Bobby Mills very ill

Bobby Mills, a tech at the Post for years, is in Ben Taub Hospital in Houston with cancer of the lining of the brain and is in much pain.

Rita Mills asks for prayers.

He underwent an emergency tracheotomy because of paralyzed vocal cords. His prognosis isn't very good at all, Rita writes. "We just have to take it one day and one step at a time," she told Fred King.

Thanks to Fred and Cliff Cargill for passing this along.

Not a disparaging word

Journalists at the York (Pa.) Daily Record are in Guild contract negotiations with Stinky, whose legal team is making some breath-taking demands. To wit:

* no disparagement of the company whether this occurs on or off company property.
* no raises over the entire contract (three years).
* elimination of night differential pay.
* a work week increase from 37.5 hours to 40 hours and overtime paid only after a 40-hour week, not a nine-hour day as currently allowed.
* institution of random drug-testing.
* reduction in bereavement time off, vacation, and sick days, as well as elimination of severance pay.
* prohibition against operating a Web blog without company permission or that "may reveal the employee's personal opinion."
* elimination of a byline-withholding option for employees.

There oughta be a law.

Editor & Publisher

Boyce Maxwell, Tommy Ledbetter

Boyce Maxwell has had a stroke and is in Room 1743 at St. Luke's. I understand he can be called in the evening in the room at 832-355-4626. During the day he is going thru a lot of therapy. Call him and wish him well.

Also Tommy Ledbetter has had quad bypass surgery. He should be going home soon and will be doing a lot of walking.

Regards,

Jim Cahanin

Missouri City reunion pic

Cliff Cargill sent along this photo of the Houston Post reunion gathering in Missouri City April 30. I'm sorry to say I only know one person in this photo, Fred King, far right in the back, but if anybody has cutline information to pass along, please do, thanks. And thanks Cliff for sending this! ... Addendum: Seated at the table are, left to right, Roger Small, Milton Linder and Cliff Cargill.

Variations on a theme

MediaNews' Singleton's New Pay Package: $1 Million-plus

By Mark Fitzgerald, E&P.com

Published: July 06, 2005

MediaNews Group Inc. Vice Chairman and CEO William Dean Singleton will receive annual cash compensation of $985,950, a one-time cash bonus of $100,000 and annual cash bonuses that could be as high as $500,000 under an employment agreement disclosed in a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing Tuesday.

Singleton's annual bonus will be determined by a comparison each year of actual operating profits to budgeted profits.

The new employment agreement was approved by MediaNews directors July 1, and will expire Dec. 31, 2009, but will be automatically renewed for successive one-year terms unless either party gives notice 120 days prior to the annual expiration date.

The board also approved a new employment agreement for MediaNews President Joseph J. Lodovic IV that includes annual cash compensation of $655,200, with annual increases of 5 percent, or higher, if approved by the board. Lodovic will receive a one-time $100,000 cash bonus and an annual cash bonus of up to $400,000 subject to the same profit formula as Singleton.

MediaNews also approved a new restricted stock unit (RSU) plan for top executives that creates a new class of non-voting Class B common stock that does not pay dividends. The plan, approved June 29, according to the SEC filing, is "intended to encourage retention and reward performance of selected senior management."

The RSU plan provides contingencies for the stock in the event MediaNews should make an IPO (initial public offering). The Rocky Mountain News, which is in a joint operating agreement with MediaNews' Denver Post, quoted Singleton as saying the language was only technical.

"We have no plans to go public," Singleton told the paper.

Investing in the future, for now anyway

Dean Singleton is expanding in Salt Lake City: " ... Our new facility is fresh and modern and offers our news and editorial staffs more efficiency and improved technology, along with views that remind us of why we love the state of Utah. ... "

The Salt Lake City Weekly puts its spin on things. I've requested a photo.

Jim Crowther's Chronicle obituary

Mike Hallo died

Another sad note, from Cliff Cargill:

FYI - I am late with this - been out of town.

Cliff

As an explantion as to who Mike Hallo was. He worked in the production mail room for about forty years before he retired about fifteen years ago. (I may be of a little on the times, but not much,)

-----Original Message-----From: WILLIAM CLACK (snip)

Mike Hallo Sr. passed away at 1 a.m. July 4, 2005. Visitation will be Wednesday night and funeral services Thursday at 10 a.m. Both will be at Rosewood Funeral Home.

One-time Post VP Jim Crowther dies

Al Shire pointed out a short death notice in today's Chron on Jim Crowther, who was The Post's general counsel, then vice president. Crowther was 75 and died on Monday, the Fourth of July.
From Bill Hobby's secretary, Al got this additional info:
Visitation will be 6-8 p.m. Thursday at Geo H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering. Funeral will be at 1:30 p.m. Friday, again at Geo H. Lewis. Funeral home's phone is 713 789-3005.

Houston Post archives

They are not available online at the Houston Chronicle. Here's an explanation from ombudsman James Campbell in his new blog at the Chron. At the bottom of the blog post, there is a list of where you can find archived Post material:

P.S. The Houston Public Library's Bibliographic Information Center has the Houston Post microfilm from 1880-1995, and the Houston Post Index from 1976-1994. They keep the 1880-1900 microfilm in the Texas and Local History Department, and the 1901-1995 microfilm is in the main library. University of Houston's main library has the Houston Post microfilm from 1880-1995. They have the Houston Post Index from 1976-1979, and from 1987-1994.