As Shaw Media celebrates its 175th anniversary, we looked back at four front pages from April 3. These archives serve as a time capsule, capturing everything from the anticipation of spring holidays to significant shifts in local governance and the resolution of national labor disputes.
1926: Dixon Evening Telegraph
The April 3, 1926, edition was dominated by the anticipation of the spring holiday with the lead headline: “Clear, Cold, White Easter Latest Prediction.” As the community prepared for festivities, the front page also touched on local crime with “Two Dixon Boys Are Bound Over to Whiteside Grand Jury on Forgery Charges.”
1985: The Daily Chronicle (DeKalb County)
By 1985, the focus in DeKalb and Sycamore was squarely on local elections. The headline “‘Red’ wins eighth term” celebrated the landslide victory of Sycamore Mayor Harold “Red” Johnson. However, it wasn’t all good news for local officials; the front page also detailed a setback for education as “Voters reject hike in tax rate,” a decision that school officials warned would lead to significant budget cuts for the district.
1995: Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake)
The April 3, 1995, edition brought a sigh of relief to sports fans across McHenry County. The major headline, “Owners, union to play ball,” announced the end of the 232-day Major League Baseball strike. While the paper noted that “Area fans greet news with yawn” due to the long delay, the return of the game was the talk of the region. Locally, the paper also tracked municipal growth as the “CL council to look at annexing theaters.”
2009: The Times (Ottawa)
Rounding out the collection, the April 3, 2009, edition of the Ottawa-based paper focused on law enforcement and government transparency. The lead story, “Police make gambling raids,” detailed a crackdown on illegal video machines in local bars. Simultaneously, the paper looked toward the future of digital access with the headline “State workers’ salaries could be online,” reflecting a growing public demand for transparency in how tax dollars are spent.
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