Texas Happenings 2007, No. 16
Week of August 6, 2007TEXAS HapPENINGS is a biweekly advisory to AP member editors on upcoming stories or projects of special interest and a source of news about other AP developments.
TEXAS AP STAFF COVERS THE STATE
From a story on the first dead zone off Texas’ coast in the Gulf of Mexico to a story about employers preparing to fire workers with questionable Social Security numbers, Texas AP staffers have been busy delivering a variety of news for members throughout the world.
Michael Graczyk traveled to East Texas to do a takeout on the upcoming trial in the notorious Kentucky Fried Chicken case, one of the state’s longest unsolved mass murder cases.
Graczyk also reported on the latest fallout from the state’s spring and summer flooding - a dead zone for the first time in the Gulf of Mexico’s coast off Texas.
Suzanne Gamboa in Washington and Anabelle Garay in Dallas broke the story that employers across the country were preparing to fire workers with questionable Social Security numbers to avoid being caught in a crackdown by the Bush administration on illegal immigrants.
Matt Curry reported on the reaction to a Christian ministry’s request to distribute Bibles with one day’s editions of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Jeff Carlton covered a murder-suicide in which a woman killed her husband and two children before taking her own life in Flower Mound.
Alicia Caldwell traveled to Laredo where she interviewed the brother of a Texas National Guard member accused of immigrant smuggling.
Jaime Aron and Stephen Hawkins kept tabs on the Dallas Cowboys at training camp in San Antonio while Kristie Rieken and Chris Duncan covered the Houston Texans in Houston.
Here’s a look at some of the stories coming up for this weekend for Texas members:
FOR NEWS
FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY:
RELIGION TODAY
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary offers coursework in Greek and Hebrew, in archaeology, in the philosophy of religion and - starting this fall - in how to cook and sew. Southwestern Baptist, one of the nation's largest Southern Baptist seminaries with its main campus in Fort Worth, Texas, is introducing a new academic program in homemaking as part of an effort to establish what its president calls biblical family and gender roles. It will offer a bachelor of arts in humanities degree with a 23-hour concentration in homemaking. The program is only open to women. Coursework will include seven hours of nutrition and meal preparation, seven hours of textile design and "clothing construction," three hours of general homemaking, three hours on "the value of a child," and three hours on the "biblical model for the home and family." By Rose French.
SATURDAY-SUNDAY:
OUT-FLOWBOARDING
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND - The team of boogie boarders at Schlitterbahn water park range in age from 10 to 19 and know that theirs is a really cool summer job. Five nights a week, for a half hour just past sunset, they are paid to perform loosely choreographed tricks on the park's Boogie Bahn, a fast-flowing wall of water meant to mimic the belly of an ocean wave. The audience cheers as they do headstands, flips, form pyramids and even hoola hoop atop boogie boards as water gushes at them at a rate of 60,000 gallons per minute. Beyond the paycheck comes an added bonus: access to the machine and pioneer status in flowboarding, one of the world's newest and fastest-growing sports. Worldwide, there are now about 70 Flowriders, with about 20 more under construction. By the end of the year, there will be 100. By Lynn Brezosky. Moving on news and sports wires. AP Photos.
AP MEMBER EXCHANGE: STOPPING THE PRESSES
SAN ANTONIO - A victim of technological progress, the aging two-story print shop with the clacking, ink-stained press machines gives off a nearly century-old smell of lubricant and lead. Although the Mexican brandy is gone and the haze of cigarettes has long since dissipated, it's not hard to imagine hearing the opinionated voice of Ruben Munguia, the printer, essayist and "King of the West Side" who for nearly 50 years ran the soon-to-be-shuttered shop, rising above the clatter. This fall, the firm's 13 employees will begin packing up the memories along with a piece of San Antonio's political, social and commercial life. Most of them learned their craft there decades ago and have known no other employer. But the Munguia Print Shop, which is to close after 73 years, is more an institution than a business. By Guillermo X. Garcia, San Antonio Express-News.
AP Photos.
MONDAY:
NO-KILL SHELTERS
SAN ANTONIO - In the old lobby of San Antonio's Animal Care Services, a cheerful-looking sign written in neon pink, blue and yellow delivers a somber message: In a week's time, the city-run shelter took in 1,004 dogs and cats and adopted out or rescued 76. It killed 925. The shelter wants to turn those numbers around. By 2012, San Antonio plans to become a "no-kill" facility, meaning it wouldn't kill any animal deemed healthy or treatable. By reducing the homeless pet population through spay-neuter programs and working with other shelters to find permanent homes for animals, the San Antonio shelter believes it has learned from those that have tried, but failed, to become no-kill. But the pitfalls are many, animal welfare advocates say, and some aren't at all convinced that the national trend toward becoming no-kill is always in the best interest of the animals that need help. By Elizabeth White.
AP Photos. Multimedia: An audio slideshow on San Antonio's Animal Care Service and their goal to become a no-kill shelter by 2012 is available in the _national/no_kill_shelter folder.
