OCTOBER, 2005 NEWSLETTER

October 3, 2005 -- Hello members and friends of Albuquerque Press Women.

Albuquerque residents will head to the polls on Tuesday to elect a mayor, several city councilors and to vote on a number of bond and other issues including whether or not the city should increase its minimum wage. The minimum wage bill has been a hot button topic during this campaign, but did the Albuquerque's media miss the mark on the issue?

Join Albuquerque Press Women, business professor Allen Parkman and former state economist Gerry Bradley to discuss the topic at APW's monthly luncheon, Monday, Oct. 10, from 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Sheraton Uptown, Menaul and Louisiana NE. Parkman, a regents' professor at the University of New Mexico Anderson Schools of Management, is a lawyer and economist and is against increasing the city's minimum wage. Bradley, research director for New Mexico Voices for Children, is in favor of the proposed change.

Luncheons are open to the public for the nonmember price of $21. Or join APW at the door and pay the low member price of $15. For reservations, contact Janet Ford by Thursday, Oct. 6, at 720-7821. You may request a vegetarian meal. Your reservation is your commitment to pay and our commitment to save a place for you. This should be an interesting discussion. You don't want to miss it.

Mark your calendars!
Upcoming topics we plan to bring you include discussions on anonymous sources and "Shield Laws" (Nov. 14) and the local book scene (Dec. 12). Press Women published authors, be sure to keep us on your December calendar! While the September luncheon date was a deviation from our standard schedule, the rest of the 2005 calendar is set, so mark "APW" for the second Monday and plan to join us.

Announcements:

Albuquerque Press Women now has a fresh stock of elegant pens with our Web site address, "abqpw.org," handsomely engraved in gold. APW is selling these pens, available in blue or burgundy, for $10. We will have them available at the next luncheon if anyone is interested in purchasing one.

The State Bar of New Mexico is seeking to fill a vacancy on its Board of Editors. The voluntary position is the only lay person on a nine-member board (attorneys/judges) charged with overseeing content in the organization's publications. The lay person seat must be filled by someone who has a publications/editorial background. For more information, contact Christine Morganti at 797-6000 or cmorganti@nmbar.org.

Membership
APW is once again offering a special membership discount. Anyone who joins now and pays dues for the 2006 calendar year will get the remaining months of 2005 for free. That means that you will get the full benefit of membership, including the discounted luncheon rate and the ability to link from our Web site to your own for free for at least a few months. Now is a great time to recruit your colleagues to join APW!  

For those of you who are not current with your membership dues, you will be billed the nonmember luncheon rate of $21. Bring your membership up-to-date so you don’t lose out on the member discount.

The dues information:
Full membership:
National Federation of Press Women -- $51.50 (Student rate available) New Mexico Press Women -- $10  
Total -- $61.50 is paid to the National Federation of Press Women and is billed in November.  

Albuquerque Press Women -- $10 for National and State members.  
Paid separately to the local chapter. Due annually in January. Full membership entitles you to receive mailings from all three levels of the organization, attend the national convention and other national, state and local functions, enter state and national contests, and enjoy all the "perks" of full membership.  

Local Membership only Albuquerque Press Women -- $35 Local dues are due in January and are paid directly to the Albuquerque chapter. Local annual dues entitle you to the discounted member price for monthly luncheons for you and for any first-time guest you bring ($15 instead of $21), the frequent E-GRAMs that serve as our newsletter, discounts for products and functions held or sponsored by Albuquerque Press Women.

Local membership does NOT entitle you to membership in either the state or national organization and you will not appear on their mailing ists.  

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
If ever you have any ideas that might help us to better serve you, let us know. We're always open to suggestions and want to provide the best networking and resources for communications professionals. (Visit our Web site for links to e-mails.)