June Anniversaries

6/1	1 YR	Jessie Ryan	Delaware State News
6/1	1 YR	Christine Carlston	East Valley
6/2	6 YRS	David Cannon	Dorchester Banner
6/3	21 YRS	Timothy Gary	Delaware State News
6/3	2 YRS	John Sawatzky	Caloosa Belle
6/6	3 YRS	Krystal Boyles	Delaware Printing
6/7	1 YR	Marc Clery	Delaware State News
6/13	4 YRS	Vernon Bailey	Delaware Printing
6/16	3 YRS	PHILLIP FRERICHS	Delaware State News
6/17	34 YRS	Bret McKeand	Arizona Region
6/20	3 YRS	Donald George	Delaware Printing
6/23	35 YRS	Barbara Bryan	Delaware State News
6/23	3 YRS	PAUL CLIPPER	Dorchester Banner
6/24	15 YRS	Glenn Rolfe	Sussex Weeklies
6/24	7 YRS	L Lee Hoover	Delaware State News
6/26	21 YRS	Jasper Purnell	Delaware Printing
6/26	47 YRS	Edward Dulin	CEO

June Birthdays

6/1	James Conrad	Delaware State News
6/2	L Lee Hoover	Delaware State News
6/3	Armando Ramirez	Valley Printing
6/3	Charlene Patti	West Valley
6/3	Karen Riggin	Crisfield Times
6/6	Susan Canfora	Salisbury Independent
6/7	Sheila Clendaniel	Corporate Services
6/9	Erik Maurer	West Valley
6/12	Timothy Gary	Delaware State News
6/12	Melissa Fittro	North Valley
6/12	Cameron Carranza	Valley Printing
6/14	Bonnie Mankin	Delaware State News
6/14	Miana Moreno	Valley Printing
6/15	Richard Crumbacker	Crisfield Times
6/16	Jose Lopez-Beltran	Valley Printing
6/16	Nichole Mukoda	Delaware Printing
6/19	Marc Tropio	Valley Printing
6/30	Amy Mullen	Delaware State News

First Aid Guidelines

To ensure that all Independent offices are in compliance with standard federal regulations in maintaining first aid kits, the guidelines below identify the company’s requirements.  

First Aid Guidelines

First aid is emergency care provided for injury or sudden illness before emergency medical treatment is available.  

Independent adheres to the requirements for First Aid in accordance with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act (WSIA).  This means that any worker who sustains a workplace injury or becomes ill due to workplace conditions shall report the injury or illness to their immediate team leader; and if needed obtain immediate first aid. Other requirements are:

*A record of the first aid treatment or advice given to the worker should be kept in a logbook. A copy of the logbook should be shared with safety@newszap.com as well.

*First aid includes but is not limited to: cleaning minor cuts, scrapes, or scratches; treating a minor burn, applying bandages and/or dressings, cold compresses, cold pack, ice bag, splint, changing a bandage or a dressing after any follow-up for observation purposes only.  

*There should be assigned employees for every shift that are in charge of the first aid kits.

*First aid stations are to be located within quick and easy access for the prompt treatment of any worker at all times when work is in progress.

*First aid boxes and their contents shall be inspected frequently to ensure that they are full, in usable condition and that the contents have not expired. The individual handling the inspection should record the inspection card for each box with the date of the most recent inspection and the signature of the person making the inspection.

*Over-the-counter medications are not to be included in company First Aid Kits. Doing so, can expose the company to liability.  For example, while an aspirin, may allow an employee with a headache to continue working and maintain productivity, even over-the-counter medications have health risks and side effects that can be serious or even fatal. Also, some medications can cause drowsiness and result in a workplace accident

The First Aid Kits must contain certain components to be in compliant.  There are two classes of first aid kits. Independent’s casualty risk manager has said that the Kit shown below is ideal for the company’s operations. The Class A Kit is designed to deal with most common types of workplace injuries.  Should you have questions about the First Aid Kit or any related-issues, please email safety@newszap.com. 

May 2017

INI is bucking the odds and will continue to do so!

Fellow INIers,

This may be what we’re up against: https://www.themediabriefing.com/article/the-dis-economies-of-scale-for-small-town-newspapers.  However, there’s a more promising outlook here: https://www.themediabriefing.com/article/the-future-of-us-local-newspapers

Regardless, by working smart and with passion --- and with a unique ownership structure that allows all after-tax profits to be reinvested in sustaining our mission --- INI may be the one company that is best positioned to sustain local journalism at whatever levels our communities can support.

Together, we can do this!

Joe Smyth, Board Chair

Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA

Community Publishing, Printing & Digital Media

joesmyth@newszap.com

Happy Birthday to Our Newspaper

By Susan Canfora

This week, the Salisbury Independent begins its fourth year. I remember texting Greg Bassett, who I have known since 1987 when we first worked together and who had the ambitious idea of starting a new publication, as I walked my dog in spring 2014.

“If you need a writer, let me know,” I typed on my phone. He did. A few days later we met and discussed details. It could be that only a couple of inkstained news reporters like us would pursue the idea in a recovering economy and with the threat of print news becoming extinct.

But everything fell into place with Independent Newsmedia Inc. and we published the first issue in May that year.

To our delight, the public has embraced the Salisbury Independent. It has been honored and awarded by Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot and the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce.

Readers are loyal. They express interest and suggest ideas for articles.

In our in-house ads, we refer to ourselves as “watchdogs with manners,” and that’s how we approach every story, never forgetting the community spirit that is rooted in generations of Salisburians and permeates the city during its renaissance.

Of course, every journalist also has to report bad news. We don’t shy away from it, but remain fair, knowing fairness is a hallmark of our profession.

“It’s always possible for a professional journalist who understands what he or she’s up to, to be fair, and that’s the key word,” journalist Jim Lehrer once said.

