Williston Herald gets new press

By Daniel Woods
Williston Herald

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair," wrote Charles Dickens in "A Tale of Two Cities."

In Williston, N.D., this famous dichotomy of Charles Dickens is rendered in technicolor for modern Americans. The booming economy in the Williston Basin pulls almost everyone in two directions: the need to expand is hindered by the need for housing, the stories of the small town are overshadowed by the stories of big business, the boom in the Williston Basin is overbalanced by economic troubles elsewhere in America.

Sometimes things don't work out, sometimes they do. Sometimes we're forced to deal with loss, sometimes with gain.

At the Williston Herald, these difficulties and advances are now manifest in a new piece of equipment. A new press is being installed. It replaces one of the oldest operating presses in the country.

The old Harris press was installed at the Williston Herald in 1969 by Nick Hager and his crew. Walt Wick was the Herald's publisher at the time.
Today, the Harris press, cutting-edge in its day, is scrap metal. It was difficult even to find someone to haul it away, according to Scott Green, production director for Wick Communications, which owns the Williston Herald.

Jesse Lange, a contractor who hauled off the discarded press, said he plans on storing the press until he finds someone to take it.

"I tried to get colleges to take it. I tried to get anybody to take it. Out here, it's not as easy as anywhere else, where you can just run it down the street and get what you need or get rid of what you need. You've got to be resourceful. And two hours means two weeks and two weeks means two months, out here," Lange said.

The new press is a refurbished Goss. It will take two to three weeks to install, according to the installation crew. Wick purchased the press last year and had it refurbished by Dauphin Graphic Machinery. It was in storage in Pennsylvania until recently.

"The configuration is very similar to what we had with the old Harris, except it's a newer press. And it should give them better register controls, better tension controls, and more availability of equipment. That (old) press is so old you can't find parts for it," Green said.

Brandon Watson, a pressman for the Williston Herald, said the new press is a big step up for the newspaper. He said they will be able to turn out immaculate papers with much greater consistency.

"It's going to be better in just about every way. In every way possible it's going to be better. It's a complete upgrade," Watson said.

Watson said it will take a while to learn the specifics in how to operate the new press, but in a few weeks the learning curve will level off.

Mitzi Moe, Williston Herald publisher, said she is happy that the Williston Herald will be able to turn out a higher-quality newspaper.

"We're just very excited that going to be able to bring this to the community. Our economy is growing and as it grows we're growing. So we need better equipment to serve our customers," Moe said.

She said customers can expect sharper images and print.

"The end result is going to be a much better product for our customers," Moe said.

While the new press is installed, the Williston Herald is being printed at the Miles City Star in Montana.