The calendar of events for NCRA’s 2024 Court Reporting & Captioning Week is starting to fill up. Below is the latest news from states and committees about what is being planned.
Virginia
Members of the Virginia Court Reporters Association (VCRA) will have the opportunity to enjoy a number of activities throughout the week from learning sessions to social events. The events are free to VCRA members and students. For nonmembers, the training events are being offered at a cost of $35 per event. Here’s what’s on the schedule:
- Anthony Frisolone, FAPR, RDR, CRR, CRC, CRI, an official court reporter and CART captioner, will offer one hour of Remote Catalyst training on Sat., Feb. 3
- Kristina Tan, a freelance court reporter from Richmond, Va., will offer one hour of Dymo Printer training on Sat., Feb. 3
- VCRA President Michele Eddy, RPR, CRR, CRI, a freelance court reporter from Washington, D.C., will present one hour of Remote Eclipse training (strictly to demonstrate Version 10 and Version 11 Boost artificial intelligence capabilities) on Sat., Feb. 3
- Robin Delloro, RPR, a freelance court reporter from Chesapeake, Va., will provide two hours of Remote ProCat training on Sat., Feb. 10
VCRA will also host a series of social events across the Commonwealth open to members and nonmembers on the dates below. (Click on the links to RSVP.)
- Roanoke Social at Awful Arthur’s, Roanoke, Va., on Feb. 5
- Richmond Social at Crafted, Richmond, Va., on Feb. 7
- Northern Virginia Social at Crystal City Sports Pub in conjunction with the Maryland Court Reporters Association in South Arlington, Va., on Feb. 9
- Virginia Beach Social at Cooper’s Hawk, Virginia Beach, Va., on Feb. 9
Washington
Court reporters at the Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Wash., will once again create a display in the courthouse that will remain up for the entire month of February to celebrate Court Reporting & Captioning Week. The display will highlight the career and the NCRA A to Z® Intro to Steno Machine Shorthand program. During the week of Feb. 3-10, reporters will host live demos for the public to showcase their machines and what they do. They will also be available to answer questions about the profession. They plan to hand out copies of the Making the Record booklet supported by the National Court Reporters Foundation.
For more information contact JoAnn Bowen, RPR, CRR, CRC, an official court reporter from Shoreline, Wash., at dnjbowen@msn.com.
Wisconsin
Meanwhile, the members of the Wisconsin Court Reporters Association (WCRA) not only secured an official proclamation recognizing the week by Gov. Tony Evers, but they will also be hosting their annual “Meet a Wisco Steno” event on Feb. 9. The virtual event is open to everyone and will feature an official, a federal reporter, a freelancer/agency owner, a CART provider, and a new professional who will share with attendees, showcasing what they do and answering questions.
For more information or to register, contact WCRA Past President Meredith Seymour, an official court reporter from Madison, Wisc., at meredithwcra@gmail.com.
A quick reminder that states that send a copy of their official proclamation to pr@ncra.org will be entered into a drawing to win a 2024 NCRA Conference & Expo registration. The deadline to submit official proclamations is Fri., Feb. 16. The winner will be announced in the Feb. 21 JCR Weekly.
Maryland
To celebrate the week, the Maryland Court Reporters Association (MCRA) is hosting several Zoom “Don’t Miss” webinars. The offerings will be free to MCRA members and students and $35 for all others. The following is a list of the offerings:
- Feb. 3 – TBD
- Feb. 4 – Juanita “Nita” Price, RPR, an official court reporter and CART captioner from Gainesville., Va., will present “Official Court Reporters and CART Captioners in the Courtroom,” two hats, the difference between them, and why they cannot be done by the same person at the same time.
- Feb. 5 – Kathy Cortopassi, RDR, CRR, CRC, an official court reporter and broadcast captioner from Silver Spring, Md., will present “Don’t Put Your Eggs in One Basket,” learning the psychology of diversification and how to make it happen.
- Feb. 6 – Al Betz, a freelance court reporter and agency owner from New Windsor, Md., will present “Building a Path to Your Future,” how to make and implement a plan for success.
- Feb.7 – Cassandra Ellis, RDR, CRR, a freelance court reporter and CART captioner from Silver Spring, Md., and president of MCRA, will present on test prep and test-taking skills, with the importance of belonging to your associations.
- Feb. 8 – Joseph Ellis, CLVS, from Silver Spring, Md., will present on video equipment setup, advantages of different setups, and the importance of working as a team with the court reporter, and vice versa.
- Feb. 9 – Amanda Lundberg, RPR, CRC, a captioner from Houston, Pa., will present “Captioning: You know you want to try it!! Yes, you do! What is captioning, background and history, the future of captioning, easy changes to become a cleaner writer overall, and getting the realtime YOU and your client deserve.”
- Feb. 9 – MCRA is joining with VCRA to help host a party beginning at 6 p.m. at the Crystal City Sports Pub in Arlington, Va.
- Feb. 10 – Kerry Herriman will present “Courtroom procedure, transcript formatting and preparation, chain of custody, and the importance of being a member of your associations, both state and national.”
For more information or to register, contact marylandcra@gmail.com.
As part of this year’s celebration, NCRA’s Communications Team will be distributing a series of press releases and media advisories that showcase the history of stenographic court reporting and how far the profession has come in conjunction with the Association’s 125th Anniversary. If you have a story you would like to share about the state of the profession and how far it has come, please send your ideas or articles to pr@ncra.org.
We are also looking for recognition from judges about the important role our members play in their courtrooms. If your judge or a judge you know or even an attorney you work with is interested in being interviewed for an article in the JCR Weekly that will run during Court Reporting & Captioning Week, please send their information to pr@ncra.org. A headshot would also be appreciated.
And, as always, remember to:
- Visit the 2024 Court Reporting & Captioning Resource page for a large catalog of downloadable materials to help promote the profession during the week and throughout the year.
- Share with NCRA at pr@ncra.org how you plan to showcase the profession so that we can spread the celebration throughout the community.
- Use the hashtag #CRCW2024 throughout the week on all your social media posts.
