The Central St. Croix News recently began operating under new ownership and new management when CSCN Holdings, LLC, owned by Jeff Redmon of the town of Warren, acquired the paper from Michelle Calcagno. For the past month or so the publication essentially operated as it had in the past, but with the new year came changes to both the business and the look of the newspaper.
For decades the Central St. Croix News, although its coverage area includes the communities of both Hammond and Roberts, has been physically located in Hammond – but that changed with the first business day of 2010, at least partially.
Effective with the open of the business day on Jan. 4, the production offices of the newspaper began operating out of the lower level of 500 West Boulevard in Roberts – the “basement” of the Citizens State Bank building. The publisher’s offices and the mailing office of the newspaper will still be at 865 Davis Street in Hammond (the building formerly known as Foster Hall), but office hours for finding Editor-in-Chief/General Manager Michele Lyksett and Advertising & Production Manger Wade Gardner will be held at the Roberts location: Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thursdays from noon - 5 p.m. and Fridays from 9 a.m. - noon.
“I am very excited to have an office in Roberts,” Lyksett said. “I think there is an impression out there by some that we are the ‘Hammond’ paper, but we are the CENTRAL ST. CROIX News and strive to bring relevant news to all of the Central Croix Croix area. I hope that us having an office in Roberts will help show people our commitment to both communities.”
Both Lyksett and Gardner both live in Hammond and are involved in many community service organizations and other groups there. Both also have children who attend St. Croix Central Schools.
“I look forward to getting to know Roberts better and spending more time there,” said Gardner, who not only oversees the production of the newspaper but is the contact person for placing advertising in the publication (email).
“I have been planning recently to get customer service oriented businesses in the space in our lower level,” CSB branch manger Steve Miller said. “I think the newspaper will be a great addition to the community and a great business to have in our building.”
Miller said there is additional space available where he hopes more businesses can be located.
The Central St. Croix News publication itself had a new look with the Jan. 7 issue when its “redesign” was launched.
“We have been working on getting the paper a new look and reorganizing content to be reader and advertiser friendly,” publisher Jeff Redmon said. “I am excited to see the community’s reaction to it.”
One of his goals, Redmon said, is to have more input from the readership – especially in the form of Letters to the Editor. He also encourages community groups and area businesses to let others know of their news by submitting news releases and stories. These can be submitted online to editor@centralstcroixnews.com
Along with the new design of the paper with come a website with many functions – including the ability to submit and pay for subscriptions online; forms for engagement, wedding and birth announcements; highlights from the week’s print edition of the Central St. Croix News; and photo galleries where all the photos taken at events – including those that aren’t published in the newspaper – can be found.
“Stay tuned for more news about the Central St. Croix News,” Lyksett said.