Job well done, Sue!

One thousand, one hundred, and forty-nine. 

That’s the total number of weekly editions produced by The Daniel Island News since the first time it was delivered to island homes and businesses 22 years ago.  

Heavy rain couldn’t stop it. 

Snow couldn’t stop it. 

Hurricanes and tropical storms couldn’t stop it. 

Not even a global pandemic could keep the newspaper away. 

Every single issue went to press and has been hand-delivered each and every week since.   

Daniel Island resident Suzanne Detar officially launched the community’s first newspaper out of an office in her home on Oct. 30, 2003. 

‘A little community newspaper’ 

The idea to start a community newspaper came to Detar a few months before, while on a summer vacation in her native Pennsylvania. She was a young mother of three at the time, with a law degree and experience as a college professor. While sitting on the edge of a peaceful lake in LaPorte, Pennsylvania, the local paper was delivered.  

“It’s a little community newspaper for the entire county, and believe it or not, people actually got in their cars and drove up to the general store to get it!” noted Detar in an article on the 20th anniversary of The Daniel Island News in 2023. 

Detar wanted to create a similar level of excitement and anticipation on Daniel Island – a way to keep residents and business owners informed and to celebrate community happenings. Soon, The Daniel Island News was born, and the whole Detar family pitched in to help.  

“I was eight when she started the paper, and it quickly became a family affair,” said Carly Stas, Detar's daughter. 

“From the start, I was involved in just about everything – delivering papers on bike or wagon, even with my 5-year-old brother in the wagon, interviewing other kids for the 'Kids Say' section, and snapping photos at island events. As I got older, I took on a delivery route of my own, and those early mornings became some of my most treasured memories with my mom.”  

Matt Sloan, president and chief executive officer for the DI Development Company, first met Detar shortly after she and her family moved to the island in 1997. 

“At that time, we were publishing a development newsletter called The Town Crier. It was OK, but it was in our (development's) voice. 

"When Sue came to talk about starting the DI News, it was an early indicator that the community had the potential to present itself as almost a small town. Many voices, editorials, advertisements, human interest pieces. It was such an upgrade, and we at the development company were so proud to be a small part of it.” 

“As I started at the Qwik Pack and Ship in 2004, development of Daniel Island was just getting underway in earnest." added Tom Pomposelli, one of the paper's early advertisers. “New people were moving to the island, and I recognized right away that everyone was reading The Daniel Island News. It was a throwback to a small-town newspaper that everyone read to keep up with the latest goings-on.” 

Now, after more than two decades at the helm of the paper, which included writing countless articles, helping clients advertise and grow their businesses, taking thousands of photos at events, and wrapping and delivering papers with ink-stained hands, Sue Detar is taking a well-deserved retirement. 

She recently sold The Daniel Island News to a newly formed DI Media Group LLC – a South Carolina-based publishing company – owned by brothers Kyle and Jack Osteen, and Vince Johnson.  

'She was never trying to pull a gotcha' 

Detar started The Daniel Island News largely to share the "good news" about what was happening in the community. 

The annual Race for the Cure and previewing the Park Day festival were always big features, along with the annual Pumpkin Walk, Concert in the Park, the Rotary Club’s Charleston Duck Race, and the Daniel Island Holiday Festival. When new businesses, amenities, and schools opened, the DI News team was there to capture the excitement.  

And when weather took center stage on the paper’s pages – from a history-making snowstorm in  2018 to a tornado at the Family Circle Cup in 2006 to tropical storms and hurricanes – Detar made sure the community was informed. 

“It is difficult to imagine not having The Daniel Island News now,” said Mac McBride, former president of the Daniel Island Neighborhood Association. “Over the years, it became the source for all of us to find out what was going on in our beautiful little town.” 

Under Detar’s direction, sports also became an important focus. 

Local teams, from recreation leagues to high school, were often spotlighted, and Detar always pulled in the entire DI News team to provide start-to-finish coverage each year of the Credit One Charleston Open.  

“Sue knew the importance of sports, especially for high schools,” said Phil Bowman, sports writer for The Daniel Island News. “She knew sports could unite a community and showcase the community's greatest asset: its youth. Being a (Philadelphia) Eagles fan, she knew the importance of football. But she knew there was more than just Friday Night Lights on Daniel Island. She treated all sports with the same importance, which was a big win for the Daniel Island area.” 

Then there were the regular-themed editions spotlighting all kinds of engaging subjects, like pets, pies, soups, books, hurricane preparedness, summer camps, and more.  

Detar was also well aware that other more serious topics deserved space. There were civic and governmental issues to explore and explain, development updates to talk about, crime to address, and political campaigns and elections to document. 

Sometimes, the topics the paper covered got complex, such as the debate over affordable housing in 2005 and whether or not the island should be annexed into Charleston County (an official inquiry was held in 2014). 

