On February 12, 2026, I interviewed Bev Puhalla, Reagan Connelly, and Joe Norman about the Pawnee Republican as a student on the Pawnee City yearbook staff. The Pawnee Republican is not only the oldest continuously published newspaper in Nebraska, but is now also the only nonprofit newspaper in Nebraska! Throughout the years, members of Pawnee City have really cared about the newspaper, which is why the new ownership by Sunrise Publication Journalism Trust is so meaningful to our community.
I asked Bev what the newspaper meant to her. She explained that she and her husband, Ron Puhalla, were first granted ownership of the company in 1990. They then sold the paper in 2019, but after the new owners couldn't make the newspaper financially viable, Bev and Ron decided to repurchase it. Bev mentioned that since she's been with the company for this long, she couldn't let it die.
Reagan said working in the paper is crucial to her because the newspaper is "keeping history alive." She mentioned that her family worked with the paper as she grew up, and along with Bev, Reagan didn't want to see the newspaper fall out.
Reagan and I talked about the Pawnee Republican staff. She mentioned that because of the transition to a new ownership, their staff is down to five people; after Ron and Bev retire, they'll be down to three. Currently working at the Pawnee Republican are Betty Davis, their office manager; Joe Norman, their businessman; Reagan, their editor; and Bev and Ron.
Joe talked to me about how he had worked in the media for years before transitioning to just working in the newspaper. He mentioned his work on television and the radio. Bev said, "This is the best job I ever had, it's creative, educational… it allows me to bring information I learn to my community." Bev also mentioned that she met many interesting people throughout her career. She said she traveled and even saw a speech by the president.
Thank you to Bev, Reagan, and Joe for letting me come to talk about the Pawnee Republican!