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Knowing where to go for the right care can help save you time and money. Get familiar with your options now, before you need care.
Common medical and mental health concerns addressed by phone
QUICKLY Online care
Colds, cough or flu, bladder infections, mental health*
Convenience clinic
TODAY
Minor illnesses or injuries, screenings and vaccinations
SOON Office visit
Preventive care, screenings and vaccines, mental health therapy or referrals to specialty care
Urgent care
Minor cuts, sprains and burns, skin rashes, fever and flu, X-rays and lab testing
Emergency room (ER)
Chest pain, shortness of breath, uncontrolled bleeding, poisoning, risk of harming yourself or others, or other life-threatening illnesses or injuries
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Visit doctorondemand.com/ bluecrossmn 24 hours a day, seven days a week or check with your provider. short
No appointment necessary. Often available nights and weekends. short
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Immediately call 911 or go to your nearest ER anytime. longer, unless life-threatening $$$$$
Please note: The conditions listed are for example only and not a complete list.
988
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or in suicidal crisis, help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling or texting 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
*Mental health visits are by appointment only, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time.
Doctor On Demand® by Included Health is an independent company providing telehealth services. Make sure your doctor and clinic/hospital are in your network before receiving care. This will make sure you receive the highest level of benefits. Each healthcare provider is an independent contractor and not our agent. WHEN YOU NEED USE
(6/23) Blue Cross® and Blue Shield® of Minnesota and Blue Plus® are nonprofit independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
JAN THOMPSON APG EAST CENTRAL MN
The Question Was: Every July 4th, how many hot dogs are consumed in the US?
The Answer Was: 150 MILLION!
What popular rock band played their last concert on August 29, 1966?
SEND IN YOUR ANSWER FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN Submit your answer to AskHR@adamspg.com. The winner will be drawn on August 15, 2024. CONGRATS TO OUR JULY WINNER
ENC STARS WINNER FOR Q1 OF 2024
APG EAST
Rich Houghton named ENC STARS winner for Q1 of 2024. Rich finished the first quarter at 109% overall coming in at 107% to goal for non-digital and 120% to goal for digital. Rich reached or exceeded goal 4 out of 6 times in the quarter. Congratulations!
MARYLAND INDEPENDENT CELEBRATES 150 YEARS
Southern Maryland News and APG Chesapeake celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Maryland Independent on Friday, June 28, at the newspaper’s office in La Plata, Maryland.
Nearly 100 community leaders, former employees and staff attended the reception at the newspaper office, which featured proclamations from the La Plata mayor and council, the Charles County commissioners and state representatives. President Joe Biden sent a letter congratulating the newspaper for its success over the years.
At the reception, guests were given a poster celebrating the anniversary.
Current and past staff members gathered for a photo in front of the newspaper office, which still bears the name Maryland Independent.
The Southern Maryland News produced a special edition tracing the history of the Independent and some of the major stories it had covered since it was first published in 1874, including articles on small towns, the tobacco buyout, a pair of devastating tornadoes, local sports stars and a county connection with a Bob Dylan song (“The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll”).
The Independent was one of three newspapers that combined to create the Southern Maryland News. Nameplates for each of the newspapers still run weekly on inside pages.
Managing Editor Jesse Yeatman, Regional Advertising Director Brook Ash MMAEs Carol Solar and Stacy Moreland headed the team that planned the gala event.
The special section can be viewed at: https://www.somdnews.com/ maryland-independent-150thanniversary/html_851cab54-3ee811ef-a493-8b2ff002e441.html
APG EAST
FIERCE ENTERS 5TH MONTH
THE DAILY SUN
FIERCE - Feminine, Inspiring, Empowering, Resilient, Confident and Empathetic
FIERCE is a dynamic initiative dedicated to celebrating the strength, resilience, and achievements of women in our community.
Our Mission: We believe in the power of women to shape communities and inspire future generations. FIERCE is about sharing stories, recognizing, and honoring the incredible women who make a difference every day in our community.
We are now in our 5th month. Every month we hand deliver FIERCE shirts and plaques to our 4 FIERCE women for the month. Our FIERCE woman of the month that gets the most votes receives a beautiful bouquet of fuchsia roses at her home plus recognition in our Newspaper. In May (2025) they will all be featured in our first ever FIERCE publication which will reveal our FIERCE Woman of the Year on the cover.
The feedback for the FIERCE initiative has been overwhelmingly positive, with the community showing immense love and support.
