Texas Press Association

Every year the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality collects data on recycled newsprint. Texas law requires that newspaper publishers submit their 2011 report to TCEQ by Jan. 31. More information about the reporting requirement is available in the Texas Health and Safety Code, Section 361.430.

Please fill out the current survey form and return it to TCEQ by Jan. 31. For more information about the program, visit the TCEQ Recycled Newsprint website. If you have questions or need assistance completing the survey, please contact TCEQ's Stephanie Cunningham at 512-239-3143 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

April 6 is the deadline for Monson Award nominations. Sponsored by the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas and Texas Press Association, the Monson FOI Award recognizes journalists and/or newspapers for outstanding efforts that uphold First Amendment principles, increase public access to government, and improve awareness of state open government statutes.

The award is named in honor of former FOIFT’s executive director, Nancy Monson, who retired in 2001 after nearly two decades of service. FOIFT is one of the leading education and advocacy non-profit organizations in the country working for open government and access to public information for more than 30 years.

Learn how to make your newspaper's sports pages more objective, more accurate, and, of course, more interesting! Join us for another great TPA online training opportunity, "Sports Writing for Community Newspapers," Jan. 25 to March 9, with instructor Griff Singer.

Singer, who is a veteran journalist and journalism instructor, retired from teaching at the University of Texas at Austin after the fall semester of 2002. He continues to work with UT's School of Journalism as a consultant and as a director of the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund Center for Editing Excellence. He holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and a master's degree from the University of Texas at Austin.

Enrollment is limited to the first 20 students, so don't wait until the last minute to sign up! The class is free for community journalists at TPA members newspapers, but students must complete the entire course or the member newspaper will be assessed a $100 fee.

To sign up, fill out the registration form and fax to TPA at 512-477-6759. Email TPA Executive Director Mike Hodges, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , with questions.

By Laura King | TPA

Of all the expenses associated with newspaper layout/production, perhaps the costliest is time. You’re already spending 20 or 30 hours a week designing pages and building ads. Who has time to learn InDesign CS5.5?

So what if you just … stop? Outsource your layout and production. That’s one of several ideas speaker/trainer Russell Viers will present in his seminar, “Create More Free Time,” at the upcoming Texas Press Midwinter Conference & Trade Show.

“What I’m suggesting is, don’t even be in that business,” Viers said. “Be in the writing business. Be in the photography business. Be in the ad sales business. Be in the marketing business. Don’t be in the layout and production business. If you’re not able to make the investment in time and money to be really good at your game, you’re not going to be successful in the next 10 years in content gathering and serving your community.”

Sound harsh?