| 2/1 | 4YRS | Mukoda, Nichole M | Delaware Printing |
| 2/2 | 50 YRS | Hewes, Antoinette L | Delaware Printing |
| 2/4 | 26 YRS | Giarraputo, Robert J | Valley Printing |
| 2/6 | 7 YRS | Kolhepp, Paul Alson | Valley Printing |
| 2/8 | 21 YRS | Bridges, Angela | Okeechobee |
| 2/12 | 2 YRS | Parmley, Betsy L | West Valley |
| 2/19 | 2 YRS | Loeschman, Matthew | West Valley |
| 2/20 | 8 YRS | Garcia, Gregory | West Valley |
| 2/20 | 3 YRS | Valania, Martin J | Delaware State News |
| 2/25 | 2 YRS | Vaca Nido, Jennifer | Valley Printing |
| 2/26 | 1 YR | Stone, Jason Trevor | West Valley |
| 2/28 | 20 YRS | Keim, Jennifer L | Delaware State News |
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
February Anniversaries
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Banner, county unveil 2020 Dorchester Profile
By
Dave Ryan
Dorchester
Banner
CAMBRIDGE
— County and state officials joined Banner staff on Friday to unveil the
Dorchester 2020 Profile Magazine. The publication, a cooperative effort between
the county and this newspaper, details local culture, history and economic
opportunity.
The
glossy magazine, available free at locations around the county, looks at the
progress made in advancing the local economy, as well as opportunities still
available. There are also feature articles describing the unique culture and
rich history of the area.
As
an annual publication, the Profile serves to illustrate an important role
played by the Banner. “The paper is, in reality, an important cheerleader for
progress in Dorchester County,” Publisher Darel LaPrade said.
In
his remarks to the dignitaries gathered at the Economic Development Office’s
Innovation Center on Bucktown Road, Mr. LaPrade noted that the newspapers of
Independent Newsmedia, Inc., the Banner’s parent company, cover communities
across Delmarva.
“The
real arc is in managing the process,” he said. “I believe Dorchester has found
the correct approach” in emphasizing development and preservation.
He
recalled that when James Michener was doing research for his book,
“Chesapeake,” he came to Dorchester to learn about the region. That place as
the Heart of the Chesapeake remains near and dear to residents, who not only
honor their past, but are working hard to create a prosperous home for
themselves and their families.
“There
are exciting times ahead,” Mr. LaPrade said, running down a list of positive
changes: The improving outlook for the seafood industry; activity at Sailwinds
Park; the new North Dorchester High School; and 14 new businesses in downtown
Cambridge, among others.
“The
Banner staff is proud to be part of this mission,” he said.
 |
| Publisher Darel LaPrade spoke to the gathering. |
State
Senator Addie Eckardt (R-37) said, “The Banner is truly a community paper. You
cover so much, and you celebrate so much. The paper really raises the bar.”
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County
Director of Economic Development Susan Banks and Banner Advertising Manager
Dave Cannon unveiled the Dorchester 2020 Profile Magazine.
|
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This
year’s Profile is the seventh in the annual series, all composed by the Banner.
|
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Idea Exchange
Daily Independent reader habit building Photos of the Day
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1M5CJ4EB91LTlmeJHqgPgt1K0HDwsPTGD
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1M5CJ4EB91LTlmeJHqgPgt1K0HDwsPTGD
Friday, January 17, 2020
Time Capsule to be opened in 2069
CAMBRIDGE
— Inspired by the time capsule that was sealed 50 years ago and opened with
great fanfare in September during the 350th Anniversary Celebration in
September, the Heritage Area and 350th Anniversary Committee are continuing the
tradition. They have been busy collecting and curating bits of history from
organizations throughout Dorchester County, for inclusion in a capsule —
actually, the same one used in 1969 — that will be opened in 2069.
