Shown (from left) are new owners Alan and Beth Sparrow, and Bill and Jan Thompson.
After negotiations and everything falling into place, the Nance County Journal is changing owners. Bill and Jan Thompson are seeking to slow down, so they have sold the paper to Sparrow Publications, LLC.
Bill and Jan have been in the publishing business for many years. They owned the Stromsburg Headlight and the Polk County News for 24 years. They have owned the Nance County Journal since February 1, 1990, over 32 years. They also owned the Pawnee Republican before that. I’m sure the communities appreciate all the Thompsons have done in newspaper publishing over the past few decades.
Sparrow Publications, LLC was formed in May 2022 by Alan and Beth Sparrow of Stromsburg. Alan and Beth own the Polk County News, which has their office in Stromsburg. Beth has worked in publishing before, early in her career at Cookbooks by Morris Press, formatting cookbooks to print. Recently Beth was offered a position at the Polk County News, taking over for Patrice Clifton. She has been working there for almost a year, purchasing the paper from Dave and Sandy Thompson in June 2022. Beth has lived in Nebraska all her life, and most of that in a small town. Since purchasing the Polk County News, we have received many compliments about the improvements. We hope to do similarly for the Nance County Journal.
Barb Micek and Carla Wetovick will still be the main contacts at the Journal. They will still do most of the day-to-day functions. Beth will mainly work in Stromsburg, but will likely come to Fullerton one day a week (likely Thursday or Friday).
There are many ways the papers can work together. You may have noticed a new column called “Grace Notes”. This column has been running in the Polk County News for a while, and had a good response. Some columns and articles can run in both newspapers from time to time. Also, the sports can be covered with less people, as High Plains and Osceola often play Fullerton and Twin River. One person can go take pictures and probably write an article for both.
I am looking forward to bringing the paper up to date on several things: first is location. The current building needs work, so we found a building to rent that will work. The Nance County Journal will be moving locations in November, about 2 blocks, to the Schweitz Equipment building at 420 Third Street. This is much like the Polk County News moved half a block a few years ago. The second way is online. We want to get the Nance County Journal online. I have already purchased a domain and have been working with our website host to get the NCJ online. We also have a Facebook page for the NCJ. The website went live just a few days ago. The website is www.nancecountyjournal.com and follow us on Facebook at “Nance County Journal”.
A friend of mine recently asked me if I ever thought I would own a newspaper, let alone two. No, if you asked me twenty years ago, or even ten years ago, owning a newspaper was not in my plans. I recently heard a saying that applies to me, “you don’t chase your dreams; you seize opportunities”. I love living in small town Nebraska, so I have to do a “small town” job. I’m not going to be an actor, model or famous singer living in small town Nebraska. Sometimes you have to take opportunities and make them work for you.