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Meet the new owners of the Democrat

Published in the Mason County Democrat on Aug. 28, 2024

JimandCarsonpicNew Owners

In case you missed the August 7th edition, there are new owners of the Mason County Democrat. We are Jim and Carson Harris of Mason City; although new to this business, we are not new to the area. We both have been in Mason County our entire lives; Jim grew up in Havana, leaving in 1990 for Mason City, while Carson has been a lifelong resident of Mason City. We have two grown children, Cody and Cole, who also reside in Mason City.

Family

Jim and his brother Russ operate Mason County Transfer, a trucking company founded by our parents, Dan and Pat Harris, in 1985. After Dan's passing in 2011, Russ and Jim have been behind the wheel, steering the company with our mom, Pat, and Carson in the office, with Cody and Cole assisting with the shop and driving duties. The newspaper business is familiar to the family as Russ and his wife Angela own and operate 1867 Publications (The Banner Times).

The Martins

The Mason County Democrat and its sister paper, The Fulton Democrat, along with Havana Printing, have been owned and operated by Bob and Wendy Martin since 1973 and have been in Bob's family for nearly 170 years.

Bob and Wendy, wanting to retire, reached out to Russ and Angela for possible consideration. With full knowledge of the time and commitment involved in such an endeavor, Russ and Angela asked us to sit in on some meetings for possible help if a purchase was negotiated. After careful consideration, they passed on the possibility of taking over the oldest established business in Mason County. Knowing full well that someday soon, the Martins would be faced with choosing a date to close the doors so they could try and enjoy the retirement years that they have worked so hard for, we decided to keep up talks ourselves with The Martins to keep the historic papers open.

Decisions

After many months of talking and learning about these historic papers' history, we felt that going beyond our comfort zone was more critical than ever. With the aid of the Martins and the excellent staff already on hand, the decision was made to purchase, Jim and Carson Harris which became effective on August 1st. We are almost a month in, and as expected, it's been a whirlwind of work. We are comforted by our new staff, as they are always willing to help, and the unprecedented institutional knowledge we have in Wendy and Bob as they guide us through the transition.

As we embarked on this journey, we knew the importance of the papers but never realized just how important it meant to all the communities. The support we have been shown has been overwhelming from each community we have been through.

Hitting the ground running, we have had the opportunity to meet many of our faithful advertisers and readers, hopefully building the trust and friendships that they have enjoyed with the Martins all these years.

With the festival season approaching, we plan on being in your community, celebrating with you, and reporting all your community's exciting festivities. If you see us, please don't hesitate to stop us and introduce yourselves, we look forward to meeting you.

Over the next several weeks, we will be bringing you more information about us, our decisions to take on such a project, and how we plan to operate the papers in the future.

Until next week

Jim and Carson Harris

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 8, 2025

Contact Information:
Christopher Weishaar
Digital Public Relations Specialist
cweishaar@studentloan.org
(515) 273-7140
 


Six $1,500 scholarships now open to Midwest high school seniors
High school seniors from six Midwest states have a chance to earn the scholarships
 

WEST DES MOINES, IOWA — High school seniors from Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin now have a chance to receive one of six college scholarships worth $1,500. Registration is open now through April 30, 2025. Parents are also able to register their student.

High school seniors or their parents may register for the ISL Midwest Senior Scholarship at www.IowaStudentLoan.org/Midwest. ISL Education Lending will award $1,500 scholarships to six students whose names are randomly drawn after the registration period. There are no financial need, grade point average or class rank requirements. The ISL Midwest Senior Scholarship can be used at any eligible institution in the United States.

Registered participants also receive emails highlighting financial literacy tips, such as the importance of early career and college planning and ways to reduce student loan indebtedness.

“Student loan debt is a huge concern for new college students,” said Steve McCullough, president and CEO of ISL Education Lending. “As a nonprofit, we provide tools and resources to help high school seniors plan so they can reduce the amount of debt they need to take on while achieving their education goals. Students sign up for a chance at a $1,500 scholarship, and we take that opportunity to share information with them about our free resources.”

The ISL Midwest Senior Scholarship is open to legal U.S. citizens who are seniors at a high school in one of the qualifying states during the 2025-2026 school year and who intend to attend college, either virtually or physically, in fall 2025. It is a no-purchase-required program, and full rules and details are available at www.IowaStudentLoan.org/Midwest.

Additional Resources Available
In addition to offering student loans, ISL Education Lending has other resources for families planning for college and for students who intend to pursue advanced degrees. The Parent Handbook consists of valuable tips to help families of students in sixth through 12th grades prepare for success in college and other postsecondary options. Parents of students in eighth through 12th grades can also sign up to receive twice-monthly emailed tips on academic, college and career planning through the Student Planning Pointers for Parents program. The College Funding Forecaster helps families understand the total cost of four years of college based on a freshman-year financial aid offer. Information about these resources is available at www.IowaStudentLoan.org/SmartBorrowing.

# # #

About ISL Education Lending
Established in 1979 as Iowa Student Loan Liquidity Corporation, a private, nonprofit organization, ISL Education Lending helps students and families obtain the resources necessary to succeed in postsecondary education. ISL has helped nearly 400,000 students pay for college, offering student loans and other products under the name ISL Education Lending. The organization, based in West Des Moines, Iowa, also provides an array of borrower benefits, financial literacy tools and community reinvestment programs, including support for free college planning services for students and their families. For more information, visit www.IowaStudentLoan.org.


 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 7, 2025

Contact Information:
Illinois State Medical Society
Jann Ingmire
janningmire@isms.org
(312) 520-9802
 


Illinois State Medical Society offers free programs for health professionals to address human trafficking awareness
 

As January marks National Human Trafficking Awareness Month, the Illinois State Medical Society (ISMS) is offering a free, two-part webinar series aimed at equipping physicians and other health care professionals with the tools to identify and support those individuals exploited by human trafficking. The series, which is available on demand, is designed to challenge stereotypes, clarify the various factors contributing to trafficking, and provide practical approaches for assisting survivors of both sex and labor trafficking.

Health care professionals are uniquely positioned to identify and assist trafficking victims due to their frontline access and trusted roles within the community. By offering these programs, ISMS aims to raise awareness and offer resources to professionals who may come across survivors in their care.

January 11 is recognized as National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, and the month as a whole is dedicated to increasing awareness of trafficking, which affects millions globally. According to a 2017 survey of 127 human trafficking survivors, 69% reported having accessed health care services at some point during their exploitation. Of those, 85% sought treatment for injuries or illnesses related to their trafficking. Despite this, only 6% of health care workers reported having treated someone who was a victim of trafficking.

The two no-cost, on-demand programs, available 24/7, offer continuing medical education (CME) credits and are designed to help health care professionals recognize signs of trafficking, improve their response, and ensure proper support for survivors.

Human Trafficking: Identification and Response in a Healthcare Setting 

Presented by Anna Pastor, coordinator, Cook Co. Human Trafficking Task Force

Human Trafficking: Practical Approaches and Resources in a Healthcare Setting

Presented by Traci Kurtzer, M.D., medical director for trauma informed care and education, Northwestern Medicine

The programs are free to all health care professionals and the public. 

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