On June 8, we proudly hosted the Best of North Port 2024, celebrating the winners and finalists of the community-voted awards. The event brought together outstanding businesses and entrepreneurs, recognizing their achievements and contributions to the local economy. It was a lively and enjoyable evening filled with networking, entertainment, and celebration. Attendees shared positive feedback, praising the event’s organization and the opportunity to connect with peers and supporters. The evening highlighted the vibrant spirit of North Port’s business community and set the stage for future successes.
An awards program that is dedicated to celebrating outstanding local athletes who excel in their respective sports. This initiative aims to recognize the hard work, dedication, and exceptional achievements of athletes within our community, highlighting their contributions to both their sports and our local culture. By honoring these sports stars, we aim to inspire future generations to pursue excellence and foster a strong sense of community pride.
NEW REGIONAL PUBLISHER & GM OF APG MEDIA OF SOUTHERN MINNESOTA
SOUTHERN MN
I am pleased to announce a new addition to our management team. Kevin True will be joining Adams Publishing Group and serve as Regional Publisher & GM of APG Media of Southern Minnesota. He joined the team on Monday, May 6, 2024.
Kevin hails from the southern Minnesota town of Austin (SPAMTOWN, USA). After college, he
began a marketing career with an internship in Brookings, South Dakota selling advertising for a newly built rock ‘n roll radio station, working his way to the Sales Manager position. Before joining Shopper Enterprises and the Minnesota Sun Group, his print career began as the general manager of Prairie Publications, Inc. in Dell Rapids; SD. Prairie Publications was a small group consisting of three weekly newspapers and two regional TMC products serving the surrounding communities of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
An opportunity to move back to Minnesota was offered with Shopper Enterprises, Inc. /SEI as General Manager of the Mower County Shopper in Austin, MN. He then moved to the larger St. Cloud Shopping News location also in the General Manager role. With the acquisition of Minnesota Sun Newspapers (part of APG’s ECM group), he transferred as the Regional Advertising Manager in the then Eden Prairie offices to oversee advertising sales in display, classified and inside sales for 29 weekly suburban newspapers, multiple magazines, and various websites. Kevin then accepted an opportunity with Boone Newspapers as the Advertising Director at the Albert Lea Tribune daily, and then moving to the Austin, MN location as President & Publisher of Austin Daily Herald, Austin Newspaper, Inc.
Since 2012 he has served as the Regional Director of Advertising for Media News Group, Inc. (formerly Redwing Publishing & Big Fish Works). Kevin brings 35+ years of sales and executive positions.
Kevin has served and held board positions with the Hutchinson Downtown Association, Austin Area Chamber of Commerce, Mower County Pheasants Forever, Mower County Victim Crisis Center, MNA Advertising Committee and the Advisory Board for Nexus-Gerard Family Healing of Austin. In his spare time, he enjoys volunteering time at the local the Youth Hockey Association and enjoys the great outdoors.
Kevin and his wife Dianne have two grown daughters and are excited to be part of the APG Media of Southern Minnesota team.
Please join me in welcoming Kevin to the Adams Publishing Group family. He can be reached at kevin.true@apgsomn.com or by phone 507-460-0368 (cell).
We want to hear what is going on in your neck of the woods. Submit your stories to SUBMITNEWS.ADAMSPG.COM to be featured in the quarterly newsletter.
APG CENTRAL
THE CALEDONIA ARGUS IS CELEBRATING 145 YEARS
APG OHIO
By FREDERICK BESELER Guest Contributor
The Caledonia Argus, part of the Central group of papers in Minnesota, is celebrating its 145th year of operation this year. A display has been set up at the Houston County Historical Society chronicling its history, and speakers will talk about the newspaper and its rich past during the upcoming 2024 Houston County Fair. Some artifacts were donated by the Murphy family, who owned the Caledonia Argus for 100 years.
When Adams Publishing Group acquired the Argus through its purchase of ECM Publishers in 2016, it received more than a local newspaper —it also welcomed almost 150 years of local journalism history.
The roots of The Caledonia Argus and predecessors date to the middle of the 19th century. It has grown from a small newspaper with type set by hand and printed with a steam powered press to a modern paper with computerized, digital printing covering local news including city, county and school board meetings, local events, sports, and public notices.
The Argus is now the only weekly newspaper based in Houston County, Minnesota that covers Houston County exclusively.
The direct ancestor of today’s Argus began publication in 1879 as Houston County Argus.
The Ryan Years
For much of the past 100 years, the Argus was owned and edited by the Ryan and Murphy families.
The history of The Caledonia Argus is literally a lesson in the history of printing. In 1920 Patrick Ryan purchased a revolutionary Linotype press from the Mergenthaler Company of Brooklyn, New York.
Cost? A cool $3,175.00. Big money in 1920.
