History of the El Paso County Advertiser & News
In October, 1958 Carl H. Wiese and Helen Kay Larson co-founded a small community newspaper, then known as Security Advertiser, serving the communities of Security, Widefield and Fountain and surrounding areas; published by Shopper Press, Inc.
Over time, the paper grew to quickly become the Fountain Valley community's main source of local news and advertising. It has been delivered "every Wednesday" by carrier and by mail subscription since 1958. It enjoyed being the only locally-owned and operated news source in the Fountain Valley for more than four decades.
Ms. Larson passed away the summer of 1981 after a courageous battle with cancer. Then Mr. Wiese became sole owner . In January, 1994,co-founder Carl Wiese lost his own battle with cancer. Both had become community cornerstones during their years of service at the paper and on numerous boards/committees in the community, and were greatly mourned by the community. A memorial gazebo at Metcalfe Park bears the name of H. Kay Larson, and a trail bridge over Fountain Creek at the southern end of Fountain Creek Regional Park (near the Hanson Nature area) was memorialized in Carl Wiese's name.
Now a female owned and operated business, the newspaper is owned by Kathryn A. Wiese-Moore serving as owner/publisher since 1994. The business is managed by her two daughters, Executive Editor Patricia St. Louis who has been with the paper since 1981 and General Manager Karen Johnson who joined the staff in 1994.
Throughout its five decades of existence, the paper and its staff has earned numerous awards from the Colorado Press Association as well as many honors from local service groups and other organizations in the area and El Paso County. We remain dedicated to providing professional and courteous service in a timely manner and are 100% committed to providing the very best in customer service while doing so.
Community-involvement has always been looked upon by the management of our paper as essential and vital in helping to make our community a better place. Co-founder Carl H. Wiese adopted as his motto "To build a better world, start in your community," which continues to be the focus of the staff.
In 2002, this newspaper was the official sponsor of the City of Fountain's participation in the National Civic League's All-America City Competition. Managing Editor Patricia St. Louis was part of the delegation that traveled to Kansas City where Fountain earned the "All-America City" honor.
We are the Fountain Valley area's "hometown" community newspaper, and it's a title/honor we cherish, after all this is our home, too!