Lindsay Walker has joined the Phoenix
Independent as an Editor.
Thursday, March 25, 2021
Arizona welcomes Lindsay Walker
April Anniversaries
|
4/1 |
2 YRS |
Kampmeyer, Ann |
W Valley/sun City |
|
4/8 |
8 YRS |
Short, Susan Marie |
De State News |
|
4/12 |
17 YRS |
Ryder, Allan H |
De State News |
|
4/12 |
19 YRS |
Dale, Lisa Lynn |
Corporate |
|
4/13 |
6 YRS |
Conner, Courtney W |
De Printing |
|
4/14 |
7 YRS |
Koyanagi, Cathy Jayne |
Salisbury Independent |
|
4/15 |
43 YRS |
Kircher, Lori A |
Corporate |
|
4/18 |
33 YRS |
Clendaniel, Sheila L |
Corporate |
|
4/19 |
28 YRS |
Cregar, Heather F |
De State News |
|
4/20 |
27 YRS |
Horleman, Craig |
De State News |
|
4/28 |
2 YRS |
Soto, Nathan Noel |
Valley Printing |
|
4/29 |
3 YRS |
Thomas, Stephanie |
Valley Printing |
March Anniversaries
|
3/4 |
7 YRS |
Bassett, Ronald Gregory |
Salisbury Indepedent |
|
3/5 |
3 YRS |
Limoges, Jaime Lynn |
Okeechobee |
|
3/5 |
4 YRS |
Quiggle, Jeannie Belle |
Valley Printing |
|
3/6 |
2 YRS |
Williams, Rhonda Christine |
Okeechobee |
|
3/6 |
31 YRS |
Levy, Janet E |
Delaware State News |
|
3/6 |
52 YRS |
Harvey, Sharon M |
Delaware State News |
|
3/7 |
22 YRS |
Garelick, Yolibet V |
Valley Printing |
|
3/10 |
8 YRS |
Orozco, Diana Luisa |
Valley Printing |
|
3/11 |
2 YRS |
Hayden, Jerry Edward |
Okeechobee |
|
3/14 |
5 YRS |
Sanchez Aguilar, Robertina |
Valley Printing |
|
3/18 |
35 YRS |
Walter, Andrew J |
Delaware State News |
|
3/19 |
4 YRS |
Wood, Keaton Hayes |
Valley Printing |
|
3/21 |
3 YRS |
Abel, Patrick W |
Delaware State News |
|
3/23 |
14 YRS |
Keesser, Christopher |
Delaware Printing |
|
3/26 |
14 YRS |
Carr, Jeremy |
West Valley |
|
3/29 |
2 YRS |
Phillips, Michael S |
Delaware Printing |
Wednesday, March 3, 2021
Independent COVID-19 Guidelines for Employees Working in the Office Building
Recent
guidance by OSHA will require employers to establish guidelines on mitigating
and preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. While we may
begin to see a slight increase of employees returning to the office if only for
a day or two a week, Independent has prepared its guidelines for employees
which will also be posted on the ADP Home Page.
INDEPENDENT COVID-19 GUIDELINES FOR EMPLOYEES WORKING IN THE OFFICE BUILDING
Health
Screening Questionnaire Protocol
- Masks are to be worn when
entering an Independent facility
- Employees working within the building must wear an appropriate mask or face covering at all
times when in a shared room (i.e. cubicles, large open room).
IF an employee working in a cubicle happens to be the only person in the
office, the mask does not need to be worn while in their cubicle. IF
multiple employees are working in the office and occupy cubicles
within one room, the mask must be worn. Masks do not need to be worn while
sitting/working in a personal office. However, the
mask is to be worn when the employee leaves their office.
- If needed, Independent will provide the disposable
masks for those who do not have them.
- Employees are permitted to use their own cloth face
masks or face coverings provided they meet CDC guidelines.
Physical
Distancing
·
Stay at least 6 feet (about 2 arms’ length) from other people.
·
Do not gather in groups larger than directed by state, local
mandates.
·
Stay out of crowded places and avoid mass gatherings.
·
Follow visual cues and signage such as floor decals, colored
tape, or signs indicating where to stand to increase distance between
individuals moving through the facility.
·
Follow current CDC guidelines.
All work that can be done
remotely should continue remotely for the foreseeable future. Building and
office occupancy should be kept to a minimum by staggering reporting and
departing times or using alternative daily schedules to limit individuals'
interactions.