More
than 100 items that tell the story of Dorchester County’s heritage today were
on display at the Visitor Center for several weeks before they were sealed in
the time capsule for 50 years.
“We
have a lot of Harriet Tubman items,” said Julie Gilberto-Brady, manager of the
Heart of Chesapeake Country Heritage Area. “We have two open letters to Lovie.”
Lovie
Duncan is a little girl who was photographed this summer, reaching out to touch
the hand of Harriet Tubman in the mural in downtown Cambridge. The image was
widely circulated and helped make the mural a well known attraction.
A
few pieces from 1969 will be resealed in the new time capsule, along with
documents, souvenirs, memorabilia, photographs, videos and other artifacts that
commemorate Dorchester County’s history and heritage today. Many of the letters
and small packages from 1969 were addressed to “heirs,” “descendants” or the
“future generation.”
A
few of the items that will be placed in the time capsule include an oyster tin
and medallion commemorating the Skipjack Nathan’s 25th Anniversary this year,
medals from this year’s Ironman and Eagleman triathlons, videos of the people
who were profiled at the Smithsonian Water/Ways Exhibit, the winning work from
the 350th Anniversary Student Art and Essay competition, the 2019 Dorchester
County bird count, the 2019 Downtown Cambridge Christmas ornament, shoreline
and Dorchester land maps, and more.
The
original time capsule will do its duty once more. It was fabricated locally by
the C&K Lord Company as a donation to Sing Out Cambridge, the organization
that collected the contents 50 years ago.
“This is history in the making,” Gilberto-Brady said.
“What is wonderful about this project is that in 50 years, the people who open
this time capsule will be finding items that are 100 years old, items like a tercentenary
souvenir booklet, newspaper, buttons and other memorabilia from 1969. I think
the other interesting thing is that the company that fabricated the time
capsule in 1969 is still in business in Cambridge today, and they will be
re-sealing it for us later this month.”
Happy New Year
 |
Graphic designer Debbie Myers enjoys Christmas Eve work flow
with a fire on her computer. The Daily Independent team wishes everyone a Happy
New Year.
|
Counting the days
Ann Hines was counting down the days to retirement with a special
"retirement elf." Ann's last day at the Lake Okeechobee News was Dec.
37. She started work at the Okeechobee News in the 1980s, but left the
newspaper to move to the Florida Keys, then returned about ten years
later, for a total of about 26 years employment with INI.
The Lake Okeechobee News staff held a pot luck lunch to honor Ann on her last day of work.
Delmarva Mission Stories
From Ashley Dawson, managing editor for Delaware:
Two communities brought us hot holiday-related topics with
longevity this month.
The Middletown Hummers Parade controversy picked up from
last year as the town council held public meetings in December to discuss
further regulating the impromptu, grassroots parade, given criticisms of last
year’s overly bawdy floats that offended some residents and paradegoers.
Reporters Craig Anderson and Brooke Schultz covered public
meetings as the town leaders discussed the pros and cons -- and realities
-- of regulating the longtime event. The Sunday, Dec. 1 front page
featured a story outlining the options for having the parade with more
oversight versus cancelling it altogether.
Readers responded and their thoughts were featured in Speak
Out on Dec. 3 and a letter to the editor on Dec. 5.
With the public meetings running past deadline, we printed
stories Dec. 4 and Dec. 20, but published updates online each night. Coverage
of the 2020 New Year’s Day parade brought, as expected, floats spoofing the
debate to tame the event.
In Sussex County, the presence of nativities on public
property sparked debate. It became a hot topic after Glenn Rolfe reported on
Georgetown changing its town policies to allow the nativity scene as part of
regulating unmanned displays on town property.
Rehoboth had banned its longtime unmanned nativity scene at
the Rehoboth Bandstand as well. His Dec. 5 front page story looked at
municipalities struggling with Christmas displays in Kent and Sussex counties.
His coverage continued five days later when a community effort took root to
bring a live nativity to Georgetown -- meeting the town’s new
requirements for having attended displays.
