The Sidney Herald officially reaches triple digits this week as Thursday marks the 100th anniversary of the paper's first publication. Here is a look at some of the highlights of the paper's first century in operation.

1908 - The first issue of the Sidney Herald is published on March 13 under the leadership of attorney F.J. Matoushek and printer L.N. Barton. The office of the newspaper is located in the back of a Mercer's pool hall before moving to a building on South Central near the present day site of Omni Electronics. The cost of a subscription for the weekly paper was $2 a year. Items in that first paper include news from Sidney and the northwest, ag prices and a summery of top stories in Norway, Sweden and Denmark. By the end of the year, Matoushek, choosing to concentrate on his law practice, had sold his share of the paper to Barton.

1909 - In September, Barton sells the Herald to William Harrison Ketcham. Ketcham came to Sidney from Crawford, Neb., where he had also owned a newspaper.

Sidney Herald staff The 2008 Sidney Herald staff includes, front from left, Bill Vander Weele, Libby Berndt and Linda Steinbeisser; middle, Allie Anvik, Deniece Schwab, Chris Dodds, Debbie Schieffer, Dawn Steinbeisser, Debbie Crossland and Jed Barton; back, Debbe Anderson, Bobbie Ballou, Lindsey Bright and Ellen Wznick.

1912 - W.H. Ketcham sells the paper to his son, Harry, with whom he had been working since 1910.

1914 - Richland County is carved out of Dawson County as a result of a special election on May 14. Also in that election, Sidney was chosen as county seat. Of the six newspapers that existed in Richland County in 1914, only the Sidney Herald remains today.

1916 - The Herald moves into a building at 119 N. Central. It will remain their for the next 74 years.

1926 - Harry Ketcham sells the paper to C.R. Hurley. Hurley would see that the paper kept in business through the twin crisis of the Great Depression and World War II.

1958 - The Wick Newspaper Group buys the Sidney Herald. The family-owned company, now known as Wick Communications, continues to own the Herald to this day.

1967 - The printing equipment is removed from the Sidney Herald offices ending local printing of the paper. Printing of the Sidney Herald was moved to the print shop of the Williston Daily Herald in Williston N.D., where it remains today.

1975 - The Sidney Herald goes from being published once a week to twice a week with issues coming out on Mondays and Wednesdays.

1984 - The Herald twice moves its publication days. First, to Tuesday and Saturday evening, then to Wednesday and Sunday mornings; where they remain.

1988 - The Herald acquires the county's other paper - the Richland County Leader - becoming the Sidney Herald-Leader.

1990 - The Sidney Herald-Leader moves to the building at 310 Second Ave. N.E. The site formerly occupied by the Lower Yellowstone Rural Electric Administration remains the location of Herald today.

1998 - The Sidney Herald-Leader enters the digital age with debut of www.sidneyherald.com in June.

2001 - The Herald-Leader creates a Reader Advisory Group (RAG). The RAG meets every other month to discuss all aspects of the paper. The RAG is made up of six community members and the paper's department heads.

2003 - The paper once again becomes the "Sidney Herald" as it undergoes a massive redesign that gives the paper its current appearance.

Today - As of March 2008 the Sidney Herald has been in continuous circulation for 100 years with a circulation of 3,425 on Sundays and 4,100 on Wednesdays including the Newspaper In Education papers; 14 employees; 11 paper carriers; and has published approximately 6,650 editions. Our carriers deliver papers across a 40 mile area. The Sidney Herald also has a combination buy for advertising with Williston Daily Herald and the Plains Reporter Shopper. Together the three publications allow advertisers to reach 20,000 homes in eastern Montana and western North Dakota.

Throughout 2008 the Sidney Herald will be celebrating its 100th birthday with a variety of events. The Herald will be hosting the Sidney Area Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture's Leadership graduation on May 7 at the MonDak Heritage Center. The event will feature a Power Point presentation showing how the newspaper has and still is an important "leader" in the area. Then, as part of the "Town and Country Festival," the Herald staff will provide a free feed at noon June 28 to thank the community for 100 years of support. A business after hours event at the Herald office is planned for later in the fall for residents of the area to come and get a glimpse of how a newspaper is "put to bed."

Even though the format of the newspaper has changed over the past 100 years, the service provided to the community has not. The Sidney Herald is the lifeline of Richland County, reporting news and events, from birth to death and everything in-between.These words preserve the history of our communities and help form the future.

Paper and its people

A newspaper is a complex product. Twice a week we compile a new and unique creation. It takes dedicated people to produce a newspaper that has been printed continually for 100 years. Something no other paper in Richland County can claim.

The paper began when a man by the name of F.J. Matoushek decided Sidney needed a newspaper. He invested not only paper and ink, but time, sweat and of course money in a product he believed in. Past Herald owners Harry Ketchum, C.R. Hurley and Leo Schwartz continued the commitment, just as the Wick family does today.

Many people say it takes a different breed of people to work for a newspaper and that may be true. Newspaper people are dedicated, hardworking, community service people working into the night and weekends to provide our communities with the news.

