Charlene Bisson named INI’s CEO

 

Charlene (Patti) Bisson, 44, has been named President & CEO of Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA.  She is only the fourth person to serve as the company’s CEO in its 68-year history.

 INI’s new CEO grew up in Glendale, Arizona, and graduated from Arizona State University in 1999 with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications, with a minor in Business.  During her 22 years with INI, she advanced from reporting to editing to West Valley publisher before taking over as Arizona group publisher in 2018.  She lives in Peoria with her husband, Will, and their three children.

 Bisson is passionate about INI’s commitment to nonpartisan journalism, opinions with civility and community service, and has been recognized by various civic organizations for her leadership.  She serves as president of the Peoria Diamond Club, a charity that gives back to youth. She is also a board member of the Arizona Newspapers Association.

 Under her leadership, Arizona has become INI’s largest and fastest growing group.  Now, as CEO, she will be responsible for all of INI’s corporate, digital, printing and publishing operations in four states, working with the company’s directors and officers.

 “She has earned the respect of all of INI’s key people, the performance of her teams proves that she is a terrific leader, and our board of directors unanimously agreed that it was time to ask Charlene to usher in a new generation of INI leadership,” said board chair Joe Smyth and vice chair Ed Dulin in a joint statement. 

 “I look forward to expanding our online, print and event operations while embracing ever-changing technology to reach all generations with our purposeful journalism and opinions with civility,” Bisson said.

 Smyth, now 80, was INI’s second CEO (1969-2014) and Dulin, 70, was the third (2014-2021).  From 1953-1969, Jack Smyth, Joe’s father, was CEO of Delaware State News, Inc. before the name was changed to INI after the company started expanding beyond Delaware.  

 The company operates community newspapers and websites in Arizona, Delaware, Florida and the Eastern Shore of Maryland, as well as printing companies in Arizona and Delaware.

 INI’s approach to journalism is devoted to straight and nonpartisan reporting. Instead of writing editorials, it draws citizens into community decision-making and showcases the public’s opinions with civility.  INI’s pledge to purposeful neutrality --- along with its focus on community issues, organizations and local involvement --- help build a strong sense of community.

 INI is a for-profit company that pays taxes the same as any other for-profit.  It does not pay dividends to any individuals or groups, however, since it is 100% owned by a non-profit journalistic trust.  This means that all after-tax profits are reinvested in the company and its mission.

 

Trot for Toys

 

Lake Okeechobee News Editor Katrina Elsken covered a variety of holiday events, including the Trot for Toys trail ride, which raised money for the Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office Shop with a Cop event for low income children. (Deputies take kids shopping for presents for themselves and their families.) How do you cover a trail ride? On horseback, of course. 

January Anniversaries

 1/6, 2 YRS, Wolf, Laurie Anne, N Valley/phoenix

1/6, 18 YRS, Sellers, Dianna Lee, Corporate

1/13, 25 YRS, Sheedy, Judith Kay, Okeechobee

1/15, 25 YRS, Martin, Robert J, Valley Printing

1/20, 3 YRS, Ziegler, Patrick E, Valley Printing

1/26, 4 YRS, Ibarra-Rivera, Ricardo I, Valley Printing

1/26, 13 YRS, Drzymalski, Scherie L, Corporate

Whistleblower Policy

 

Independent has updated its Whistleblower Policy.  The policy is an important ethical practice and supports transparency and fair play within the company.  We encourage all employees to read the Company Handbook which is located on the ADP home page.

 Whistleblower policy: 

 A “whistleblower” is an employee who reports an activity that he/she considers to be illegal or dishonest.  Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA is committed to high ethical standards, and therefore encourages such reports and pledges not to retaliate against whistleblowers. 

