposit in one of the dumpsters. The new convenience center, located off International Drive, opened Feb. 22.
See BOARD page 2
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EE
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March 13th- March 19th, 2008
Sumter's Weekly Newspaper
Leader
Making Every Meeting Count: Sumter Business Network
By Toby Horton
Sumter Herald Writer
The Fort Jackson
Published for the Fort Jackson/Columbia, S.C. Community
www.fortjacksonleader.com
Rx for a WTU ‘headache’
Leaders converge
to find ways to cut
through red tape
The most successful business
people are usually masterful
net workers. They use their
people skills to build good reputations in their communities
and to continuously generate
new customer leads. Word-ofmouth may be one of the oldest
forms of advertising but a new
variation of the theme is producing remarkable results for
the Sumter Business Network
organization.
Every Thursday morning at the
Comfort Inn, members of the
Sumter Business Network meet
for coffee, breakfast, business
and the art of networking. Warren Hanscom, owner of Tumbleweed Construction, travels
over 37 miles each Thursday to
be part of the group. He was
introduced to the group by Barbra Rolain, who manages Computer Repair Center in Sumter.
Hanscom said “after about
three weeks the leads
just started coming in
and business was taking off.”
Many small businesses are scrambling
to compete against
major corporations
today and that’s what
makes
networking
a thriving business
in
itself...Business
owners are realizing that in this tough
economy they’ve got
to look out after each
other.
Roger Rabon, with Lube Industries, Inc., explains that for
him the group symbolizes honor
and integrity. “We set our standards high and expect nothing
less than professional services
and respect for one another and
our clients.” He describes it
best as “a group of people who
have made it a habit and part of
their daily lives to support each
other.”
Becky Logan, President of
OneSource Business Solutions,
agrees that the group has become a very important part of
her business. “With the referrals
received from members of the
group, my dues are more than
covered,” she says. Others at
the table strongly agree with
Logan that the dues are noth-
An inborn spirit, a sense of duty,
firefighter Dewey Pack
Mike A. Glasch
Leader Staff
Since Warrior Transition Units first opened in
June 2007, Brig. Gen. Michael Tucker, Assistant
Surgeon General for Warrior Care and Transition,
says the majority of the visible problems (lack of
facilities and cadre) have been addressed, but there
is a long way to go to fix the internal problems.
“The bureaucracy that exists gives me a
headache,” Tucker told those in attendance Tuesday at the Warrior Transition Unit Personnel Training Conference here in Columbia.
More than 200 personnel and leadership representatives from the Army’s 38 WTUs are discussing what personnel policies and regulations
need to be changed. During the four-day period
they will look at policies ranging from retention to
promotions to pay.
“This is new work, this is new business, this is
a new fight we have on our hands,” Tucker said.
Some of the concerns raised during the first day
of the conference included regulations that contradict each other, wounded Soldiers being dropped
from the payroll and Soldiers in WTUs not being
allowed to reenlist. At one point, one of the atten-
By Genia Geddings
Sumter Herald Writer
A firefighter not only puts out fires,
but they are also a rescuer, trained and
equipped to rescue people from car accidents, collapsed buildings and many
more situations.
It’s no wonder that in order to work as a
fireman you have to have the heart and
calling for the job. Dewey Pack is certainly that kind of individual.
Photo by Mike A. Glasch
Cpl. David Davis, Warrior Transition Unit, exercises his injured leg on a stationary bike at the WTU Wednesday. A conference began MonSince 1995 Pack has worked with the
Volunteer Fire Department in Pinewood.
Initially he joined to see if he would like
doing the work required of a fireman, but
after attending many classes and working as a volunteer fireman he not only
See Conference Page 3 day in Columbia with more than 200 Army personnel from 38 WTUs to discuss policies and regulations that need to be changed.
Photo Courtesy of the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration
According to the S.C. Attorney General’s Office and several
Myrtle Beach City Council members, the Grand Strand Humane
Society is a public body subject to the requirements of the S.C.
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
Carolina Forest welcomes
new convenience center
REAL ESTATE:
Past presidents, World Wars, highlights of Hollywood’s glory
years ‘marking time’ safely right here at Fort Jackson ...
Fort Jackson prepares
Soldiers for the worst
AWARDS, A9
Carolina Forest man acquires new talent after
heart transplant.
Reel
Secrets
Tornado
season
is back
HUMANE SOCIETY, A3
HEART OF
AN ARTIST:
Tuesday in Orlando, FL.
Bernake said increased
foreclosures
continue
to plague the housing
market.
“We are excited about
the potential around the
area,” Therrell said. “The
new [I-73] corridor will
bring a lot of growth and
we’re excited about the
Catawba Indians building
their bingo facility.
“It would be exciting
to be in the center of all
that growth.”
Just not yet, however.
