30 years of “The Coosa County News”
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
Today “The Coosa County News” turns 30, with the first edition of the newspaper being printed May 20, 1992. Photo by Christa Jennings
The first edition of “The Coosa County News” from May 20, 1992. Photo by Christa Jennings
Originally published before having an office building, the first edition of “The Coosa County News” included a photo of construction being done at the newspaper office in May of 1992.
By Christa Jennings
Senior Staff Writer
Today “The Coosa County News” turns 30 years old, celebrating three decades of local news and dedication to the communities of the county.
The first edition of “The Coosa County News” was published May 20, 1992, before the newspaper office was even built. Upon his retirement, Lewis Scarbrough returned to his hometown of Rockford and recognized the need in the county for a local news source as the county did not have a newspaper or radio or TV station.
As such, he set out to publish “The Coosa County News” to share county-related news and events with area citizens. Three decades later, that remains the goal of the newspaper, to share local events and news that would otherwise not be known since “The Coosa County News” is the only local news source dedicated to county coverage.
Headlines and items covered in the first edition included election information, school news, meeting coverage for town meetings, information about area loggers competing at the Rockford Men’s Club Sports Day, and more.
Carlton Jones was the editor at the time the newspaper was first published. The first editorial published began with, “Believe it or not, we made it.”
In part, that first editorial reads, “Several weeks ago I was really wondering if I could get this first edition done and into your hands. Thanks to a lot of people in Coosa County, and a very supportive printer, we made it. For those of you who have helped get this first issue off the ground, I must tip my hat and express my deepest appreciation for your assistance.”
The editorial also recognized the importance of advertisers helping support the newspaper, and individuals in turn supporting those advertisers. The importance of that revenue from advertisers helping sustain the newspaper for the county’s citizens remains true today.
The editorial reads, “It does take advertisers to pay the bills for this publication and keep it going. We hope you will support our advertisers who are investing in Coosa County by advertising in ‘The Coosa County News.’ When you shop with our advertisers, let them know you saw their advertisement in ‘The Coosa County News.’”
The editorial also reads, “Unlike many newspapers you are use to reading, ‘The Coosa County News’ exists to keep our subscribers and residents of Coosa County informed on what is going on in the county. ‘The Coosa County News’ is ‘Your’ county newspaper.”
Thirty years later that remains true and is still the goal of the newspaper, to keep area residents and others informed on what is going on in the county and to be a dedicated and trustworthy source of local news for the residents.
This includes coverage of area meetings, events, human interest stories, achievements, school news, and more.
Looking back at some of the newspaper’s history, the first letter to the editor was printed in the May 27, 1992, edition and was a letter by Nick Bringas.
The first obituary was for 112-year-old Lula Turner of Alexander City, printed in the June 10, 1992, edition. The first obituary for someone stated as being from Coosa County was for Eunice Young of Goodwater, printed in the June 17, 1992, edition.
Much has changed over the years, including staff, columnists, the newspaper phone number and mailing address, rates, and more. The newspaper office was also renovated last year after sustaining water damage from a storm on May 4, 2021.
The newspaper also stepped into the digital age, now having a Facebook page and a website, www.thecoosacountynews.com.
However, what remains the same is the newspaper’s dedication to Coosa County and sharing local news and information for Coosa County residents and subscribers beyond the county lines.
In future editions throughout the rest of the year, we will continue to highlight some of the newspaper’s history from the last 30 years, especially from the 1992 editions as we celebrate 30 years of “The Coosa County News.”
We would like to thank our subscribers and dedicated readers, as well as our advertisers, for their continued support and helping keep the newspaper going for the last three decades. As the first editorial stated, “Believe it or not, we made it,” and with your support we look forward to serving Coosa County for many more years to come.
