It’s VPA Conference Time! Virginia’s E-Press for April 18

It's VPA Conference Time!
The festivities are about to begin in Roanoke... our special one-day workshop, "Community Newspapers: Tomorrow Has Arrived," arrives tomorrow, April 19, with the conference itself starting on Friday. We'll honor Doris Buffett of Fredericksburg as our VPA Virginian of the Year on Friday evening, present a galaxy of VPA ad and news stars with awards on Saturday night, and there'll be powerhouse presentations by speakers like Lucy Morgan, Jim Brady, Tony Casale and Jan Hargrave. Plus, there'll be a SUPER after-banquet party to keep the celebration going into the wee hours! We look forward to seeing you in Roanoke -- and watch for conference news in next week's E-Press.
Registration Form: http://www.vpa.net/images/pdf/2012conferenceregistration.pdf
Preliminary Schedule: http://www.vpa.net/images/pdf/2012schedule.pdf

ASSOCIATION NEWS
Reilly is finalist for Pulitzer Prize in feature writing
On April 16, Corinne Reilly of The Virginian-Pilot was named as a finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing, "for her inspiring stories that bring the reader side-by-side with the medical professionals seeking to save the lives of gravely injured American soldiers at a combat hospital in Afghanistan."

Virginians receive Sigma Delta Chi awards
Three Virginians, including two from VPA member newspapers, were among the winners of the 2011 Sigma Delta Chi Awards, the Society of Professional Journalists' primary awards for professional journalists.

Corinne Reilly from The Virginian-Pilot won in the feature reporting category (Daily Circulation 100,001+) for "A Chance in Hell," and Dan Casey of The Roanoke Times won for general column writing (Daily Circulation 1-100,000/Non-Daily Publication). Also, Sandy Hausman of WVTF and RadioIQ won in Documentaries (101+ Market) for "Fear of Fracking."

Judges chose the winners from more than 1,700 entries in categories covering print, radio, television and online. The awards recognize outstanding work published or broadcast in 2011.

Dating back to 1932, the awards originally honored six individuals for contributions to journalism. The current program began in 1939, when the Society granted the first Distinguished Service Awards. The honors later became the Sigma Delta Chi Awards.

SPRING TRAINING SPOTLIGHT

Note that our May 10 workshop and the Community Journalism Workshop both have registration deadlines; for these workshops to go forward, we MUST have adequate registration for each by its stated deadline. Thinking about attending? Don't delay, register today!

MAY 10: Learn How to Put Data Online Without Programming
This workshop, led by Jeff South, Chris Young and Abdellatif Boudaouch, will show participants how to put data online -- so readers can easily view and search lists of information, such as campaign donations, crime statistics, school test scores and census demographics -- with mostly free tools that don't require programming or computer-server resources.

NOTE: Please register by May 1.

Read more at http://www.vpa.net/index.php/education/article/23703/
Registration Form: http://www.vpa.net/images/pdf/51012DataOnline.pdf

JUNE 21-22 Community Journalism Workshop
The Community Journalism Workshop (CJW) is an intensive two-day program aimed at beginning journalists and those who want to refresh their skills. Interns and copy editors also benefit from the workshop. The emphasis is on the fundamentals of reporting and writing, with special attention to ethics. Participants also receive a take-home "tool box" of resources to use in their daily reporting.

CJW alumnus Mike Jones, Washington Redskins beat writer for The Washington Post, will be this year's keynote speaker.

NOTE: Please register by June 1.

Read more at http://www.vpa.net/index.php/education/article/23202/
Registration Form: http://www.vpa.net/images/pdf/2012CJWregis.pdf

For more information about these and other training opportunities, please visit our Training page at http://www.vpa.net, or contact Kim Woodward at 804-521-7574.

LEGISLATIVE/PUBLIC NOTICE UPDATES
For an overview of VPA's 2012 legislative efforts and their results, please see our online legislative charts for access and public notice bills. For additional information about the General Assembly, visit the Legislative Information System at http://lis.virginia.gov or the General Assembly website at http://legis.state.va.us.

Visit the Public Notice Resources page for VPA members on http://www.vpa.net to access online and print ads, our general information page, and more!

Executive Management Retreat registration information is here!
July 13-14
The Cavalier
Virginia Beach
Click here: http://www.vpa.net/images/pdf/EMRagenda12.pdf

SPJ scholarship applications due May 1
Applications are now being accepted for two scholarships of $1,500 each, available to rising juniors or seniors attending a Virginia college or university. The Virginia SPJ,SDX Educational Foundation awards the scholarships annually, with support from Society of Professional Journalists, Virginia Pro Chapter. Applications must be postmarked on or before May 1, 2012. Details are available at http://virginiaspj.wordpress.com/2012/03/30/2012scholarships/.

Job hunting? Start with VPA Classifieds!
If you're job hunting, VPA's online classifieds at http://www.vpa.net/index.php/classifieds/ are a great place to start. Listings are added each week; check back often to see the latest opportunities. And if you have a position to fill, remember that VPA members can post classifieds for free.

Know a student who's just starting out? VPA also lists daily (http://www.vpa.net/index.php/services/article/daily_internships/) and non-daily (http://www.vpa.net/index.php/services/article/non_daily_internships/).

Ad networks pay off: join one or both today!
The Statewide Classified Ad (SCAN) and 2x2 Networks recently welcomed the following new members:
SCAN: The Lebanon News, Martinsville Bulletin, The Richmond Voice
2x2: The Lebanon News, Page News & Courier, The Richmond Voice, Shenandoah Valley-Herald, The Smithfield Times, The Valley Banner
By joining the networks, they are eligible for the network reward programs. Are YOU? If you are not participating in the network reward programs and would like to begin, or if you are only participating in one of the networks and would like to participate in both, please contact Adriane Long, Statewide Classified/2x2 Coordinator, at 804-521-7585 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Expert Advice: Ask the Columnists
Newspaper Technology: Kevin Slimp
Common Sense Journalism: Doug Fisher
Writing Matters: Jim Stasiowski
Design for Readers: Ed Henninger
Ad-libs: John Foust
Visit http://www.vpa.net/index.php/education/article/expert_advice_ask_the_columnists1/ for contact information!