WAR DOG DANGERS
SAN ANTONIO - When he came to, the Marine's arm hung lamely. It was broken by ball bearings hurled so hard from a suicide bomb that they also became embedded in his gun. Yet Brendan Poelaert's thoughts quickly turned to his patrol dog. The powerful Belgian Malinois named Flapoor had served him as partner and protector for the past four months in Iraq. Now, the dog staggered a few steps along the Ramadi street, then stared blankly. Blood poured from his chest. "I didn't care about my injuries, my arm," his handler says. "I'm telling the medic, `I got to get my dog to the vet!'" About 2,000 of these working dogs confront danger beside American soldiers, largely in the Middle East. With noses that detect scents up to a third of a mile away, many sniff for explosives in Iraq. Their numbers have been growing about 20 percent a year since the terrorist attacks of 2001, says Air Force Capt. Jeffrey McKamey, who helps run the program. By Jeff Donn.
AP Photo NY325, NY326, NY327, NY328, NY329, NY330, NY331, NY332, NY333, NY334.
FOR SPORTS
FOOTBALL (NFL):
FBN--COWBOYS-JULIUS & MB3
SAN ANTONIO _ The Dallas Cowboys had quite a running duo last season: one a 1,000-yard rusher, the other a short-yardage specialist with 16 touchdowns. While Julius Jones and Marion Barber III both would like bigger roles, it doesn't look like the Cowboys will make any changes to a setup that worked so well last season _ even though Bill Parcells is gone and there's a new staff calling the plays. By Stephen Hawkins.
AP Photos.
FOOTBALL (COLLEGE):
FBC--TEXAS-CHANGING CHARLES
AUSTIN - Jamaal Charles' mission was simple: Get bigger and stronger because Texas needs him to carry a much larger load at tailback this season. There was also a third, quieter goal: get tougher. A speedster who dazzled as a freshman with slick moves and big plays during the 2005 national championship season, Charles seemed to take a step backward in '06. His yards and touchdowns tailed off and the Texas running game disappeared late in the season as the Longhorns fell to 10-3. So it was off to the weight room to add muscle and get an offseason push from the coaches that it was time to learn how to play through the pain of bumps of bruises. By Jim Vertuno.
AP Photo.
FANTASY FOOTBALL:
FBN--FANTASY FOOTBALL
UNDATED - Marvin Harrison is a flawless fantasy football receiver. He's averaging 1,400 yards and 12 touchdowns over the past eight years, he catches about 90 passes every season, and he's Peyton Manning's favorite target in the NFL's most explosive offense. Yet one statistic is giving some fantasy football players pause: age. The question for Harrison - and the many other elderly receivers near the top of most fantasy draft boards - is whether age matters at all. Are their best fantasy numbers behind them in their golden years? By John McFarland.
AP GRAPHIC FANTASY FOOTBALL LOGO.
With:
• BC-FBN--FANTASY FOOTBALL-MOVES
• BC-FBN--FANTASY FOOTBALL-LIST.
OUTDOORS:
OUT--FLOWBOARDING
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND - The team of boogie boarders at Schlitterbahn water park range in age from 10 to 19 and know that theirs is a really cool summer job. Five nights a week, for a half hour just past sunset, they are paid to perform tricks on the park's Boogie Bahn, a fast-flowing wall of water meant to mimic an ocean wave. The audience cheers as they do headstands, flips, form pyramids and even hula hoop atop boogie boards as water gushes at them at a rate of 60,000 gallons per minute. Beyond the paycheck comes an added bonus: access to the machine and pioneer status in flowboarding, one of the world's newest and fastest-growing sports. By Lynn Brezosky.
AP Photos
APME CONFERENCE TO FOCUS ON TRAINING, ONLINE CREDIBILITY
Know the latest skills your newsroom needs and how to get them? Are you sure how to keep on-line conversations civil? Do you understand what the Virginia Tech tragedy taught about covering breaking news online?
You will if you attend the 2007 Associated Press Managing Editors conference Oct. 3-6 in Washington D.C.
“We understand that every dollar spent for training must result in quantifiable returns for the newsroom,” says APME President Karen Magnuson. “That is why this conference, with the theme ‘Fast Forward to the Future’, was planned to arm editors with practical knowledge they can put to use right away.”
Editors will hear from experts on the future of the industry; how digital communities of readers are being built and the strategies some newspapers are using to prosper in print and online. In addition, Magnuson says, every editor will leave the conference with a notebook stuffed with 500 innovative ideas.
“So many original and bold concepts are emerging in our industry now that we feel it is APME’s responsibility to make them accessible to all editors,” Magnuson says.
The two and a half days of the conference will offer back-to-back sessions but there will be time in the evenings for networking and socializing. Stops at the Newseum and the National Press Club are scheduled as well as a reception featuring Washington authors and Virginia wine.
Although delays may back up the scheduled opening of the Newseum, Freedom Forum officials say they hope to be able to host the APME on a special one-day permit. Details of the visit will be posted on the APME site shortly.
