Despite The Slatington News being around for so long, and despite the fact that I regularly read the paper through the 1970s and early 1980s, I have little detailed information about its last years. It just disappeared!
In March 1967, the Rauch brothers sold the paper to Harold Boyd Nanovic of Palmerton. He was the son of Joseph Nanovic (1913-1997), the publisher of the Palmerton Post. Russell Rauch, the managing editor and one of the partners of the Slatington paper, announced the sale but not the price. The News Publishing Company, technically the publishing company of the paper, continued to own the News building, to do some commercial printing and to cooperate with Nanovic on the paper and the use of the Main Street building.
According to the announcement of the sale. Harold Nanovic became the editor and publisher. He had started as a newsboy for his father, then became circulation manager and the sports editor in Palmerton. But at some time, it seems like his father became the real publisher of The Slatington News.
Joseph Paul Nanovic (1913-1991), earned a degree (summa cum laude) in communications from the University of Notre Dame in 1935. For some time, he worked for the American News Company in Columbia, SC before returning to Palmerton and assuming control of The Palmerton Post in 1948 as editor and publisher. He was married to Amelia née Gray (1918-1997), and they had three children.
Header from The Palmerton Post newspaper
By 1975, the Slatington News building had been sold, and publication of the paper was completely in the hands of Nanovic in Palmerton who also used the Times News (Lehighton) for printing.
The Palmerton Post ceased operations on or about 30 May 1985, and so too did The Slatington News.
In May 1971, the Slatington Lions Club began looking for donations to buy a collection, 100 years of The Slatington News and microfilm readers. In January 1972, the club presented a complete, 104-year set of the paper on microfilm and the necessary microfilm readers to the school and to the Slatington Public Library. A master set of microfilms was deposited in The Citizens National Bank, and the original newspapers were put in the American Bank & Trust, Slatington Branch. Cost of the project was estimated at $2,310. Eventually, the microfilms were digitized by the Lions Club and made available in the library and school.