News Paper Coming to Clarksdale

NextEd Media, the parent company of the Sunday Leader, has announced it will begin publishing a newspaper in Clarksdale next month.

The newspaper, The Clarksdale Blues-Star, will begin publishing on Sunday, April 12. The weekly paper is the first of three scheduled market expansions for NextEd Media this year.

"Just as we feel in Cleveland, we think there is a need for a quality, local Sunday morning newspaper in Clarksdale," said Van Colotta, chief operations officer for the company. "We're excited about bringing quality news coverage to the people of Coahoma County."

The Clarksdale Blues-Star will have circulation in Coahoma, Quitman, Tallahatchie, Bolivar and Tunica counties in Mississippi and in Phillips County, Ark.

Larry Liddell, former managing editor of The Clarksdale Press-Register and a well-known syndicated columnist, will serve as publisher of The Clarksdale Blues-Star. Vicki Maevers, former advertising manager for The Clarksdale Press-Register, has been hired as the newspaper's advertising manager. Nathan Duff, who most recently reported for the Cleveland Current, has been hired as The Clarksdale Blues-Star's managing editor.

The Clarksdale Blues-Star staff will be completely autonomous from the Sunday Leader, said Sunday Leader publisher David Johnson, who is also the executive editor for all NextEd Media publications.