Welcome to the April 2011 News4U Email Blast!
• End of Era for Court Reporters in Baltimore County, Maryland
• Oregon Brings Back Court Reporters
• MCRA 2011 Conference – Camden at the Lake
• Melissa Schardan in 200 Words or Less
• DSA Nominations Sought
• MCRA Executive Board Nominations
• Christina Yates in 200 Words or Less
• PROGRESS deadline April 30, 2011
• Court Reporting Student Mentors Needed!
• California Court Reporters Campaign Against Electronic Replacements
End Of An Era For Court Reporters – The Baltimore County Circuit Court is quietly losing 237 years of courtroom experience. Its 14 court reporters learned last month the courthouse will convert entirely to digital recordings by the summer. Click here to read the entire story.
Oregon Brings Back Court Reporters - Senate Bill 409, currently before the Oregon House, would require a live court reporter at all aggravated murder trials. When a previous article in The Oregonian complained about how long it was taking a court reporter to transcribe an aggravated murder trial (when in fact it was digitally recorded ) our Legislative Committee stepped up to the plate and pursued the reporter…. and he listened. Click here to enjoy reading the entire story.
MCRA 2011 Conference at Camden at the Lake - September 23rd, 24th AND 25th, 2011. The Conference Committee will be offering 13 CEUs! Can’t make it Friday or Sunday? You can still obtain 10 CEUs by attending Saturday plus either Friday or Sunday.
This conference is going to be OUTSTANDING!! Our block at Camden at the Lake is completely SOLD OUT!! However, Nicole at our host hotel was able to negotiate the same $77 per night room rate at The Resort at Port Arrowhead, http://www.theresortatportarrowhead.com/.
This is a lovely hotel 6 miles from Camden at the Lake. A free shuttle will be available to transport you to and from the host hotel. We were able to block 20 rooms so please ACT FAST to make your reservation.
For reservations, call 573-365-2334 or 1-800-532-3575.
Melissa Schardan remembers:
THE COURT: The bailiff tells me there is a fire up on the fourth
floor and that we need to evacuate the building.
THE ATTORNEY: I only have two minutes left.
THE COURT: All right. Go ahead.
That was one of Melissa Schardan's most memorable experiences in her court
reporting profession thus far. After graduating from St. Louis Community
College at Meramec in April of 1996, she was given her first big break as a
freelance reporter from Schroeder Reporting and worked in the freelance
capacity for eight years. Currently she is an official in St. Louis
County, where she works for Judge Steven H. Goldman in Division 12.
One of the most important things Melissa has learned in her fifteen-year
career as a court reporter is not to take life or herself too seriously and
to laugh often. She demonstrates this quality on a regular basis, as you
may find her out on the ice most weekends, fighting for the puck with her
hockey teammates, the St. Louis Ice Queens.
Melissa lives in Imperial, Missouri, with her husband of twenty years and
her two beautiful daughters. She credits her deep faith and her family, as
well as the friends she has made along the way through the MCRA, for
pulling her through the challenges of life as a court reporter. She notes
that it is only through our members that we have the wonderful association
that is MCRA.
Distinguished Service Award Nominations Sought –The DSA is the highest Award that the MCRA can bestow on any reporter. The DSA does not come from the Board, but is a result of reporters in our State recognizing and nominating their fellow reporter for the hard work and dedication that reporter has given to our profession as well as the MCRA.
If you know of a deserving reporter, please pass your nomination onto Chairman Bo Kriegshauser at BoKriegshauser@charter.net or 314.421.0099. You may also submit your nomination to any member of the DSA Committee: Jim Bouck, Mary Conway, Diana Taylor, or Linda Dattilo.
MCRA Executive Board Nominations Sought – Do you know someone who is passionate about the court reporting profession? Do you know a leader? The MCRA Nominating committee is seeking candidates for the offices of President-Elect, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary for the 2011-2012 term.
Please visit www.mocra.org to see a list of the Nominating Committee members. We encourage you to please get involved and offer a suggestion to our Nominating Committee of who you would like to see represent our profession, our association and you.
CHRISTINA YATES is a reporter for Division of Workers’ Compensation in Kansas City. Christina lives in Kansas City with her husband, her 14-year-old son, her 3-year old daughter, and their dog Nikita.
Christina has been a reporter for eight years. She began her career with John Bowen & Associates, served as an official for Judge Jacqueline Cook in the 17th Judicial Circuit, and is currently serving seven judges at the Division of Workers’ Compensation in Kansas City.
Christina also enjoys spending time with other women in her Silpada Designs Jewelry business. “The women I meet just bring a special blessing. I also enjoy mentoring others, whether it’s through Silpada, MCRA, or church. I have a great desire to give to others in need, so I try to stay connected with a few charities and try to line up charitable drives when I know someone could use some help in some way or another.”
Christina stays connected with MCRA for the relationships and education. “I love meeting new women through MCRA. I have a desire to stay connected to positive women. It’s good to know there are others out there that understand just what it takes to do what we do. I stay up to date on current events through MCRA and follow what’s going on legislatively with court reporters.”
PROGRESS is the MCRA biannual magazine. While these email blasts provide you up-to-date information, it is PROGRESS that is filled with articles and more detailed information regarding what is happening across our State and across the nation.
The deadline for the submission of articles and stories for our next issue of PROGRESS is May 31st. It should be available online July 1st. If you have an article you would like to recommend or submit, please forward to Marian Rein at marian@javajournalonline.com.
Mentors Needed – Calling All Court Reporters! This year MCRA has introduced a new Student Mentor program for our court reporting students, including the online student population. This program is being offered as a way to bring professional court reporters and students together.
Serving as a mentor to the students is wonderfully rewarding for all involved, and all it really requires on your part is an occasional bit of time and attention devoted to a student. Lending your experience and support as a working reporter, as one who has successfully completed a reporting program and knows from experience the growing pains of evolving from student to Certified Court Reporter, can truly be inspirational to our students.
If you are an enthusiastic court reporter, captioner, or CART writer and would like to volunteer a bit of your time please contact Rhonda Laurentius, Student Mentor Chair, 314.615.8070. Rhonda.Laurentius@courts.mo.gov.
California Court Reporters Campaign Against Electronic Replacements - They blend quietly into the courtroom background, as much a part of the scene as the lawyers at the table and the judge on the bench. They're the ones who keep the record, designed to last through eternity, or at least until the appeals run out.
But if they're silent in the courtroom, there's nothing nondescript about the way court reporters play California politics. "Extraordinarily powerful," is how one critic described them.
It's true they've spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on top-level lobbyists. But the spending has come in response to forces in the Capitol that have zoned in hard on them, trying to put them out of business forever. Click here to read more.
Have A Wonderful Spring! |
