September Anniversaries

9/1	39 YRS	Kelsie Knight	Corporate Services
9/3	6 YRS	Brett White	Valley Printing
9/5	6 YRS	Raymond Ford	Delaware Printing
9/5	1 YRS	Joshua Martinez	North Valley
9/10	27 YRS	Andrew West	Delaware State News
9/11	8 YRS	Amber Bonnett	West Valley
9/11	4 YRS	Robert Williams	Delaware Printing
9/12	1 YRS	Benjamin Heck	Sussex Weeklies
9/13	1 YRS	Benjamin George	Delaware Printing
9/16	2 YRS	Debbie Kelly	West Valley
9/20	33 YRS	Katrina Muros	Okeechobee News
9/21	2 YRS	Deborah Richardson	East Valley
9/22	1 YRS	Gilbert Escobedo	Valley Printing
9/26	1 YRS	Ian Gronau	Delaware State News

September Birthdays

9/1	Gilbert Escobedo	Valley Printing
9/3	Kimberly Lewis	Delaware Printing
9/6	Karen Harrity	Sussex Weeklies
9/6	Gina Sandoval	West Valley
9/7	Courtney Conner	Delaware Printing
9/8	Keaton Wood	Valley Printing
9/12	Heath Michael	Valley Printing
9/18	Lori Riggan	Valley Printing
9/20	Richard Dyer	East Valley
9/21	Chad Young	Valley Printing
9/21	Sandra Perry	North Valley
9/22	Thomas Mulligan	Delaware Printing
9/23	Paul Kolhepp	Valley Printing
9/24	Nanette Mulligan	Sussex Weeklies
9/25	Philip Haldiman	West Valley
9/29	Gregory Garcia	West Valley

INI Welcomes Karl Krauss

Karl Krauss

Karl is excited to be joining the Independent Newsmedia sales team in Delaware. Karl has worked in media for 30 years, selling print, radio, TV and digital.  Most recently, Karl was the Sales Manger for Gannett papers in New Jersey and Delaware for over 15 years. 

He lives in Newark and has two grown children, a son who is an Environmental Engineer living in Dover and a daughter attended Johns Hopkins University. In the brief time that Karl has been at the State News, he’s enjoyed working with the staff on both events, digital programs and new print environments.

A New Look for the Caloosa Belle Office

The Caloosa Belle building recently received an interactive mural adding to the revitalization of Downtown LaBelle on Ft Thompson Avenue. The LaBelle Downtown Revitalization Corporation (LDRC) started working on the beautification of the area last year with the addition of a brick sidewalk, sitting area and planters on the south side of the street. Plus, they had monthly concerts on the street starting last October and running up to March of this year. The mural on our building is the latest project for LDRC.

This mural is a beautiful take on the famous ‘wings’ murals that can be found all over the world started by artist Colette Miller. The concept and design was conceived by LaBelle’s own Gallery 101 owner Marcos Ruiz. The gallery donated the artwork and the time it took to create the magnificent mural which sprawls the entire exterior west wall of our office on Fort Thompson Avenue.

Arizona Teams Recognized for Journalistic Excellence

Several Arizona newspapers and journalists have been notified they have earned awards in this year's Arizona Newspapers Association's annual Better Newspapers Contest.

The specific awards won't be announced until the awards ceremony in September, but the Arizona group has been told  the following newspaper/journalists have been chosen to receive an award in the following categories:

* Peoria Today: Editor Phil Haldiman in the "Best News Story" category.

* Town of Paradise Valley Independent: Melissa Fittro in the category of "Best Column or Feature."

* Queen Creek Independent: Arianna Grainey in the category of "Best News Photograph."

The Scottsdale Independent led the group with five awards. In the individual category, the newspaper will receive three honors:

 -- Melissa Fittro in the category of "Best Sustained Coverage"

-- Terrance Thornton in the category of "Investigative Reporting"

-- Terrance Thornton in the category of "Enterprise Reporting"

The entire Scottsdale staff will receive awards in the categories of "Community Service/Journalistic Achievement" and "Reporting and Newswriting Excellence."

Congratulations to all of those honored!

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

This bud's -- make it a bouquet! -- is for Bret, Terrance and Melissa in the North Valley office. Not only are they award-winning journalists (congrats!), but this terrific trio also are great co-workers. Thank you so much for helping build pages while Richard from my office was on vacation. Your help was really appreciated and helped us in the East Valley to finish at a reasonable time Friday. Thank you again! -- Wendy Miller

Okeechobee News Staffer Becomes Published Author

Long-time Okeechobee resident Tammi Kelly has become a published author with a story included in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series.

“The dog really did that?” will be published on Tuesday, Aug. 8, and can be picked up in Books-A-Millon, Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com or any major book store.

Mrs. Kelly’s story, “The Love of a Little Dog,” is just one of the 101 stories that was chosen from thousands of submissions.

The story tells about her teacup dachshund named Baxter that was a rescue but by the end of the story you realize they both needed saving.

“I got Baxter on my first birthday after my father had passed away suddenly in a motorcycle accident. It would be the first time I wouldn’t get to hear him tell me Happy Birthday. It was hard for me. Then I found Baxter — well he found me,” said Mrs. Kelly.

Chicken Soup for the Soul wows with heroic, heartwarming and hilarious stories as it supports American Humane with royalties from its new book.

The dog really did that? How often have you said that? You’ll nod your head in recognition when you read these stories of magical moments, miracles, and a bit of mischief, too. From dogs who chew shoes to dogs who mend relationships — from crazy canines who crack us up to intuitive ones who act like therapists — from dogs who need rescuing to dogs who rescue their owners — you’ll see your own dog with new appreciation for his or her unique skills and intuition.

Chicken Soup for the Soul is donating royalties from the book to American Humane, along with the royalties from its other new book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Cat Really Did That? This is the third pair of books about cats and dogs that Chicken Soup for the Soul has published with royalties earmarked for American Humane. This effort is part of the company’s widespread support for animal shelters and pet adoption, including the donation of Chicken Soup for the Soul pet food and books to shelters across the country.

In keeping with Chicken Soup for the Soul’s support for pet adoption and shelters, the 101 stories chosen for the book from thousands of submissions are not only inspirational and fun, but also feature adopted dogs, including black dogs, senior dogs, and pit bulls, the categories of dogs that are often left behind at shelters. It’s part of Chicken Soup for the Soul’s mission to make people think “shelter first” when they’re considering adding a new pet to their families!

35 Year Mile Stone Celebrated

The Delaware State News staff helped Barbara Bryan celebrate 35 years with INI.