Seaside Staffers embrace Coastal Community
Taking an active role in your community and being a part of positive efforts that truly touch your spirit while inspiring others is what sets any town apart from another. And here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, our volunteer staff members at Seaside Social News are making waves.
Just like many other folks living and working here on the Gulf Coast, we are individuals with purpose. We strive to be upstanding citizens that contribute to the health and well-being of our seas, neighborhoods, schools and businesses, and we are proud to join the extended family of local resources that spotlight the people and places that make our Gulf Coast special.
We enjoy participating in various community events and will continue to devote our time to spreading the good news of who and what makes our southern Coastal towns unique.
Seaside Social News Founder and Publisher Amanda Compton-Ortiz (right) makes a new friend at the 153rd annual Mississippi Press Association convention held in Biloxi in June. She’s Dianne Bell, communications director for the Mississippi Employment Security Commission in Jackson. Until recently, Compton-Ortiz served as editor of the Long Beach Breeze newspaper in Harrison County. In July, she launched Seaside Social News, an online publication devoted to Mississippi Gulf Coast news, entertainment and other topics.
Amanda Compton-Ortiz :
Nearly 20 years in the field of journalism has presented me with some pretty incredible opportunities over the years. From a fly-along with U.S. military air force pilots to an exclusive interview with former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, it has been an exciting career to say the least.
I can still remember the ultimate official accolade for me came during a visit by former Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour. I recall, as I stood in a crowded room of fellow reporters all holding up their hands during a question-and-answer session with him, it was my name the governor called out first. It was truly a peak moment as I was then a young journalist in the early part of my career.
I would go on to receive recognition for my work on both state and national levels through awards from the Mississippi Press Association and publication of my stories by the Associated Press. I was honored and pleased that my journalism degree from the University of Mississippi had served me well.
I have written for numerous magazine and newspaper publications throughout the state and most recently served as editor of the Long Beach Breeze newspaper in Long Beach, Miss.
However, above all else, I continue to relish most the connections I make with the interesting people I meet and the many different places I have visited in the communities I serve. It’s these experiences that I continue to learn from, that have changed my life and that will stay with me forever.
Today, I work as a veteran reporter alongside talented staff members who share my ethics and enthusiasm for the job and my love for community. The creation of Seaside Social News is my way of “paying it forward.” I am excited to join the extended family of resources along the Mississippi Gulf Coast dedicated to delivering the good news about the people and places that help define the invaluable character of their neighborhoods and why the area remains a special place they call home.
Nearly 20 years in the field of journalism has presented me with some pretty incredible opportunities over the years. From a fly-along with U.S. military air force pilots to an exclusive interview with former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, it has been an exciting career to say the least.
I can still remember the ultimate official accolade for me came during a visit from former Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour. I recall, as I stood in a crowded room of fellow reporters all holding up their hands during a question-and-answer session with him, it was my name the governor called out first. It was truly a peak moment as I was then a young journalist in the early part of my career.
I would go on to receive recognition for my work on both state and national levels through awards from the Mississippi Press Association and publication of my stories by the Associated Press. I was honored and pleased that my journalism degree from the University of Mississippi had served me well.
I have written for numerous magazine and newspaper publications throughout the state and most recently served as editor of the Long Beach Breeze newspaper in Long Beach, Miss. I’ve had fun and have gained so much invaluable experience in the process.
However, above all else, I continue to relish most the connections I make with the interesting people I meet and the many different places I have visited in the communities I serve. It’s these experiences that I continue to learn from, that have changed my life and that will stay with me forever.
Today, I work as a veteran reporter alongside a talented group of staff members who share my ethics and enthusiasm for the job as well as my love for community. The creation of “Seaside Social News” is my way of paying it forward. I am excited to join the extended family of resources along the Mississippi Gulf Coast dedicated to delivering the good news about the people and places that help define the character of their neighborhoods and why the area remains a special place they call home.