Ray Ryan, son of Patrick and Anne Ryan, was born in 1913 in the apartment above the Argus office. According to Caledonia Pride, Ray was a 1935 graduate of Upper Iowa University in Fayette. He
then worked as unit manager for carriers for the Des Moines Register. In 1936 he returned home to help his dad, Patrick, at The Caledonia Argus who was serving as editor, publisher and as the Caledonia postmaster.
When Ray Ryan passed away from cancer in 1972, his daughter Angela said of him, “There is something about a newspaper that inspires a sense of obligation, responsibility, pride, and dedication. It is a love a man has for his work and for over 35 years, this love was reflected in his paper. There never was a question as to what would be his vocation. He knew the paper was to be his life and so it was. As a family, the newspaper became a part of each of us.” (Caledonia Pride)
With the passing of Ray Ryan The Argus was sold to a group of Iowa newspapermen, of which Thomas Murphy of New Hampton was named manager and publisher of The Argus. In 1975 Tom Murphy bought out his partners. Shortly after taking over at The Argus, Tom Murphy married Angela Ryan, thus uniting both families in the newspaper business. ` Today the paper is part of the Southern Minnesota group of papers owned by APG. And with 145 years of history in the books, it’s just five short years away from a sesquicentennial celebration.
CENTRAL SHORTS:
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN APG CENTRAL?
2024 WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT
The Northfield chapter of the American Association of University Women has named Pamela Thompson, editor of the Northfield News, as its 2024 Women of Achievement.
AAUW is a national organization with headquarters in Washington DC. The Northfield chapter has been a functioning organization since 1916. The goal of the organization has always been to encourage higher education for women, and in recent years has expanded to include equity for women.
“Pamela is certainly deserving of this recognition for the amazing work she does with the Northfield News,” said Jo Klever, longtime AAUW member.
SUMMER FAIRS
Summer fairs play a pivotal role in driving substantial multimedia revenue for APG South Wisconsin. In 2023, our strategic initiatives at the Rock County 4H Fair exemplified our commitment to innovation and expansion. By augmenting traditional print campaigns with dynamic digital strategies including social media engagement, video creation, targeted display ads, and leveraging third party data, we effectively doubled revenue streams to over $14,000 in July revenue. Building upon this success, our approach extended to the Stoughton and Jefferson County Fairs in 2024, yielding impressive new digital revenue exceeding $12,000 in June alone. Integrating emerging platforms such as TikTok and utilizing targeted email campaigns along with data secured these sales. Remarkably, these endeavors marked the inaugural digital campaigns for both fairs, positioning APG South Wisconsin as their trusted partner in pioneering digital growth strategies for the future. As we look ahead, we are poised to continue this trajectory of innovation and collaboration, solidifying our role as a cornerstone for their evolving multimedia needs.
WINDOW DESIGN WINNERS
The staff at the Patriot in Waconia was named winner of the best rodeo window display contest, held in June. It coincided with the annual Waconia Rodeo on June 7 and 8. The contest, sponsored by Extreme Events MN, required participants to dress up window displays in a rodeo theme of their choosing. Reigning Rodeo Queen Ellyah Wickenhauser chose the Patriot building as the winning entry. Staff who helped create the display are, pictured are from left: Andrea Carlson, Jill Heath, Lisa Nollen, Elliot Carlson and Elizabeth Vogel.
KNOW YOUR HISTORY
MMAE’s often refer to last year’s sales history when preparing to start selling the month. It’s important to know what your accounts did last year so we can make sure we are capturing all their revenue as we secure new revenue. Back in February of this year, we started to equip our MMAE’s with account history from several years back, not just last year. We use
this as a management tool to discuss account history and idea’s that we might not have considered. This is especially helpful with new MMAE’s. This initiative has contributed to all of our MMAE’s in Marinette and Antigo WI collectively exceeding their prior year’s history and exceeding their goals for the last 4 consecutive months.
REV UP WEEKEND BRINGS CLASSIC CARS TO SOUTHERN WI
The Southern Wisconsin team is excited to announce our partnership with the long-standing tradition of the Delavan Car Show, now expanded into a 3-day extravaganza for 2024.
Event Highlights: On Friday, the weekend kicks off with a community street dance, live music, delicious food, and fun for the entire family. Saturday will feature the “Show Us What You Drive” parade and rally, followed by a headline musical performance at the local band shell. Sunday will be the grand finale, featuring the “Cars Time Forgot” car show, showcasing hundreds
of classic cars, alongside a variety of vendors, food, and entertainment for everyone.
Our Role: We’re proud to have partnered with Visit Delavan to bring this event to life. Our team has managed all non-local advertising, producing streaming TV and audio commercials, and eye-catching email campaigns. We’ve targeted audiences across Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin, reaching from Chicago to Green Bay to Davenport. This collaboration has been a fantastic exercise in teamwork, dedication, and summer fun.
