The ''Freeman Courier'' is a weekly newspaper serving the larger

Freeman, South Dakota Freeman is a city in Hutchinson County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 1,329 at the 2020 census. Freeman was laid out in 1879. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. F ...

community. Located on the eastern edge of Hutchinson County, the ''Courier''s primary readership includes eastern Hutchinson, western

Turner Turner may refer to: People and fictional characters *Turner (surname), a common surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Turner (given name), a list of people with the given name *One who uses a lathe for turni ...

, and southern McCook counties.

History

The ''Courier'' was established in 1901. The following year, Jacob J. Mendel became the editor and he owned the weekly until 1960 when he sold the ''Courier'' to brothers Glenn and Vernon Gering. The Gerings published the ''Courier'' until 1984 when they sold it to Tim L. Waltner and his wife, Mary. Their son, Jeremy Waltner, began working in the business as a jr. high student and, after studying journalism at

South Dakota State University South Dakota State University is a public land-grant research university in Brookings, South Dakota. Founded in 1881, it is the state's largest and most comprehensive university and the oldest continually-operating university in South Dakota. The ...

Brookings, SD Brookings is a city in Brookings County, South Dakota, United States. Brookings is South Dakota's fourth largest city, with a population of 23,377 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Brookings County, and home to South Dakota State Univ ...

, became news editor in 1999. The Waltners established Second Century Publishing Inc., in 2001, reflecting the acquisition of other publications including the ''Hutchinson Herald'', the weekly serving the neighboring town and Hutchinson County communities of Menno and Olivet. Jeremy and his wife, Stacey, joined the ownership team and became publishers in 2016. In July 2019, publication of the ''Hutchinson Herald'' as a separate newspaper ended and the ''Courier'' expanded its coverage to include the Menno and Olivet communities. The business also includes two advertising publications — the ''Area Wide Connection'' and the ''Dakota Action Rocket'' — and Waltner Media + Studios, which offers photography/graphic design/printing and online services. The ''Freeman Courier'' is a member of the South Dakota Newspaper Association, the

National Newspaper Association The National Newspaper Association (NNA) is a Pensacola, FL based non-profit newspaper trade association founded in 1885. The organization has over 2,300 members, making it the largest newspaper trade association in the United States. The organiza ...

, and the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors and has won journalism awards from all three organizations.

References

External links

''Freeman Courier''South Dakota Newspaper AssociationNational Newspaper Association, International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors,
Newspapers published in South Dakota Hutchinson County, South Dakota {{SouthDakota-newspaper-stub Newspapers established in 1901 1901 establishments in South Dakota