Nearly 20 years in the field of journalism has presented me with some pretty incredible opportunities over the years. From a fly-along with U.S. military air force pilots to an exclusive interview with former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, it has been an exciting career to say the least.
I can still remember the ultimate official accolade for me came during a visit by former Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour. I recall, as I stood in a crowded room of fellow reporters all holding up their hands during a question-and-answer session with him, it was my name the governor called out first. It was truly a peak moment as I was then a young journalist in the early part of my career.
I would go on to receive recognition for my work on both state and national levels through awards from the Mississippi Press Association and publication of my stories by the Associated Press. I was honored and pleased that my journalism degree from the University of Mississippi had served me well.
I have written for numerous magazine and newspaper publications throughout the state and most recently served as editor of the Long Beach Breeze newspaper in Long Beach, Miss.
However, above all else, I continue to relish most the connections I make with the interesting people I meet and the many different places I have visited in the communities I serve. It’s these experiences that I continue to learn from, that have changed my life and that will stay with me forever.
Today, I work as a veteran reporter alongside talented staff members who share my ethics and enthusiasm for the job and my love for community. The creation of Seaside Social News is my way of “paying it forward.” I am excited to join the extended family of resources along the Mississippi Gulf Coast dedicated to delivering the good news about the people and places that help define the invaluable character of their neighborhoods and why the area remains a special place they call home.
Amanda Compton-Ortiz, publisher of the all-new Seaside Social News, takes a brief time out from her coverage of this year’s fourth annual Freedom Ball to join military members for a group snapshot. The event, hosted by the local Crusaders for Veterans on July 13, 2019, at Oak Crest Mansion in Pass Christian, helped raise money for the organization’s efforts to build a Veterans Complex planned for construction on Mission Lane in Biloxi. Pictured is U.S. Marine Corps Detachment – Keesler Air Force Base, Gulfport, (left to right), back row, Jonathan Singh, Raymond Zemcik, and Paul Tutor, front row, Kelley Sills, Davis Steiner, Diego Perez and Andrew Patinos.
Seaside Social News’ Amanda Compton-Ortiz proudly poses with University of Southern Mississippi’s football team during her coverage of the 21st Annual Gulf Coast Beach Bash held July 26, 2019, at the Biloxi Civic Center. The event was sponsored by the Southern Miss Alumni Association, in conjunction with the Department of Athletics and Alumni HUBs, to kickoff the 2019 Southern Miss Football season. Pictured is, left to right, (back row) Terry Whittington, Jack Abraham, Taran Lambert, Trevor Terry, Devin Thomas, Marcelo Rodriguez, Tyler Flathau, (front row) Malik Shorts, Paul Gainer Jr., Tyler Barnes, Matt Pleasant, Justin Hulett, Jacques Turner and Demarrio Smith.
(Above) Mississippi College university news coordinator Andy Kanengiser promotes the Beacon, MC’s alumni magazine and the university’s Communication Department during the Mississippi Press Association’s 153rd convention held June 20-22, 2019, in Biloxi. He’s pictured with friend Pam Johnson, a longtime supporter of MPA, a statewide organization of newspaper leaders. A Pearl resident and former Clarion-Ledger reporter, Kanengiser is an associate MPA member. He joins Seaside Social News as a veteran reporter and photographer. (At right) Kanengiser is one of many fans of the Blue Angels on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Andy Kanengiser :
Writing letters to my parents in New Jersey was always fun for me as a young summer camper in Pennsylvania. As an eight-year-old, I was known as the “strikeout king’’ and expressed my feelings in letters mailed home. The nickname was for the skinny Jersey boy striking out every time at the plate! But I got better and by age 10 made the Camp Echo Lark all-star team at second base. Like to think my writing and editing has improved, too.