In the Herald's 75th anniversary in 1983, then publication editor Dennis Swibold said, "It gets in your blood like ink stains on the printer's apron. It's rarely 'just a job.' "

It takes a team to operate a newspaper, accepting responsibilities for every part of the operation.

Below are the people who make it work today:

Publisher Libby Berndt: Berndt started with the newspaper in 1986 as a part-time typesetter. As she states many times, "It was only a job to get me out of the house." Moving from typesetter, to receptionist/classifieds, to advertising, to office manager and then to publisher in 2001, Berndt has seen and done it all, even paper routes.

Managing editor Bill Vander Weele: Some may say Vander Weele is a permanent fixture at the Herald, coming to Sidney from Sheboygan, Wis., in 1984 straight out of journalism school at Lakeland College. He began his career with the Herald as the sports reporter and moved into the managing editor's position in 1998. Vander Weele covers every aspect of this community - county and local government, features, sports, photography - you name it Vander Weele does it.

Staff writer Lindsey Bright: New to Sidney, Bright arrived in December 2007 from El Paso, Texas. She has brought real excitement to the newspaper with her interesting columns and new, fresh ideas for articles. Bright is not afraid to tackle the hard stories and at the same time enjoys getting to meet people through feature articles.

Staff writer/NIE coordinator Deniece Schwab: The word that comes to mind when Deniece's name is mentioned is - organization. Schwab, a graduate of Sidney High School, joined the Herald staff in 2000 as a part-time writer. It didn't take long before her love for people and events shined through and she became a full-time staff member. Schwab produces a Homespun lifestyles page every Wednesday and keeps the Sidney Herald involved in projects throughout the community. She also heads the Newspaper In Education program, making sure area students read their local paper.

Sports writer Jed Barton: The newest member of the staff, Jed is on his second week with the Herald. A graduate of Montana State University-Billings, he is learning the ropes of a small, community newspaper and how sports lead the way in the communities we cover.

Typesetter Allison Anvik: The Anvik name has been a part of the Herald for several years, as Allison's sister, Ashlee, preceded her as the typesetter. Allison, a junior at Sidney High School, took over the reins a year ago and arrives daily after school to pound those computer keys. She also takes care of updating the Herald Web site each issue, assists in designing inside pages and is available for those odd jobs that come up within a newspaper.

Proofreader Chris Dodds: As the invaluable eyes of the Herald, Dodds arrives Monday and Thursday nights to proofread the pages and make the corrections needed. This position is the perfect job for a mother of two active boys, giving her the opportunity to be home. Chris started working at the Herald a year ago, after she and husband, Sean, manager of CHS Farmers Elevator, arrived in Sidney.

Bookkeeper Bev Forthun: Longtime office manager/bookkeeper for the Williston Herald took on the joint position of bookkeeper of the Sidney Herald in July of 2006. Forthun works from the Williston Herald office and brings many, many years of experience in the newspaper business.

Office assistant Bobbi Ballou: A part-time employee since November 2007, Ballou came to Sidney from Kalispell and handles all of the billing and deposits for the Herald. She is one of those employees that will do whatever is asked of her, assisting the front office staff in many different aspects of the business.

Circulation manager Dawn Steinbeisser: For almost two years now, Dawn has headed the circulation department at the Herald, a job that has become a real challenge for any newspaper. If you ask any of her carriers or subscribers, they will tell you how caring and supportive she is to each and every one of them. Steinbeisser is willing to fill in on any route, make the trip to Williston to help out, and has the support of her family during some difficult Tuesdays and Sundays when deliveries are needed.

Classified sales/receptionist Deb Crossland: Crossland started working three years ago in the production department. She went from part time to full time by transferring to the position of classified sales/receptionist. Crossland is from Fairview and is the advertising consultant for that community.

Advertising consultant Linda Steinbeisser: Linda is not new to advertising sales. She has worked as a sales consultant at the Herald for the past eight years, coming from a similar position at the Roundup. Linda loves a challenge and pushes herself to make the goals set for her.

Advertising consultant Debbe Anderson: Starting in the newspaper business as a part-time staff photographer, Sidney native Debbe Anderson moved from that position to advertising sales. She has been employed in this position since 2000, and is the idea person for the many new advertising opportunities for our local business community.

Production manager Ellen Wznick: Another experienced hand, not only with design but also in technology, Ellen joined the Herald in October 1993 working in the graphic design department and later being promoted to production manager. One of the biggest challenges in this day and age is technology, and Ellen works hard at keeping everything running smooth at the Herald.

Graphic design artist Deb Schieffer: For the past 10 years Schieffer has been a Herald pillar, always dedicating herself to the job at hand. No matter if it is designing ads, finalizing pages to be sent to press, or working the Herald Web site, she always does her best. Deb started in the production department, transferring to classified sales/receptionist then back to production, which seems to be her home away from home.

The layout of this page is reminscent of the first issue of the Sidney Herald on March 13, 1908. Hope you enjoy reading about the history and the employees who take pride in providing you the Sidney Herald. Join us in celebrating our 100th anniversary in the many events in 2008.