Handwashing
to reduce the potential transmission of the virus. Use a
drying towel to open the door and discard in the waste receptacle placed
outside in the hallway.
January 2021
Queen Creek stretched to its limits
Fulton Homes, one of the largest homebuilders in the Valley,
recently announced is it building Barney Farms in Queen Creek. While community
subdivisions being built in Queen Creek is nothing new, Barney Farms may be one
of the last of in that part of the Valley.
Norm Nicholls, president of Fulton Homes, said large
subdivisions such as Barney Farms will soon be a thing of the past in Queen
Creek. He said the town is reaching its saturation point in residential
housing. That means home builders will be looking toward areas such as Florence
to continue building. As Florence loses a major state employer – the Arizona
State Prison Complex – it will need more residents to make up for the losses in
prisoners, which determine its state-shared revenue.
This story shows how the Arizona’s popular East Valley is
outgrowing even its outlying areas and moving toward towns that once seemed far
away.
Sun City Mission story
Two years ago the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office,
Youngtown and El Mirage officials and Sun City Fire and Medical Department
personnel made a sweep in the Agua Fria riverbed to get homeless people from
camping on private property there. The effort was ongoing. However, those
homeless who left the riverbed migrated into Youngtown and Sun City. While it
is difficult for law enforcement to attribute it entirely to the homeless
population, there has been an increase in property crimes. The Sun City Posse
took the lead in the Sun City community to address the homeless issues with an
additional patrol in trouble areas and educating residents and homeless alike.
Arizona Welcomes Brent Ruffner
Brent Ruffner is the new Phoenix/Buckeye report at West Valley.
My immediate family is mostly in Prescott, AZ - my fiancee, Sarah, and boys Paul, 11, and Carson, 6. We also have a dog named Harvey. They are the heart and soul of our household - creative and energetic.
I'm from
Apache Junction, AZ where I went to grade school and did everything from ride
my bike around town to graduate from high school there.
I found a
love for news instead of covering different types of sports. In 2008, he moved
to New Mexico and covered crime, schools and city beats all while holding
elected officials accountable.
I
covered stories that ranged from a DEA drug bust gone bad to an award-winning
story on school lunches.
My
hobbies range from watching movies and Phoenix Suns basketball to hiking and
exercising with my family. I enjoy typing on old typewriters and learning about
history.
Banner Mission Story
Some stories are different, and “In Memoriam: Family,
friends seek justice for Russ” is one of them. It appeared in the Feb. 10
Dorchester Banner, as the lead story. What made it unusually meaningful and difficult
were the topic and the personal challenge of covering it.
Mr. Russ was a young Cambridge man who was stabbed to death
not long ago. Police have the name of a suspect, but so far have been unable to
locate him.
In the meantime, the family suffers the grief of losing a
loved one, and the frustration of knowing his killer, whoever it is, remains
free. So, they invited the Banner to cover a candlelight vigil and march
remembering Mr. Russ and calling for the arrest of his assailant.
That’s not an easy thing to cover, and that’s the point. As
community journalists, we know we have to do things like report on contentious
county council meetings, and not only face the council members personally, but
possibly bump into them while grocery shopping or mailing a letter at the post
office.
Awkward.
And we can say it takes courage to do difficult things like
speaking truth to power. True enough.
But what about the strain of facing people who are just
hurting? We’ve probably all done this kind of coverage. If there’s a kind of
bravery required in confronting an angry elected official with an uncomfortable
truth, there’s also a certain quality needed in a reporter who speaks to a
grieving mother holding a candle and a picture of her late son.
That’s not easy, but it is service. It’s service to our
neighbors, who value us enough to ask us to attend an emotional event when
feelings are still raw, and sensitivities – regarding law enforcement and race
in particular – are heightened.
But they trust us to tell a painful story in an honest and
straightforward manner. They recognize our dedication to sharing their views
and needs, something our work and that of our predecessors has earned over the
years.
Delaware State News Mission Story
Our
mission story this month continued coverage on the United States Postal Service
mail delays and the impact they have had on residents downstate. Reporter Noah
Zucker reported on the issues in early January and followed up Feb. 19 when
Delaware’s senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons joined the call of 33 Democratic
leaders nationally for Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to restore on-time
delivery and increase transparency of the agency. A Facebook query Noah posted
on our Delaware State News page garnered a lot of attention and solid sources
that aided in his reporting and contributed to new and varied voices on our
Opinion pages.