Therrell’s company,
T&G 2, plans to build
approximately 400 new
homes just outside of
See BREEZE page 2
plans, Cool Spring
gets appointee
Mike A. Glasch
Leader Staff
No, it wasn’t a real tornado. But it sure sounded
like one was heading this way.
Tornado warning sirens sent nearly 1,500 Soldiers
from scrambling from their relocatable barracks to
the safety of newer permanent buildings last week.
Fortunately, danger was not lurking in the air
above Fort Jackson that night — the Installation Operations Center activated the mass notification speakers along Hampton Parkway for a tornado evacuation
exercise/drill.
Mark Mallach, installation antiterrorism officer,
said the scope of the drill was limited to those Soldiers who would be in the most danger if a twister
touched down.
Councilman Chuck Martino couldn’t be reached for comment as of press time.
Render, Means and Wallace – said they think the shelter is a
public body as defined by the S.C. Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA).
Peter Bine was hired as the humane society’s new director
Two members of the Carolina Forest Chronicle news
team took home nearly 20
state press awards for their
past work with The Loris
Scene, the Chronicle’s sister
newspaper.
Chronicle
editor
Michael
Smith and
staff writer
Ettie Newlands combined for a
total of 19
state press
awards.
Smith
The
awards were
handed out
at the S.C.
Press Association’s annual meeting
March 7 in
Spartanburg.
Also at Friday’s annual
Newlands
meeting, the
Carolina Forest Chronicle’s application for
membership into the SCPA
was accepted.
Membership entitles the
Chronicle to a wide variety of
support services the SCPA provides. It also makes the Chronicle eligible for the 2008 news
contest.
For his work with the Scene,
Smith won 12 awards altogether, including four first
place awards.
The first place awards were
for the following categories:
Page 1 Design, Spot News Reporting, Spot Sports Story,
General News Photo.
In addition, Smith’s photograph of the Loris Bog-Off fireworks show placed third place
for Best Pictoral, an open division category that pits all
newspapers of all sizes against
each other.
Only photographers from
The State (Columbia) and Post
and Courier (Charleston)
Photo: Matt Montgomery
Developers on hold until
housing economy reboots
Remember to turn your clocks ahead
1 hour this Saturday night before time
officially changes at
Thursday, March 6, 2008
BY STAFF REPORTS
Developers of Palmetto Breeze residential development are waiting for the condition of the
national housing market to improve before moving ahead with vertical construction. T&G 2
Construction based in Pineville plans to build approximately 400 homes at the development.
Timing is everything County sees airport
Source: Webexhibits.org
19 state
awards
Grand Strand Humane Society seeks another $100,000 in taxpayer money
| INSIDE |
See PACT page 2
On August 8, 2005, President
George W. Bush signed the Energy
Policy Act of 2005. This Act changed
the time change dates for Daylight
Saving Time in the U.S. Beginning in
2007, DST will begin on the second
Sunday in March and end the first
Sunday in November.
The Secretary of Energy will
report the impact of this change to
Congress. Congress retains the right
to resume the 2005 Daylight Saving
Time schedule once the Department of
Energy study is complete.
MB council members want Chronicle
humane society openness staff wins
| OUTSIDE |
PACT tests
dropped after
House bill passes
Page 10
Nearby
Santino’s gets
coming of age
facelift
The Aynor Journal
is locally owned
and operated. It is
printed by Herald
Multiforms in
Dillon, SC.
Contact the Journal:
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STANDARD
U.S.POSTAGE
PAID
CONWAY, S.C.
PERMIT NO. 44
VOL I, No. 20
Vol. 20, No. 8
Inside
POSTAL PATRON
March 13, 2008
Hi: 58
Low: 33
Page 7
COLORING
CONTEST: St.
Patrick’s Day!
The SCPA Bulletin is published monthly by the South
Carolina Press Association. Subscriptions are included
in membership dues. If you would like to receive a copy of
the Bulletin, e-mail jbarclay@scpress.org.
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
“Your Gateway to Local News”
Thurs Hi: 72
Sunny Low: 48
“Soldiers billeted in relocatable barracks are at
higher risk of death or injury if a tornado were to
strike their barracks due to the limited protection the
relocatables provide them. Think of how trailer parks
look after a tornado hits them and the relocatables
would probably suffer a similar fate,” he said. “Soldiers residing in hardened structures such as the starships, or newer designed buildings like the 2-39
complex would be safer.”
The last tornado to strike Fort Jackson was Sept.
7, 2004.
According to the South Carolina State Climatology Office, there is an average of 11 tornadoes in the
Palmetto state every year. The majority of those, 88
percent, occur from February through September,
See Tornado Page 14
Don’t forget
Agriculture
3B
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8B
Puzzle
Shaw
Sports
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Sumter Herald Writer
On February 15th at the Coffee Palace on 1105 North Lafayette next to the Sumter
Medical Park, local poets read their works on an open microphone. These poems
echoed some of the same sentiments that the great American poet Walt Whitman
wrote in “I Hear America Singing”:
I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,
Those of mechanics...