 If an INI employee has knowledge of, or a concern about what might be illegal, dishonest and/or fraudulent activity, or feels he or she or some other employee is being retaliated against, the employee should share his/her concerns in an email to Corporate Services Director Wanda Ford-Waring wfwaring@iniusa.org.  Or, if the employee prefers, the email can be sent to INI Board Chair Joe Smyth joesmyth@iniusa.org, Vice Chair Ed Dulin edulin@iniusa.org 

 Such reports will be investigated, with the results being shared with INI’s board of directors. The employee should avoid baseless allegations, and the right of a whistleblower for protection against retaliation does not include immunity for any personal wrongdoing that is alleged, investigated, and verified. 

 Whistleblower protections are provided in two important areas -- confidentiality and against retaliation. Insofar as possible, the confidentiality of the whistleblower will be maintained.  However, a whistleblower’s identity may have to be disclosed to conduct a thorough investigation, to comply with the law and to provide accused individuals their legal rights of defense.

INCREASE YOUR 401k INVESTMENT and SAVE FOR RETIREMENT!

 

INCREASE YOUR 401k INVESTMENT and SAVE FOR RETIREMENT! Effective January 1, 2022, most employees can defer up to $20,500 of their annual salary

to their 401k investment plan --- a $1,000 increase over the limit in 2021. Employees age 50 and older can defer up to $27,000. In most cases, each participant may defer up to the maximum allowed by law. The plan defers taxes on the amount you invest in your 401k account. If you would like to increase your contribution, it's simple --- log onto the Principal website at https://www.principal.com/  enter your log in credentials, select Contributions>Managed Contributions to make the change.  

 

Please email inipayroll@iniusa.org  with questions.

Dorchester Banner November Mission Story

 

Dorchester Banner

 The Banner’s mission to provide a forum for readers, which Dave Ryan called “one of its most important aspects,” was illustrated in November with the continuing coverage of the criminal charges against Cambridge Mayor Andrew Bradshaw. The mayor was arrested Nov. 15 and charged with 50 counts of  posting intimate photos of a former girlfriend, in what is known as revenge porn. While Mr. Bradshaw’s lawyer originally said his client intended to stay in office serving the citizens of Cambridge, its council eventually removed him from office.

 The Banner used our regional website, BaytoBayNews.com, and the newspaper’s social media platforms to get the news out immediately and then followed up with comments on Town Square. Our format on that weekly Viewpoints feature ensures a couple of factors that our readers appreciate: It's anonymous, so regular folks can comment on public issues without fear of retaliation from those who are influential in the community; and comments are moderated by editors to ensure that they follow our civility guidelines.  

 Banner readers appreciated the local coverage they received on such a hot topic, but it was also a popular story on BTBN. The stories also appeared in print for DSN.

 

https://baytobaynews.com/browse.html?archive_search=1&content_source=&search_filter=andrew+bradshaw&search_filter_mode=and&byline=&sub_type%5B%5D=stories&sub_type%5B%5D=photos&sub_type%5B%5D=videos&sub_type%5B%5D=eeditions&sub_type%5B%5D=specialsections&date_start_n=&date_start_j=&date_start_Y=&date_end_n=&date_end_j=&date_end_Y=

Daily news you can trust

 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GcnVpQ_zKOfv9-uRKJV-VyWsp4oRK5AW/view?usp=sharing

DSN e-Edition subscriptions

 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JV6CDXcetfyRBFMFHmhnbrQGIKhewc8S/view?usp=sharing

Subscribe today!

 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1i3Hx6HMDVZ-7bH1Q2noRdLqrXWFcw44x/view?usp=sharing

Sun City Independent November Mission Story

 A Sun City resident is trying to get a member of the rec center board recalled but is finding it a rough row to hoe. Other residents are behind him as they oppose the board’s June removal of a board member who was elected in December 2020. This story generated a lot of interest in the community and several letters to the editor.

 

https://www.yourvalley.net/sun-city-independent/stories/resident-wants-wilson-recalled-from-sun-city-rec-board,271047?

