As Shaw Media celebrates its 175th anniversary, we looked back at four front pages from March 18. These archives serve as a time capsule, capturing everything from early 20th-century crime manhunts to the community’s resilient response during the global COVID-19 pandemic.
1914: Joliet Evening Herald
On March 18, 1914, the Joliet Evening Herald was dominated by a dramatic manhunt. The lead headline, “POSSE HUNTS LIFE CONVICT,” detailed the escape of Matt Stariha, a murderer who fled while on an “official errand” for a prison official. The page also captured the grit of the era with a report on a masked bandit waylaying a streetcar near Rockdale, while a softer local note highlighted the funeral of a beloved “Stock Yards Shepherd” that drew thousands.
1936: Woodstock Daily Sentinel
By 1936, the Woodstock Daily Sentinel focused on a heavy local tragedy with the headline “ALLEGED SLAYER HELD HERE,” regarding a man returned to jail following a mob violence threat in DeKalb County. Amidst the grim news, the paper balanced the scales with community milestones, celebrating the Penny Mite Society’s 40th anniversary and a whimsical political cartoon titled “Spring Tonic” featuring “Dr. Congress.”
2020: The Dixon Telegraph
Fast forward to 2020, and the tone shifted to the onset of a global crisis. The Dixon Telegraph led with “KSB tests 54 people for virus,” marking the early, uncertain days of the COVID-19 pandemic in Lee County. Despite the anxiety, the front page sought to provide a sense of normalcy and beauty, featuring a large photo of a local educator conducting a controlled prairie burn to “help nature.”
2021: The Daily Chronicle (DeKalb County)
One year later, the March 18, 2021, edition of DeKalb’s Daily Chronicle captured the community’s offensive against the virus. Under the bold headline “MISSION: POSSIBLE,” the cover featured the Illinois National Guard assisting with vaccination efforts at the NIU Convocation Center. It served as a powerful visual bookend to the previous year’s uncertainty, showcasing a community in the midst of recovery.
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