Earlier this month, two Nebraska weekly newspapers announced they were closing their doors.

After 140 years, The Holdrege Daily Citizen announced immediately following the Sept. 4 publication that that would be its final issue. Established in 1884, the newspaper served generations of Holdrege readers under the leadership of longtime publisher Bob King and editor Tunney Price.

After 127 years of continuous publication, the Beacon-Observer printed its final edition on Thursday, Sept. 11. Founded in 1899, the newspaper has been a fixture in western Buffalo County and eastern Dawson County for generations, chronicling local life and serving as a vital link between its communities.

The paper’s early years remain somewhat obscure, but its modern story took shape when Blair and Mildred Heath published the Elm Creek Beacon and Overton Observer from 1948 to 1970. Norm and Polly Taylor then guided the publication for nearly four decades, followed by Bob and Penni Jensen of Central City, who operated it until 2013. Just as the presses were about to stop that year, Michael Happ stepped in to carry the legacy forward, publishing the Beacon-Observer for the past 12 years.

As the only newspaper in Phelps County, the Nebraska Press Association stepped in as soon as they became aware that The Holdrege Daily Citizen was planning to cease printing. Several neighboring newspapers also stepped up to assist The Citizen in continuing to publish weekly despite loss of staff and major equipment failures. Those newspapers assisting are Syndicate Publishing Co, publishers of the Gothenburg Leader, the Cozad Local, Callaway Courier, and Minden Courier; also assisting are the Hastings Tribune, and the Valley Voice News in Cambridge.

Publisher-owner Bob King announced he will continue to publish weekly while seeking a buyer for the newspaper. King said continuing to publish The Citizen will allow the community to be served with a community newspaper under new ownership.

For now, Syndicate Publishing is designing and laying out the Holdrege paper with staff from Valley Voice News contributing editorial content, and the Hastings Tribune is printing the paper. It is a team effort by those of us in the industry who believe passionately in what we are doing.

Now, before you go getting all Nancy Naysayer and preaching doom and gloom for newspapers, let me share some rather interesting information with you. When people talk about millennials, the conversation often centers on smartphones, streaming, and social media. The common assumption? That newspapers are not really part of their world. Not so fast.

Take Justin, for example. He’s a busy Nebraska professional juggling work, family, and community life. He starts his mornings on his local newspaper app while sipping coffee, scrolls through his paper’s social feeds during the day, and still enjoys flipping through the printed edition on weekends for ads, deals, and local happenings. Justin isn’t an outlier — he’s one of more than 470,000 Nebraska millennials who have a strong relationship with their local newspaper.

The Nebraska Statewide Study by Coda Ventures shows just how deeply millennials connect with local news:

• 85% of Nebraska millennials read print or digital newspapers every month.

• More than one-third of all Nebraska newspaper readers are millennials.

They’re not just skimming headlines — millennials are using newspapers across platforms:

• 75% visit newspaper websites.

• 72% engage on newspaper social media.

• 66% still read the printed paper.

• 61% use newspaper apps. For the public, it’s a reminder that newspapers remain a vital part of community life. While national news outlets are facing a steep trust gap — with a majority of Americans saying they distrust the news most of the time (Reuters Digital News Report, 2025) — local news is the exception.

According to that same report, 63% of young adults (ages 18–24) say they trust their local newspaper, and that trust is consistent across every age group, hovering around 56–66%. By contrast, national outlets such as cable news and large dailies score much lower in public trust. The report itself notes, “once again, the story is different with local news,” pointing to local newspapers and regional outlets as ranking at the top of the trust scale.

National media often gets bogged down in political noise, partisanship, and sensationalism. Local newspapers, on the other hand, are valued for reporting that is relevant, transparent, and community-focused. That’s why trust in local news is resilient even as overall news trust has declined.

So, here’s the bottom line. The next time someone tells you “people don’t read the paper anymore,” you can confidently say: Think again. We are here to stay.