The following policies for wedding write-ups, engagement announcements, birthdays, and other social articles are currently in effect and are strictly observed by The News- Reporter.

Weddings and other events must be reported in a timely manner. All items of social news must be received within 30 days of the date of the event. There will be no exceptions.

For all persons named in any submitted write-up, be sure to include a listing of their relationships to the principle parties. Married couples or individuals may be listed by their given names or by the husband’s name (i.e. John and Mary Smith, Mr. and Mrs. John Smith, Mrs. Mary Smith, Mrs. John Smith, or John Smith) but the chosen style must be consistent throughout the write-up.

Wedding and engagement information forms are available and must be filled out completely. If no information form (or equivalent information in writing) is provided, a charge of $50 per wedding and $25 per engagement will be incurred. In wedding write-ups, a list of all outof town addresses (city and state) of any wedding guests named in the write-up should be included. If the bride and/or bridegroom are not from Wilkes County, their connection to Washington-Wilkes must be included. Those without sufficient local connections will not be considered for publication. However, Washington destination weddings will be allowed at a cost of $100 for a maximum of 500 words with one photograph (normal deadlines apply).

The News-Reporter will edit, condense, and/or correct all writeups submitted for style or space limitations. There is no charge for the publication of a photograph, headline, and up to 1,000 words in a wedding story if a completed information form is provided. Words in excess of 1,000 will be charged at the rate of $15.00 per 100 or portion thereof and payment must be made in advance. Revisions to completed wedding write-ups in excess of 1,000 words will incur a $50 minimum charge. Under no circumstances will a wedding story be allowed to occupy more than one-half of a newspaper page. If necessary, the type size will be reduced to fit. Photographs may be picked up at The News-Reporter following publication or they may be returned by mail if a self-addressed, stamped enveloped of sufficient size is provided.

Birth announcements will be printed at no charge in The News-Reporter if submitted within one month of the baby’s birth. Any received later than the one month deadline will be charged a $10 fee. Unmarried parents must show a birth certificate copy. No baby will be considered for inclusion in the special ‘Christmas Babies’ edition unless a birth announcement was submitted and run in a timely manner. First priority will be given to babies whose parents submitted a birth announcement and also live within Wilkes County. Grandchildren of Wilkes County grandparents may be included if space permits and a timely birth announcement was run.

All articles submitted for the print edition of The News-Reporter will automatically be included in the online edition. No exceptions will be made.

If you need additional information, please call Susan Pope at The News-Reporter on Mondays, 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., or on Tuesdays, 9 a.m. until 11 a.m., at 706-678-2636. The fax number is 706-678-3857.