Curtis and Bonnie Starr retire from PCN after 29 years in Malta

The year that Curtis and Bonnie Starr took over the Phillips County News in Malta, Ronald Reagan was finishing up his first term as U.S. President, a first-class postage stamp could be had for 22-cents and Meet me in Montana hit number one on the Billboard Country charts.

The year was 1985. In the previous year, the Starrs and another couple purchased the Chinook Opinion and Harlem News from the Johnson family. After running those two papers for a year it became apparent that they weren’t large enough to support two large families (each family had six children).

Fortunately, the Phillips County News became available in 1985 and the Starrs were able to take over the business in October of that year. The two partners alternated running the paper on a weekly basis but after about a year the decision was made for the Starr family to move to Malta.

“It has been a wonderful place to raise our children,” said Curtis. “Running a weekly newspaper has given me the unique opportunity of being able to be part of my children’s lives during their school years while doing my job. I was courtside taking photos when my two daughters played in three state championship basketball games won by the M-ettes and on the sidelines for a state championship football game won by the Mustangs of which one of my sons was a member.”

On Tuesday, the contracts were signed and the PCN was bought by the Glasgow Courier, Inc. a Wyoming Corp. owned by Gary and Sue Stevenson and Robb Hicks. The Stevenson and Hicks families also own the Glasgow Courier and the Havre Daily News. 

“We thank Curtis and Bonnie Starr for their faith in our abilities to offer quality news and advertising to Malta and the adjacent communities,” said Patrick Cosell, Chief Operations Officer.

Cossel said the company is excited to see what new editor Mark Hebert, with his vast experience, can add to the publication. 

“Hebert is a capable journalist with more than 10-years community journalism experience in Montana,” Cossel said. 

Hebert made his way to Malta at the end of February and has been working with the Starrs all week in order to better understand the community and get this week’s issue of the PCN to readers on time and without missing a beat.

“Without the Starr’s help this week, along with the rest of the staff at the PCN headquarters, this transition for me would have been a really difficult one to make,” said Hebert. “Their help, support and guidance has left me feeling comfortable with running the paper and getting to know the community.”

Hebert comes to Malta via Superior, Mont., traveling 460 miles east, and did so during as a blizzard was hitting the western side of the state.

In the early years of the Starrs running the PCN, they knew a thing or two about traveling to Malta as well. For the first three years of owning the paper, Bonnie and Curtis commuted from Chinook to Malta before the summer of 1988 when they brought four of their six children to town to stay for good. Their oldest son had graduated in Chinook at was in college and other second oldest son stayed in Chinook so he could graduate there.

The Starr’s have operated the PCN for 29 years. Prior to that, Curtis had 12 years of experience running two different weekly newspapers in Utah where he grew up meaning he has been a newspaper man for 41 years.

“It dawned on me the other day that my wife and I have lived in Malta longer than I have lived anywhere else,” Curtis said. “I don’t regret a minute of it. Malta and Phillips County as a whole have been wonderful to us. From day one when we arrived we’ve felt welcomed and a part of the community and we’ve tried to repay that by being active in the community.”

Because of the success of the Mustangs and M-ettes over the years, Curtis said he has had the privilege of covering more state championship basketball and football games than any other weekly editor in a Class B community in Montana.

As for the future, Bonnie and Curtis plan to serve an 18-month mission somewhere in the world for their church. Five of their six children served church missions and their parents want to follow in their footsteps. Until they receive their calling, however, they are not sure where they will end up.

“It has been a wonderful journey and we are proud and pleased that the people of Phillips County have let us share their lives through the newspaper,” Curtis said. “We hope the community will be as supportive of the new owners has they have been of us through the years.”