West Central Tribune celebrates 125 years

C1 Saturday, April 18, 2020 West Central Tribune

Extra

Erica Dischino / Tribune

Celebrating 125 years

West Central Tribune | Willmar, Minn.

Extra

Saturday, April 18, 2020 B7

Erica Dischino / Tribune

About these pages: As a part of the West Central Tribune’s 125th anniversary, we are taking this opportunity to reprint a few of the highlights reported in the Tribune during the newspaper’s third 25 years of publishing; the first 25 years was covered on Feb. 22, followed by the second quarter on March 21. You also get a glimpse into how the pages were pasted up even 25 years ago.

We will continue to publish content covering each quarter century on these pages once a month through June. We hope you enjoy a look back in history.

C1 Saturday, May 16, 2020 West Central Tribune

Extra

Erica Dischino / Tribune

Celebrating 125 years

West Central Tribune | Willmar, Minn.

Extra

Saturday, May 16, 2020 B7

Erica Dischino / Tribune

About these pages: As a part of the West Central Tribune’s 125th anniversary, we are taking this opportunity to reprint a few of the highlights reported in the Tribune during the newspaper’s fourth 25 years of publishing; the first 25 years was covered on Feb. 22, followed by the second quarter on March 21 and the third quarter on April 18. You also get a glimpse into how the pages were pasted up even 25 years ago.

We will continue to publish content covering each quarter century on these pages once a month through June. We hope you enjoy a look back in history.

C1 Saturday, June 13, 2020 West Central Tribune

EXTRA

West Central Tribune celebrates 125 years

Local headlines define last 25 years

West Central Tribune changes with the times over last 125 years I

f the West Central Tribune’s first 100 years were a time of forward progress, the next 25 years brought new developments that the newspaper’s founders could never have dreamed.

As the growing ubiquity of the internet permanently altered how the public consumes news and information, digital publishing became critical.

The Tribune’s website evolved repeatedly to meet the changing needs and demands of readers. The Tribune entered the social media worlds of Facebook and Twitter and launched a new lifestyle magazine.

Adapting to new realities in the publishing industry brought challenges that at times were difficult and painful. But the overall goal never changed: to continue sharing the news of west central Minnesota for years to come.

May 27, 2015

June 1996

Aug. 14, 2018

The West Central Tribune registers the internet domain wctrib.com and begins publishing its first digital website format. The online website has since seen a number of updates with enhanced features, including a major update on Nov. 8, 2005.

The West Central Tribune online can be found at www. wctrib.com.

Nov. 29. 2010

Marcil stepping down Leader of company that owns Tribune turning reins of Forum over to son Effective Wednesday, after tenure of more than 40 years, Bill Marcil will step down as publisher of The Forum.

Tribune to launch new design Monday We all are part of the 21st century when change comes on a frequent and regular basis.

The West Central Tribune is changing as well with a new design scheduled to launch Monday.

The overall goal of this newspaper design is to provide an easier and richer reading experience for all readers of the Tribune’s print edition.

The last quarter century

1996 – 2020

Tribune going digital on Mondays For decades, the West Central Tribune has published and delivered a newspaper six days a week, Monday through Saturday. Our commitment to continue to deliver the news to you each day remains as strong as ever. We remain the leading news and information source in our region.

However, beginning Sept.

17, we no longer will be printing a Monday edition of the newspaper. Tribune reporters will still cover the news and create a Monday edition for you to read. It will be delivered to subscribers electronically, and looks just like the print edition.

June 8, 2012

Read It! Love It! Live It! Tribune’s new Live It! magazine makes debut After weeks of waiting and speculation, It! has finally arrived.

Live It!, a new quarterly lifestyle magazine produced by the West Central Tribune, highlights the people, places and things that make west central Minnesota an exciting place to live.

Forum Communications President Bill Marcil Jr. speaks to the West Central Tribune staff Feb. 18, 2020, in Willmar. Marcil and the company executive team talked about the company and its strategic objectives going forward, as the Tribune marked its 125th year of publishing.

Erica Dischino / West Central Tribune file photo

West Central Tribune | Willmar, Minn.

Extra

Saturday, June 13, 2020 B7

Newspaper documents how community adapts in new millennium As the West Central Tribune passed its 100-year milestone of publication and entered its second century, the pages of the newspaper documented a time of ever-increasing change felt all the way down to the local level.

We faced challenges: climate change and rising environmental health and environmental threats.

But it was also a time of promise. A new millennium dawned. The internet changed the way we live, do business and communicate with each other. The face of the community became increasingly diverse. Long-standing local West Central Tribune file photo institutions evolved into new A small plane that had crashed and vanished into the waters of models that could scarcely have Green Lake on Oct. 15, 1958, was discovered in July 2004. been imagined back in 1895.

