August Birthdays

8/1	,	Danny	Breedlove	,	Delaware Printing Company
8/1	,	Christopher	Keesser	,	Delaware Printing Company
8/1	,	Charles	Murphy	,	Okeechobee News
8/5	,	Maria	Coughlin	,	Valley Newspaper Printing
8/5	,	Debra	Wisk	,	Delaware State News
8/6	,	Deborah	Devlin	,	Delaware State News
8/7	,	Marcus	Bolden	,	Delaware Printing Company
8/10	,	David	Chambers	,	Delaware State News
8/10	,	Debra	Crotzer	,	Apache Junction Independent
8/10	,	Jennifer	Woods	,	Clewiston News
8/11	,	Gretchen	Tillman	,	Delaware State News
8/12	,	Christopher	Williams	,	Sun City Independent
8/13	,	Roger	Leslie	,	Delaware Printing Company
8/13	,	Tonda	Parks	,	Delaware State News
8/14	,	Thomas	Byrd	,	Independent of Florida
8/15	,	Bret	McKeand	,	Independent of Arizona
8/17	,	John	Sullivan	,	Delaware Printing Company
8/18	,	Michael	Watson	,	Valley Newspaper Printing
8/22	,	Robert	Martin	,	Valley Newspaper Printing
8/28	,	Kenneth	Parks	,	Delaware Printing Company
8/29	,	Thomas	Bugbee	,	Delaware Printing Company
8/29	,	Donald	Matthews	,	Delaware Printing Company

August Anniversaries

8/2	,	17	YRS	,	Charles	Adams	,	Valley Newspaper Printing
8/2	,	13	YRS	,	Eric	Kopp	,	Okeechobee News
8/3	,	1	YRS	,	John	Sullivan	,	Delaware Printing Company
8/8	,	1	YRS	,	Henry	Jones	,	Delaware Printing Company
8/8	,	1	YRS	,	Olivia	Littleton	,	Delaware State News
8/10	,	6	YRS	,	Richard	Crumbacker	,	Crisfield Times
8/12	,	16	YRS	,	Dale	Conyers	,	Caloosa Belle
8/12	,	2	YRS	,	Jennifer	Woods	,	Clewiston News
8/13	,	25	YRS	,	Richard	Dyer	,	Apache Junction Independent
8/14	,	1	YRS	,	Christopher	Martinez	,	Valley Newspaper Printing
8/15	,	7	YRS	,	Timothy	Buzzard	,	Delaware Printing Company
8/17	,	14	YRS	,	Barbara	Calfee	,	Caloosa Belle
8/17	,	25	YRS	,	Deborah	Hanson	,	Valley Newspaper Printing
8/21	,	1	YRS	,	Kelly	Mitchell	,	Valley Newspaper Printing
8/23	,	13	YRS	,	Charlene	Patti	,	Sun City Independent
8/26	,	38	YRS	,	Sonny	Postles	,	Delaware State News
8/28	,	12	YRS	,	Jose	Zaragoza	,	Clewiston News
8/29	,	1	YRS	,	Craig	Anderson	,	Delaware State News
8/29	,	1	YRS	,	Maria	Coughlin	,	Valley Newspaper Printing
8/29	,	1	YRS	,	Alfred	Harding	,	Valley Newspaper Printing
8/29	,	1	YRS	,	Carol	Horn	,	Delaware State News
8/30	,	13	YRS	,	Marc	Tropio	,	Valley Newspaper Printing

New Media Voice In Scottsdale

Terrance Thornton | Scottsdale Independent

Terrance Thornton, former news editor for five weeklies in Independent Newsmedia Inc.’s East Valley office (Apache Junction, Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler and Queen Creek Independent newspapers), was recently promoted to North Valley news editor for PV Independent and Scottsdale Independent newspapers. Terrance seems to be breathing new life into these properties, with timely emphasis on digital/web editions.

Improvements appear to include a new look and better accessibility for their online versions, and a greater depth-of-coverage than we’ve seen since the demise of the Scottsdale Tribune.

