The Tribune (Elkin, North Carolina)

Infobox Newspaper
name = The Tribune


caption = The February 7, 2007 front page of
"The Tribune"
type = Tri-weekly newspaper (Published Monday, Wednesday & Friday afternoons)
format = Broadsheet
foundation = 1911
ceased publication =
price = USD 0.50
owners = Heartland Publications, LLC
publisher =
editor =
circulation = 6,000
headquarters = 214 East Main Street
Elkin, North Carolina 28621
USA
ISSN =
website = [http://www.elkintribune.com elkintribune.com]

"The Tribune" is a tri-weekly newspaper published in Elkin, North Carolina. It has covered the tri-county area of Surry, Wilkes, and Yadkin counties since 1911. "The Tribune" has a circulation of 6,000 [ [http://www.midsouthmanagement.com Mid-South Management website] ] .

Overview

Harvey Laffoon (1897-1978) was the owner, publisher and editor of "The Elkin Tribune" for 42 years, beginning in 1926. He was inducted into the North Carolina Journalism Hall of Fame in 2002 [ [http://www.elkintribune.com/Archives/Archives%202002/apr15/Former%20publisher.html "Former publisher inducted into ‘Hall of Fame’", The Tribune April 15, 2002] ] . In 1949, the paper expanded from a weekly to bi-weekly.

After Laffoon retired in 1968, the newspaper was sold to Mid-South Management Company Inc. Thomas Fleming succeeded Laffoon as publisher. Soonafter the paper was sold, it was expanded to three times weekly. Further, Elkin was dropped from the masthead, and it became known as "The Tribune".

Heartland Publications purchase

In June 2007, both "The Tribune" and the other Surry County-based newspapers were part of a sale from Mid-South Management to Heartland Publications, LLC of Connecticut. [ [http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FMGArticle%2FWSJ_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173351450517&path=!localnews&s=1037645509099 Yadkin, Surry, Stokes newspapers are bought Winston-Salem Journal (accessed 3 June 2007)] ]

Public records lawsuits

In 1992, the paper sued the Yadkin County Board of Commissioners for access to applications for a Yadkin County manager opening. The paper argued the files were public records. The North Carolina Supreme Court ruled in "Elkin Tribune v. Yadkin County Board of Commissioners" that the applications were personnel files and are governed by the state's personnel statues, not public records laws. [ [http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/docs/nc-supreme-court/oct0893/durham North Carolina Supreme Court docket] ]

October 2000, the paper sued Boonville after the town said it needed a written request and up to five days to produce public records. A North Carolina Superior Court judge ruled in favor of "The Tribune", and the town later changed its policy on public records. The paper's suit won it a third-place Community Service Award from the North Carolina Press Association. [ [http://www.ncpress.com/edcontestwinners/01PublicService.html North Carolina Press Association 2001 contest winners] ]

Affiliated publication

The Tribune also publishes "On the Vine", a bi-monthly magazine that focuses on Yadkin Valley and North Carolina wine.

References

External links

* [http://www.elkintribune.com The Tribune website]
* [http://statelibrary.dcr.state.nc.us/ncnp/surry.htm North Carolina Newspaper Project]
* [http://parklibrary.jomc.unc.edu/NCPAPERSCIRC2002.html The Park Library's list of North Carolina newspapers, by circulation]
* [http://www.heartlandpublications.com/ Heartland Publications website]
* [http://www.YadkinValley.org The Yadkin Valley Chamber of Commerce - Elkin, NC]