Recognizing the Berea Citizen

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to the Berea Citizen, a long-standing community institution and one of only a few locally owned, operated, and printed newspapers in the entire Commonwealth. This year, I am proud to join my home State in celebrating this native Kentucky newspaper as it marks 125 years of journalistic success.

Founded in 1899, the Berea Citizen came into existence on the campus of Berea College, nestled between the foothills of the Cumberland Mountains and the Bluegrass plains. The late Berea College president William G. Frost, a renowned abolitionist and scholar, led the charge in creating the school newspaper with the mission of providing this burgeoning region with informative, balanced local news. Service soon began along the dirt road of Chestnut Street in Berea's town center, where it continued for nearly a century. The Berea Citizen maintained its ties to the college up until 1984, by then transitioning into a private, locally owned newspaper.

Since the turn of the 20th century, the Berea Citizen has remained a fixture within the Madison County community. It has continued to provide local news without interruption through some of our Nation's most turbulent times, surviving the Great Depression, two World Wars, and, most recently, a global pandemic. Through the years, the newspaper and its team have adapted to the ever-evolving landscape of news, expanding print operations to include online coverage while always remaining faithful to its Kentucky focus. Today, the Berea Citizen boasts a readership of over 10,000 Kentuckians and remains a leading voice for local news in Madison County.

As the Berea Citizen marks this impressive milestone, I would like to extend my best wishes to the reporters, editors, and staff who have made the newspaper a vital resource to Central Kentuckians. It is a privilege to congratulate the Berea Citizen on 125 years of quality journalism. I hope my Senate colleagues join me in recognizing this longstanding fixture of Madison County and its many accomplishments.

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