The carpenter singing....
The Mason...
The delicious singing of the mother...
Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,
Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.
is impressed by the local poets and wonders how they find ideas that he didn’t
even know existed in them. He enjoys
seeing his friends in a “different light.”
Aaron Johnson reads a piece of his poetry.
The poetry themes were just as varied as the poets who wrote them. There
were elevated, inspiring, and hopeful
SEE COFFEE PALACE, PAGE 7A
FREE TO THE PUBLIC
March 15
9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
6B
Premier Sponsor: Global Links Travel
6A
1B & 3B
9 – 9:45 a.m.
10 – 10:45 a.m.
11 – 11:45 a.m.
Noon – 12:45 p.m.
1 – 1:45 p.m.
2 – 2:45 p.m.
3 – 4:45 p.m.
Vol. 2, Number 11
www.MySumterHerald.com
340-B Rast St, Suite 3
Sumter, SC 29150
PHONE: 774-NEWS
FAX: 774-6399
Mailing Address:
Grow It Media LLC
P.O. Box 777
Sumter, SC 29151
America sings at the
Coffee Palace
By Joyce Hunter
Daniel Driffin and a few friends from
Morris College started the poetry reading in December 2007, when the owner
Mr. Curtis Clowney suggested that Morris College students use his coffee
shop next to Rubye J. Johnson
Headstart Center to start an “open
microphone” for the Sumter community. January 15th was the first
meeting and roughly 80 people attended. They have met again this
month and both the Morris College group and Mr. Clowney think
both of these poetry sessions have
been a resounding success.
Daniel believes it’s important to
have intellectual events like this
for young and old who just get
tired of watching TV and crave something more intellectually stimulating.
It’s a chance to get people together and
SEE DEWEY PACK, PAGE 7A let them bounce ideas off each other. He
CONTENT
Move clocks
forward one
hour at 2 a.m.,
Sunday.
Op-Ed
2 School
News
3-16 Cops
Feature 10-17 Legal
Community 18-19 Chapel
MWR
22 DHR
Health
23 Sports
found he had the desire but he wanted to
be a fire fighter on a full time basis.
In 2006, he was approached by his
Battalion Chief about possibly joining
the Fire Department full time. Pack had
been driving a truck for a local gas company and the possibility of changing career fields was definitely something he
was willing to consider. But it was the
encouragement of his mother that actually pushed him forward. Pack’s mother
said, “Pursue your
dreams,” and that
is exactly what he
did.
Several of the
outlying Volunteer
fire stations currently have a full
time
Firefighter
on duty during
the week as there
are not enough
volunteers to man
the stations. Pack
is among those
Firefighters. He
is stationed at
Mayesville 5 and
is responsible for
maintaining
the
station and equipment, as well as various other duties required of a fireman. “We need people
to volunteer. Currently we only have a
couple,” Pack states, “But firefighting
is not for everyone. You really have to
ing compared working group like the Sumter
to the business Business Network meets for the
gained through purpose of networking, sharing
the networking leads or referrals. They build
group.
Lo- friendships, support and other
gan, who is important information going on
treasurer
of in the community and share adthe group, said vice. The group requires regu“our members lar attendance and dues. They
are active in get to see each other each week
the community and only allow one person per
and belong to industry to be a member, so
civic organiza- there is no competition. The
tions”, but the group requires a commitment
Sumter Busi- from it’s members, they folness Network low a set of by-laws and collect
Group solely exists for the dues.
Brant Bahnmuller, President
members and their businesses.”
Their budget is used for adver- of the Sumter Business Nettising; because they make it a work says “we are looking for
habit to support each other daily a few good business people.”
they can’t help but invest some Right now they have a realtor,
money socially for the times CPA, heating and cooling prothey choose to get together, re- fessional, carpet and upholstery
lax, chat and network. All signs cleaner, customs design consulof a healthy networking group. tant, bank executive, auto body
A formal net- SEE SUMTER BUSINESS NETWORK, PAGE 7A
For more information, visit
www.sumterspringfling.com
Entertainment
Southern Heritage
Delaine Elementary
Dream Works Dance Academy
CURVES Fashion Show
Minnie Sue Ardis Ministries
Miss Libby’s School of Dance & Gymnastics
Music will be provided by Blue Moon Music
& Audrey Jones
FREE 30-Minute Seminars Including:
Kelly Hall – Tuomey Dieticians/Nutrition • Clemson Extension – Fire Ant Prevention • Sandi Davis – Basics of
Organizing • USC Environmental Club – Going Green • Destinations Spa - M’lis Body Contour & Weight Loss
Program • Nicole Norris Design Studio - Creating a Paint Palette & Other Tips on Selecting Paint Colors