Bustling Cle Elum, located on I-90 on the eastern flank of the Cascade Mountains, is the home of the Northern Kittitas County Tri-bune, a broadsheet weekly with a circulation of 3,200. Eight full-time and two part time employees round out the staff.

Co-publishers Jana Stoner and Terry Ham-burg now lead the business, which the Stoner family purchased in 1999. There’s a history of Cle Elum newspapers that stretches back to the early 1900s. They include the Cle Elum Echo and the Miner Echo.

Jana’s parents started in the newspaper business in Twisp where they owned the Methow Valley News. Following that, they owned a group of weeklies in South Dakota

for almost 23 years. Jana says she remembers helping put away movable type in drawers as a youngster. When the family sold the South Dakota newspapers, Jana said everyone took a year off from the business, but ultimately were drawn to Eastern Washington when they learned the Tribune in Cle Elum was avail-able.

“I said I would stay five years,” Jana said, sitting in an office surrounded by bound vol-umes of Cle Elum’s early newspapers. Despite her promise of a short term engagement, it wasn’t long before she was shouldering much of the responsibility of the running the opera-tion.

TWN THEWASHINGTONNEWSPAPER

June 2016

Journal of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association

Friday Harbor editor profiledPage 6

MEMBER PROFILE

Jana Stoner of the Northern Kittitas County Tribune holds up a recent issue in the newspaper office in Cle Elum. The town’s location on I-90 just an hour outside Seattle makes it an easy mountain escape for city dwellers.

See TRIBUNE, Page 2

Tribune carries on Cle Elum tradition

Nominate the Dixie Lee Bradley in your office

Dixie Lee Bradley tire-lessly served the Washington Newspaper Publishers As-sociation and its members for 45 years. She kept the office on track, provided continuity and bridged gaps between the experienced staff and new-bies. Do you have someone like that on your staff who de-serves recognition? A behind the scenes person who keeps things running?

If so, consider nominating that person for WNPA’s Dixie Lee Bradley award.

This award, which was conceived in 1996, symbol-izes Bradley’s devotion and passion for community newspapers. It recognizes newspaper staff members who work long and hard, often behind the scenes, to see that the best possible community newspaper is produced and distributed each week.

Publishers nominate one staff member per newspaper. The selection criteria includes a demonstrated record over a considerable time period of consistent quality work in any facet of the community newspaper industry including production, circulation, or

front office support. Profes-sional positions, such as photographer and advertising sales, are not included due to ample opportunities for these professionals to be recog-nized through WNPA’s annual Better Newspaper Contest.

There is no entry fee at the time of nomination. However, should its nominee win, the sponsoring newspaper must agree to pay the winning employee a $250 bonus which will be matched by WNPA for a total cash prize of $500 for the winner. The winner also receives an engraved clock.

This awsard is a great way to shine a light on an employ-ee who has worked long and hard without a lot of recogni-tion. Look around your office and decide who fits the bill.

To enter, send WNPA a short essay describing why your nominee should win. Be sure to include your contact information and send entries to C.J. Burk at cj@wnpa.com or mail to Washington News-paper Publishers Association, 1204 Fourth Ave. East, Suite 4, Olympia WA 98506. Dead-line for submission is July 1, 2016.

Award provides recognition for a behind the scenes employee

2 The Washington Newspaper June 2016

Officers: Don Nelson, President; Sandy Stokes, First Vice President; Michael Wagar, Second Vice President; Keven Graves, Past President.

Trustees: Sara Bruestle, Eric LaFontaine, Donna Etchey, Scott Hunter, Michael Wagar, LuAnn Morgan and Jill FitzSimmons.

Staff: Fred Obee, Executive Director; C.J. Burk, Assistant Director.

THE WASHINGTON NEWSPAPER is the offical publi-cation of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association. It is published monthly by WNPA, 1204 Fourth Ave. East, Suite 4, Olympia, WA 98506.

Fred Obee: Executive Director: 360-515-5239. Email:

fredobee@wnpa.comCJ Burk: Accounting and Advertising 360-515-0974.

Email: cj@wnpa.com. Fax: 360-515-5546

The Washington Newspaper Publishers AssociationEstablished 1887

By Don NelsonLast week I joined the WNPA

staff, Executive Director Fred Obee and Assistant Director C.J. Burk, in Wenatchee to tour the Red Lion Hotel, where the WNPA convention will be staged in October. Though I was chairman of last year’s convention committee, it was good to be reminded of how many details, large and small, must be dealt with to pull off a three-day meeting with upwards of 150 attendees.

