The ''Morning Sentinel'' is an American

daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...

published six mornings a week in

Waterville, Maine Waterville is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, Kennebec County, Maine, United States, on the west bank of the Kennebec River. The city is home to Colby College and Thomas College. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census the populatio ...

. It is owned by

MaineToday Media MaineToday Media is a privately owned publisher of daily and weekly newspapers in the U.S. state of Maine, based in the state's largest city, Portland. It includes the ''Portland Press Herald'' and ''Maine Sunday Telegram'', the state's largest ...

. The newspaper covers cities and towns in parts of

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

, Kennebec,

Penobscot The Penobscot (Abenaki: ''Pαnawάhpskewi'') are an Indigenous people in North America from the Northeastern Woodlands region. They are organized as a federally recognized tribe in Maine and as a First Nations band government in the Atlantic pr ...

and

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

counties. The paper is printed at the ''

Portland Press Herald The ''Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram'' is a morning daily newspaper with a website that serves southern Maine and is focused on the greater metropolitan area around Portland, Maine, in the United States. Founded in 1862, its roots e ...

'' press in

South Portland, Maine South Portland is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, and is the fourth-largest city in the state, incorporated in 1898. At the 2020 census, the city population was 26,498. Known for its working waterfront, South Portland is sit ...

History

Founded in 1904 by officials of the Waterville

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

—Waterville mayor Cyrus Davis; future

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

Charles Fletcher Johnson Charles Fletcher Johnson (February 14, 1859 – February 15, 1930) was a United States senator from Maine and a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Johnson was nominated by President Woodrow W ...

; and future mayor L. Eugene Thayer, leavened by newspaper veteran Thomas F. Murphy—the ''Waterville Morning Sentinel'', within a year, grew from a three-desk operation to requiring its own building, on Silver Street.CentralMaine.com: About
, accessed May 27, 2007. In 1911, a financially ailing Davis sold the paper to bond holders; ten years later, it was bought by

Guy Gannett Guy Gannett Communications was a family-owned business consisting of newspapers in Maine and a handful of television stations in the eastern United States. The company was founded by its namesake, Guy P. Gannett, in 1921, and was managed by a fa ...

, who was in the process of building a newspaper, radio and television empire in Maine. His holdings included the ''

'' and, after 1929, the ''Sentinel'''s in-county competitor, the ''

Kennebec Journal The ''Kennebec Journal'' is a six-day morning daily newspaper published in Augusta, Maine. It is owned by MaineToday Media, which also publishes the state's largest newspaper, the ''Portland Press Herald''. The newspaper covers Augusta and the s ...

''. Gannett's ownership also saw the paper become less politically biased. Gannett and his heirs—no relation to the Virginia-based chain called

Gannett Company Gannett Co., Inc. () is an American mass media holding company headquartered in McLean, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.The Seattle Times Company The Seattle Times Company is a privately owned publisher of daily and weekly newspapers in the U.S. state of Washington. Founded in Seattle, Washington in 1896, the company is now in its fourth and fifth generations of ownership by the Blethen f ...

, which rechristened the chain "

Blethen Maine Newspapers MaineToday Media is a privately owned publisher of daily and weekly newspapers in the U.S. state of Maine, based in the state's largest city, Portland. It includes the ''Portland Press Herald'' and ''Maine Sunday Telegram'', the state's larges ...

". Frank Blethen, a descendant of ''Seattle Times'' founder Albert Blethen, a Maine native, later called the purchase "the largest and riskiest investment in our history" but a necessary move to keep the newspapers from becoming part of a corporate chain. It was sold in 2009 to MaineToday Media. In December 2009, the newspaper was criticized for firing one of its journalists who had made negative remarks about the gay-rights group

Human Rights Campaign The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for LGB ...

.Reporter fired for gay marriage taunt blames ‘anti-Christian bias’
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Prices

The ''Morning Sentinel'' prices are: $1.30 daily, $2.30 Saturday/Sunday “Weekend Edition”.

References

External links

''Morning Sentinel'' website

The Seattle Times Company website
* {{MaineToday Mass media in Kennebec County, Maine Newspapers published in Maine Publications established in 1904 Waterville, Maine 1904 establishments in Maine