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By WILL BRUMLEVE
Ford County Chronicle will@fordcountychronicle.com
By the time I finally delivered a stack of 88 copies of the July 17 edition of the Ford County Chronicle to the first of our 16 newsstands late Thursday night, I had driven more than 300 miles over the previous five hours, stopping only briefly at my destination on the other side of the state the Jacksonville Journal-Courier's printing press in historical downtown Jacksonville to pick up the 1,300 copies of the Chronicle that they printed so graciously earlier that evening, saving our Wednesday paper from being yet another day late.
While "Stop the presses!" is a phrase usually yelled by a news editor at least when newsrooms are in the same buildings as their printing presses Mother Nature was the one who exclaimed it the previous Monday night, as a severe storm that brought tornadoes and power outages across a wide swath of the Chicago area quite literally put a stop to the suburban Schaumburg printing press where the Chronicle is normally published.
The newspaper presses at the Paddock Printing Center, owned by The Chicago Tribune Co., remained down Tuesday, Wednesday and into Thursday, delaying the Chronicle's normal delivery to both newsstands and the Paxton post office for the mailing of copies to subscribers. Because I had no immediate backup press lined up to print the paper in such emergencies, the delay continued until I eventually found one.
Thanks goes to Cindy Bedolli of the Illinois Press Association for helping me find the right one. Thanks must also go to newspeople like Hillsboro Journal-News co-owner John Galer, whose offer to help print my paper would have been accepted if only the press could have been set up to accommodate the Chronicle's page dimensions and labeling and color requirements.
Jeff Lonergan, though, is the man of honor in this column. The production director of the Jacksonville Journal-Courier, who came recommended by Bedolli, promptly answered the phone when I called him late Thursday morning, desperate to find someone to print the paper that same day. "We'd be happy to help," said Lonergan.
Oh, how they did.
Shortly after 7:15 Thursday evening after driving more than two hours from Paxton to Jacksonville without stopping I walked into the back of the old printing press building at 235 W. State St. in the Morgan County seat, where I saw a pallet stacked with bundles of the Chronicle's latest although delayed edition. Of the 1,300 copies there, 329 were neatly bundled together, ready for delivery to newsstands, while the other 971 were also bundled separated by zip code in preparation for delivery to the Paxton post office.
Not only was everything ready to go, but the quality of the print job was excellent. The bill was not bad at all, either, as a sympathetic Lonergan cut me a deal. I cannot thank him enough.
After filling my car's trunk and front passenger seat with newspapers, I headed back to Ford County, arriving shortly before 10 p.m. First, I delivered 88 copies to the Paxton IGA, 15 to the Village Pantry and 10 to the Casey's south of the downtown. Then, I headed to the post office, dropping off the subscriber copies there, before finally heading home with plans to deliver the remaining newsstand copies early Friday morning.
It was a long, atypical day as a newspaper publisher, I'd say. I haven't been doing this for too long just over four years but this had never happened until now. Thankfully, though, if this were to ever happen again, I'd know who to call first to arrange for a backup press. And that is all thanks to some good people in this industry. So, as inconvenient as this entire situation was, some good did come out of it.
The Chicago Tribune's presses in Schaumburg became inoperable due to what was believed to be a nearby lightning strike that caused a surge in power through the components of the presses. To repair the issue, new parts were being flown in late in the week.
The Schaumburg press failure also caused a delay in the home delivery of the July 16 edition of the Chicago Tribune and other papers printed there, including the Chicago Sun-Times and Daily Herald.
In the absence of a print paper, the Sun-Times dropped its paywall for its July 16 e-edition. It also made the July 17 e-edition free because of the printing delays. The Tribune offered its full e-edition online, in addition to digital editions of its sister papers.
Thanks again to those who helped resolve the situation for the Chronicle. Because of you, there was no stopping the presses. Because of you, there is no stopping the press.
Will Brumleve is publisher and news editor of the Ford County Chronicle, an award-winning weekly newspaper published Wednesdays and based in Paxton.
Will Brumleve/Ford County Chronicle
A total of 1,300 copies of the July 17 edition of the Ford County Chronicle rest on a pallet inside a loading dock at the Jacksonville Journal-Courier's newspaper printing presses in downtown Jacksonville on Thursday, July 18, in preparation for being picked up and taken to Ford County.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 24, 2025 Contact Information: Ride Illinois Dave Simmons, executive director (630) 216-9282 dave@rideillinois.org
Illinois Bike & Walk Summit coming to Springfield
Creating Connected Livable Thriving communities: Illinois Bike & Walk Summit Fosters Learning and Lobbying Among Advocates and Practitioners
Ride Illinois and its partner organizations are pleased to announce the 2025 Illinois Bike & Walk Summit. Three hundred advocates, professionals, and public officials will gather in Springfield (May 7-8, 2025) for an important conference to help shape the future of biking and walking across the state. The conference will take place over two days in Springfield. Day One - May 7 ● A welcome from Springfield Mayor Misty Buscher ● Breakout sessions with topics including: ○ Completing the Great American Rail Trail ○ Developing Low-Stress Bike Networks ○ Bike/walk legislation at the state and federal level: 2025 and beyond ● Keynote Speaker: Tom Flood ○ A bold and visionary advocate who uses striking design and messaging to challenge car-centric culture, and a champion spokesman of safer streets for all. ○ Flood's Presentation Topic: Reframing Road Safety. This presentation will highlight his work and its importance in challenging the narrative around active transportation and road safety.
Day Two - May 8 ● Lobby Day ● Workshops focused on: ○ Advocacy training ○ Trail development ○ Best practices for the planning, design, and incorporation of complete streets into transportation projects. ○ CM and PDH credits available. Dave Simmons, executive director of Ride Illinois, emphasized the new format of lobbying and advocacy: “It’s important that elected officials hear from their constituents. Lobby Day is an opportunity for Illinois residents to voice their concerns related to biking and walking in their community.” The legislative goals of Lobby Day include advocating for bills that will increase safety for pedestrians and bicyclists. Springfield Mayor Misty Buscher shared, “I am honored to greet attendees to the 2025 Illinois Bike & Walk Summit. I look forward to the summit and also look forward to making Springfield a more bike/walk friendly community.” With a strong foundation built on the educational and empowering sessions of day one, the day of lobbying will bring a buzz to Springfield with the hope of creating safer, more accessible active transportation options for all ages and backgrounds. The end goal being that active transportation becomes a viable and welcoming choice for everyone. Conference Details ● Illinois Bike & Walk Summit to convene in Springfield, May 7-8 with a focus on creating connected, livable, thriving communities. ● Highlights of the event include: ○ Keynote speaker Tom Flood ○ Inaugural lobby day ○ Breakout sessions ○ Workshops ○ Networking opportunities ● The 2025 Illinois Bike & Walk Summit will take place at the Wyndham Springfield City Center, conveniently located in the heart of Illinois’ state capital. ● Registration for the conference starts at the affordable price of $20! ● For more information and to register for this event, visit IllinoisBikeWalkSummit.org.
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