Among the things to consider: Meeting rooms and equipment (do we need a screen, a podium, tables, wi-fi?). Meals (buffet or plated? Dietary options?). Arrangements for our sponsors (where can we put their display tables for maximum exposure?). Guest rooms to be reserved (how many each night?). Refreshments for breaks (cookies? fresh fruit?).

Much of the minutia will be handled by Fred and C.J., who asked detailed questions and took voluminous notes as we trailed the hotel’s meetings

manager around. I’m grateful for their hard work and commitment to putting on a great meeting.

I like the venue. It’s easy to find in Wenatchee, and there is plenty of free parking on the site. There are stores, coffee shops and other restaurants within easy walking distance. The hills surrounding Wenatchee are scenic, and fall in north central Washington is worth seeing. The meeting rooms are comfortable, and the main dining room has wall-to-ceiling windows on two sides, so there is lots of natural light as opposed to the institutional gloom of a totally enclosed room. There is a pool and an exercise room. Oh, and there’s a bar off the lobby, in case that appeals to anyone. Check it out at www.redlion.com/wenatchee.

We also visited a couple of possible sites for the Thursday night reception, including a beautiful winery a couple of miles away, and the Pybus Market a little closer to the hotel. C.J. is checking other options as well.

Meanwhile, convention chair Sandy Stokes has all but wrapped up the roster of speakers. I’m excited about the quality and variety of talent and

experience we’ll have on hand. We’re four months out from the convention, which isn’t much time when you think about it. October will be here before we know it.

I’m a big fan of conventions, in large part because I get to spend serious shop-talk time with colleagues in the business. I find a lot of value in sharing our problems and solutions. The sessions are both educational and inspirational, reminding us of what we do, why we do it and how to do it better. The Better Newspaper Contest awards are an amazing showcase for the cumulative body of extraordinary journalism our members produce each year.

So when I say I hope to see you at the convention, it’s not just marketing (I’m not all that good at marketing anyway). I really do hope to see as many of you as possible. There’s something powerfully affirming about being in rooms full of people who share your passion for community journalism, your professional values and your aspirations to keep improving.

Don Nelson is the Publisher of the Methow Valley News and this year’s WNPA President.

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Nelson

Hoping to see you in October

Tribune: ‘We’re lucky’

The Washington Coalition for Open Government will honor former San Juan County Building Official John Geniuch with a Key Award at the WCOG regular board meeting this month.

The Key Award is given on an ongoing basis to any person or organization that has done some-thing notable for the cause of open government within the past 12 months.

As the chief building official in San Juan County, Geniuch discovered the county was using building permit fees for services other than those required to process the permit, an apparent viola-tion of state law. He brought the violation to the attention of County officials but his protestations were ignored. In February, Geniuch discovered that over the past three years, the county had

misallocated close to $1.2 million. After complaining about the misallocation of funds, he was placed on administrative leave and filed public information requests for information on the disciplinary action taken against him. He has since brought suit against San Juan County for unlawful termination and violations of the state’s Public Records Act. The PRA portion of the case has settled and the wrongful termination case is pending.

“Geniuch took a principled stand against government corruption and lost his career with the county as a result,” WCOG said in a prepared statement. “We would like to honor his sacrifice and his dedication to transparency and open government.”

Today, Cle Elum’s econo-my is picking up. A number of new housing developments are rising, and Jana says that many Seattle residents, lured by the convenient access of I-90, have second homes in the hills around Cle Elum. Downtown Seattle is just over an hour away.

Nearby Roslyn, known as a pleasantly funky small town with an artsy edge, also is seeing its share of growth.

Restaurants, a glass blowing facility and a grocery store are recent additions.

In addition to the paper, the Tribune sells office supplies and has a thriving graphics business under the same roof.

When so many small towns are struggling, the Cle Elum area is seeing good growth and an improving economy, and Jana and Terry say they are glad to be there.

“I tell people we are lucky here,” Jana says.

Fired building official recognized

Casey Clark is a graphic artist at the Tribune in Cle Elum.

Continued from Page 1

The Washington Newspaper June 2016 3

PYBUS MARKET, WENATCHEE

The public may have a right to know what its government is doing, about the meetings it conducts and the records it keeps. But do we in that public domain know how to access all that information?

A mere teenager, the Washington Coalition for Open Government, formed in 2002, has focused its resources in recent months preparing and posting a series of information videos and textual perspectives on just how government functions and its responsi-bilities to the public to share information in an open, easily accessible process.