APG CENTRAL
Owatonna People’s Press Associate Editor Annie Harman took the lead on a new initiative in her newspaper community, News & Brews.Once a month, Annie will be present at a local brewery to discuss the Owatonna People’s Press newspaper, answer questions, hear news tipsand more. The activity serves as a great way for our paper to be present in the community and for readers to engage with us, both servinggoals we’ve set within our group.
IDAHO PRESS CLUB
2024 AWARDS
POST REGISTER
The Idaho Press Club announced their 2024 Awards in May and we are proud to share that our APG East
Idaho Group brought home a total of 22 awards. Some outstanding work by our team!
Below is a list of winners from our group. Please join us in congratulating them!
DAILY PUBLICATIONS
General Excellence – Printed
2ND - John Miller, Jeff Robinson, David Pace, Daniel Ramirez, Joanna Hayes, Victoria Palmer, Allan Steele: Post Register
Special Purpose Publication – Printed
1ST - Courtney Wren, Brad Bugger, Brandon Walton: ID State Journal - Celebrating Holt Arena
SportS News Coverage – Daily
1ST - Ian Fennell:
Idaho State Journal - Sheriff’s detective rescues his neighbor trapped in crushed Blue Moon Bar
3RD - Jeff Robinson, Daniel V. Ramirez: Post Register - ‘A sad day for all of ID Falls’
Sports News Coverage – Daily
1ST - Allan Steele:
Post Register - Sugar-Salem Managing Winter Conditions
Sports Prep Feature Story – Daily
2ND - Allan Steele:
Post Register - Butte County Celebrates First State Title
Specialty Column – Daily
2ND - Mike Murphy: Idaho State Journal – Political Columns
3RD - Brad Bugger: Idaho State Journal – Sports Columns
Rookie of the Year – Daily
1ST - Taylor Calder - Idaho State Journal
2ND - Daniel V. Ramirez - Post Register
WEEKLY PUBLICATIONS
Sports News Coverage – Weekly
2ND - Danielle Clegg:
Teton Valley News - School Board Adopts Initiatives to Mitigate Member Mistake
Sports Story – Weekly
2ND - Danielle Clegg:
Teton Valley News - Competing Local Extremists
Education Report - Weekly
2ND - Danielle Clegg:
Teton Valley News – 800 Students Now Gardening
Agriculture Report - Weekly
1ST - Danielle Clegg:
Teton Valley News - Wide Open Spaces
Environment Report - Weekly
3RD - Danielle Clegg:
Teton Valley News - Detrimental Land Use: Affecting more than just the neighbors
Rookie of the Year - Weekly
3RD - Danielle Clegg - Teton Valley News
PERIODICAL
General Excellence - Periodical
1ST - Danae Lenz: East Idaho Business Journal
Periodical Writing – Serious Feature
1ST - Danae Lenz: East Idaho Business Journal – History of Hospitality
Periodical Writing – Light Feature
3RD - Danae Lenz: East Idaho Business Journal – People Love This Place
PHOTOGRAPHY
Feature Photography – Serious
2ND - Kyle Riley: Idaho State Journal – Field of Heroes
Sports News Photography
3RD - Kyle Riley: Idaho State Journal – Local Rodeo
Sports Reporter of the YearPublication
2ND - Brandon Walton: Idaho State Journal
APG WEST
“...AND OTHER DUTIES AS ASSIGNED”
SKAGIT
Rebecca Poynter new Washington regional President/Publisher cleans up before Summer BBQ kickoff.
To help simplify your employment at APG, we have built this Associate portal as a resource for you. Inside, you will find quick links and easy access to: human resources staff, benefits contacts, job openings, newsletters and more…
This is a great place to start when you are searching for HR information. Of course, if you can’t find what you are looking for or need additional help, our HR team is always available to assist you. You can find their contact info at hr.adamspg.com/contact or you can send them a quick message to AskHR@adamspg.com.
LOOKING FOR A DIFFERENT POSITION WITHIN APG? CHECK OUT AVAILABLE CAREER OPPORTUNITIES ON THE HR PORTAL.
Have a question, but don’t know whom to ask? The Human Resources staff is listening! You can always send an email to Ask HR if you have questions or concerns. Emails will be kept confidential and, if we print your question in the APG newsletter, we will not use your name.
Questions may be emailed to AskHR@adamspg.com or sent interoffice to your regional HR representative.
KATHARINE GLASS
APG Vice President of HR kglass@adamspg.com 865.981.1101
DEB BROOKS
HR Manager - APG West dbrooks@skagitpublishing.com 360.416.2187
