D-R Media and Investments is purchasing Sun Publications of Florida from Lakeway Publishers, according to Gary Greene and Randy Cope of Cribb, Greene & Cope.

Publications include the Sumter Shopper, The Clermont News Leader, the Four Corners News Leader, the Mt. Dora Triangle News Leader and the commercial printing operations based in Polk county, Fla.

Newspaper owners and executives are encouraged to participate in the Annual Publisher Confidence Survey.

The survey asks 11 questions that provide direct feedback from publishers on revenue, profit and other current trends in the publishing industry.

The survey takes less than two minutes to complete, and results are provided immediately so publishers can see how others are responding.

Lakeway Publishers has sold the Osceola News-Gazette (Kissimmee, Fla.) to American Hometown Publishing, according to Randy Cope and Gary Greene of Cribb, Greene & Cope, who represented Lakeway Publishers in the transaction.

After 150 years, the Daily Siftings of Arkadelphia, Ark., will publish its final issue on Friday, Sept. 14.

The Hope Star, in print for 145 years, also will print its last issue on Friday. The Nevada County Picayune, based in Prescott, publishes its last issue on Sept. 12.

Influential leaders from diverse backgrounds across the State of Florida along with readers of McClatchy's Florida newsrooms – the Miami Herald, Bradenton Herald, el Nuevo Herald – and Sayfie Review, will hash out solutions to tough policy issues with a shared goal of building a better Florida at the Florida Priorities Summit on Wednesday, Nov. 14, at the University of Miami.

There's good news for journalists: three-quarters of Americans trust their local TV news and local newspapers. Trust is also on the rise for all types of news, despite increased attacks on the credibility of the American press by President Donald Trump and others.

These findings come from The Poynter Institute's second Media Trust Survey. The research found 54 percent of Americans have "a great deal" or "a fair amount" of trust and confidence in the media, a five-point increase from Poynter's first Media Trust Survey published in December 2017.

Last week's decision by the U.S. International Trade Commission to eliminate newsprint tariffs on Canadian newsprint was a relief to American newspapers. Whatever publishers may think about the future of print journalism, an up to 30 percent increase on the price of newsprint imported from Canada made it even harder to keep putting a paper out.

Moving forward, newspaper companies and families can be proud of their united and emphatic campaign against the tariffs. And we can all be grateful to senators, congressmen and other politicians across the country who testified or spoke out against the move. That doesn't mean they get a break on objective news coverage, but we appreciate their commitment to a free and independent news media in any format.

Here are some excerpts from editorials, news stories and statements on the decision:

Adams Publishing Group announced today that it has purchased the assets of Cooke Communications, LLC, based in Greenville, N.C., and in Key West, Fla., including its print publications, websites and commercial printing operations.

Dirks, Van Essen, Murray & April, a media merger and acquisition firm based in Santa Fe, N.M., represented Cooke Communications, LLC in the transaction. The transaction closed Friday, Aug. 31. Terms were not disclosed.

Cooke Communications newspapers included in the sale are The Daily Reflector (Greenville, N.C.), The Rocky Mount Telegram (Rocky Mount, N.C.), The Daily Advance (Elizabeth City, N.C.), The Key West Citizen (Key West, Fla.) and several non-daily newspapers and websites.

Two Oceans Digital, KeyWest.Com and FloridaKeys.com will remain in Cooke Communications Florida.

The Harlan Daily Enterprise has changed its publication days to Wednesdays and Saturdays. No longer will the newspaper be producing printed editions on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Stop Tariffs on Printers & Publishers (STOPP), a coalition of printers, publishers, retailers, paper suppliers and distributors, today welcomed the U.S. International Trade Commission's (ITC) decision to terminate duties currently being applied to uncoated groundwood paper, or newsprint, imports from Canada.