Welch News announces permanent closure

Greg Jordan, Bluefield Daily Telegraph, W.Va.
·2 min read

Mar. 15—WELCH — A newspaper which has served the City of Welch and McDowell County for decades announced this week that it is ending all operations immediately.

The Welch News, {/em}formerly The Welch Daily News, saw its operations decrease as businesses closed and people left McDowell County, Editor John Tyson said Monday on the newspaper's website. In 1995, the newspaper started publishing three times a week and removed "Daily" from its name.

The newspaper was founded in 1927 as The Welch Daily News and published on six days a week as an evening paper.

"As we go through the motions to wrap everything up, we will be in mourning," Tyson stated. "We politely request space to deal with everything during this time."

Tyson asked that any communications to the newspaper be sent by email. There was no reply to a message sent Tuesday.

Subscribers and advertisers in McDowell County were thanked for their support over the years.

"We will grateful for you all for the rest of our lives," Tyson told the readers.

Cecil Patterson, president of the McDowell County Commission, said the very first job he had along with his brother, Randy, was delivering The Welch Daily News as well as the Bluefield Daily Telegraph. They used their bicycles to carry the newspapers to their subscribers.

"It's devastating," Patterson said about the closing. "I don't know any other word. We've had that little paper my entire life. It's always been around. That newspaper has been around all our lives."

The Welch News {/em}hosted the actors and crew of the movie "The Glass Castle" and had an interview with the late Anthony Bourdain after he filmed an episode for his series "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown" in McDowell County, Tyson recalled. The newspaper was also in the former Chipotle CEO Monty Moran's documentary series "Connected." The newspaper's owner, Melissa Nester, was honored as a West Virginia Wonder Woman and won a Power of Performance Award. The newspaper was also featured by the WV Community HUB and National Geographic.

— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com

Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com