The decision by Lee Enterprises to cut the Scottsbluff Star-Herald to 3 print editions a week, close its press room in Scottsbluff, and move those operations to the Rapid City Journal impacts the two weekly newspapers in Dawes County.
The Chadron Record, a Lee paper, is already printed in Rapid City while the privately-owned Crawford Clipper-Harrison Sun has been printed in Scottsbluff.
Record Managing Editor Mark Dykes says the influx of new printing in Rapid City has pushed his paper a little farther down the schedule, so instead of coming out on Wednesdays the Record will now be a Thursday paper – starting this week.
Crawford Clipper Publisher-Editor Jessica Espinoza says last week was the Clipper’s last edition to be printed in Scottsbluff and she’s still reviewing long-term options.
Lee offered the option of printing in Rapid City, but Espinoza says that would mean the paper would be delivered on Thursday instead of Wednesday with mail subscriptions arriving in Chadron on Friday.
Her other choice would be to have the Clipper printed at the Douglas Budget in Douglas, Wyo, which has printed the Alliance Times-Herald for some time with good results. Going to Douglas would allow the Clipper to still come out on Wednesday.
Espinoza says the Times-Herald management has been very encouraging and has even offered to pick up the Clipper as well as its own papers and drop them off in Crawford while returning to Alliance.
Espinoza says she expects to choose between the two options by the end of the month, but in the meantime is having the paper printed in Rapid City – so the Clipper won’t come out until Thursday for the next 3 editions.