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SPJ celebrates Diamond Award winners June 30 Guest Column: The time to support local news is now By Dean Ridings
Arkansas Press Association
Publisher Weekly Vol.17 | No. 25 | Thursday, June 23, 2022 | Serving Press and State Since 1873
Freeze gavels in Saturday as new APA President Lori Freeze, news editor of the Stone County Leader and the incoming president of the Arkansas Press Association, has never not been active in APA in her professional life. “When I first joined the Stone County Leader 35 years ago, the paper was already heavily involved with APA,” Lori said. “So APA has been a part of my entire career. Even in college when I worked at the Leader in the summers.” Freeze is still in her first and only full-time job at the Leader, where she has worked for Rusty Fraser for 35 years. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Arkansas State University, where she was one of the last few graduating with an emphasis in community journalism before that program was discontinued. She is doing exactly what she hoped to do with that degree – writing, editing, designing pages, taking and editing photos and guiding the newspaper’s editorial content, along with a twice-yearly magazine, twiceyearly visitors guide and several other projects tossed into the mix each year. She appreciates having been able to return to her hometown to pursue a career, marry the hometown boy who saw her through college, and raise a son in Stone County. Husband Mike has attended many APA conventions with her in the past but is now disabled and chose to hang out with his brother and watch the College World Series from the comfort of his recliner this week. Continued on Page 2
APA Board of Directors meet at convention
The APA board of directors met on Wednesday at the opening of the Tri-State Press Convention in Memphis. In attendance were (L-R) Lori Freeze, Kelly Freudensprung, Rusty Turner, Ellen Kreth, Ashley Kemp Wimberley, Britt Talent and Tom White. Not pictured are Eliza Gaines, Jennifer Allen and John Robert Schirmer.