Dec. 24-25: NCPA offices closed for Christmas

Jan. 1, 2010: NCPA offices closed fo New Year's Day

March 14-20, 2010: Sunshine Week

March 18, 2010: NCPA Winter Institute at the Dean Dome, Chapel Hill

April 29, 2010: Newspaper Academy at UNC-Chapel Hill

How do you want your results delivered?
We’re in that time of year when, in addition to holiday presents and office parties, the biggest issue on the minds of newsrooms in North Carolina is… when do we get the NCPA contest results? While some of the bribery offers to entice us to reveal results early might be tempting, sorry folks, we can’t do that. Besides, we are still receiving and entering the judges’ rankings. However, we can offer you a choice this year on how you’d prefer to receive your results! Each year we put the results in the hands of our friendly postal handler to deliver. This year, if you’d like to get your results by e-mail instead, send an e-mail to Holly Johnson (holly@ncpress.com) by Dec. 11. Only the top newsroom editor or publisher of your newspaper may make the request and receive the e-mailed results. Those who do not request e-mail delivery will receive their results via the post office.

Meanwhile, we’re still missing some front pages
The good news is that we are down to 56 newspapers needing to send us a PDF or JPG copy of a front page from this year. The bad news is we’re putting the request in the e-press once again. The list of missing pages is available for downloading by clicking here. Please check the list to see if we need your front. If so, please e-mail us (john@ncpress.com) as soon as possible. We will be using these fronts in the 2010 N.C. Newspaper Directory, so don’t get left out!

Still available for use in your paper
NCPF’s NIE program has a serial story available, Molly of Beaufort-town, for publication in North Carolina newspapers. The story, by Lynn Allred, focuses on the life of an adventurous young girl growing up in Beaufort in the late 1700s. While directed toward students using the Newspapers in Education program, papers using the serial story are finding Molly appeals to readers of all ages. If you are interested in running the series, or just want to find out more about it, click here.

• H. Lee Silberman, 90, of Clayton, a former banking editor of The Wall Street Journal and columnist for The Clayton Star-News, died Nov. 3.
• William "Bill" Hess, a former editor and reporter at The Daily Herald of Roanoke Rapids, has been inducted into the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame

• School board considers charging fee for time in public records requests
• Court orders tourism board to tape record its closed sessions

• Rick Edmonds' testimony to the FTC examines three trends for newspapers in 2010
  • At FTC hearings, Rupert Murdoch accuses Google, others of news 'theft'
  • ASNE President Kaiser speaks on accountability journalism before FTC
  • NAA's vice chairman outlines steps to a healthier newspaper industry
  • Google reportedly to let news publishers limit free website access
• Major journalism groups demand FDA end its newsgathering constraints
• Gannett to institute furloughs in first quarter of 2010
• CEO of Dow Jones warns: Beware of geeks bearing gifts
• AOL to produce news, videos by the numbers

• JIM PUMARLO: Prepare now for the 2010 elections
• ROY PETER CLARK: What the best writing teachers do, how students can learn from them
• STEVE OUTING: Some (unasked-for) advice for smaller, non-metro newspapers