Longtime Warren County residents buy Indianola Record-Herald, will continue printing weekly newspaper

Two longtime Warren County residents and former executives of The Indianola Record-Herald and Indianola Tribune are buying the newspaper from Gannett Co. Inc. and plan to continue publishing a weekly print edition.

The buyers are Amy Duncan, a former editor and publisher, and her husband, Mark Davitt, a former managing editor.

The couple, who live in Indianola, are the founders and current publishers of the Indianola Independent Advocate online news site.

The June 29 issue will be the last Record-Herald published under Gannett ownership. Duncan will produce the July 6 issue. Details of the sale were not disclosed.

"Between the two of us, we worked at the Record-Herald for close to 50 years," Duncan said. "Mark and I love providing readers with great coverage of Warren County online. We're excited to give them the option of getting that news in print as well."

Gannett will issue subscribers refunds for amounts paid beyond the June 29 issue. Readers will be able to purchase new print, digital or combined subscriptions to the paper beginning Wednesday at indianola-ia.com or indianolarecordherald.com. Other options for purchasing will be available soon, Duncan said.

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Couple have long histories in Indianola

Both Duncan and Davitt have deep roots in Indianola and Warren County.

Duncan's family moved to Indianola in 1969. Her parents, Owen and Karen, both worked at Simpson College for many years. Karen died in 2011, and Owen continues to live in Indianola.

She has long been active in the Indianola community, including as a member of Indianola Hometown Pride, Indianola Rotary and Des Moines Metro Opera Guild.

A 1984 graduate of Indianola High School, she has bachelor's and masters degrees in journalism from Drake University. She was a reporter, editor, publisher and vice president of weekly newspapers for the Des Moines Register until July of 2018. She and Davitt started the Indianola Independent Advocate online newspaper, serving Warren County, in January of 2019.

Davitt, son of the late Phil and Theo Davitt, is a 1970 graduate of Martensdale-St. Marys High School and was a photographer, operations manager and managing editor of the Record-Herald until 1992, when he became chief of photography at the Ames Daily Tribune. He owned the Diamond Trail News in Sully until 2002.

Davitt sold the Diamond Trail News and ran for the Iowa House, representing much of Warren County for six years.

He has been a photographer and communications consultant since then, focused on public education policy and architectural photography for firms across the country. He now serves on the Warren County Extension Council.

The couple have been married since 1994 and have two children, both Indianola High School graduates. Elizabeth Davitt, 25, has bachelor's and master's degrees from Iowa State University in diet and exercise and works as a registered dietitian in Portland, Oregon. Duncan Davitt, 22, has a degree in history from the University of Iowa in 2021 and is working on his teaching certification at the university while pitching for the Iowa Hawkeyes baseball team.

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Staff will produce online news site, print newspaper

The Independent Advocate staff will also serve the Record-Herald. The staff consists of Duncan; Davitt; reporters Jenny Fee and Sara Jordan-Heitz; and Cindy Nelson, another veteran of the Record-Herald, who handles advertising. An administrative assistant, along with numerous freelancers, contributors and columnists, rounds out the team.

"Our team is rooted in Warren County," Duncan said. "They live in the county, so they're writing about their friends and neighbors, as well as their local government. The issues they write about matter deeply to them, as well as other residents of the county."

The Independent Advocate will continue to publish online news every day. Stories from the Independent Advocate then will appear in the Record-Herald each week. The print newspaper will be mailed to subscribers on Tuesdays.

Subscribers can contact Duncan regarding subscriptions to the Record-Herald via email at info@indianola-ia.com, telephone at 515-303-0106, or at the websites indianola-ia.com or indianolarecordherald.com

Gannett acquired the Record-Herald when it bought the Des Moines Register in 1985.

The Record-Herald and its predecessors have covered the news of Indianola and Warren County for nearly 150 years. The Indianola Herald published from 1874 to 1944. The Indianola Record published from 1896 to 1944, and the Indianola Record Herald published in 1944 and 1945. The Indianola Record-Herald and Indianola Tribune has published from 1945 to present.

“I’m happy that two veteran journalists and community leaders who know Indianola and Warren County so well are acquiring the Record-Herald,” said Des Moines Register Executive Editor Carol Hunter. “Readers and advertisers can count on their commitment to community-focused coverage.”

Teresa Kay Albertson covers Des Moines' southern suburbs for the Register and the Indianola Record-Herald. Reach her at talbertson@registermedia.com or 515-419-6098.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Former executives buy Indianola, Iowa, weekly newspaper from Gannett