Dear Valued Readers:

We are excited to launch the Caloosa Belle Independent, a monthly print publication featuring the latest community, business, school, opinion, lifestyle, and environment news in LaBelle and Hendry County. This monthly community newspaper, formerly the Caloosa Belle weekly publication, will be mailed to homes in ZIP code 33935, including gated communities.

Change is often difficult. We’ve endured a lot of it the past couple of years with the global pandemic causing us to reinvent our business model in Florida.

We’re creating a bright future at Independent Newsmedia with bold changes on the horizon that we believe will be best for our loyal readers and advertisers.

In 2020, we launched SouthCentralFloridaLife.com where our news team has been posting daily, including breaking news from LaBelle and Hendry County. More and more media organizations are ceasing print publications to focus on digital-only brands.

While we believe in the power of print, we also realize the pandemic changed readers' habits to seek information without leaving their homes. Our online readership and digital subscriptions continue to rise at SouthCentralFloridaLife.com due to its convenience and unlimited space for community news.

Visit our website at SouthCentralFloridaLife.com to learn more about our growing company.

While we know postage is an expensive endeavor, we believe there are greater benefits to our advertisers and readers with the change to mailbox.

• More circulation for everyone: We are increasing our printed copies to a total of 8,000 copies a month, which means everyone in 33935 will receive a newspaper. Extra copies can be picked up at our five rack locations at Bridge Street, Save A Lot, McDonald's, Handy Main Street, and the Court House.

• Affordable advertising: Postcard postage would cost more than $1,500 alone. This does not include the printing of the advertisement. Advertising with us saves our businesses money as well as ensures local journalism remains in the LaBelle area. For more information, please email okeeadsales@iniusa.org or call 863-763-3134.

• More color & new features: Our newspaper pages are colorful, easy to hold and full of local news, flavor, events and information. We are adding features, including a monthly puzzle page, environment stories, a look back on history and photos of life in LaBelle. We welcome your news coverage ideas. Please email our Editor-in-Chief Katrina Elsken at kelsken@iniusa.org.

Thank you for continuing to be a valued reader of the Caloosa Belle Independent newspaper.

We appreciate your years of loyal support and participation at our events.

We hope you appreciate our efforts by reading the daily Caloosa Belle Independent at SouthCentralFloridaLife.com.

It is individuals like you who help keep our presses running and allow this little company with big ideas to continue offering our readers credible, nonpartisan reporting from our journalists.

We would appreciate it if you would share our free online newsletter with your friends. Please have them visit SouthCentralFloridalife.com/enewsletter/.

Our unique structure is designed to maintain our independence. We’re owned by a nonprofit trust. There are no shareholders, no dividends are paid, and all after-tax profits are reinvested in our journalistic mission.

We rely on a combination of business advertising, reader contributions and subscriptions, grants, and sponsorships to support our journalism. Contributors donate solely to support local journalism and do not influence our journalism.

We always appreciate your suggestions.

Thank you, take care, and stay safe!