The Tea Weekly to change publishers

By Kelli Bultena

Former publisher of Independent Publishing, L.L.C.

It’s with a mix of excitement and sadness that I write this column. I’m sure many of our readers have wondered if something was changing here at the newspapers since we have made several new hires in recent months. If you’re like me, you’ve enjoyed the influx of fresh ideas. I think our team is doing a great job!

That is why we are confident that we’re leaving your community newspaper in good hands.

We’d like to announce that the Lennox Independent and Tea Weekly newspapers have been sold to J. Louis Mullen, part of a second-generation newspaper family. He now owns more than 30 newspapers in seven states, stretching from the upper Midwest to the West Coast. Mullen has named Josh Byers as publisher. Both of these journalism professionals bring experience and expertise that we think will allow The Lennox Independent and Tea Weekly to grow and thrive.

Personally, I want to thank you, our readers, for your generous support over the years. Working alongside my mom Debbie for the past 26 years and my sister Anne for nearly as long, has been so rewarding. In fact, my sisters, Ami and Jessica, even worked here at some point too. Not only did we have the fortune of working with family (and employees who felt like family), we were able to create two award-winning newspapers each week for communities we truly care about. This has been a fulfilling career.

I know that the newly hired team members handling the day-to-day, and the new publishers, will continue to carry on the quality work that our readers so deserve. Newspaper staff includes Garrett Ammesmaki, Editor; Jen Rogers, Advertising Manager; Julia Eng, Graphics & Content Specialist; Crystal Rivers, Administrative Assistant; Anne Homan, Sports Reporter; Wendy Sweeter, Reporter; and Marcus Ashlock, Reporter.

Truly, we want to thank you for supporting our families over the past 25 years. It has been a privilege and pleasure to serve you. Of course, there are so many people we wish to thank that we can’t even begin. Just know it’s been our pleasure to be the “newspaper family” for a quarter-century here in Lennox and over a dozen years in Tea. We hope that you will give that same support to our predecessors and welcome them to the communities.

The Lennox Independent and Tea Weekly will always hold a special place in our hearts, and we can’t wait to see how these papers flourish under the new leadership. We’ll be reading right alongside you!