Lima (Ohio) News celebrates its 125th anniversary


Oct. 27, 2009 – When The Daily Democratic Times, the ancestor of The Lima News, published its first edition on October 27, 1884, the many residents in Lima, Ohio looked to their newspaper for developments within the small farming town.

Today, exactly 125 years later, The Lima News, and its online website LimaOhio.com, remain an indispensable resource for over 90,000 readers/viewers in Lima and West Central Ohio.

The Lima News is celebrating its 125-year anniversary by publishing an anniversary section, holding a reception for advertisers and special guests, offering public tours and hosting a celebration lunch/dinner for associates. The special section includes historical pictures, memorable stories, influential residents and a historical timeline of The Lima News. Proceeds from advertising in the section went toward Lima’s Newspapers In Education program, which provides newspapers as a learning tool for elementary, middle, and high schools throughout the area.

“We could not have attained this 125-year milestone without the continued support of the readers, the advertisers and the communities we serve,” said James Shine, Publisher of The Lima News. “We not only celebrate our years of service to this region, but we celebrate the people who have made this journey through time with us.”

The Lima News has experienced many reinventions prior to Freedom’s acquisition in 1956. At one time, the city had two newspapers: The Lima Times-Democrat and The Lima Daily News. The two merged in 1920, and the name had been changed to The Lima News by 1926.

As the years went on, residents read about new manufacturing plants being built in Lima by Ford and Procter & Gamble. They welcomed the addition of joint campuses for Ohio State University and Rhodes State College. They learned of new residential communities, entrepreneurs, schools, entertainment facilities, elected leaders and many other events that changed the quality of life through their local newspaper. The Lima News followed these developments every step of the way.

In all, more than 45,000 editions of The Lima News have published since its inception, with several generations following the region’s progress through daily accounts in the newspaper. The Lima News’ website, LimaOhio.com, has evolved as well, reaching more than 38,000 unique visitors each week with breaking news and information.