By JEFF LAMPE
For The Prairie News
Barring an unexpected last-minute change, this will be the final edition of The Prairie News.
But fret not, a successor paper is on the way. Starting next Friday, July 10, regular readers in Stark and Henry counties will begin receiving The Henry-Stark Voice in their mailboxes each week. In addition to a new name, this weekly paper will have new ownership. Taking over operations are Susan DeVilder, Mike Berry, Sherry “TD” Welch and the rest of the staff and board of directors at The Kewanee Voice.
In case you aren’t already aware, The Kewanee Voice is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that since May 2023 has compiled a free digital publication dedicated to serving Kewanee and the surrounding area. The goal of The Voice from its inception was to provide a viable source of news for residents of Henry County, and the staff do that every day. In addition to regularly updated online content, The Kewanee Voice puts out occasional print publications each year.
Starting next week, the print side of things will become a larger part of The Voice’s overall mission. Fortunately, they have the background to make it work well. DeVilder has served as a city reporter for the Star Courier, a correspondent for the Bureau County Republican and a contributing editor for The Stark County News. She will be publisher of The Henry-Stark Voice.
Berry started his career in journalism in 1972 at Kewanee’s Star Courier and worked there until retiring in 2017 (except for a two-year stint at the Quad-City Times). He is publisher of The Kewanee Voice and will help with the new weekly print project.
Given that and the success of their online effort, I’m convinced the paper will be in good hands. The Voice will provide new ideas, fresh blood and a larger reporting staff. The latter is important when figuring out who will cover the meetings, sporting events and other stories that arise every week. DeVilder tells me one of her first items of business is to bring property transactions back to the public-record section. That will make some people very happy, until they sell a farm and don’t want anyone to know “what it brought.”
The new owners are eager to hear from you. Send well wishes and story ideas to them at news@henrystarkvoice.com or call (309) 489-2721.
It’s also comforting for me to know that Prairie News Office Manager Pam Wulf will assist in the transition and Ken Black will join The Voice staff, as will Danny Blakey, our venerable ambassador of goodwill and head of transportation.
As for me, we will continue to publish The Weekly Post, our other newspaper based out of Elmwood. With the last boy headed to the University of Illinois in a few weeks, there’s no chance for retirement just yet. I’m very grateful for the support of our advertisers in Stark and Henry counties over the past seven years. It is thanks to them that this paper is mailed for free every week and continues a legacy that dates to the 1800s.
As former publisher Jim Nowlan is proud to recall, his family operated The Stark County News from 1897 until 1964 in Toulon. Nowlan then resurrected the paper in 2000 and acquired The Prairie Shopper from veteran newspaper man Bud McKirgan of LaFayette. Those papers were merged into The Prairie News in 2018 and we took over in 2019.
Given the current state of the print industry, I was uncertain what the future might hold for this publication. During meetings to discuss the sale, it was exciting to be around people who understand that weekly newspapers still have a vital role to play … and can still serve advertisers and readers.
Like you, I look forward to seeing what The Henry-Stark Voice will become.
Contact Jeff Lampe at (309) 231-6040 or jeff@wklypost.com.
