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As Shaw Media reflects on its long history of community journalism, we looked back at four front pages from January 18. These archives serve as a window into the past, documenting everything from the hardships of the Great Depression and the 1970s energy crisis to modern milestones in local education and law.
1930: Dixon Evening Telegraph
The January 18, 1930, edition was dominated by a brutal winter reality with the headline, “Most Severe Cold Wave of Year.” Temperatures plummeted to 23 degrees below zero, freezing the Rock River and stalling local industry. Amidst the chill, the paper also looked forward to the future, detailing plans for Dixon’s upcoming “Centennial Celebration” and the dedication of the Lincoln Memorial Bridge.
1974: Woodstock Daily Sentinel
By 1974, the headlines shifted to the anxieties of the national energy crisis. The lead story, “County’s current gasoline supply appears abundant,” provided a mix of relief and caution for McHenry County drivers facing rising prices. Locally, the front page also captured a social debate, with Woodstock merchants “blaming parents” for a rising “shoplifting problem” in the downtown district.
2012: The Daily Chronicle
The January 18, 2012, edition of the Daily Chronicle marked a poignant moment for Northern Illinois University. The headline, “‘... It feels really good to have it back’,” captured the emotional reopening of Cole Hall nearly four years after a tragic campus shooting.
2014: The Times
In 2014, the focus in Ottawa was on the implementation of new state laws. The leading headline, “Businesses consider concealed carry rules,” explored how local owners were navigating the state’s new firearm regulations. Meanwhile, a local environmental and economic conflict took center stage as a rural Utica man voiced fears that a proposed “sand quarry” would negatively impact local tourism and Starved Rock State Park.
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