From shimmying up and down poles to deft rescues without 'gigs,' the International Lineman's Rodeo has it all

Spectators in Kansas watch the action.
(Photo by Elise Kirk, The Wall Street Journal)

These folks aren't your horse and pony cowboys -- they're "electric cowboys" who scramble up poles in search of glory at the International Lineman's Rodeo, "the Super Bowl of the electric-utility profession," reports Erin Ailworth of The Wall Street Journal. The Kansas event "drew hundreds to test their chops at timed events such as climbing a 40-foot wooden pole and rescuing a 6-foot-1-inch, 165-pound mannequin named Rodeo Joe."

Amid natural disasters such as wildfires and hurricanes, a lineworker's job is defined by responding with skill and speed to restore power in times of extreme stress. The competition gives utility workers and their families a place to celebrate the profession and let off some steam. Ailworth writes, "Relatives flock to watch since rodeos are often the only time to see their loved ones practicing a job that can demand long hours in disaster conditions." Brock Baker, who works for Xcel Energy in Amarillo, Texas, told her, "My family doesn't get to see it, but now I have the opportunity to do it and showcase my abilities. I mean, that's pretty cool to me."

Baker was among 1,316 journeymen and apprentice lineworkers "who'd come to pursue glory at the International Lineman's Rodeo. They made up 732 teams from the U.S., Canada and Brazil, many of whom had qualified at smaller rodeos," Ailworth reports. 

One event requires lineworkers to carry "an egg in a bag during a timed pole-climb, then descend with the delicate cargo in their mouths to demonstrate they are smooth and in control," Ailworth explains. Dennis Kerr, co-chairman of the rodeo's board, told her: "The egg is inspected by a judge at the end. If there's a tooth mark in it, it's a two-point deduction, and if there's a crack in it, that's a 10-point deduction."

There are timed team events that "teams learn about just before the competition," Ailworth writes. "This year's surprises: For Mystery Event #1, they would need to change out the crossarm at the top of the utility pole, and for Mystery Event #2, replace the jumpers on the pole that had been de-energized and short-circuited to protect the lineworkers. . . . Around them, wide-eyed children goggled at all the hard-hat-wearing competitors." Steve Harmon, chief executive of Community Electric Cooperative in Virginia, told Ailworth, "In the eyes of children, these participants are somewhat heroic."

Rick Romancito of Taos News wins public-notice journalism award for coverage of planned cloud-seeding project

Rick Romancito

Rural journalists dominated the National Newspaper Association Foundation's 2022 Michael Kramer Public Notice Journalism Award competition, reports the Public Notice Resource Center, which co-sponsors the contest.

Many readers of the Taos News in New Mexico were confused and curious when they read a public notice in the paper announcing a plan to seed clouds to produce rain. Editor and reporter Rick Romancito's efforts to explain the phenomenon and coverage of the ensuing controversy earned him first place in the contest.

Romancito's continuing coverage stirred so much local opposition that the project application was soon withdrawn. "In addition to being a fine example of public-notice journalism, Romancito’s initial story was a model of thorough reporting that described the cloud-seeding process and the history behind its use and development," PRNC reports. "It also explained to readers how they could comment on the application."

Second place went to Sam Galski of the Standard-Speaker in Hazleton, Pa., for "several examples of excellent shoe-leather coverage of common municipal issues like zoning plans and infrastructure projects. Each of his stories cite a public notice as an important source," PNRC reports.

"Two North Dakota papers — The Bismarck Tribune and 2020 Public Notice Award winner The (Crosby) Journal — tied for third," PNRC writes. "The stories from North Dakota that tied for third place both focus on a similar subject: How public officials sometimes fail to satisfy the state’s already lax meeting-notice requirements."

The award is named for the late Michael Kramer, who was a PNRC board member and president of Law Bulletin Media in Chicago. It reminds us that public notice is the third leg of the three-legged stool of open government, along with open-records and open-meetings laws,

Non-dailies can enter weekly editors' society's Golden Quill contest for opinion writing by Tuesday, Feb. 1

The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors is still accepting nominations for the 62nd annual Gold Quill Award, but hurry: entries must be postmarked by tomorrow, Feb. 1.

