The Caloosa Belle office, 22 Fort Thompsom Ave., LaBelle, will be closing to the public as of June 21. Newspaper will continue to publish weekly.
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The Caloosa Belle office, 22 Fort Thompsom Ave., LaBelle, will be closing to the public as of June 21.
The newspaper will continue to publish weekly on Thursdays with distribution throughout LaBelle and Hendry County.
“With today’s digital technology, it is easier than ever to connect with our readers and advertising clients through email and social media platforms,” said Editor-In-Chief Katrina Elsken. “Our mission is to provide the best community journalism possible for the LaBelle area. To achieve this initiative, it’s important that our newsroom is able to leave the office without worrying about general operating hours.”
The telephone number for the newspaper is changing to 863-763-3134. Whenever possible, news items and other correspondence should be emailed to CBNews@newszap.com.
Newspapers will remain outside the office for personal pick up.
The address for news and advertising correspondence with the newspaper is moving to 107 SW 17th St., Suite D, Okeechobee, FL 34974.
Visitors to SouthCentralFloridaLife.com can place a classified advertisement online or call 877-353-2424.
Independent Newsmedia, owner of Lake Okeechobee News, Caloosa Belle, Immokalee Bulletin and SouthCentralFloridaLife.com still owns the historic building in LaBelle. The company is considering sustainable options for the historic location, but no immediate decision has been made.
“Instead of paying costs to operate a building, we can redirect resources to better content and reporting in the newspaper, enhancing our digital services and improving our website design,” Ms. Elsken explained.
The U.S. has lost one in four of its newspapers in the last 15 years, according to a recent study. Most newspapers that have folded were weeklies or other non-dailies.
“About 200 counties in America are without a newspaper altogether,” Ms. Elsken said. “To make certain that doesn’t happen in LaBelle, we need to do things more efficiently and effectively. We are here to stay, and there’s no question we will continue to provide the best newspaper the community can afford.”
Dale Conyers will continue in his local position as editor of the Caloosa Belle. He can be reached at dconyers@newszap.com. Danika Fornear remains the reporter for the publication. She can be reached at dfornear@newszap.com.
