Ellen Kreth News Today

The Daily Citizen has won 23 awards in the annual Arkansas Press Association Better Newspaper Editorial contest, including first place in General Excellence for smaller dailies.

The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette won the award for general excellence among the states larger daily newspapers at the Arkansas Press Associations annual convention in Little Rock Saturday. The newspaper earned 15 first-place citations.

The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette won the award for general excellence among the state’s larger daily newspapers at the Arkansas Press Association’s annual convention in Little Rock on Saturday. The newspaper earned 15 first-place citations.

Eliza Gaines, the publisher of WEHCO Newspapers, Inc., the Arkansas Democrat-Gazettes parent company, was installed Friday as the newest president of the Arkansas Press Association.

The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette won the award for general excellence among the state’s larger daily newspapers at the Arkansas Press Association’s annual convention in Little Rock on Saturday. The newspaper earned 15 first-place citations.

Many are relieved by the failure of bills that took aim at Arkansas strong Freedom of Information Act and current law that requires public notices to be published in newspapers.

Years ago, we recall flipping through a Freedom of Information handbook for the state of California. The first few pages were tightly written and provided little wiggle room for how open meetings and public documents were to be handled. By and large, the document laid out the requirement that the publics right to know and to be present at meetings were to be maintained by all elements of government.

A bill that would allow small groups of people on public governing boards to meet privately and discuss public business was passed by the Arkansas House of Representatives on Thursday.

Ellen Kreth is the publisher of the Madison County Record. Ryan Owsley is a staff member in the office of state Attorney General Tim Griffin. In an article in Thursdays newspaper about a legislative committee meeting on proposals to change the state Freedom of Information Act, Kreths first name and Owsleys last name were misspelled.

A bill that would have limited uses of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) failed to pass in committee Wendesday.