The Saturday, Dec. 14 front page then featured dueling
attended displays: The First State Satanists got a permit to hold a vigil for
the Winter Solstice. There was a second story by Glenn on the Good Ole Boy
Foundation’s plans to begin 14 nights of attended nativity scenes after
rallying support and numerous churches.
There was an extended Speak Out on Dec. 6 and then others on
Dec. 14, 15 and 17, along with a letter to the editor on Dec. 10.
He capped off the issue with a wrap up of the foundation’s
nativity season -- which drew an estimated 800 to 1,000 people to The
Circle in Georgetown -- and organizers’ plans to return next year with a bigger
and better scene.
In news unrelated to the holiday season, Matt Bittle got a
tip that Wesley College made a second request to the state for more funding to
help its financial situation. A Dec. 10 story explained how the downtown
Dover-based college, after asking for $2.2 million in the summer, asked
for $3.2 million more but still didn’t provide detailed plans for a path
forward, sparking ire from the governor and a few lawmakers.
Matt then learned through a FOIA request that Wesley was
discussing merger plans with two institutions. While the document contained
heavily redacted information, it confirmed the college’s financial problems and
desire to partner with other higher ed institutions for financial stability and
acknowledged they hired a consulting firm to help with negotiations.
Wesley President Clark did respond with a statement for the Dec. 19
story.
A Speak Out featured reader reaction on Dec. 22.
In a Sunday, Dec. 22 story, Matt looked at how state
employees spent money on fast food with their state credit cards. The online
checkbook showed $246 million was spent; top chains were Dunkin Donuts,
Starbucks, McDonalds and Chic Fil A. A breakout box featured the full list of
top places.
It was the most read story of the month with 11,306 views. A
speak out featured reader reaction Dec. 24.
(Brooke’s story on an “Anchor Program” to spread suicide
prevention awareness through school-based wellness centers, sparked by a high
school student’s community project, complemented that news, creating a nice mix
for the front page.)
The impeachment inquiry and eventual impeachment vote
dominated Opinion pages with commentaries, letters and speak out columns.
Side note: Our reporters often receive praise from readers.
This was a fun one on Wesley:
Subject: Article about Wesley College.
Matt Bittle...In my opinion you continue to perform
brilliantly as Delaware's finest journalist. I'm somewhat of an
autodidact regarding writing well. I concentrate my reading on biography
and monographs published by university presses (my favorites are Chicago and
Johns Hopkins). Accordingly, I always look forward to reading your pieces in
our State News. Please make sure that your publisher appreciates your
standing. If Rhodes Vessels lavishes accolades on you...you're bloody
well worthy!! Regards from Lewes on December 10th.
From Dave
Ryan, editor of the Dorchester Banner:
We probably all
remember times in school when there was a little pushing and shoving, followed
by a scary lecture in the assistant principal's office.
It's not like
that anymore, at least not in Dorchester County.
The crew at the
Banner understand that when children are regularly hurting each other,
assaulting teachers and getting arrested, it's past time for the community to
examine and discuss the problem. Our journalists did their jobs concerning a
Board of Education meeting on Dec. 12, at which teachers demanded action to
address violence in the schools.
What was
particularly disturbing was that the teachers weren't talking about students
trading a few punches during recess, as serious as that would be - they were
talking about repeated assaults against teachers, some of which have resulted
in hospitalization. One teacher who spoke at the meeting said she had tried to
end her life last fall, after suffering unbearable mockery by elementary school
children.
It's not a new
issue. There was a meeting attended by hundreds last March, when folks were
upset about what was called a riot in Cambridge-South Dorchester High School's
cafeteria.
Board members
promised action then. Teachers say they don't see it now.
The Banner's
continuing investigation has had our people talking to teachers, students,
board members, the superintendent, police officers and parents. In fact, at
Rep. Andy Harris' town hall meeting in Cambridge on Dec. 30, a citizen in the
audience asked him about these issues, saying she had "read it in the
news."