For example, how does an individual seek a re-cord from City Hall? First and simplest process is to ask. But government has not made it any easier for records’ requesters. Many agencies now “require” a form-encrusted request process. It needs patience to wander the bureaucratic maze.

So WCOG has posted a video, talking to you, the public, about how to make records’ requests. On that same web page following the video are detailed text segments to guide you through the process. And if your questions remain unanswered, there’s a com-ment section at the bottom of each page.

Other video information segments deal with how to resolve agency refusals to deliver requested records; how the public holds accountable public agencies, such as city councils and county com-missions, to maintain open, accessible meetings; how courts conduct hearings in public with ac-cess to court records; and the responsibility of the state Public Disclosure Commission (the only state agency created by the peoples’ vote) to maintain ac-cessible records related to campaigns and lobbying activities.

Other video segments are being created to con-front and deal with government transparency issues, such as the responsibility of “quasi” government agencies—non-profit organizations earning pub-lic funds, and associations of public officials—to respond to public inquiry.

The Coalition is committed to assisting the public in its Right-To-Know, but it can’t do it without the public’s interest. View and read about access issues that affect you. Connect to the Washington Coalition for Open Gov-ernment website, washingtoncog.org.

The public market in Wenatchee is one potential site for the WNPA annual convention’s opening night reception. The riverside, former industrial building has been converted to house restaurants, produce sellers and other merchants.

Have a legal question? WNPA is

ready to helpIf you have a question about access to public meetings or records, the WNPA staff can help.

Call 360-515-5239

For questions beyond government access -- if an attorney has served you with a demand letter, or if you need emergency review of a story, letter or ad -- call or email our WNPA attorney, Michele Earl Hubbard.

(206) 801-7510 or email michele@alliedlawgroupcom

MicheleEarl Hubbard

Videos explain public records access

4 The Washington Newspaper June 2016

Selling statewide or regional 2x2 or 2x4 black and white ads is a big part of what helps fund your Washington Newspaper Publishers Association and it’s a great option for advertisers seeking broader reach for their messages.

Here’s how it works:• You sell the ad and send an

insertion order to WNPA.• Your paper keeps half the

revenue and the advertising sales person gets their regular commission.

• WNPA receives 50 percent of the sale and uses that money to provide your legal hotline, professional services, Legisla-tive Day, the Better Newspaper Contest and annual convention.

• All member newspapers are required to publish the ads sold by other newspapers without cost.

Potential customers include festivals, fairs, resorts, real estate offices, state agencies, statewide or regional political candi-dates – anyone who desires a cost effective regional or statewide campaign.

Because member newspapers publish these ads for free, the ads are necessarily small – just 2 columns wide by either two or four inches tall.

A great way to pay for these ads is to work with non-profit organizations in your area. They can apply to your local city and county governments for hotel-motel tax fund grants to pay for these ads. A Chamber of Commerce, for example, can ask your county government for funds to help attract tour-ists to your area. These can be general ads detailing the benefits of visiting your area, or ads for a specific fair or festival. Anything that brings people to your area can qualify.

It’s not too early to talk with local chamber or festival orga-nizers now about the possibili-ties. Generally, they make their proposals at the end of summer to local governments. Actual schedules and procedures may differ in your area, so check with city or county officials about specific timelines and the process for applying for hotel motel tax funds.

Any proposal that puts more “heads in beds” is likely to win approval.

The WNPA 2x2 ad program is important arrow in your sales quiver and a great way for advertisers in your area to reach a broader audience. Questions? Call C.J. Burk at WNPA, 360-515-0974, or email cj@wnpa.com.

Tourism promotion good fit for WNPA ads Your local governments have cash to hand out

The map above shows the regions advertisers can buy in WNPA’s 2x2 ad program. Orange is the Eastern Region, Green is the Metro Region and blue is the Coastal Region. The newspaper that sells one of these ads keeps half the revenue with the balance going to WNPA. Other member papers agree to run the ads at no cost. Rates and sizes are outlined in the graphic below.

Overtime ruling raises threshold to $47,476

A new rule govern-ing overtime pay for employees could create disruption at small newspapers, National Newspaper Asso-ciation President Chip Hutcheson, publisher of The Times-Leader in Princeton, KY, said today.

He expressed disap-pointment that the U.S. Department of Labor had rejected calls by many small businesses to introduce a more modified and gradual-ly-rising threshold that sets overtime-eligible employees apart from professional staff.