Detar made sure The Daniel Island News was at the front of it all, with coverage always centered on what she felt the community needed to know.  

“What I appreciated most about Sue was her integrity,” stated former Charleston city Councilwoman Marie Delcioppo. “She was never trying to pull a gotcha move or trip you up; she wanted to share a complete picture with her readers, upholding standards of sound journalism. 

"Sometimes this meant difficult and uncomfortable conversations, but Sue handled herself with elegance and grace. It made those of us in the public eye more accountable and transparent, which is always a good thing. As a trained journalist, I can tell you, this is no easy task and one I admire greatly in Sue.” 

Bearing Sue's imprint 

While covering the news of the day was always a priority, Detar also made sure to keep things light and inspirational. 

She and her husband, Tom Werner, published many columns documenting their road travels together – first their "Dispatches from the RV," which brought readers along on their cross-country adventures in 2016 and 2017. Then, when they spent time in Australia visiting Detar’s son, Ben, and his family, "Dispatches from Down Under" debuted. 

The husband and wife duo also contributed a number of articles under the heading "Lowcountry Guide" to… with their takes on the best places to get Indian food, pizza, pies, and “binge-worthy” ice cream, as well as the best hikes, the best farmers’ markets, and the best spots to see a Lowcountry sunset.  

“No matter where in the world Sue and I traveled," her husband, Tom, said, "The Daniel Island News has been there with us – whether hunting for Wi-Fi (near) the Grand Canyon or editing from the road in Australia. Sue managed to stretch community news to include our 'Dispatches from the RV' and our 'Incomplete Guides' to whatever struck our fancy, like the best ice cream (sorry Ohio haters, but Oprah, Sue, and I agree that it's Graeter's of Cincinnati), Indian food (Taste of India, Na'an, and Spice Palette are excellent choices), or pizza (Sabatino's near Marion Square, hands down).”  

Many of the paper’s special campaigns also bear Detar’s imprint. 

The “What’s the Big Idea?” series spotlighting entrepreneurs, the popular Daniel Island News Author Series, the annual Bark in the Park festival, the “Building to Building” profiles, and the Pigskin Pick ‘Em Challenge are just a few examples.  

In addition to “Kids Say,” Detar also published a variety of other columns, most written by residents, such as “Meet the Merchant” (Marie Rocha), “Art Around Town” (Heather Jones), “Know Your Neighbor” (Misty Jo Nelson), “Unconventional Wisdom” (Steve Ferber), “Fishing Trends” (Greg Peralta), “Good Reads” (Becky Bechhold), “Dalton & Grace” (Bill and Ann Stevens), and her own “Field Smarts.” 

“We have had the pleasure of providing hundreds of these columns over the past 20 years, including an annual ‘Predictions For The Year To Come’ article each January,” noted columnist Bill Stevens. “We had the pleasure of joining her on a few trips to Columbia for the South Carolina Press Association awards presentations, where The Daniel Island News won many well-deserved awards, and we even got a few for humor writing.” 

As Stevens mentioned, the newspaper has been recognized extensively for its good work over the last two decades, earning more than 350 awards from the South Carolina Press Association.  The Daniel Island News received an SPCA Presidential Award of Excellence for work completed in 2023 and a Presidential Award for Best Overall Advertising, called the Palmys, in both 2023 and 2024. 

“We’re so grateful for all that Sue has done to serve the Daniel Island community and our state over the past 22 years!” said Jen Madden, the SCPA’s co-executive director and chief program officer.  

“Her love for Daniel Island and her passion for quality journalism and newspaper advertising have been showcased in over 1,000 editions of The Daniel Island News. Each week she and her team have filled the newspaper with local news, interesting community features, and beautiful ads highlighting the people and businesses that make Daniel Island so special.” 

A new chapter, a new era  

For Detar, retirement certainly marks the end of an era but also the start of an exciting new chapter. There will be no more deadlines, meetings to cover, columns to craft, ads to sell, last-minute edits to make. No more stressful Tuesday nights, wondering if we got it all right. 

As her husband Werner puts it, “As the new ownership begins, we look forward to climbing back in the RV, walks with our dog Iggy along the waterfront, and to evenings not filled with watching reruns of ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ while folding and wrapping stacks upon stacks of papers.”  

As the paper’s mission states, The Daniel Island News has been “Promoting the Power of Community since 2003.” Although you may not see Detar’s name on these pages any more, that spirit and legacy of excellence will surely remain.  

To Sue we offer an enthusiastic “Job well done!” 

And we know the next story you write will be your best one yet.

Read all the heartfelt, funny, and memorable tributes from the DI community for Sue here: https://www.thedanielislandnews.com/opinions/read-all-about-it-heartfelt-tributes-retiring-daniel-island-news-founder-sue-detar