As Shaw Media celebrates its 175th anniversary, we looked back at four front pages from February 27. These archives serve as a time capsule, capturing everything from the dawn of the radio age to the evolving debate over digital media’s influence on the youth.
1925: The DeKalb Daily Chronicle
On February 27, 1925, the Daily Chronicle centered on civic growth with the lead headline, “Hotel Proposition Up to People of the City,” detailing a community-funded effort to secure a modern hotel for DeKalb. The page also captured a snapshot of early 20th-century life and tragedy, reporting on a “Graduate at the College” at noon and a somber “Three Persons Are Killed at Track Crossing” involving the Atlantic Coast Line express.
1926: Dixon Evening Telegraph
A year later, the Dixon Evening Telegraph focused on the cutting edge of technology with the bold announcement: “Radio Broadcasting Station for Dixon Planned.” The edition balanced this progress with gritty local crime and human interest, featuring “Arrest Trio for Alleged Theft Today” and a lighthearted update on “Babe Ruth’s 168-Acre Farm” being sold.
1930: Streator Daily Times-Press
By 1930, the headlines took a more serious turn as the Great Depression began to loom. The Streator Daily Times-Press sought to provide stability with the reassurance “Depositors Will Not Lose on Bank Closing” following the People’s Bank closure. Below the fold, the paper indulged in the era’s fascination with true crime, lead by a “Hint at Murder in Death of Albert G. Heermann” and updates on a first-degree murder charge against an “Anamosa Woman.”
2005: Northwest Herald
Fast-forwarding to 2005, the Northwest Herald reflected modern anxieties with the provocative cover story, “How safe are your kids from violent games?” This investigation into “Grand Theft Auto” and store enforcement policies mirrored the 1926 excitement about radio, but with a focus on digital safety. The page also provided a grim update on a “Murder trial” in Crystal Lake and the long-awaited arrest in the “BTK Killings” out of Kansas.
:quality(70)/author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/shawmedia/59fc2deb-4690-4608-b846-d6af698839c4.png)