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Hills paper to cease publication

The Hills Crescent newspaper reached its readers for the last time with this week’s publication dated July 31, 2019.
Subscribers received a letter dated July 22 detailing plans to cease publishing the Hills Crescent and explaining the challenging business climate that led to the decision.
All current subscribers will receive a six-month subscription to the Star Herald, and current Crescent subscribers who also subscribe to the Star Herald will have their Star Herald subscriptions extended another six months.
Hills Crescent writer Glenda McGaffee will continue to have a presence in the Star Herald, providing readers with feature stories and photos from events and activities in Hills, Beaver Creek and Steen.
“I had the privilege for the past five years to be the editor of the Hills Crescent. This was a dream come true for me, and I want to express my thanks to the people of the community for this privilege,” she writes in her final column for the Crescent.
“I will continue to cover the news in the Hills, Beaver Creek and Steen area with my articles appearing in the Rock County Star Herald in a smaller context.”
Regular news coverage of communities in the Hills Crescent towns will be continued by the Rock County Star Herald, which already covers all Rock County communities. In particular, it will resume regular coverage of Hills-Beaver Creek School Board meetings, in addition to city council meetings.
Star Herald editor Lori (Ehde) Sorenson said she looks forward to resuming a more targeted coverage of Hills, Beaver Creek and Steen.
“These are happening little towns with motivated and progressive community leaders,” she said.
“Before we took in the Hills Crescent in 1997, our news team spent a lot of time down there. But in the years between, we’ve taken a step back to let our Crescent take the lead on that coverage.”
She, too, laments the loss of another small-town newspaper but said that in this case, the readers will truly have a voice in their communities and countywide through the Star Herald.
In a Star Herald editorial this week, she outlined the importance of local newspapers for community health, but said that ultimately readers are their best advocates for making their voices heard on a news platform that matters.
“You, dear readers, are the heartbeat of your community and the social fabric of your community, and it’s up to you to let us tell your story,” she wrote.
“And that goes for all our readers, not just in Hills. Call us, email us and reach out through social media. The more you share, the better your story will be.”
 
History of the Hills Crescent newspaper
The July 31, 2019, edition of the Hills Crescent marks the end of a long history of news in southwestern Rock County.
The newspaper started in 1893 by a man named Frank Bailey who summoned a number of investors who garnered 200 subscribers and purchased the press, a rustic Rampage that had once been used by Benjamin Franklin.
It was considered to be the oldest press in the nation, churning out one page at a time.
The newspaper went through a series of owners in its early years, falling under the helm of AC Finke and then AA Hanson around the turn of the century through 1939.
The Crescent suspended publication for six months during World War II and it resumed printing under George Schlueter, who leased it from the Hanson family and edited the paper for the next 31 years.
Schlueter led the paper through a series of technical upgrades and office moves and in 1966 Preston VerMeer came on board with printing assistance. VerMeer, with the print equipment at the Crescent, began a cookbook publishing business and he bought the business from Schlueter in 1974.
In 1997 he sold the Hills Crescent to Tollefson Publishing, which has since then been putting out the Crescent as a sister publication to the Rock County Star Herald.
 
Send in story tips
In the July 22 letter to Hills Crescent subscribers, Star Herald General Manager Rick Peterson thanked readers for their support.
“We appreciate your loyal patronage of the Hills Crescent and we welcome you to the Rock County Star Herald family of readers,” he wrote.
“Please continue helping us tell your community stories and cover the news that matters to you. Tips and ideas can be directed to 507-283-2333 or editor@star-herald.com.”

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