The regional USPS spokeswoman continued to deny widespread issues,
but a rural carrier and union representative Noah interviewed acknowledged that
there are problems at the distribution centers feeding the area’s postal
routes. “The mail is moving when it gets to the local offices. The
carriers are working very hard to get it done,” he said. “When we get it, it’s
gone.”
Opinion
Page Coordinator Lee Hoover turned the continued reaction from readers into
several days of coverage for us, featuring Speak Up reaction in print and
online. We also received a letter to the editor on the topic, where Debbie
Hilton of Felton explained how a Christmas card she sent in December had just
arrived to its destination in late February.
https://baytobaynews.com/stories/senators-move-to-protect-us-postal-service,40793?
https://baytobaynews.com/stories/speak-up-carper-coons-protect-us-postal-service,40882?
https://baytobaynews.com/stories/speak-up-carper-coons-usps-round-3,40917?
Salisbury Independent Mission Story
In February, Salisbury Independent set about to produce a
news package addressing all of the questions and misinformation surrounding a
tax abatement program proposed for big-ticket residential development projects
in Downtown Salisbury. As seems to be the case with lots of issues these days,
social media misinformation has served to undermine a tax plan to encourage
development of housing initiatives costing more than $10 million. While the
plan is awaiting General Assembly consent for final local approval, the city
government has approved it and the county is balking. The Independent’s
coverage examined all of the angles, thereby allowing the public to decide.
Online coverage included pertinent documents detailing tax schedules. Sources
in a position to speak as experts were interviewed and included. The coverage
elicited immediate public feedback, with dueling opinion pieces scheduled for
an upcoming edition.
https://baytobaynews.com/wicomico/stories/horizon-tax-abatement,41239
Peoria Independent Mission Stories
For more than three years, the Peoria Fire-Medical
Department has ramped up its efforts to reduce firefighter exposures to known
carcinogens.
Now the department is about to launch a pilot cancer
screening program intended to bring early detection and treatment with the end
goal to have longer and healthier lives for firefighters. Human Resources
Director Christine Nickel said Peoria is one of the first Valley cities to
implement this program, and fire departments nationwide are also considering
similar initiatives to tackle this issue. The program is in the final
development stages, with anticipated roll out spring 2021, she said.
Florida Mission Stories
COVID-19 vaccinations
The COVID-19 vaccine is in short supply and demand is great,
leading to long lines and frustration for many in the communities served by the
INI Florida Group. In January, the health department in Okeechobee only offered
vaccine appointments to those who came to the department in person, resulting
in seniors camping out overnight for a chance to make an appointment.
The rural communities also found their towns short-changed
on vaccine supply or left out of vaccination plants.
https://southcentralfloridalife.com/stories/rural-counties-shortchanged-on-vaccine-supply,15424?
The INI Florida papers will continue to cover the
vaccination story, giving readers frequent updates online about vaccination
appointments, “first come, first serve” vaccination pods and requirements to
qualify for vaccination.
Lake Okeechobee releases
With Lake Okeechobee about two feet higher than last year,
many local officials and residents are concerned about the future. Water
managers try to start the wet season with the lake at 12.5 feet above sea
level. Current trends indicate the level may be above 14 feet on June 1. If the
summer brings a hurricane, that could send the lake dangerously high,
imperiling the earthen Herbert Hoover Dike. But coast communities don’t want
lake water released because it lowers the salinity in their estuaries. The
INI-Florida group will continue to follow this ongoing story.
Crisfield Mission Story
Crisfield’s City Council since the start of the new year has
consisted of four members following the resignation and hiring of one of them
as a city employee. Of the four remaining members, the council vice president
is a board member with the Greater Crisfield Action Coalition, a non-profit
economic development corporation. Another is a former president of GCAC who
resigned in May 2020. Based on Crisfield’s ethics code, anytime GCAC wants a
letter of support, funding, or submits any other request of the city that
requires council action, these two members must be clear of GCAC involvement
for one year before they can vote. GCAC has three requests pending before the
council. Whether the public is in favor of these initiates or not,
procedurally, the council cannot act at this time because there is not a quorum
of council members who can vote, until a fifth member is appointed.