Ashland Gazette

Ashland Gazette

Type	Weekly newspaper
Owner(s)	Lee Enterprises
Founder(s)	J. F. Ritchhart
Publisher	Midlands Newspapers Inc.
Editor	Lisa Brichacek
Founded	1878 (1878)
Headquarters	564 N. Broadway, Wahoo, Nebraska United States
Circulation	581[1]
OCLC number	30909595
Website	wahoo-ashland-waverly.com/community/ashland/

The Ashland Gazette is a weekly newspaper serving Ashland, Nebraska and surrounding communities of Saunders County, Nebraska.

The paper is part of Midlands Newspapers, Inc., which is a subsidiary of Omaha World-Herald, which was owned by Berkshire Hathaway Inc. As of 2020, the newspaper is owned by Lee Enterprises.

History

The paper was established as the Saunders County Reporter in 1878 by J.F. Ritchhart.^[2][3] In 1881, it was purchased by T.J. Pickett, Jr. and renamed to Ashland Gazette.^[4][5] The Ashland Gazette is considered the oldest newspaper and oldest business in Saunders County, Nebraska.^[5][6]

Pickett Jr. sold the paper to William Becker around 1892 and went on to purchase the Wahoo Wasp.^[7] William Becker published the Ashland Gazette until 1911 when he sold the paper to F.L. Carroll.^[5]

Glen Howard purchased the paper in 1914 and he installed a new linotype machine and modern printing equipment.^[5] Howard worked on the paper until his death in 1934.^[8] Mr. and Mrs. J.R. Ziegenbein published the paper from 1932 to 1945; Mrs. J.R. Ziegenbein was Glen Howard's daughter.^[9] During that time, they also owned the Gretna Breeze. Ziegenbein was a member of the committee that established the College World Series in 1949.^[10]

M.C. Howe owned and edited the paper from 1945-1955.^[11]

In 1955, the Ashland Gazette was sold to Arthur J. Reidesel.^[12] Reidesel served as president of the Nebraska Press Association in 1979. Reidesel published the Gazette for 30 years, until his retirement in 1985.^[13][14] The paper was sold to Zean and Marilyn Carney.

Ashland Gazette became part of Arbor Printing Co., a company owned by the Carneys and that also included The Waverly News, the Wahoo Newspaper, and the David City Banner Press.^[15] Zean Carney served a term as president of the Nebraska Press Association in 1999.^[14]

On May 1, 2004, the Carneys sold the Ashland Gazette to Midlands Newspapers, Inc., which is a subsidiary of Omaha World-Herald.^[11] The Carneys went on to establish and fund The Outstanding Young Nebraska Journalist Award, given every year by the Nebraska Press Association. In 2011, Zean Carney received the highest honor bestowed by the Nebraska Press Association: the Master Editor-Publisher Award.^[16]

Awards

Year	Award	Place	Recipient
2014[17]	Front Page	2nd	Ashland Gazette
	Headline Writing	3rd	Ashland Gazette
2010[18]	Class C Sweepstakes	3rd	Ashland Gazette
	Feature Writing	1st	Suzi Nelson
	News writing	3rd	Suzi Nelson
	Reader Interaction	1st	Teresa Livers
	Front Page Layout	3rd	Ashland Gazette
2009[19]	Feature Writing	1st	Suzi Nelson
	Reader Contest	1st	Teresa Livers
	Front Page Layout	2nd	Ashland Gazette
	General Excellence	2nd	Ashland Gazette
	Class C Sweepstakes	3rd	Ashland Gazette

References

1. "Nebraska Newspaper Locator Map | Nebraska Press Association". 2012-11-21. Retrieved 2023-04-10.
2. "Saunders County Reporter". Columbus Era. 1878-04-27. p. 1. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
3. National Endowment for the Humanities. "Saunders County Reporter [microfilm reel]". Retrieved 2019-02-13.
4. National Endowment for the Humanities. "The Daily Gazette [microfilm reel]". Retrieved 2019-02-13.
5. Perky, Charles (1915). Past and Present of Saunders County, Nebraska: A Record of Settlement, Organization, Progress and Achievement. S.J. Clarke publishing Company.
6. "About Us". Wahoo-Ashland-Waverly.com. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
7. "Pickett sells the Gazette and buys the Wasp". The Nebraska State Journal. 1935-11-03. p. 30. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
8. "Glenn Howard, long editor of Ashland newspaper, is dead". The Lincoln Star. 1934-06-15. p. 2. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
9. "Ziegenbein appointed OPA information head". Lincoln Journal Star. 1944-07-17. p. 1. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
10. "Ziegenbein, James R. dies, The Lincoln Star, Lincoln, NE Feb 13, 1989 Mon". The Lincoln Star. 1989-02-13. p. 17. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
11. "ASHLAND GAZETTE History | Ashland Historical Society". Retrieved 2019-02-13.
12. "Ashland Gazette Gets New Owner". Sioux City Journal. 16 September 1955.
13. "Lincoln Publishers Buy Ashland Paper". Lincoln Journal Star. 26 December 1985.
14. "NPA Past Presidents | Nebraska Press Association". Retrieved 2019-02-13.
15. "David City Banner Press sold". Lincoln Journal Star. 1990-09-15. p. 4. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
16. Staff Reports. "Carney receives high honor". Wahoo-Ashland-Waverly.com. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
17. "NPA Press Release 2014" (PDF). Nebraska Press Association. April 12, 2014. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
18. Staff Reports. "Gazette earns 14 awards at Nebraska Press convention". Wahoo-Ashland-Waverly.com. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
19. Staff Reports. "Gazette earns awards". Wahoo-Ashland-Waverly.com. Retrieved 2019-02-13.

External links

• Official website
• LCCN sn94056583