The Golden Quill Award contest honors outstanding editorial or staff-written opinion pieces from less-than-daily publications that identify local issues of concern, offer an opinion, and support a course of action. Syndicated columns are not eligible, and entries must have been published between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2021. Online-only newsrooms are eligible as long as they tare considered community news sites.

You may enter up to four of the best editorials of opinion pieces from your newspaper; each individual is limited to two entries. The entry fee is $10 for each editorial or column for ISWNE members, $15 for non-ISWNE members, and $5 for students.

The 12 best editorials will be published in the Summer 2022 issue of ISWNE's biannual journal, Grassroots Editor. The overall winner will be invited to attend ISWNE's annual conference in Lexington, Ky., July 20-24, and will receive a conference scholarship and travel expenses up to $500.

Last year's award went to Melissa Hale-Spencer of The Altamont Enterprise in New York for her piece that was central to a campaign that ensured fairness for an incapacitated subscriber and preservation of historic structures on her 87-acre property near the Hudson River.

Click here for more information or to enter the contest.

This year's Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards winners feature a 'ninja prairie dog' and more

Two of this year's winning Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards entries (Photos by David Eppley, left, and Arthur Trevino)

The bald eagle is usually an awe-inspiring sight, but it's looking a little less so in two winning entries in this year's Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards. Wildlife photographer Paul Joynson-Hicks created the annual competition in 2015 in an attempt to "widen understanding and engagement with global conservation - for the preservation of biodiversity and the health and enrichment of everyone on Earth," according to the website. Click here to see all the winners.

This year's winning photos span the globe, from some Taiwanese mudskippers doing an impression of Sesame Street Yip Yips, to a raccoon pulling some Mission: Impossible moves on a screen window. And, of course, the eagles: one face-planting into a branch during a botched landing, and the other getting menaced by a 'ninja' prairie dog.

If you'd like to submit your funny wildlife photos for next year's competition, click here for more information.

Vote to crown the fattest of them all during Fat Bear Week, Sept. 29-Oct. 5; vote for Fat Bear Junior today

Fat Bear Week champion from 2020 (National Park Service photo)

Park rangers at Alaska's Katmai National Park and Preserve are gearing up for this year's Fat Bear Week, which goes Sept. 29 through Oct. 6.

They'll create a March Madness-style bracket pitting individual bears against each other, then the public votes to see who advances to the next round until one bear is crowned the fattest of them all. The annual contest is meant to celebrate Katmai's healthy ecosystem, since fat equals winter survival for bears. Last year the contest received more than 640,000 votes.

"In addition to voting during this week-long tournament, there will be a series of online chats on explore.org featuring Mike Fitz, explore.org's resident naturalist, and rangers from Katmai to learn more about the individual bears and Katmai's healthy ecosystem," according to the event website. "Throughout the season, you can also tune in to the explore.org bear cams which offer unprecedented access to the lives the bears of Brooks River. There are also special live events on a variety of topics hosted weekly as well."

And, there's a new wrinkle this year: the Fat Bear Junior competition. Voting began Sept. 23, but you can still vote today until 9 p.m. ET. We're rooting for the admirably chunky 132's Spring Cub.

Click here for more information or to vote.

Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge open until Aug. 20; will award $165,000 in startup funds to 10 businesses

The American Farm Bureau Federation is accepting entries for its eighth annual Ag Innovation Challenge, a nationwide business competition for startups that address issues facing American farmers, ranchers and rural communities. Contestants can address longstanding challenges such as labor access, yield optimization, and operating cost reduction, or new issues.

The competition will award $165,000 in startup funds to 10 businesses: $50,000 to the winner; $20,000 to the runner-up; $15,000 each to two finalists; $10,000 each to six semi-finalists; and $5,000 to the People's Choice Team, chosen by public vote (all 10 finalists are eligible). The application deadline is Aug. 20.

Click here for a timeline of the competition and more details, including profiles of past winners.