In an email interview, Terrance says,

In my five years as a professional journalist I have won awards for in-depth reporting, photography and page design from the Arizona Newspapers Association and Suburban Newspapers Association.

Our new focus at the Scottsdale Independent is to become a viable daily digital and weekly print news resource for the residents of Scottsdale. We will continue to be the same product that has served the Valley for more than 30 years, but with the addition of a real-working website we can now compete with any daily organization on any given day. We are lean and mean, but today’s journalist does it all. He or she can make the calls, write the story, snap the photo, update a website through a content management system and flow the copy on the page.

Sounds like a much different model of journalism than that employed by the editor-heavy Scottsdale Republic. Lean and mean. And competition is good for all.

Recent articles in the Scottsdale Independent of interest to ScottsdaleTrails readers include topics such as

• the resignation of Scottsdale city manager David Richert
• the renewal of the Bond Task Force
• interviews with Scottsdale mayoral candidates in the upcoming election

You can check out more stories related to Paradise Valley and Scottsdale on the Independent’s “North Valley” page at

http://arizona.newszap.com/northvalley/

You can contact Terrance at 623-445-2774 via e-mail at tthornton@newszap.com or follow his Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/nvnewsman

Debbie Celebrates 15 Years With INI

Independent West Valley staffers went all out to celebrate Debbie Myers’ 15^th anniversary with INI.

The entire staff brought potluck items and Publisher Charlene Bisson provided the hamburgers and hot dogs for a barbecue.  Majors Account Coordinator Greg Garcia donned his Texas Longhorns apron and did the cooking in the parking lot.

While the staff tried to keep the celebration a secret, Debbie was only mildly surprised when she was led into the conference room where the staff yelled “surprise” when she walked in.

“I knew something was up when I saw people going in and out and kept the door closed,” she said.

During the celebration staffers thanked Debbie for her years of dedication and the hard work and sometimes late Friday nights she puts in to help produce the five West Valley print products.

West Valley Hosts Spelling Bee

Independent Newspapers’ West Valley office hosted its first spelling bee and saw a good response.

There was a field of 13 contestants who tested their spelling skills for an audience of nearly 20 people. The two-hour contest was quite spirited and saw Sun City resident Beverly Sisler take the first place spot while Charlotte Jenkins took second place.

Independent Publisher Charlene Bisson served as the MC for the event while news editors Rusty Bradshaw and Jeff Grant alternated presenting the words to contestants. Office Coordinator Katie Erickson and News Services Editor Jeremy Carr were the judges and Graphic Artist Chris Williams was the timer. The rest of the West Valley staff helped with setup and breakdown of the contest room.

Contestants and spectators alike enjoyed the event and said they hoped additional spelling contests would be scheduled in the future. In a letter to the editor, contestant Mae Becker of Sun City said the contest was especially well placed in the summer when there was less entertainment in the community.

Patty's New Book



Patty's book signing on Tuesday, July 10 at the LaBelle Heritage Museum

How many times have most of us heard the statement, "I'm going to write a book?" Alas, mostly this is an empty statement for most people, yet there are exceptions. This is one of them.

"Bitter Secrets" by Patty Brant, editor of the Caloosa Belle, is a just-out book, the result of Patty's determination. While this is Patty's first book, the sequel is well under way.

"Bitter Secrets" tells the fictional tale of Molly Martindale, an orphan who came to the small, very southern town of "Oxbow" in South Central Florida, to live with a great aunt she barely knew.

The loss of her parents and uprooting from her home in western Pennsylvania was wrenching, but before long "Oxbow" became Molly's town.

Ms. Brant's characters are so real the reader all but talks back to them.

She deftly paints a realistic picture of Oxbow with its share of good 'n bad and enough mystery to make excitement run high.

With every passing day Molly begins to weave together the story of the lost Parker family, who left Oxbow in 1943 under some very dubious circumstances.

Back in 1983, nobody in Oxbow will talk about the family, in fact all traces of their existence have been erased.