Blame my Dad, Irving K., for getting me hooked on newspapers in the 1960s. My Dad tossed sports sections of the old “Newark Evening News’’ to his middle son on the living room floor in West Orange. The kid often spotted mistakes in the headlines and copy. Brought it to the attention of Mr. K, a 1940 University of Missouri journalism grad. And we shared a few good laughs. Fast forward to the Summer of 2019. After more than three decades in the newspaper business as a reporter, I’ve carved out time to serve with this summer’s launch of “Seaside Social News.’’
It was hard to say no when “Seaside Social News’’ publisher/editor Amanda Compton-Ortiz recruited me. My full-time public relations duties at Mississippi College will continue (in my 13th year on the Clinton campus). With family living on the beautiful Mississippi Gulf Coast, I’ve fallen in love with the region’s many attractions. I’m a fan of the Lynn Meadows Discovery Center for Children in Gulfport and so are the grandkids. I relish trips to the Mississippi Coast Model Railroad Museum. The 500-year-old Friendship Oak at USM-Gulf Park in Long Beach is simply amazing. So are the shops and art treasures of Ocean Springs.
Fred Weller :
Communications have always been an interesting activity and served to satiate my inquisitive and wandering mind. My career track has always followed young and growing enterprises. Such activities have made for a diverse and challenging lifestyle contributing to numerous family relocations. My wife knows exactly how many times in 48 years of marriage.
Aside from freshman English, where one mistake per hundred words on an unannounced essay would fail the effort, growth and communications went hand-in-hand. There have been many lessons gleaned from the toil of observing the growth of an organism, be it a company, turnip or human.
Relocating to the Mississippi Gulf Coast has offered another opportunity to participate and observe diverse growth. As I was told when I inquired as to why Mississippi was growing, “I guess it’s Mississippi’s turn to grow.” Economic growth in other areas is hard to find because “you can’t see the forest for the trees.” Here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast there is plenty to distinguish yesterday from today and what will be tomorrow.
I’m not looking at economic growth, but at society in general. No, we don’t eat just corn bread, greens and “Biloxi bacon.” There are menus that rival other parts of the country. Thanks to the casinos, we have solid entertainment venues. We have first-class dog parks and pickle ball courts. Joggers and cyclists are active all hours and every day. There are artists and fisher folk both doing amazing things. Festivals and gatherings are numerous and entertaining. All in all, “it’s a great place to be.” Let’s stay informed.
(At left) Fred Weller (left) attends a meeting hosted by the Long Beach Kiwanis Club on July 1, 2019, at Reenie’s Restaurant in Long Beach. He is pictured with Long Beach City Mayor George Bass (center) and Kiwanis Club president Jerry Olson. During the special Charter Night meeting, Kiwanis board members unveiled the club’s new banner.
Susan Weller :
Fred, my husband of many years, was very happy in Florida. I was a grandmother living in Florida and pining for my grandkids. We had a meeting of the minds. After many years of following Fred from Florida to Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Arizona, California, back to Florida, and finally Long Beach. Over the course of more than 40 years of marriage, we have had an exciting life because of Fred and his inventive and inquiring mind. We have been students, dairy farmers, truck drivers and import facility operators to name a few of the things we have enjoyed in our lives. We moved to Long Beach with the opportunity to become involved in and perhaps influence the happenings here. With the opportunity to participate in “Seaside Social News,” I have the best of both worlds. And now, I live within five minutes of our wonderful daughter, Rachel, and her husband, George, and four of our eight grandkids. We have also been blessed with two great grandkids since moving to Long Beach three years ago. I am in grandmother heaven, well almost heaven. Fred and I have four more grandkids who live far away…so almost heaven, but it is heavenly. I am able to braid Melody’s hair in the morning and babysit for great grandkids Skylar and Conner. I enjoy the extended family and I just love being a grandmother. The invitation to join “Seaside Social News” has created an outlet for my love of photography and the opportunity to participate and promote the many events featured along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
(At left) Fred and Susan Weller enjoy time with their grandson, Ely.