The new rule, which will go into effect Dec. 1, sets the threshold for overtime eligibil-ity at $913 a week or $47,476 a year.Employees earning an annual wage under the threshold will be required to report their time on a weekly basis and employers will be required to pay time-and-a-half for hours over 40 each week.

The final rule did not change the so-called “duties test,” which spells out what sort of work employees must do to qualify as overtime-exempt.

NNA agreed it was past time to adjust the salary levels but wanted more graduated adjustments that recog-nize the big differences between costs of living and earnings potential in small towns and major cities.

5 The Washington Newspaper June 2016

New squad for hire to critique newspapersBy Sara Bruestle

The BeaconA “groovy” squad of journal-

ists is now available for hire to examine the quality of Washing-ton’s community newspapers.

The Hit Squad, inspired by the hippie TV show “The Mod Squad,” is comprised of three Washington Newspaper Publish-ers Association trustees who together offer more than 50 years of journalism experience and fresh sets of eyes to member and non-member newspapers looking to improve.

Eric LaFontaine, Sara Bruestle and Michael Wagar, who serve on the WNPA’s Editorial & Journal-ism Education Committee, have teamed up to offer their construc-tive criticism of a newspaper’s print and web products, as well as its social media presence.

“The Hit Squad will burst into your journalism efforts and offer solid, reasonable and groovy

suggestions for upgrades,” said Wagar, who is the squad leader.

“We’ll take a deep look at your news-paper, your website and social me-dia practices and give you a thoughtful examination of everything from use of photos, writing and reporting skills and digital advertising, to the best cyberspace practices.”

“The Mod Squad,” which ran from 1968-1973, followed the lives of three hip undercover cops – Peter “Pete” Cochran, Julie Barnes and Lincoln “Linc” Hayes – who fight crime in Southern California.

Instead of fighting crime, the WNPA squad will examine newspapers and websites on the

whole, looking at the overall quality of coverage, connection to the community, writing, editing, headlines, photography, layout, design, typography, advertising and more. If members “dig it,” or if they don’t, they’ll let staff know why and offer solutions.

The squad’s mission is to provide staffers with in-depth feedback – in written and verbal reports – to help them “keep the faith” and make improvements to the overall journalistic quality of their work, in print and online.

MEET THE HIT SQUADEric LaFontaine (aka Pete)

is the publisher of the Sun Tri-bune. He has worked in jour-nalism for 14 years, including 10 years as a publisher.

In addition to a strong editorial and photography background, LaFontaine has been at the tip of the spear of the newspaper digital revolution.

Sara Bruestle (aka Julie) is the editor of the Mukilteo Beacon and chair of the WN-PA’s Membership & Bylaws Committee. She has been a journalist for 11 years, includ-ing six at The Beacon.

Bruestle, who has been a copy editor as long as she has been a reporter, has a sharp eye for great photography, lay-out and design. She has won eight WNPA awards.

Michael Wagar (aka Linc) is the publisher of the Nisqually Valley News, regional executive

editor for Lafromboise Com-munications Inc., and chair of the WNPA’s Editorial & Journalism Education Committee. He has won several Blethen awards as a reporter and an editor.

After first reporting for 10 years, Wagar has been lead-ing newsrooms for the past two decades, and has jump-started sev-eral weekly and daily papers.

Want to hire The Hit Squad? The cost is $50 for WNPA members; $100 for non-members. All proceeds go toward WNPA operations.

Mail three copies of one com-plete issue of a specified date to: Washington Newspaper Publish-ers Association, 1204 Fourth Ave. East, Suite 4, Olympia WA 98506.

Provide a newspaper website (url link) and any login and pass-word, if required.

Call WNPA Executive Direc-tor Fred Obee at 360-515-5239 for more information.

Bruestle Wagar La Fontaine

6 The Washington Newspaper June 2016

The following jobs are excerpted from the WNPA website. For complete listings and more jobs, go online to wnpa.com.

GENERAL ASSIGNMENT REPORTER WANTED

The Shelton-Mason County Journal in Shelton, Wash., has an opening for a full-time general assignment reporter. We are a family-owned weekly newspaper located at the foot of the picturesque Olympic Moun-tains on Puget Sound.

The ideal candidate will possess strong writing and photography skills, and feel comfortable covering a variety of beats, includ-ing schools, government and community news. We value clarity, accuracy, creative thinking, enterprise and story telling. Work-ing knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite is a plus.

You’ll join a hard-working, award-winning news staff that was named the best weekly newspaper

in the state for 2015. You’ll be among the best reporters, photographers and design-ers in the state, and will be responsible for covering all aspects of Mason County. One moment you might be covering a city commission meeting; the next minute you might be taking photos at a school play.

