Douglas County

Newman newspaper closing doors

todayJanuary 2, 2024 42

Background
share close
AD
AD

NEWMAN — A long-standing newspaper in northeastern Douglas County, The Newman Independent, is shuttering its doors effective Thursday, Jan. 4.

The independent newspaper owned by Cathy Hales and the late Dana Hales was initially supposed to close its doors on Sunday. Still, developments from a December 20 public meeting seemed to pique interest in keeping the 151-year-old newspaper going.

An initial editorial penned by editor Matthew Hales in the December 28 edition of the Newman Independent would initially present the presumption that someone was willing to take over editorial duties and pledges would be taken to facilitate the purchase of the newspaper from the Hales family.

The editorial stated that Katrina and Nick Maxedon were going to take over editorial duties while Cathy Hales was going to stick around to help with the financial side of the business.

Had the Maxedons decided to take over editorial duties, the Hales would have continued to publish the newspaper for a period of three months. That would help establish enough time for a sale to be facilitated by the Maxedons and any pledges.

However, in a recent editorial by Cathy Hales for the January 4 finale, it appears that this arrangement isn’t going to happen after all. Hales said that without someone to take over duties currently done by Matthew Hales, a three-month period would be too optimistic. She also stated that the paper’s January 4, 2024 edition would be its last.

Subscribers will receive a pro-rated refund based on how many months are remaining on their current subscription. Subscribers can contact the newspaper via email at [email protected] or by calling Cathy Hales at (217) 712-6235.

The Hales family has owned and operated The Newman Independent since 2011. Co-owner and co-publisher Dana Hales passed away from a bout with cancer on August 6, 2023, leaving his wife and son to operate the newspaper.

A request for comment was not immediately returned before publication.


As an offer in good faith, Heartland Newsfeed would like to continue news coverage for the Newman area in some capacity, given the unfortunate demise of The Newman Independent. We do not hide our news content behind paywalls, as we are funded by donations/patrons, advertising sales, and other ad revenue.

If you would like to submit news content to us, please send an email to [email protected]. Advertisers wishing to take out advertising can email [email protected]. Obituaries can be emailed to [email protected].


For more Douglas County news, follow Jake Leonard on Twitter @JakeLeonardJRN and Heartland Newsfeed @HLNF_Bulletin on Twitter.

Additionally, you can follow Heartland Newsfeed on Facebook and Reddit among other platforms. You can now follow our news updates on Telegram and MeWe.

Support independent journalism. Become a patron on Patreon for as little as $1 a month. There are other donor options as well.

Get the latest news updates on our radio network via Spreaker, TuneIn, and other platforms.


877ba5a143709f07c00a798c8c1866cb?s=150&d=mp&r=g
Website |  + posts

Jake Leonard, a broadcast media and journalism veteran, is the editor-in-chief of Heartland Newsfeed. Leonard is also GM and program director of Heartland Newsfeed Radio Network, wrestling editor and contributing writer for Ambush Sports, a contributing writer for My Sports Vote and Midwest Sports Network, and a former contributor to Bleacher Report and Overtime Heroics. He resides at home in Nokomis, Ill. with his dog Buster.


Discover more from Heartland Newsfeed

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Written by: Jake Leonard

Rate it

Post comments (0)


hmgcil newfooter November2024

REVOLUTION RADIO PREVIOUS SONGS

Listen on Online Radio Box! Revolution RadioRevolution Radio

DEADLINES & PUBLICATION INFORMATION

Daily deadlines
News and sports submissions
: 11 p.m. Central
Advertising, legals, obituaries: 5 p.m. Central

Monday-Friday deadlines
Other business inquiries: 5 p.m. Central

Publication times
Late breaking news as it happens
Normal publication:
11 p.m. Central daily
Other news:
Published as it’s made available

LIVE TRAFFIC COUNTER

ADVERTISEMENT

AD
AD
AD
AD