Molly's curiosity leads her to Georgia, where it is said the family was bound, and where she struggles to reveal more bits of the whole story.

Molly learned in a hurry that all the pieces of the puzzle didn't fit, but not being the giving-up kind she kept digging.

When fate led her steps to cross with a wheelchair-bound Vietnam veteran, doors began to open that she'd never known to exist.

When an old, worn diary - words of a lonely 13-year-old girl gone 40 years - surfaced, Molly could not erase its images from her mind.

Throughout the book Molly moves cautiously from clue to clue guided in part by cold, misty visages that apparently only she is aware of.

With each visitation Molly's terror ramps up, pushing her to find answers to the question she cannot evade. What really happened to the Parker family?

Ms. Brant has been the editor of the Caloosa Belle since 1991.

"Bitter Secrets" has earned a spot as iUniverse's Editor's Choice for 2012.

This book is currently available locally at the Caloosa Belle newspaper, where Patty is happy to autograph copies, and at the LaBeIle Chamber of Commerce.

It's also available at Barnes & Noble, Books A Million and Amazon.com in paperback, hard back and e-book versions.

Note of Thanks

Many thanks to my INI co-workers and friends for the surprise party and gift in recognition of my 40^th year with Independent.  I can’t believe it has been 40 years; but as the old adage says “time flies when you’re having fun!” 

It has been a journey and I have learned so much.  But most importantly, I have enjoyed all the folks I have worked with and will continue to work with through many more years.  It is true, it is the people that makes Independent!

Thanks again - ~Wanda Ford-Waring.

Wanda Ford-Waring Celebrates 40 Years With INI

Wanda Ford-Waring celebrated 40 years with INI on July 4th.  A surprise luncheon was held in her honor Thursday, July 5th. 

Open Enrollment ....... July 11, 2012 - July 18, 2012

Medical costs continue to increase nationally, so there will be a slight increase in premiums for the company’s health insurance for the plan year that begins Aug. 1, 2012. Participants will continue to pay approximately 35% of the plan costs, while the company will pay approximately 65%.

The regular premium for medical and prescription coverage will be $110.36 per person per pay period (up from $106.04). This premium reflects a 20% smoking surcharge. The premium will be $91.97 per person per pay for those who qualify for the tobacco-free discount (up from $88.37).

∙ The premium for the optional Dental plan will increase from $10 to $11.18 per person per pay period.

∙ The premium for the optional voluntary life insurance is age banded. Spousal Life Insurance varies by age; not dependent life insurance. For dependent children, there are only 3 selections. Costs remain unchanged.

∙ The premium for the optional long term disability remains unchanged at $0.320 per $100 of covered payroll per month.

To help control your out-of-pocket costs, we encourage employees and dependents to take advantage of the Plan’s preventive benefits. Your annual physical, for example, is 100% covered --- with no co-pay or deductible cost to you. Schedule your annual physical and follow the plan’s guidelines for staying healthy. (See the plan documents for details).

You will be introduced to Independent’s WOW initiative in the coming months. WOW, which is Working on Wellness will encourage INI’s employee to become healthier individuals.

In an ongoing effort to reduce future premiums, Independent will be looking at Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). Materials and website links will be shared throughout the coming year to educate employees so they become better informed.

Open Enrollment for employees who wish to sign up for benefits or change their benefits will run from July 11 – 18, 2012.

[Click HERE to log onto Ceridian Self Service for open enrollment. IF you have NO changes in your existing participation, you need not log on to Self Service. Your enrollment record will roll over automatically. The ENROLLMENT flag that appears at the top will continue to display until open enrollment ends. ]

Employees who do not have access to a computer should contact inipayroll@newszap.com or call 302-741-8259.

Matt Porterfield Says Goodbye

The DSN distrbution team and Corporate Services wished Matt Porterfield a warm goodbye last week as he and his family prepared to move to Virginia Beach.  Matt has served in several positions within INI including payroll and most recently as the only collector for the distribution team.  He will be missed.