Today marks a bittersweet occasion for Blaine County and the Watonga Republican.
As you may have noticed, starting this week The Geary Star’s name will no longer appear on the front page and this print newspaper will move forward with one name, that of the county’s original and flagship publication, the Watonga Republican.
How did we get here? Last year, during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, the Watonga Republican and Geary Star were merged for the first time in order to keep both publications thriving. This allowed most of Blaine County to get timely news, sports and opinion from one centralized source.
Unfortunately, due to postal service regulations, it’s no longer possible to operate two separate entities under one publication.
The good news is that The Geary Star isn’t going away. Not by a long shot.
Geary residents can still find The Geary Star in the weekly newsletters and daily puzzle games they receive, and will continue to receive, in their email inbox. The Geary Star will also maintain a presence on Facebook and Twitter, where it can be found at facebook.com/GearyStar and twitter.com/TheGearyStar. Geary residents can go there for information specific to them and their town.
And though Geary’s name won’t be found on the front of the newspaper, the Watonga Republican will still contain the latest news and notes from the City of Geary – from the city council to the public schools and Bison athletics. You name it, the Watonga Republican will continue to cover it as Blaine County’s go-to source for news.
I can promise continued Geary coverage because I am a Geary resident myself. Geary’s business is my business, and I will continue to provide the coverage I would desire and expect from my hometown paper.
I understand well that this news will be disappointing to many residents of southern Blaine County; after all, The Geary Star has been printing since 1927 and has been a longtime staple of the community.
Many small towns across the country are losing their local news altogether; fortunately, that isn’t the case here. The Geary Star will live on online, Geary coverage will continue in the Watonga Republican, and this paper will continue to provide the information Geary residents need.
I look forward to watching my town change, grow and thrive. I invite Geary residents and all readers to contact me with their thoughts, story ideas, photos, articles and feedback as we continue to make this paper the publication Blaine County deserves. You can reach me at editor@thegearystar.com.
Thank you for your continued support and readership. We look forward to serving your communities for years to come.