In January 2021, O’Rourke Media Group acquired RiverTown Multimedia, which included the rights to the Hastings Star Gazette, a print newspaper that ceased publication in 2020 during the pandemic. Since day one, we’ve had our eye on relaunching and reestablishing the Hastings Star Gazette as the number one news source in Hastings and the time has finally come!
On August 4, we will be relaunching a new Hastings Star Gazette website (www.hastingsstargazette.com) with daily and timely stories covering business, crime and courts, community events, government meetings, outdoor activities, high school sports and much more. We’ve hired Sophia Voight and Alec Hamilton, two full-time reporters, to focus on Hastings and several of our local editors will also contribute to a successful re-launch of the digital Hastings Star Gazette. All of our content will be free and easy to access on any device, and we expect this to be the case indefinitely. Additionally, you will be able to access our content through daily newsletters on Facebook and Instagram.
To go along with a great new website, we will be bringing cost-effective digital advertising and marketing solutions to local businesses in Hastings and the surrounding communities. There’s never been a more important time for local businesses to market themselves digitally, and we’re ready to put our locally based, full-service digital marketing agency to work for local businesses in Hastings.
We will be offering families in the Hastings area our self-serve platform for publishing Obituaries at a low cost. As a service to the local community, we will be using our platform to curate and make Legal notices and other public information available at no cost.
About O’Rourke Media Group
O’Rourke Media Group is a family-owned, community-focused media company. Our company is built on original reporting, high-impact journalism, community news, and engagement with readers. We also have an internal, full-service digital marketing agency that provides cost-effective solutions to local businesses in the communities we serve.
We entered Minnesota with the acquisition of the Cannon Falls Beacon in May 2020, followed by the acquisition of the Star-Observer in Hudson, Wis., and the Republican Eagle in Red Wing on January 1, 2021. In April 2021, we relaunched hyper-local websites in Hudson, Red Wing, and River Falls. We’re just getting started!
Hastings Star Gazette History
The historic paper dates back to 1857, originally named the Hastings Gazette. The current publication earned its name after the Hastings Star, established in 1977, and Hastings Gazette newspapers combined in 1984. In May 2020, the Hastings Star Gazette ceased publishing a print newspaper. O’Rourke Media Group is honored to be in a position to re-establish a historic institution like the Hastings Star Gazette.
For inquiries about local stories and coverage, contact Sophia Voight at svoight@orourkemediagroup.com. For Sports, contact Alec Hamilton at ahamilton@orourkemediagroup.com. For inquiries about digital advertising and marketing, contact Ray Paul at rpaul@orourkemediagroup.com.
Welcome back to the Hastings Star Gazette! Our entire team would like to thank you in advance for the opportunity to serve the great city of Hastings.