Okeechobee News Employee, Graduates Okeechobee Chamber Leadership Class on May 20th 2015 at Quail Creek Plantation

Tammi Kelly and her award

Tammi Kelly attended a nine month leadership class with local members of the community to learn not just leadership skills but a more in depth feel of the community. In the class there were 11 different members of the community from small business owners, real estate agents, bankers and nurses. The goal of the class was to learn not only the lessons taught in class but from each other.

The class traveled to many different locations around Okeechobee such as the local dairies, Waste Management, and an air boat ride around the lake just to name a few. The class learned how everything connects in Okeechobee; how the milk you get from a local store comes from a farm down the road. Even how there are little islands in the lake where they are growing trees to help the environment and local animals.

“You learn about the local government, non-profits and the community as a whole,” said Mrs. Kelly.

In the Class you must decide on a group project, raise funds for it and do it all as a group effort. The group decided on a sporting clay shoot-out for their fundraiser project.

“The class project really shows you what your classmates can do and you know some of them will completely blow you away at what they are capable of,” said Mrs. Kelly.

In the class you also have homework and must go out and visit certain places on your own in the community and write what you learned from them. Homework items included, visiting the radio station, county commission meeting, OUA meeting or the newspaper.

“It was a lot of fun to have my classmates come in and tour the paper, they loved it. They said that they always knew the paper was like the thriving heart of the community and when they walked in they could really feel it,” recalls Mrs. Kelly.

The class concluded with graduation on May 20^th at Quail Creek Plantation.

Tammi Kelly accepting her graduation award form State Representative Cary Pigman and Business Assistance Committee Chair of the Chamber John Gurney

 

Tammi Kelly and Katie Hill, Tammi's friend representing the Okeechobee News shooting team at the shoot out for the chamber leadership class.

Tammi Kelly taking a "selfie" going 60 mph on an air boat with the Chamber Leadership Class

The Okeechobee Chamber Leadership Class 2015 after a long day of air boat riding on the Lake of Okeechobee

Chamber Leadership visits Larson Dairy

Tammi Kelly taking a "selfie" at the highest point in Okeechobee County at Waste Management in a very fashionable yellow vest

Waste Management has the tallest point in Okeechobee County with the landfill overlooking the county.

June Anniversaries

6/2, 4 YRS, David Cannon, Dorchester Banner

6/3, 19 YRS, Timothy Gary, Delaware State News

6/4, 8 YRS, Debra Friedl, Arizona Region

6/6, 1 YR, Krystal Norris, Delaware Printing Co

6/12, 1 YR, Steven Seth, Delaware Printing Co

6/13, 2 YRS, Vernon Bailey, Delaware Printing Co

6/16, 1 YR, Paul Clipper, Dorchester Banner

6/16, 1 YR, Phillip Fririchs, Delaware State News

6/17, 32 YRS, Bret McKeand, Arizona Region

6/20, 1 YR, Donald George, Delaware Printing Co

6/20, 1 YR, Matthew Trently, Delaware Printing Co

6/23, 33 YRS, Barbara Bryan, Delaware State News

6/24, 5 YRS, L. Lee Hoover, Delaware State News

6/24, 13 YRS, Glenn Rolfe, Sussex Weeklies

6/26, 45 YRS, Edward Dulin, Corporate

6/26, 19 YRS, Jasper Purnell, Delaware Printing Co

6/27, 4 YRS, David Taylor, East Valley

6/27, 10 YRS, Diana Whitehall, Okeechobee News

June Birthdays

6/1, James Conrad, Delaware State News

6/2, L. Lee Hoover, Delaware State News

6/3, Aaron Hornedo, Valley Printing Co.

6/3, Charlene Patti, West Valley

6/3, Armando Ramirez, Valley Printing Co.

6/3, Karen Riggin, Crisfield Times

6/6, Susan Canfora, Salisbury Independent

6/7, Sheila Clendaniel, Corporate

6/12, Melissa Fittro, North Valley
6/12, Tina Pendexter, East Valley

6/12, Timothy Gary, Delaware State News

6/14, Bonnie Mankin, Delaware State News

6/15, Richard Crumbacker, Crisfield Times

6/16, Jose Lopez-Beltran, Valley Printing Co.

6/19, Marc Tropio, Valley Printing Co.

