Snippits lifted from Hot Topics

Here are snippits lifted from Hot Topics, the BJ employe newsletter:

Three scholars to receive $2,500 from newspaper
Three children of staff have received John and Peggy Dotson Scholarships for higher education this fall: They are Katherine Berta, daughter of Steve Berta, newsroom; Jillian Fullerton, daughter of John Fullerton, community relations and marketing; and Brandon White, son of Phil White, community relations and marketing.
Katherine Berta graduated from Woodridge High School, where she was the editorials editor for the school newspaper and a chorus member and dancer in school plays. She plans to study journalism, communications and English at Denison University. Her goal is to be a newspaper film critic.
Jillian Fullerton graduated from Cuyahoga Falls High School, where she was a Rotary Scholar and on the high honor roll, student council and leadership board. Jillian plans to study secondary education at Walsh University.
Brandon White graduated from Buchtel High School, where he received the Manhood Award and was on the football, basketball and track teams. He plans to major in business administration at Tiffin University.
Katie, Jillian and Brandon each will receive $2,500 from the Akron Beacon Journal.
Named for its founders, the John and Peggy Dotson Scholarship was established in 1997. With this yearÆs grants, the program has awarded $60,000 to dependent children of staff. John Dotson is publisher emeritus of the Akron Beacon Journal.

Open House draws 386 visitors over three days
By the time the last session ended on Friday, Aug. 20, 2004 386 people -- from youngsters to senior citizens -- had toured the the Beacon Journal and shared refreshments with a rotating group of newsroom staff. Visitors had the option of coming at 9 a.m., 11 a.m. or 1 p.m. on three different days this week.
Rita Stapleton, community relations and marketing, coordinated the nine-session, three-day event. She recruited staff as tour guides, speakers, greeters and servers. She organized a cadre of back-up volunteers in case the group of guests grew too large for core volunteers to handle.
Visitors’ questions to newsroom staff ran the gamut. Where do you get your ideas? Do you read other newspapers? How do you pick stories from readers’ tips? Do you get your own private showing for movie reviews?
Although movie critic George Thomas seemed to like the idea of attending a private showing of movies, he told visitors that his reviews started with him slogging through the ticket lines with everyone else.
Columnist David Giffels said tips from readers were his :”secret weapon.” Of the three columns he writes each week, usually one is planned, another comes from readers’ ideas, and a third is driven completely by panic, he said. He admitted spending a lot of time looking out the window, a pastime he tried to pass off as a writer hard at work.
Jane Snow, food writer, balanced the glamorous appeal of her job by informing readers about the time she had to eat fried ants.
Speakers from the newsroom included Chip Bok, M ary Beth Breckenridge, Jewell Cardwell, Bob Dyer, Mary Ethridge, David Giffels, Kymberli Hagelberg, Betty Lin-Fisher, Mike Needs, Terry Pluto, Jane Snow, George Thomas and Stephanie Warsmith,

Browser will be mascot
Following suggestions from readers, a vote by staff and input from senior managers, Rita Madick, director of community relations and marketing, selected “Browser” as the name of the Akron Beacon Journal mascot. The moniker works well in reference to the newspaper’s print, online and digital formats -- any of which may be browsed. A life-size costume for the mascot is in the works now. The next question is: Who gets to wear it?