| Description |
THE UTAH NEWSPAPER HALL OF FAME financially support both publications. Rather than going through a lengthy struggle for circulation and advertising support which was almost inevitably a money-losing situation for both, the two quite sensibly merged on April 1, 1917, forming the Times-News. The major story in its second edition was the United States declaration of war against Germany on April 6th, putting the nation into the conflict which had been raging in Europe for three years. Merging the papers had created a new publishing partnership of Wood and Gibson, but it was temporarily split shortly thereafter when its junior member enlisted in the Army. He saw duty with Company D, 314th Engineer Battalion, in France and Germany, then served after the Armistice in the occupation forces, returning without mishap in 1919. By then the Times-News had accelerated its production by installing an Intertype and Abe quickly learned to operate it. In what was a strong editorial voice, the paper was a stout supporter of its city and adjoining area. Ears flanking its flag proclaimed, "The Times-News is read in every home in East Juab County." A crusade maintained for years was the need for irrigation water. Frequent editorials, almost always occupying front page position, campaigned for both storage reservoirs and pumping from deep wells. Concerning one which the paper particularly emphasized, it warned: "If there are any skeptics or doubting Thomases regarding the Levan Ridge Water Project, they'd better wake up from their Rip Van Winkle and get on the band wagon, for things are moving and shaping themselves to bring this project to a successful consummation. " The T-N added that water in such abundance would make Juab county "a second Bear River valley," referring to a highly successful example of irrigated agricultural land along the Utah-Idaho border. When the paper wasn't championing other causes, it now and then printed self-supporting editorials such as this: "A subscription to your home paper, besides keeping you posted on the local news, is also a history of your town from week to week and year to year. Does your daily paper do this? No metropolitan daily, no magazine, no billboard, no farm journal, good as 525 |
