Your connection to industry & member news
Your connection to industry & member news
Your connection to industry & member news  |  Dec. 3, 2020

CONTEST DEADLINE IS FRIDAY

The clock is winding down on entering the 2020 News Contest! The deadline to enter is this Friday, Dec. 4, at 11:59 p.m.
The News Contest is an excellent opportunity to recognize the good work done by your staff during the previous year. Entering the contest is easy since it's all done digitally. 
Let us know if you need your log-in information. 
Also remember that we're here to help! Give us a call at (803) 750-9561 or email us your contest questions.
Starting next week, SCPA will review all entries to make sure they're ready for judging. When we've sorted your organization's entries, you'll receive an invoice and master entry report.
VIEW RULES + ENTER HERE!

Press ID cards make great stocking stuffers

It's time to order your staff's 2021 press IDs!
High-quality plastic photo ID cards are available for SCPA newspaper members at $6 each. These durable plastic cards  feature your staff member's photo and newspaper information.
SCPA press credentials are recognized by state police and emergency officials, and may be used for admission to the S.C. Legislature press area.
Repositionable 2020-2021 PRESS windshield clings are also available for $2.50 each.
Remember that SCPA has a flat rate shipping fee of $8 for all orders that need a clip or lanyard. If you do not need a clip for your press ID (can re-use an old clip or lanyard or you put in your wallet), let us know and we can ship your order at a much lower rate, typically around $1.
Orders must come from member newspaper editors. Newspaper staffers, part-time employees and freelancers must contact their editor to order a press ID and/or decal.
Place Your Order

Save the date for virtual Legislative Workshop

Because of COVID-19, SCPA is working to reimagine our annual Legislative Workshop for the Media. The event will be held Thursday, Jan. 7, from 10-11:30 a.m. via Zoom.
Key leaders of the House and Senate will outline what they consider to be the top issues of the 2021 session. Frank Rainwater, executive director of the State Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office, will also participate to present the budget.
All discussions will be on the record and there will be time for Q&A.
More details, including panelist confirmations and registration info, will be coming soon! 
The Post and Courier sent SCPA dozens of sticky 2021 computer calendar strips. If you'd like a couple, let us know and we'll stick them in the mail to you. 
Member Spotlight: Jamie Lovegrove
Jamie and his girlfriend, Ali, visited the Gaffney peach during one of their many road trips around the state.
Political Reporter, The Post and Courier
 
What do you like best about your job?
As a political reporter, I love getting to travel around South Carolina on the campaign trail, talking to voters in every corner of the state and seeing some beautiful sights along the way – as well as eating as much BBQ as possible. When we’re not in campaign season, I try to spend most of my time keeping track of what our elected officials are up to both in public and, when possible, in private.
 
What is your proudest career moment?
I enjoyed covering the 2020 Democratic presidential primary for more than a year and a half, and I thought my election night story analyzing Joe Biden’s victory captured a lot of that experience as well as what makes South Carolina such a fascinating political state.

What's the most exciting thing going on at your paper?
The Post and Courier’s expansion into Greenville, Myrtle Beach and Columbia has really given us the statewide presence I had long dreamed about and it’s exciting to be reaching so many new readers every day.
 
What’s your favorite SCPA member service?
The legislative workshop is an invaluable opportunity to hear from the top lawmakers of both parties about their agenda heading into each session of the General Assembly.

What adjustments have you made during COVID-19?
I’ve been working remotely from home most of the time and I very much miss traveling on the campaign trail. The politics beat has of course also become a great deal about COVID-19 and how elected officials are handling it.
 
When it’s safe to get out and about again, what are some area attractions/restaurants in your community we shouldn’t miss?
As a BBQ obsessive, my favorite spots in the Columbia area include True BBQ, Big T, Hite’s, Hudson’s, County Smokehouse and Palmetto Pig. (My favorites in the state require a little more traveling, though: Scott’s in Hemingway, Sweatman’s in Holly Hill and Shealy’s in Batesburg-Leeville.) I also always recommend catching a movie at The Nickelodeon and taking a stroll through Riverfront Park.
 
What is something most people don’t know about you?
I grew up in London, England, and spent more than a decade as a Chelsea season ticket holder. I then lived in Washington, D.C., for high school, making me a huge Nationals and Capitals fan.
 
What do you like to do outside of work?
I play guitar and piano and was in an a cappella group in college. In pre-COVID times, I loved going to concerts around town. I also like to read. My favorite book I read this year was The Overstory by Richard Powers.

Know someone that you’d like SCPA to spotlight? Email us your recommendations.