 

Crisfield-Somerset County Times November Mission Story

 Parents – especially since the advent of COVID-19 – have become more aware of what their children are learning and reading in school, and taking complaints to local school boards when they find objectionable material. Such is the case in Somerset County, where one book is already off school library shelves and under review by administrators, and other books are expected to be in the crosshairs.

 

https://baytobaynews.com/stories/mondays-not-coming-out-of-school-libraries,65128

 

Delaware State News Novembr Mission Stories

 The biggest storyline of the month was the death of Delaware’s first female governor, Ruth Ann Minner, who died at the age of 86 on Nov. 4. I’m very proud of the breaking news coverage that our newsroom produced on deadline. Our stories built on candid interviews with downstate residents who knew Minner well. Our competition’s initial coverage focused on canned statements from elected officials. We used some of those reactions, too, of course, but packaged it as a sidebar. We had another story that focused on the impact she had on female politicians. The story of Minner’s death was one of the top 10 clicked for BaytoBayNews.com in November.

 We had funeral coverage and reports on the impact those services would have on the Milford area as the event was made even bigger by President Joe Biden’s presence there. Those stories were bookended by two enterprise features that looked at her legacies in Delaware: most notably spearheading the indoor smoking ban at the risk of re-election and promoting education initiatives such as full-day kindergarten and the SEED scholarship.

 We had a timeline of her career, photos and video.

 Lee Hoover did a nice job coordinating a remembrance of Minner by Lee Ann Walling, a former reporter who worked for her for 15 years, in the Sunday Opinion section and she had several Speak Up columns and a Question of the Day coordinated with coverage as well.

 Critical to our presentation of the content in print and online was the archive of images we had access to from our pool of veteran photojournalists, both our staff photographer Marc Clery and our freelancers who have long ties to Delaware.

 Our coverage really shined because of the connections our staff has in Delaware, the respect they have from sources who quickly picked up the phones and called back.

 https://baytobaynews.com/browse.html?archive_search=1&content_source=&search_filter=ruth+ann+minner&search_filter_mode=and&byline=&sub_type%5B%5D=stories&sub_type%5B%5D=photos&sub_type%5B%5D=videos&sub_type%5B%5D=eeditions&sub_type%5B%5D=specialsections&date_start_n=&date_start_j=&date_start_Y=&date_end_n=&date_end_j=&date_end_Y=

This Bud's for ................

 

This bud is for the entire Arizona Group. We’ve had a lot of people out sick the past couple of weeks and on holiday vacations. Everyone works diligently to chip in from the press department to the newsroom. We truly have the best newspaper team in the world! – Charlene Bisson

This Bud's for ...............

 

This bud is for Andy West for his detailed guidance to help with Circ. Smart set up. He went above and beyond! Thank you! – Charlene Bisson

Florida Mission Stories November 2021

 

INI Florida’s Editorial team stayed busy in November with coverage of local news. As the holiday season starts, there are plenty of photo ops. We also make sure to cover the more complicated issue stories.

Muck Tavern Lease

The lease for the Pahokee Marina continues to be a hot topic in Western Palm Beach County. In 2019, the city commission initially chose one company to manage the campground, marina and restaurant. Then negotiations broke down and the city made arrangements with a different group to manage the restaurant only. But an election in 2021 and the departure of the former city manager left the leases unresolved. In November, the city commission made some progress on the lease for the restaurant and local residents hope to see it reopen soon.

https://www.southcentralfloridalife.com/belle-glade/stories/muck-tavern-lease-issues-discussed-at-pahokee-city-meeting,25116

Redistricting

The 2020 Census brought changes in some voting districts on the federal and state levels. Florida counties were required to change their own district maps to stay in line for the voting precincts for state and federal races. The Lake Okeechobee News and Caloosa Belle kept readers up to date on changes to expect next time they go to the polls.

https://www.southcentralfloridalife.com/labelle/stories/hendry-county-tweaks-redistricting-map-to-meet-dec-31-deadline,25134

https://www.southcentralfloridalife.com/okeechobee/stories/changes-in-okeechobee-county-voting-districts-proposed,25137?

