COURTREPORTINGINSIDER

He explained that the shortage has been a problem for more than 10 years. “People thought before that Court Reporters were on their way out because of technology.  So there wasn’t an influx of new students,” he said, adding that lack of knowledge about the field contributed to the problem.  But relying solely on digital recording devices has created other challenges.  “There have been times when the trial went on for days and the recording device wasn’t working but no one...

A disciplinary board ruling says the judicial court reporter for the murder trial of Dana Chandler deserves public reprimand for offering her opinion on the case in social media comments.  Punishment for the court reporter, April Shepard, will be determined by the Kansas Supreme Court, which could issue a public reprimand or impose more serious consequences.  The Board of Examiners of Court Reporters recommended discipline after Shepard admitted to violating a rule that re...

Consideration of a full-time court reporter position for the Washington County Court-at-Law was on the docket at today’s (Monday) County Commissioners meeting. County Court-at-Law Judge Eric Berg stated that the county traditionally hires part-time reporters. However, he said the state is dealing with a shortage of court reporters, saying “we’re losing them faster than we’re replacing them”. He added that schools statewide are simply not producing as many court reporters....

Powell Markle is the daughter of Harold E. Powell Jr. and Lois Kay Powell of Mifflintown, sister of Major Wolf J. Powell, USMC, married to Sarah King Powell, Jacksonville, NC; and the mother of Tiffany L. Mast, Mifflintown, married to Justin Mast. She has one granddaughter, two nieces, and a nephew. A freelance court reporter for 20 years, Powell Markle graduated from Central Pennsylvania Business College. She is also a notary public, a member of the Pennsylvania Associati...

My mother has no fingerprints. Or, at least, she has no identifiable fingerprints. This is a fact she learned at a federal courthouse, where they run a background check on every contract employee before granting them access to the hallowed halls. My mother’s prints turned up as little more than a smudge. They did not give up any pertinent information as to who she was or what she might have done. My mother is not a criminal. She is a freelance court reporter, a career she...

There is no shortage of trials, grand juries, depositions and hearings in Queens and throughout New York City. There is, however, a shortage of people to transcribe those proceedings — and to perform real-time captioning and other services where rapid, accurate writing is vital. Court reporting is a particularly valuable job, though reporters’ essential function can be overlooked by people unfamiliar with courtroom proceedings. “We’re guardians of the record and we want st...

ST. THOMAS- The Office of Sen. Janelle Sarauw and the Legislature of the Virgin Islands Division of Reporters collaborated to host the 2nd Annual Stenographer’s Day held at the Capitol Building on Friday. The event showcases the tasks, duties and career opportunities of stenographers to a group of high school students. “The purpose of today is to expose the youths to the profession of stenography as they begin to explore career possibilities,” said Sen. Janelle Sarauw. “Yo...

The former owner of the Stenotype Institute of Jacksonville, Gloria Wiley, was sentenced last week to one year and one day in federal prison for failing to refund federal student aid money, commonly referred to as Stafford Loans and Pell Grants. Wiley pleaded guilty Nov.13. The court also ordered Wiley to pay nearly $289,000 in restitution to former students of Stenotype Institute, the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. According to t...

At 6pm on Super Bowl Sunday, viewers across the country will settle onto their couches surrounded by chips and buffalo wings to watch Super Bowl LIII. Here at WGBH, Janet Mahoney will settle into her office chair to provide a vital service: real-time closed captioning so that the 37 million people who are hearing-impaired can also enjoy the game. Through WGBH’s Media Access Group (MAG), Mahoney and a fellow stenographer in Western Massachusetts will “live-write” the full b...

Two Queens court reporting students at Plaza College were among the fastest transcribers during a recent speed competition. As a part of their Court Reporting & Captioning week, Plaza College hosted the 2019 National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) Student Speed Contest on Feb. 13. During the competition, over 100 students that are training to be court stenographers showcased their court reporting skills by rapidly and accurately transcribing dictation. In order to win,...