6/26, Greg Tock, East Valley

6/26, Diana Whitehall, Okeechobee News

6/30, Sarah Sadlowski, Corporate

Reader's Response To Editor's Column

A West Valley Arizona resident responded to Sun City and Surprise News Editor Rusty Bradshaw’s “From the Editor” column about moving into the digital age.

Rusty, your "selfie" and the angst that goes with the digital age touched a universal chord and bursts of laughter flowed. 

By the way, your Independent newspaper is terrific. 

Jane Mohn

The original column is below.

Rusty’s first selfie

A

few days ago when my brother Donny had a typo in a Facebook post, I asked him, “Did you take Sue Johnston’s typing class?”

I did, not that you can tell it sometimes. My girlfriend, Jeanne, calls me Linus because when I type I look like the Peanuts character who plays the piano. Of course, as you have noticed from time to time, I’m not a perfect typist. But sitting in Mrs. Johnston’s typing class at Dubois High School those few years ago, I figured that was about as technologically advanced as I needed to get.

Funny story — along came the computer age.

I have come kicking and screaming into every tech and digital advance. Sure, Compugraphic typesetting was helpful, but quickly made obsolete by the personal computer and a variety of pagination programs. Goodbye cut and paste, hello to a new kind of cut and paste. I even turned a sour face at getting a personal computer for home. Little did I know what a great tool it would become. Getting hooked up to the Internet at home came slowly for me. Why on earth would I want to sit plunked in front of a computer screen all day when I was already doing that at work?

Ah, and then there were cell phones.

The kicking and screaming subsided when I realized having a cell phone would really save my bacon some day if I got stuck or hit a deer during one of those four times monthly round trips I made through the narrow roadways and windy canyons between Milton-Freewater and John Day in Oregon for the visitations with my kids. Fat lot of good that did when I discovered I had no reception inside those steep canyon walls for about 225 of those 352-mile round trips.

While that had me rethinking my venture into the cell phone world, it slowly became apparent they were handy little tools — especially after the visitations had ended. That led to about 12 years of comfort.

Then along came 2015.

I joined the tablet set Thanksgiving Day when Jeanne showed me a sale flier listing one at $40. So we rushed right down there for the pre-black Friday sale — and missed half the first quarter of a Seahawk game no less to do so. Hey, it was on sale, what can I say.

I avoided smart phones because I saw no need to get on the Internet with my phone or use it as a camera. That’s what my home computer and SLR digital camera were for. But suddenly in March, I found out my beloved “Star Trek” style flip phone would be just a useless hunk of metal in a few months, so I caved and got one of those “smarter than me” phones.

I am slowly getting used to it. For months I saw all these selfies and wondered how people took their own picture. Because the camera lens is on the back of the phone, and if you turn the face away from you to shoot the picture, how do you know where the little icon is to push when it is facing away from you? Until my “smarter than me” girlfiend showed me how.

Now I’ve been on the Internet, checked my email and taken a selfie on my “smarter than me” phone. I suppose the kicking and screaming is behind me — at least until the next upgrade.

State News Supports Dover Days

DOVER – Several Delaware State News staff members, including pie-eating champion Craig Horleman, turned out over the weekend to support Dover Days, the annual spring festival in the capital city.

Mr. Horleman, Delaware State News features editor, was the first on the celebrity panel to wolf down a peach pie. Among his challengers were Dover mayor Robin Christiansen, Central Delaware Chamber of Commerce Honorary Mayor Jenny Mabus and Delaware State News publisher Tom Byrd.

Several representatives from the advertising team, including Tonda Parks, and News Editor Karen White walked the parade route with Newshound, our mascot. (We thank Toni Hewes for bringing the dog to life again for this!)

On Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, managing editor Andrew West teamed up with friend and champion sand carver Darrell O’Connor on a nine-foot-tall sandcastle. Pioneer Materials in Dover donated eight tons of sand, which was brought in and hauled away by the City of Dover.

For photos of DSN staffers in action and a sandcastle video, visit http://delawarestatenews.net/editor/state-news-supports-dover-days/

Michelle Celebrates 25 Years

Michelle Vinson celebrated 25 years of Service. She received a beautiful silver engraved picture frame (to show off all of her grandchildren), a canvas Independent Newsmedia bag and a gift certificate to the Green Turtle. Congratulations Michelle!!!! Here’s to 25 more!!!

What to Say When the Police Tell You to Stop Filming Them

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/04/what-to-say-when-the-police-tell-you-to-stop-filming-them/391610/