The community adapted and of corn to the Atwater plant.

Corrections Corporation readied itself for history’s next of America plans to close its chapter.

Sept. 6, 2006 Prairie Correctional Facility in Officially open for business Appleton on or about Feb. 1, March 4, 2000 Landing marks start of oper- 2010.

Area businesses want better ations at Willmar’s new municphone, Internet service ipal airport July 24, 2014 Fed up with lagging service A blue and white Piper WarA single zebra mussel conand the inability to expand, rior II owned by Willmar Air firmed in Green Lake area business owners have Service was the first airplane DNR staff to continue lake petitioned Minnesota’s Public to land when the new Willmar survey, additional steps yet to Utilities Commission to address Municipal Airport opened at 2 be determined what they call substandard p.m. on a partly cloudy Tuesday To look at it, the one tiny local telephone and Internet afternoon. zebra mussel that was found services. on a dock on the southeast side Oct. 11, 2006 of Green Lake on Monday isn’t March 4, 2003 ‘A lasting impression’ much to look at… But the presOlsons donate aquatic center Dedication ceremony sched- ence of this one zebra mussel City Council accepts $1.2 mil- uled to mark completion of was enough to launch the DNR lion gift for pool facility four-year, $52.7 million project into a rapid response Tuesday at Rice Memorial Hospital with five individuals searching July 5, 2004 The final brick has been set in docks, rocks, boat lifts and rafts Airplane found in Green Lake place, the final wiring installed, for any sign of any other adult Green Lake gave up a mystery the final coat of paint applied. A zebra mussels. it has hid for 46 years on July four-year, $52.7 million project 4 when scuba divers photo- to expand and renovate Rice Nov. 14, 2014 graphed a small plane that had Memorial Hospital officially Sonshine leaves Willmar crashed and vanished into the ends Thursday with a dedi32-year-old Christian music waters on Oct. 15, 1958. cation ceremony for hospital festival moves to Somerset, staff, elected officials and city Wis. Nov. 24, 2004 dignitaries.

Sonshine Festival is leaving Highway 23 opens through the city where it began.

Spicer May 24, 2007 Motorists were able to travel Fibrominn: The first of its April 17, 2015 all four lanes of state High- kind Avian flu strikes Kandiyohi way 23 through Spicer and two Turkey waste to power elec- County lanes of the Nest Lake bridge by tric plant under construction in The bird flu has hit the state’s Tuesday afternoon.

Benson top turkey-producing county.

The gray, sandy mix of turkey State officials confirmed MonJune 8, 2005 droppings and other bits and Two local companies buy pieces flowing through Greg day that a Kandiyohi County poultry farm with 26,000 turmost of WRTC Langmo’s fingers back onto the Details to be worked out on floor of his barn isn’t just funky keys has tested positive for the highly pathogenic H5N2 avian Nova-Tech, Epitopix purchase dirt, it’s fuel. influenza.

A tentative agreement has been reached to sell a majority July 20, 2007 Aug. 12, 2016 of the land and buildings on the Welcome home, ‘Red Bulls’ 1,000-year event overWillmar Regional Treatment Hutchinson’s streets are whelms city systems Center campus to two Willmar packed as members of MinneResidents of Willmar and city companies for development of a sota Guard are welcomed home staff spent most of Thursday regional technology center. from recent deployment An hour before Nancy cleaning up from over 8 inchJune 27, 2005 Kottke’s son Brandon was set es of rain that fell WednesAll-America City to arrive Thursday in Hutchin- day afternoon and through the Willmar among 10 cities to son, the Stewart woman was overnight hours. win honor for 2005 on her hands and knees taping There were plenty of cheers, “welcome home” posters to the May 25, 2017 Rice, ACMC to align with hugs and a few wet eyes among floor of an auditorium on the CentraCare Willmar folks Saturday night McLeod County Fairgrounds.

Rice Memorial Hospital and when the city received the Affiliated Community MediNational Civic League’s 2005 Sept. 4, 2009 cal Centers formally agreed to All-America City Award.

An alternative approach Public on board as MUC’s a letter of intent Wednesday night to join forces with CentDec. 10, 2005 new turbines are dedicated Bushels for Bushmills There was praise aplenty as raCare Health of St. Cloud. It’s First bushel of corn to be an estimated 250 to 300 citi- the first step toward forming delivered to Bushmills plant zens and local and state offi- a new corporation to collaboMonday cials gathered Thursday to cel- ratively deliver health care in Andy Quinn was one of the ebrate and dedicate Willmar Willmar and the region. first in line to lead the capital Municipal Utilities’ two new Oct. 24. 2017 campaign to build a $62 mil- wind turbines.