FOI Briefs

SCPA files amicus brief in Summerville 'divide and hide' FOIA case

The S.C. Press Association has filed an amicus brief in an FOI case involving the Town of Summerville and its Board of Architectural Review.
In his argument, attorney Jay Bender concludes that the Board devised a divide and hide strategy to avoid the open meetings requirements of the FOIA by assigning members to groups, the membership of each group being less than a quorum of the board.
“Unfortunately, the Court of Appeals embraced the Board’s strategy and erred in failing to consider that each group was a committee of the board, and was itself a public body subject to the FOIA” Bender wrote.
The meetings in question happened in 2014. The project being considered involved a new hotel, parking garage, a conference center and condos.

Judicial Department reverses course, releases staff salaries after Nerve story

Less than three hours after The Nerve revealed on Nov. 20 that the S.C. Judicial Department was keeping secret the salaries of department employees making at least $50,000 annually, the agency released a list of 300 staffers in that group, including judges.
Department public information director Ginny Jones provided the list without explanation to The Nerve late Friday (Nov. 20) afternoon. In a follow-up written reply, The Nerve requested who in the department made the final decision to provide the records, and the department’s reasoning in reversing its prior refusal to publicly release the salaries.
No response was received by publication of this story.
In earlier denying The Nerve’s formal request under the state Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for salary records, Jones in a written response said the S.C. Supreme Court – the state’s top court – has “never held that the Judicial Branch’s internal records may be released to the public,” and that court system’s “longstanding practice has been that internal records will not be made available to the public.”
Yet, as The Nerve pointed out, the department – the third branch of state government – is a taxpayer-funded state agency, and that the exact pay of a public employee making at least $50,000 yearly is considered a public record under the FOIA.
Unlike many other state agencies, the Judicial Department is not included in the state salary database maintained by the S.C. Department of Administration.
By Rick Brundrett, The Nerve | Read more

People & Papers

Dozier retires from Waccamaw Publishers

After nearly five decades in the newspaper business, Guy Dozier completed his career at the end of November with a spirit of thanksgiving.
“I’ve been the most blessed and most fortunate person on earth,” Dozier said. “How all this happened, I don’t know. But Jimmy Stewart couldn’t have had a more wonderful life than I have.”
An advertising representative for Waccamaw Publishers (parent company of the Horry Independent) since 1980, Dozier has become a fixture in the Conway community, serving as emcee at hundreds of events over the years.
His volunteer work with the Conway Lions Club, the Conway Chamber of Commerce, Trinity United Methodist Church, the Theatre of the Republic and many other organizations has endeared him to many.
“Guy has helped many businesses succeed by helping them with their advertising,” said Steve Robertson, president of the Conway-based newspaper company that now publishes seven newspapers in Horry County. “But he has meant even more to the success of our company. No matter what he was asked to do, cover football games, work in the darkroom, or emcee our beauty pageants, Guy has given willingly of himself. We will miss the man we’ve come to know as ‘daddy.’”
By Steve Robertson, The Horry Independent | Read more

Old Morning News boxes to get new life, help the homeless

Some old paper boxes that had just been collecting rust in a back parking lot will get a second life and a chance to make a difference for some people in need.
"It's just such a simple idea," said Sam Rogers with Tie One One Florence.
Some of the heavy-duty, weatherproof steel boxes that previously vended the day's edition of the Morning News will soon offer clothing and other items of need for Florence's homeless and do so in a way that is neat and tidy — at least from a streetscape standpoint.
The Tie One On group in Florence has been around for a while and used to hang clothing from trees and such to make it available to the homeless. ...
"Thanks to the Morning News and Bryan Braddock, executive director of the House of Hope, we have come up with a great idea. We're repurposing newspaper boxes," Rogers said. "Everybody has seen newspaper boxes, they're everywhere. We're repurposing newspaper boxes, used ones, in order to house the items that we'll be donating to whoever needs them."
"Since most of our single-issue sales have moved inside stores over the last few years, I am thrilled to be able to repurpose these boxes for the good of the community," said Morning News Publisher Bailey Dabney. "Kudos to Bryan Braddock for having the vision to come up with a good use for them."
By Matthew Robertson, Morning News | Read more

Obituaries

Longtime Camden graphic artist Barbara Ann Stover Jones dies

Barbara Ann Stover Jones, of Camden, died on Nov. 22, 2020.
Barbara was educated in the public schools of Kershaw county and graduated in the class of 1978 from Baron DeKalb High School. She received a business degree from Atlanta College of Business. Barbara would become a graphic artist and was employed by the Chronicle-Independent newspaper in Camden for over 40 years. She was a member of St. John Baptist Church where she was an Elementary Sunday School teacher.
Barbara had many loves in life. She loved chocolate milk and orange juice. Barbara loved watching game shows, the Hallmark Channel and the Christmas in July marathons. She was a fan of the Miami Dolphins, but loved spending time with her family. Read more

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