local newspapers

Council Grove, Kansas, is a small town with a rich history and a unique distinction: With a population of about 2,200, it is the smallest town in the United States with a daily newspaper: the Council Grove Republican.

The senator said he was grateful to dedicated editors, reporters and staff whose contributions made his hometown paper informative and beloved.

"Seized" tells the story of the Marion County Record. It will "make people think about what journalism really is and what people really want journalism to be," its director and producer said.

Marion County also approved agreements with Eric Meyer, the owner and editor of the Marion County Record, and Ruth Herbel, the Marion city councilor whose home was raided in tandem with the newspaper office.

The texts between Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody and a restaurant owner were allegedly deleted amid widespread scrutiny of the chief's August 2023 raids of the Marion County Record newspaper and the homes of the paper's owners.

The last couple of decades have been tough on newspapers. Kansas has lost about 50 publications in the past 20 years. Rural news outlets also face another problem: Owners of many small, family-run newspapers are getting older, and it’s uncertain who will keep the presses running when they retire.

Special prosecutors charged former Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody with one count of interference with the judicial process, a low-level felony, for asking a restauranteur to delete text messages after his controversial raid of the Marion County Record.

Marion, Kansas, Police Chief Gideon Cody — formerly a member of the Kansas City Police Department — resigned after an earlier suspension. A reporter for the Marion County Record has also resigned, saying she no longer feels comfortable in the community.

The August 11 raid was ostensibly undertaken under the pretense that a reporter committed identity theft by accessing public records on a public website. A new lawsuit from veteran journalist Deb Gruver contends that the Marion Police Chief's real motivation was to punish the newspaper for its investigations.

The lawyer who represents the Marion County Record accused Marion County Police of copying data from the newspaper onto an external hard drive and failing to give it back. The sheriff's office agreed Thursday to destroy the data.