“Fairness to individuals, fairness to ideas, and to issues and whatever — that is critical, and that is also part and parcel of what the job is,” he said.

During the past three years, we have built relationships with city and county officials, attended meetings, photographed children, covered events, gone into the schools, pored over budgets and planning documents, followed continuing stories and documented them as they have unfolded.

Some days are long. Most are stressful. But one of the greatest blessings in my life is that I love my career, really enjoy every headline, deadline, byline, cutline and dateline.

As our fourth begins, Publisher Darel LaPrade, Advertising expert Cathy Koyanagi, Circulation Manager Karen Harrity, Greg and I continue to be invested in bringing the community the finest publication possible.

We thank you for your support.

Here’s to a fresh year, and many more.

Susan Canfora is the reporter for Salisbury Independent. Contact her at scanfora@newszap.com.

Wendy Miller Received Award

Wendy Miller, right, news editor for the Queen Creek Independent, received the Distinction in Education Reporting from the Arizona Schools Public Relations Association. APRSA advocates on behalf of school marketing professionals. Wendy was presented with her award from Stephanie Ingersoll, left, the public information officer for the Queen Creek Unified School District. Ms. Ingersoll nominated Wendy for the award. "I am proud they recognized how important your work is to QCUSD," she wrote in an e-mail informing Wendy she had won the award. 

This Bud's For ..............................

This bud's for Ginny Palmer from the East Valley office. Ginny took the time to stop by the Queen Creek Chamber of Commerce office to pick up the laptop charger I accidentally left there while working and then bring it to our office the next morning. Now Ginny may say it was nothing, that she lives in Queen Creek so it was no big deal. But for me, it was a huge deal and helped me perform my duties more efficiently on my computer, which is pretty much attached to my hip.

Thank you, Ginny, for always being so pleasant and willing to help out a co-worker. You're a pleasure to work with and know! -- Wendy Miller

Okeechobee News Helps Celebrate County Centennial

Okeechobee News Publisher Katrina Elsken, a member of the Okeechobee County Centennial Birthday  Celebration committee, had a busy Saturday on May 6, helping to host a birthday extravaganza for the whole county. The party, which started at 1 p.m. with a free festival, BBQ cook-off and children's games and ended at 9 p.m. after a barn dance, was held at the Okeechobee Agri-Civic Center. It was just one of the many events organized by the centennial committee in the year-long celebration of the county's 100th year. 

Pictured with the Redneck Crazy band at the end of the night are some of the centennial committee members: (front, left to right) Katrina Elsken, Agri-Civic Center Manager Matt Dorriety, Okeechobee Historical Society President Magi Cable, band leader Wayne Purvis, Okeechobee City Mayor Dowling Watford, and Kay McCool. 

The Okeechobee News is one of the centennial sponsors, as evidenced by the signs at the entrance to the event.

Okeechobee News staffer promotes Project Prom

The Okeechobee News was once again a drop off point for Project Prom, sponsored by the Building Relationships Among Teens (BRAT) Club. 

Okeechobee News staffer Tammi Kelly is on the BRAT Club Board of Directors and she again chaired the Project Prom event.

This year Project Prom collected over 450 dresses along with suits, shoes, purses and accessories. The project was able to help over 100 girls and two gentlemen this year find everything they needed for prom.

Project Prom was started with the idea that no student should miss prom because of the cost of a gown (or suit).

Tammi Kelly 

450 dress this year was collected.

Maggie Congdon a junior in high school showing off her gown she chose from Project Prom

Marcus Dingers one of the two gentlemen who found everything for prom this year at the event pictured with Tammi Kelly who helped pull together his attire

East Valley Participates In Road Rally

Members of the East Valley office competed in the inaugural Queen Creek Road Rally and Scavenger Hunt April 22. The event was created by four Queen Creek residents who are participating in the community's Citizen Leadership Institute, a program designed to provide residents with hands-on experience working with local government and a close-up look at the inner workings of the town's municipal departments.

The team "Wendy's Clue Crew" - Queen Creek Independent News Editor Wendy Miller, East Valley General Manager Debbie Richardson, East Valley Circulation Manager Ginny Palmer and Arizona Circulation Director Diane Runion - completed the 12-stop event in less than two hours. Debbie drove, Wendy and Ginny navigated and Diane photographed the team as they raced between businesses and landmarks, documenting them at each stop.

While they did not win, they earned the distinction of completing the route in fewer miles than any of the other 13 participating teams thanks to Ginny and Wendy's knowledge of the town. Ginny has lived in Queen Creek for 35 years and knows lots of shortcuts through the community. Wendy has been covering Queen Creek for more than four years and knows the layout of the town. Also, the women took time prior to leaving the starting point to review the clues and plot out their route to prevent them from having to backtrack too much.

All in all, it was a fun morning for the women and they look forward to participating in next year's rally.

One stop on the road rally was to snap a photo of a horse or cowboy at Horseshoe Park and Equestrian Centre. Here, Diane Runion poses with a rider practicing maneuvers on her horse.

Another requirement was to find the "bug" in front of a local business. Turns out it referred to a Volkswagen Beetle "Bug"! Pictured in front of the "clue critter" were, from left, Ginny Palmer, Diane Runion, Debbie Richardson and Wendy Miller.

Okeechobee News staff wishes Keli Trimnal luck!

The Okeechobee News staff said good-bye to advertising consultant Patricia 'Keli' Triminal on April 28 with a breakfast in her honor at the office. Keli left the Okeechobee News to move to Kentucky with her fiance. The News staff gave Keli a 'bouquet' of lottery scratch off tickets, wishing her the best of luck. Tammi Kelly put the bouquet together, taping the tickets to bamboo skewers and arranging them in a vase filled with candy.