Community Integration Cenlion ethanol plant in Kandiyohi ter opens County. On Monday morning, Dec. 5, 2009 Nonprofit organization in CCA to close Appleton prison he will deliver the first bushel downtown Willmar to act as welcome center A group of immigrants from East Africa has formed a nonprofit organization to help members of the Willmar community learn more about each other.

July 10, 2019

Collaboration of Willmar Wye’s ‘long journey’ celebrated Local, state and federal officials participate in ceremonial groundbreaking Tuesday as construction begins this week At the end of the old Willmar Municipal Airport runway Tuesday afternoon, goldWest Central Tribune file photo en shovels manned by federal, Earl B. Olson participates in a ribbon cutting ceremony in July 2004 state and local dignitaries dug for the new Dorothy Olson Aquatic Center in Willmar honoring out the first few piles of dirt Olson’s late wife. Funding for the center was donated by the family in the Willmar Wye railroad project. in March 2003.

Celebrating 125 years

About these pages: As a part of the West Central Tribune’s 125th anniversary, we are taking this opportunity to reprint a few of the highlights reported in the Tribune during the newspaper’s last 25 years of publishing. The first 25 years were covered on Feb. 22,

In 2011 the West Central Tribune published a special section remembering the 2001 terrorist attacks on 9/11.

West Central Tribune file image

Major national and world events grab headlines The first 100 years of state, national and world events chronicled in the headlines of the West Central Tribune told of two world wars, the Great Depression of the 1930s, mankind’s first steps on the moon, widespread civil unrest in the late 1960s and much more.

As the Tribune entered its second century of publishing, history continued to unfold at a dizzying pace.

Terrorists struck on U.S. soil and the nation’s collective sense of security vanished. Wars were fought and natural disasters wreaked destruction.

Meanwhile the social landscape was shifting, leading to change and upheaval in American identity and how the nation reckons with its past.

And as the quarter-century marking the Tribune’s 125th birthday drew close, the storm clouds of a new global pandemic were gathering on the horizon.

Leading astronomers on Thursday stripped Pluto of the planetary status it has held since its discovery in 1930.

Aug. 2, 2007

Bridge collapses At least 7 killed, dozens injured when 35W bridge falls into Mississippi

Oct. 25, 2008

Dow drops 312 World market losses rattle Wall Street investors

Jan. 28, 2009

Pawlenty considers massive cutbacks Record deficit forces the governor to look at cuts in numerous budget areas

June 12, 2009

WHO: Swine flu now a pandemic First global flu epidemic in 41 years is unstoppable, not necessarily more lethal

Nov. 4, 1998

Sept. 22, 2009

Dec. 27, 1999

March 22, 2010

Sept. 12, 2001

May 2, 2011

Feb. 3, 2003

May 23, 2012

The Great Recession: A ‘Body’ slam Census shows recession had Jesse Ventura elected govsweeping impact on U.S. life ernor in stunning upset Landmark health Feds: All systems go for reform approved Y2K

care

Bin Laden is dead Terrorist attacks President Obama Hijacked airplanes slam into World Trade Center, announces al-Qaida leader’s death late Sunday Pentagon Nearly home, gone forever NASA says sudden rise in temperature was detected before Columbia’s breakup March 20, 2003 America strikes Iraq war begins with Baghdad targets

April 17, 2003 State WRTC

plans

to

empty

Dec. 15, 2003

Saddam nabbed U.S. forces capture dictator in underground hideout

‘This is our most difficult history’ Minnesota begins observance of 150th anniversary of U.S. Dakota War of 1862

May 14, 2013

Making history: Minnesota set to become the 12th state to legalize gay marriage

July 1, 2015

Medical marijuana law takes effect

Sept. 6, 2016

Dec. 27, 2004

More than 13,340 dead across Asia in tidal waves

Paying respects to Jacob Minnesota shares in mourning after Wetterling remains found

April 5, 2005

Jan. 14, 2017

Opioid epidemic continTens of thousands pay ues in wrong direction final respects Pope John Paul II to be Jan. 24, 2020 buried Friday Lethal virus in China spreads Aug. 29, 2005 Global markets swoon as New Orleans faces world deals with pandemic catastrophe Hurricane forecasters Feb. 6, 2020 predict direct hit on city Acquitted Senate vote ends Trump Aug. 25, 2006 Pluto gets the boot impeachment trial

followed by the second quarter on March 21, the third quarter on April 18 and the fourth quarter on May 16.

Special thanks to retired Tribune reporter Anne Polta for her research in helping put together these history pages. Anne completed the research for the first four sections published

in 1995, which we used as a source for the first four sets of pages here.

She also returned to the Tribune to research the news headlines for today’s section.

We hope you enjoyed this look back in history as the Tribune celebrates 125 years.