But what good is work if there’s nothing to do for fun? Luckily, we’re located just minutes away from hik-ing, biking, fishing, boating and other recreational op-portunities. We’re less than a half hour away from the state capital. We’re about 90 minutes from the Pacific Ocean and a ferry ride away from downtown Seattle.

The Journal is the news-paper of record for Mason County’s 60,000 residents. We have a rich history — we’re older than the state of Washington.

We offer a competitive salary with opportunities for advancement and training, paid time off, and a health

club membership. North-west candidates encouraged.

Email non-generic cover letter, resume, four clips, and three professional references to Editor Adam Rudnick at adam@mason-county.com.

SPORTSREPORTER WANTED

The Peninsula Daily News in Port Angeles, Wash., a six-day morning newspaper and 24/7 online news operation serving the beautiful two-county North Olympic Penin-sula, seeks a web-savvy Sports Editor with excel-lent writing, editing and pagination skills.

This full-time position includes medical, dental, vision and life insurance, paid vacation and sick leave, and a 401k plan with company match. To apply, please send your resume and at least three relevant work samples to careers@soundpublish-ing.com. EOE.

We are a member of Sound Publishing Inc., the largest community media organization in Washington State. Learn more about us at www.soundpublishing.com.

GENERAL ASSIGNMENT REPORTER WANTED

The Okanogan Valley Gazette Tribune, a divi-sion of Sound Publishing Inc. is seeking a general assignment reporter with writing experience and photography skills. This position is based out of the Oroville, WA office.

Primary coverage will be city government, busi-ness, and general assign-ment stories, and could include sports coverage. Schedule may include some evening and/or weekend work.

As a reporter for Sound Publishing, you will be expected to: Use a digital camera to take photo-graphs of the stories you cover; post on the publica-tion’s web site; blog and use Twitter on the web; layout pages using InDe-sign; shoot and edit videos for the web.

The most highly valued traits are: commitment to

community journalism and everything from short, brief-type stories about people and events to ex-amining issues facing the community; being inquisi-tive and resourceful in the coverage of assigned beats; comfortable pro-ducing five bylined stories a week; the ability to write stories that are tight and to the point; to be a motivat-ed self-starter; to be able to establish a rapport with the community.

We offer a competitive hourly wage and benefits package including health insurance, paid time off (vacation, sick, and holidays), and 401K (cur-rently with an employer match.)

Email us your cover letter, resume, and include five examples of your best work showcasing your reporting skills and writ-ing chops to: careers@soundpublishing. Please include: ATTN: HR/OVGT in the subject line.

Sound Publishing is an Equal Opportunity Em-ployer (EOE) and strongly supports diversity in the workplace. Check out our website to find out more about us! www.soundpub-

lishing.com.

REPORTER WANTEDWe are seeking an ener-

getic, detailed-oriented re-porter to write articles and features for our Central Kitsap County (Bremer-ton/Silverdale) readers.

Applicants must be able to work in a team-oriented, deadline-driven environment, possess excellent writing skills, have a knowledge of com-munity news and be able to write about multiple topics.

Experience in photog-raphy and Adobe InDesign a plus. This is a full-time, 40 hours per week, posi-tion that includes excellent benefits: medical, dental, life insurance, 401k with company match, paid va-cation, sick and holidays.

Send resume with cover letter, three or more non-returnable clips in PDF or Text format and references to careers@soundpublishing.com. EOE. Sound Publishing is the largest commu-nity news organization in Western Washington State. Learn more about about us at www.soundpublishing.com

WNPA JOB BOARD

If you are not audited by CVC you’re missing out

on additional data that can increase revenue in

2016. View the new expanded 30 question survey

template at research.net/r/cvc2016. For a CVC

information package & discounted WNPA

price quote call (800) 262-6392, or

email tbingaman@cvcaudit.com.

SEMULOVSKAEPSATADRUO

“What were you thinking?”

Frits essay featured on HistoryLink siteWriter Lynn Weber-Roochvarg recently finished a comprehensive essay on the life and times of Virgil Frits, the Edi-tor and Publisher of the Friday Harbor Journal from 1907 to 1958.Frits, was born in 1882 and died in 1971 and many residents of Friday Harbor, have vivid memories of the Frits years.Frits begin his tenure at the Journal at the age of 24, He also served as town clerk from 1911 to 1957.To learn more and to read the entire essay, go to historylink.org and search on Frits. The photo of Frits at left origi-nally appeared in the TWN in 1958.