Silver milestone

This week’s edition marks a personal milestone for Paula and me — the 25th anniversary of owning the Aurora News-Register.
On July 1, 2000, we signed the most consequential paperwork of our lives — not counting our marriage license or the birth certificates of daughters Robyn and Blayke — and stepped into the role of co-publishers of this community-based weekly newspaper.
For me, it was the fulfillment of a childhood dream. I grew up in a newspaper family and always knew I wanted to carry on that tradition. What made it even more special was having Paula by my side. She brought her business and accounting expertise into the fold and from day one it’s been a team effort. Truthfully, I wouldn’t have taken this leap without her. Still wouldn’t.
Looking back at that year 2000 front page article brings a smile. There we are, a thirty-something couple filled with energy, optimism and maybe just a little naiveté. But we also knew what we were signing up for: a commitment to this community, to the mission of local journalism, and to each other. We were planting roots, and in many ways they’ve only grown deeper.
I’ll never forget when Laurie Pfeifer snapped that photo of us with former owner Butch Furse (See Page B9). I remember standing there, humbled and excited, feeling lucky that he chose us to carry the torch. To this day, Butch still drops by the office on Tuesday afternoons to grab his copy and talk shop. He may be retired, but the ink still runs purely through his veins, as it does in mine. That shared passion for Aurora and for storytelling is something I deeply treasure.
We’ve also been blessed to share this journey with a remarkable team. Two of those team members — Marc Russell and Karla Senff — have been with us from the very beginning. In a deadline-driven business like this one, having people you trust and genuinely enjoy working with makes all the difference. It turns work into something more like family.
Of course, the world of newspapers has changed dramatically since 2000, admittedly more than we could have imagined at the time. As this week’s front-page story outlines, the way people consume news has evolved, and with that so must we. That’s why we’re launching a community focus group study this week, inviting input on how we can continue to deliver trusted, local journalism in ways that reflect today’s habits and tomorrow’s needs.
One thing hasn’t changed, though, and that is our commitment to Hamilton County. Then as now, the Aurora News-Register remains the only news source focused solely on this community — your stories, your triumphs, your challenges, your lives.
So, here’s to 25 years of deadlines, bylines and countless memories. And here’s to what comes next.
Thank you for reading, and for believing in the value of local news.
KURT JOHNSON can be reached at kjohnson@ hamilton.net