By Paula Pyzik Scott
Bluffton and Ada Icon editor

Here come Christmas and 2026! The Bluffton and Ada Icons will take a little break–and I hope you can, too. The Icons are updated daily–almost every day. But as the saying goes, “All work and no play makes Paula a dull editor.” Between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day, the Icons will be in holiday mode, with new content limited to breaking news, including sports.

The Icon is a small business. How small is it?
I will be physically in the office during the break, because the Icon office is a guestroom/sewing room/home office in Bluffton. So, when folks ask to meet at my office, that’s going to be the closest coffee shop or fast food restaurant in Ada or Bluffton.

What’s coming up in 2026
My New Year’s resolution for 2026 is to get the word out that I’m looking for the Iconoclast 3.0. That could actually be several people. I’d love to pass the Icons on to an Ada editor and a Bluffton editor. I’d also love to have an in-house CFO. The number-one qualification for all of these roles is an entrepreneurial spirit. To thrive, the Icons need to be responsive to reader and advertiser needs.

What does free mean?
For readers, Icon news is free with no log-in or story limit. For news, there is no fee to post a media release, letter or other news item. 

Placing an ad in the Icons is not unlike putting an ad in a high school sports program. In addition to providing information about your business or organization, it communicates that you consider local news an essential service to the community.

Within the last year, the Icons have added announcement advertising packages that include a Facebook post. Home page advertising starts at $25 for a week-long announcement and Classifieds for services, sales and fundraisers start at $10/10 days.

What’s next?
In 2024, the Icons got a website makeover. In 2025, the Icons introduced monthly print Icon Highlights for reading at local libraries and other community-focused locations. In 2026, I’ll be focused on the Icons’ long-term future. Call me at 567-400-4266 or email [email protected] or [email protected] (they go to the same inbox) to talk about these opportunities.

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