EMS assessments

How can a local government pay for needed services when property taxes don’t bring in enough cash. Florida law puts a maximum cap on the property taxes a county can levy. Some counties have switched to per residence assessments to pay for services such as fire protection and emergency medical services. In the INI Florida coverage area, Okeechobee County has already switched to this system, and Hendry and Glades Counties are considering it. Stories in the newspapers and on the website helped explain what this potential taxing change would mean to the residents.

https://www.southcentralfloridalife.com/labelle/stories/hbocc-moves-forward-with-ems-assessments,25199

Human Interest

Human interest stories are an important part of community journalism. In November, two human interest stories highlighted local residents who dealt with grief.

https://www.southcentralfloridalife.com/okeechobee/stories/woman-deals-with-grief-in-unique-way,25514?

https://www.southcentralfloridalife.com/okeechobee/stories/sharon-wallace-was-the-voice-of-breast-cancer-awareness,24469?

 

 

Lake Okeechobee News moves to new offices in Okeechobee

 

In September, the Lake Okeechobee News moved from the Fountain Square building the news had occupied for 30 years to smaller offices at 313 N.W. Fourth Avenue near the Okeechobee County Courthouse.

 Downsizing made sense for several reasons. The pandemic showed us that many employees were more efficient, and happier, working from home. Armed with a laptop computer and digital camera, a reporter doesn't have to go back to the office to file a story. Stories can be filed from home or anywhere with internet access. Some stories are even filed from government meeting rooms while the meeting is still going on. Our lease for the old building was up on Sept. 30, 2021, so it was a good time to make a change.

 Dealing with 30 years of accumulation of "stuff" was a challenge. Old files were sorted and many of them shredded. When we could find no market for old office furniture, and local nonprofits did not want to pick it up, we opened it up to the public, with the goal of not letting anything usable to wind up in the landfill.  

 Old furniture from the newspaper office found new homes in a variety of places. Staffers setting up their own home offices got first choice of the furniture not tagged to go to the new building. 

 The old conference table -- much too large for the new office -- is now used by the Okeechobee County Narcotics Unit for their meetings. A heavy metal table that was used by the circulation department in the days we hand inserted was deemed perfect for use in a barn. A farrier picked up some old shelving for his shop. People with their own home offices wanted the dividers we had used for the cubicles.

 Some old desks we thought would go to the landfill were hauled away to be fitted with new tops and used as tables at a flea market.

 The newspaper staff is still settling into the new office, while still getting the products to press and keeping the website updated. The proximity to the courthouse is nice. Instead of looking for a parking space near the courthouse for a busy meeting, a news staffer can just walk across the street. The new office is also within walking distance of the sheriff's office, convenient for news as well as increased safety.

                                            The circulation area is decorated for the holidays.

                                                Editor Katrina Elsken’s corner of the office

Entry shelves showcase some of the newspaper industry’s history with old photography equipment, lead type and a manual typewriter. Many of the items on display had been in the old building, although the lead type setting items came from Katrina Elsken's personal collection.

The multipurpose room gets a lot of use. It serves as the break area, a meeting area, a place to do phone or in-person interviews, a place for ad consultants to meet with clients and a work station for any staffer who needs a spot to work in the building.

                              Two parking spaces near the front door are reserved for our customers.

         The sign is up over the door. Kris Schwartz is also designing art that will be in the window.

EAP Services

 

Reliance Standard, Independent’s life and disability insurance carrier offers EAP to all Independent’s employees and family members.  Want to know more of the services provided? The information is located on the ADP Home Page under Highlights as EAP Services.  You can also click the link below:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1y-Z61_44NB9ashdPzK2ixWE5xX3aUbO_/view?usp=sharing