People need a
trusted source that passes on the facts without bias, and allows them to
express themselves in response, without interference. That's what the Banner
did here.
In the 24 hours
after the story was published online immediately after the meeting, Facebook
stats tell us there were:
- 1,428 reached
- 1,502 engagements (We
had never seen more engagements than those reached.)
- 51 reactions
- 19 comments
- 153 shares
The Banner
continues to serve the public, tackling difficult issues and asking those in
power tough questions.
From Greg Bassett, editor of the Salisbury
Independent:
In December, Salisbury Independent had to dispatch three
Freedom of Information Act requests to dig into a complicated Wicomico County
governmental conflict. The contentious issue involves the County Council’s
public firing of the County Attorney, and the County Executive’s interpretation
of a County Charter Amendment.
The executive maintains a charter amendment essentially
overwrites the council’s ability to fire the attorney; the council’s direct
reading of the charter, however, offers a competing viewpoint. While the
executive has maintained through discussions that he has an opinion from an
outside lawyer backing his contention, neither the council’s legal adviser –
nor the County Attorney at the center of the drama – say they can defend the
executive’s interpretation.
Seeking public documents to avoid he-said/he-said reporting,
Salisbury Independent sought letters between the parties to get the entire
conflict on the record in the most-direct way. When the executive appeared to
be stalling on the release of documents, the newspaper went to the council
administration, which released the requested documents – and many others that
shed light on a story being played out mostly in closed sessions and under the
umbrella of quiet.
The newspaper published the FOIA-obtained documents in their
entirety online. While it is easy to get “in the weeds” on such a matter,
public feedback indicates that readers are interpreting the reporting as
in-depth coverage about a classic power struggle in which the executive appear
to be making a power grab, which will shape future decision-making.
From Richard Crumbacker, editor of the
Crisfield-Somerset County Times:
The Somerset County Board of Education during virtually
every monthly meeting hears from school principals and administrators on
programs they’ve introduced to improve attendance, school climate, academics,
etc.
Often it’s a “dog and pony show” and board members only see
and hear the positive.
However, when it comes to state test results, I’ve noticed
that in the last couple of years during this current administration it has not
been curious to receive any reports or updates from these same administrators.
The most recent was the Maryland School Report Card, which
boils down a variety of measures and standards and converts them into “stars”
ranging from 1 to 5.
After reporting that the intermediate school fell 27 percent
to become a 2-star school, and two other 4-star schools dropped down to
3-stars, I found it interesting that the school board the following week did
not ask for a report at the monthly meeting and no one offered any comments.
Nevertheless, the story made its point and may have ruffled
some feathers. I later heard from a teacher at the intermediate school that the
story made the rounds before the principal even held her staff meeting to
discuss the state’s findings.
Very Successful Sales Campaign Joint Effort
The
Delmarva advertising department just completed a very successful sales campaign
for the newly-redesigned and rebranded weekly television guide, TV Companion,
which appears every Sunday in the Delaware State News. The new
book replaces the old Select TV.
The
team sold more than 29 contracts for 52- and 26-weeks, producing annual revenue
in excess of $170,000. The book went up in size by eight pages, and our readers
love it.
Here
is a recent email from a long-time subscriber:
“I
like the changes - the 2 word search puzzles, 2 crosswords, and the new Take
Five. The TV Companion is very informative and easy to use. I liked the
previous format, too, but now it is even better.
Eileen
Waldron
Dover
 |
Pictured
above are BIG Thinkers and BIG sellers (from 1.): Marketing Consultant Joy
Ferrio, Mike Priest, owner of Inch-by-Inch Advertising, Marketing Consultant
Katrina Sullivan, Marketing Consultant Bonnie Manakin, Marketing Consultant Pat
Abel, and Marketing Consultant Vicki Rosado.
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