Iowa weekly, The Jesup Citizen Herald, is ending publication

Publisher Kim Edward Adams, 68, who led the paper for its past 43 years, said and his longtime press partner Robin Harms decided in recent years they were ready to retire. The move came after Adams underwent eye surgery, leaving him unable to handle his previous workload, as Harms grew tired of working under what were often 12-hour shifts.

“At this age, I don’t have the energy anymore,” Adams said.

The pair agreed to sell or close the paper by the end of 2021. They spoke with four to six interested buyers, Adams said, but “most of them had no prior experience in newspapers”.

The newspaper’s website remains accessible for now and includes recent obituaries and a heartfelt 1,300-word letter from Adams titled “Saying Goodbye to Jesup.”

But Adams said he had no intention of including past articles on the website and suggested past posts could be found at the Jesup Public Library.

His company, Horizon Publishing Company, will continue to operate two smaller newspapers, the weekly Denver Forum, which he owns, and the monthly Readlyn Chronicle, owned by the Readlyn Community Club.