Magnuson says the conference will be a very rich experience. “We are working hard to make sure editors enjoy themselves and, even more importantly, gain the knowledge they need to, well, ‘Fast Forward to the Future.’ ”
Go to www.apme.com for more details, including how to register for the conference and book a room at the conference hotel, the JW Marriott on Pennsylvania Avenue. Sign up now: the cut-off for APME’s tremendously discounted room rate is Sept. 12.
SUPER-CHARGED BOXES COMING FOR NFL SEASON
A box score is a great way to give readers a tremendous amount of information about a game without taking up too much space in the newspaper. And the newspaper is really the best place to examine a box score.
But as space becomes more and more valuable, continuing this tradition gets harder and harder. As the NFL season approaches, the AP has solutions to this crunch, both for the entire league or for at the very least the Cowboys and/or Texans.
The solution is a super-charged box score that will help you provide the sophisticated, complete football coverage your readers expect from you. Both the full league expanded boxes and the one-team option are affordable and address tightening space.
It’s a simple way to show that you mean business when it comes to the NFL, the most popular professional sport in the United States.
A further offering for your statistics-minded readers is weekly individual statistics for players on each team. This includes stats in 12 categories, including passing, rushing, receiving, returns, interceptions, sacks and kicking. These move on Monday and again on Tuesday with the Monday Night Football results.
If you’re interested or would like to know more, please contact Dale Leach or Barry Bedlan in the Dallas bureau at 800-442-7189. The exhibition season is here.
AP SURVEYS FOR ADVERTISING MANAGERS
The Associated Press is asking newspaper advertising managers for their opinions on editorial content online issues.
In response to concerns from newspaper ad managers who say they would like more editorial online content to allow them to sell more ad space in key verticals such as health, fitness, auto and homes, the AP is conducting two online surveys.
If you have not filled out the survey sent to advertising managers on July 27, please take time to fill them out now. One is for print and online ad professionals and the other is for those working at a newspaper group level. It should take you 10 to 15 minutes.
Individual newspaper ad manager survey: http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB2262U45DMZ4
Newspaper group ad manager survey: http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB226EUFXQBTV
If you have questions, please contact Colleen Newvine at cnewvine@ap.org or Brenna Sniderman at bsniderman@ap.org.
FOOTBALL PACKAGES ON THE WAY
Our football writers are busy at work on preseason college and high school packages. Watch for them to hit the wire on Thursday, Aug. 16.
We’ll move digests ahead of each package. You can expect separates and glances on all Big 12 teams and the other six Division I-A teams in Texas. There will be photos as well. The stories will be for use at will.
The AP preseason college football poll will move on Saturday, Aug. 18. The first weekly poll will be released Tuesday, Sept. 4.
The preseason high school poll will move Sunday, Aug. 26 with the first weekly poll will move Monday, Sept. 3.
SPECIAL EDITIONS
The special edition package on home and garden-winter moved Aug. 7. The special edition on cars will move Sept. 11.
APPLAUSE PLEASE
THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS won a 2007 Associated Press Managing Editors Award for International Perspective for its story using a local woman to explore the problem of sexual exploitation of illegal immigrant children. The award was for the over 150,000 circulation category.
The award will be presented during the APME annual conference Oct. 3-6 in Washington, D.C.
The Morning News also was given a First Amendment citation for its effort to get the Texas Legislature to stop the practice of passing laws without a recorded vote.
THE GALVESTON COUNTY DAILY NEWS was named a finalist in the APME Public Service category for papers with less than 40,000 circulation for its stories finding that five years into Texas' deregulation of its electricity market, the experiment in free-market economics hasn't lived up to its promises.
ON THE MOVE
As part of the Waco Tribune-Herald’s reorganization to better position itself for a 24-hour newsroom, BILL WHITAKER has been named assistant managing editor-print; KIM GORUM has been named A-1 editor; PAULA BLESENER has been named content editor and ROBERT BOGGS has been named presentation editor.
INDUSTRY NEWS
The AP Industry News summary is now available on the new AP Exchange system, a free system offering you Web-based access to the AP report. On AP Exchange, media industry news items will be available immediately, rather than transmitted once a week. For more on AP Exchange you can visit www.ap.org/apexchange.
If you do not have AP Exchange access yet, please contact AP Texas Chief of Bureau Dale Leach.
An AP Exchange account will permit you to access and search industry news, along with all your AP text, photo and graphics services. Until an AP Exchange account is created for you, we can add you to an e-mail list for distribution of media industry news items as soon as they arrive. If you would like to be added to the distribution list, please send your request by e-mail to talkback@ap.org.
If you’ve got news to share for TEXAS HapPENINGS, please send the material to Linda Franklin at lfranklin@ap.org.
PREVIOUS ISSUES:
• April 16, 2007
• April 30, 2007
• May 14, 2007
• May 28, 2007
• June 11, 2007
• June 25, 2007
• July 13, 2007
• July 27, 2007
