Iconic move

When Erik and I were in Hays last month, we had dinner at one of the local watering holes. And we ran into a former colleague of mine (names will be omitted to protect the innocent.).

We were told we were in town on the exact same day the presses were being torn out/outside.

So of course we had to go see them.

(For those of you who don't know, the Hays paper is now printed in Salina, and so they have no more need of the presses ... so the presses migrated to Salina).


We arrived to see the above sight.

Total shocker to me.


Some paper stuck to the rolls.


A closer up detail of it.


Serial number.


A detail of the press surface. It was dirty, dirty, dirty. I am not sure what the stuff was ... if it is fine bits of paper. Not sure ....


Inside, this is what we were greeted with.


Close up of one of the presses.


One of the ink holders. Ink well? I thought the wells were beneath the press, but let's call it an ink well here. :)


It looks like it took some serious work to get the presses out of their cement footings.


Sheesh!


The specific brand of the press.


The final tally of papers run. From the last press run.


I'm guessing the calendar on the left shows the last day the presses ran in Hays? And on the right, the other printing jobs usually done by the Hays Daily.


Check out these bolts. Sheesh!


It's so crazy to see the room empty. Devoid of the presses.


I suspect the photo on the right is from when everyone printed American flags post 9-11. Or what was left of the flag from the press.


Serious. Wreckage.


A video of my final walk-through of the pressroom.


Now, the presses have a new home. Closer to my own home.


Another view.


Final photo.

I've yet to see the presses in their new home, but I'll get around to it one day.

In the Sal-Jo

SO, my first full day as a Salina resident was busy. Erik introduced me to the local
YMCA, where I'll start training TODAY for the swimming portion of a triathlon (I'm gonna swim, my buddy Kristine will run and Mr. Heath will bike).

I also stuck my nose into the city commission meeting. What can I say? After more than three years of covering Hays City Commission meetings, I missed them. Ok, not really, but the Salina commission was talking about water rates. I couldn't resist.

Some here in Salina are whiners about paying "conservation rates" if they use 120% more water during the summer than winter. Whatever. We survived just fine in Hays.

Commissioners seemed reluctant to offer incentives, but I wanted to encourage them to do so (they are UBER popular in Hays).

The Salina Journal reporter DID use my name, but I wasn't quoted. One quick note, I am using Erik's address as my permanent residence, BUT living with an awesome family just outside of town .... I mention this because they put addresses in the paper. On another quick note, most papers don't use family members of a staffer as a source ... I'm not sure if the reporter didn't know I'm engaged to Erik or if the info was that pertinent (I prefer to think the latter!). I am guessing he did ask E, though, because my name was spelled correctly in print (I was guessing it would be butchered!).

Ok, so here's the teaser to the story HERE. I'm not sure where the rest of it is. It isn't up, and it's Tuesday, so I'm not sure why....