Jim and Bobby Ukrop, whose family started and operated a regional grocery until 2010 and who are outstanding servant leaders in their community, were named Virginia Press Association's 2016 Virginians of the Year. They were nominated by the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

In a nomination letter, Tom Silvestri, publisher of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, wrote: "Together, Jim and Bobby Ukrop represent the best in business leadership and community stewardship in Virginia. They built businesses and support entrepreneurs. They created outstanding community events and founded organizations that solved problems in innovative ways. They have always advocated a better Richmond, especially when it comes to education and healthy lifestyles. They're legends. They're teachers. They're what makes Richmond a great place to live, work and play."

They will be recognized during a dinner on Friday, April 8, 2016, at VPA/AP/SPJ Region2 Conference at the Hilton Richmond Hotel & Spa / Short Pump.

 

From: The Virginian-Pilot
By:  Patrick Wilson  

 

A state senator is sponsoring a bill that would significantly expand the number of state and local government employees whose pay could be kept secret from the public.

State law requires that salary information for government employees who earn more than $10,000 a year be made public. But the bill by Sen. Richard Stuart, R-Westmoreland County, would raise that to twice the federal minimum wage - about $30,000. The bill also says that any publicly available database of local or state government employee salaries would not include names of the employees.

Open government advocates said at a subcommittee hearing Tuesday that the bill would hinder transparency and make it difficult to discover nepotism and unfairness. Proponents said the bill was necessary to protect state employees from identity theft, although they acknowledged they knew of few examples of identity theft that could be tied to a public employee database.

A Senate General Laws and Technology subcommittee that heard the bill, chaired by Stuart, recommended it next be approved by the full committee.

Stuart said publication of government employees' salaries makes it easier for criminals to commit identity theft.

Note:  The Senate General Laws and Technology Committee will hear SB 202 and other FOIA bills on Monday, February 8 in the afternoon.  Please contact Ginger Stanley at [email protected] if you plan on attending this meeting in Richmond.  VPA is requesting as much support as possible to help with our lobbying efforts.

Read full story 

   

Click here to access VPA Public Notice and FOIA charts to view bills VPA is working on this General Assembly session. You can link to the full text, see our position and status of each bill.

As always, when you are with your hometown legislator, please ask for their support, or call, email, or text. When they hear from you, their constituent, they pay attention. And tell us about any response you receive by email to [email protected].

The Virginia Department of Corrections directed the Virginia Press
Association to operate the pool to select the newspaper reporters
allowed into the witness room during Virginia executions. 

The next scheduled Virginia execution is Ricky Gray on March 16, 2016.  Please respond by 2:00 P.M. Friday, February 19, 2016  if your newspaper is interested in participating in the witness selection pool.

 

The department policy will require the witnesses to brief other reporters before filing his or her own stories.  This would be done at the press center provided by the penitentiary.  In addition, the department states:"We would not allow cameras, microphones, sound or video recorders, notebooks, or drawing materials to be taken into the execution area.  The department would supply note pads and pencils to the reporters.  The media witnesses would be subject to the same security rules as other witnesses; they should have proper credentials and must leave all personal items such as purses and briefcases outside the institution."

 

At its July 10, 2009 meeting, the VPA Board of Directors agreed to a
new two-tier lottery system where VPA would draw names for two
execution witness seats.  Applications from papers in the coverage area where the crime occurred will be entered into a lottery for the first seat; and all other papers, including those not drawn for the first seat, will be entered into a lottery for the second seat. In this case, the crimes were committed in Richmond.

Contact Janet Madison at VPA by 2:00 p.m. Friday, February 19 if your newspaper wishes to have a reporter in the execution pool.

Richmond will no longer be the headquarters for television station operator Media General Inc. after its acquisition by Texas-based Nexstar Broadcasting Group Inc.

The two companies announced Wednesday that they have signed a definitive agreement for Nexstar to acquire Media General in a deal valued at $4.6 billion, including the assumption of debt.

The deadline to make your reservations for the 2016 Conference is about six week out.  

 

March 18, 2016 5:00 p.m. is the deadline to register for the annual conference, which culminates with the annual awards banquet.  The conference will be held at Hilton Richmond Hotel & Spa/Short Pump on April 8-9.

 

This year's conference is a joint conference with Associated Press and SPJ Region 2.  An add on workshop is being offered on Friday afternoon on Shooting and Editing Video 101 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at VCU Campus.  Cost for this session is $30 for VPA members or SPJ Region 2 members registered to attend the conference.  Space is limited to 16 participants.  More information on the conference and this workshop can be found here. 

 

Reserve your room directly with the hotel by calling 1-800-445-8667or (804) 364-3600. Be sure to request the VPA conference rate.

Virginian Of The Year Reception Sponsor:

Richmond Times-Dispatch

Program Sponsor
Homestead, Omni

Saturday Coffee House Sponsor:

Dominion

Conference Supporters:

Alpha Omega Wealth Management
American Electric Power/Appalachian Power
AMG Parade
Associated Press
Cribb, Greene & Cope, Media Brokerage/Appraisals/Consulting
The Daily Press
Group Underwriters
Levine Sullivan Koch & Schulz, LLP

Radford University

The Virginian-Pilot

The Virginia Public Access Project
Virginia Tech

VCU - Richard T. Robertson School of Media & Culture

Washington & Lee University
The Washington Post

The Virginia Press Association is accepting scholarship applications for the 2016 Community Journalism Workshop.
 

The annual CJW will be held this year June 16 and 17 at VPA Headquarters in Glen Allen.

VPA is offering six paid scholarships that include the cost of the workshop and one overnight at the Comfort Suites Innsbrook for Thursday, June 16.

The deadline to apply for these scholarships is April 15 and winners will be notified by May 20.  E-Mail Application to Kim Woodward contact her at (804) 521-7574 with any questions about the workshop.

Information on 2016 CJW

If you have any news about your newspaper, publication or business, send it to the Virginia Press Association and we'll share it with our members throughout the state. This news can include awards, projects, promotions, new hires or retirements. 

All you have to do is email Kim Woodward .