In December 1975,
Scripps League Newspapers spun off a number of numbers to form a new company called Pioneer Newspapers, Inc. The enterprise would be owned and operated by James George Scripps, who was the brother of Scripps League chairman Edward W. Scripps and grandson of
E. W. Scripps. The newspapers included were:
Grass Valley Union,
Caldwell News-Tribune, The Idaho Press,
Idaho State Journal,
The Bemidji Pioneer,
Bozeman Daily Chronicle,
Havre Daily News,
Herald and News,
Canonsburg Notes, Monongahela Herald, Waynesburg Democrat Messenger, The Herald Journal,
Skagit Valley Herald. In January 1982, Pioneer Newspapers merged with
Swift Newspapers, owned by Philip E, Swift, to form Swift-Pioneer Newspapers, Inc. In October 1982, the
Lander Journal. In May 1983, Scripps-Ifft Newspapers, Inc., owned by Nicholas Ifft, sold the
Bozeman Chronicle,
Havre Daily News and
Idaho State Journal to Swift-Pioneer. A few months later Swift-Pioneer also bought the
Seaside Signal, Tillamook Headlight-Herald and
The News Guard from Scripps-Ifft. Company founder James George Scripps died in December 1986. Around this time Swift and Pioneer began operating separately, with Swift based in
Carson City, Nevada and Pioneer based in
Seattle, Washington. Pioneer took the papers in Idaho, Montana, southern Oregon and Washington, while Swift took the rest. In 1990, Pioneer Newspapers repurchased the stock owned by Sally Scripps Weston and her daughter Marion S. Weston, heirs of the late J.G. Scripps. This left Scripps' other daughter, Susan Scripps Wood, and her family as majority company owner. In the years that followed Pioneer acquired the
Daily Record in 1996,
Lone Peak Lookout in 1998 and the
Standard Journal and
Fremont County Herald-Chronicle in 2000. Pioneer launched the
Belgrade News in 2004. The company sold the
Havre Daily News and purchased the
Teton Valley News in 2005. Pioneer purchased the
Preston Citizen, the
Tremonton Leader and
News-Examiner in 2007. In 2013, the company was renamed to Pioneer News Group. In January 2015, the company purchased the
Stanwood Camano News. In December 2015, company owner Susan Wood died, leaving her husband Leighton P. Wood in charge. In October 2017, Pioneer sold its 22 newspapers to
Adams Publishing Group. ==Publications owned in 2017==