The McCall Star-News
| Type | Weekly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Owner | CherryRoad Media |
| Founder | Marcus A. Bates |
| Editor | Max Silverson |
| Founded | 1918 (as Payette Lakes Star) |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters | 1000 1st St, McCall, ID 83638 |
| Website | mccallstarnews |
The McCall Star-News is a weekly newspaper published in McCall, Idaho. It is owned by CherryRoad Media.
History
Marcus "Mark" Ayres Bates worked at a newspaper in Caldwell before launching the Parma Herald in 1903 in Parma.[1][2] In 1915, Richard Ralph Womack moved to Cascade, Idaho and launched a weekly newspaper called the Cascade News. The printing plant was manufactured in Portland, Oregon.[3][4] Two years later Womack sold the News to Burt Venable.[5] In 1918, Bates relocated his Parma print shop to McCall and then launched the Payette Lake Star.[1][2]
In 1921, Venable sold the News to Ray E. Coleman.[6] Bates suspended the Star in 1925 due to a lack of patronage.[7] A few months later, a stock company was set up to run the Star and allow Bates to retire.[8] In 1933, former Star publisher J.C. Allen died from lead poisoning, which he contracted while working on the Payette paper.[9]
In 1934, the Star was sold at auction by Valley County sheriff R.L. Wilson for delinquent taxes to the paper's editor, W.C. Peer.[10] In 1937, Coleman retired and sold the News to Gordon Squires, who previously operated the Power County Booster in American Falls.[11] A year later Squires acquired the Star from Peer.[12] Squires published both papers until his death in 1962.[13] His widow Doris Squired then sold the News and Star to Don McMahan of Council and Glen Youngblood of Cascade.[14][15]
At some point, Youngblood exited the business and the two papers were merged to form The Star-News. Jan and Bob McMahan sold the paper in 1977 to Michael D. Parfit. At that time the paper had a circulation of 2,500.[16] Two years later the Parfits sold the Star-News to A.L. "Butch" Alford Jr., publisher of the Lewiston Morning Tribune, and Tribune business manager Bill Brigs.[17] CherryRoad Media acquired the Star-News from them in 2022.[18][19]
References
- ^ a b "New Idaho Newspaper". Evening Capital News. Boise, Idaho. January 11, 1918.
- ^ a b "Marcus A. Bates, McCall Newspaper Publisher, Dies". The Idaho Statesman. Boise, Idaho. February 26, 1950. p. 17.
- ^ "The Cascade News". The Emmett Index. Emmett, Idaho. March 4, 1915. p. 1.
- ^ "Pioneer Idaho Newsman Dies | Richard R. Womack, Cascade News Founder, Was Tax Unit Member". The Idaho Statesman. Boise, Idaho. June 10, 1947. p. 5.
- ^ "Burt Venable Goes To Cascade". Payette Enterprise. April 19, 1917. p. 1.
- ^ "Cascade News Changes Hands". Payette Enterprise. October 13, 1921. p. 1.
- ^ "MCall Star Suspends". The Idaho Statesman. Boise, Idaho. August 17, 1925. p. 7.
- ^ "Commercial Club Votes to Continue Winter Carnival". The Idaho Statesman. Boise, Idaho. November 9, 1925. p. 8.
- ^ "Two Haily Men Called By Death". The Times-News. Twin Falls, Idaho. July 20, 1933. p. 2.
- ^ "McCall | Editor Plans Expansion". The Idaho Statesman. Boise, Idaho. January 7, 1934. p. 5.
- ^ "Former American Falls Publisher Is In Cascade". The Post-Register. Idaho Falls, Idaho. Associated Press. October 29, 1937. p. 2.
- ^ "Gordon Squires, Cascade Publisher, Buys McCall Paper". The Idaho Statesman. Boise, Idaho. Associated Press. June 22, 1938. p. 3.
- ^ "Obituraies | Gordon Squires". The Idaho Statesman. Boise, Idaho. June 20, 1962. p. 16.
- ^ "Valley County Newspapers Sold; Two New Publishers". The Idaho Statesman. Boise, Idaho. October 12, 1962. p. 17.
- ^ "New Newspaper Owners". Shoshone News-Press. United Press International. October 12, 1962. p. 6.
- ^ "McCall Star-News Sold to Parfits". The Idaho Statesman. Boise, Idaho. Associated Press. July 1, 1977. p. 3.
- ^ "McCall weekly newspaper sold". The Idaho Statesman. Boise, Idaho. January 14, 1979. p. 4.
- ^ Robertson, Autum (2022-11-03). "Star-News in McCall sold to New Jersey-based media company". BoiseDev. Archived from the original on November 3, 2022. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
- ^ "The McCall (Idaho) Star-News sold to CherryRoad Media". Editor and Publisher. 2022-11-03. Retrieved 2025-10-25.