PNRC Heads to Detroit for the NNA Convention September 18, 2026
The Public Notice Resource Center is looking forward to seeing newspaper professionals from across the country at the National Newspaper Association Convention in Detroit next month.
Be sure to join us for our PNRC Flash Session, where we’ll share practical tips, strategies and advocacy ideas to help keep public notice where the public notices—in newspapers and on newspaper digital platforms. We’ll discuss what’s working in states across the country, current legislative trends, and ways newspapers can continue demonstrating why they remain the most trusted, independent source for official public notices.
Whether your state is currently facing challenges or you simply want to be prepared for the future, we hope you’ll stop by, share your experiences, and leave with ideas you can put to work back home.
We look forward to seeing you in Detroit!
How Public Notice Informs Citizens about Data Centers
A publication of Public Notice Resource Center, Inc.
By Tonda F Rush
Public notice in newspapers is a centuries-old legal requirement that helps citizens to hold their public officials accountable.
Public notices are also important because they often alert the public to upcoming and important government actions — e.g., zoning changes, water permits, annual budgets, etc.
Such notices are becoming increasingly crucial today regarding the national debate about data centers.
Three years ago, nearly 70 percent of voters in one state where a dispute over a data center occurred said they would be happy with a new center in their midst. Then a proposal for 37 data centers near a historic Civil War Battlefield arose.
By 2026, the support had fallen to barely a third. Eventually, the proposal was withdrawn—after a protracted court battle and the clear reversal of public support.
This story is being played out in other communities across America.
Whether data centers are a fantastic opportunity for new jobs and economic development or they are a threat to historic properties and utility bills or to the general peace and enjoyment of the community, the debate begins with a public notice.
But only one avenue registers the official notice. Local newspapers.
The PNRC will be publishing a comprehensive guide on this issue authored by Tonda Rush in the next month. How Public Notice Informs Citizens about Data Centers will be available to all.
Stay tuned for more information on this publication coming soon!
Expanding the Reach of Public Notices Through Newspaper Digital Platforms
Public notice has always been about ensuring citizens have access to essential information affecting their communities. While printed newspapers remain the trusted and time-tested foundation for official notice publication, today’s newspaper websites—and statewide public notice websites where available—provide an important opportunity to extend that reach even further.
Across the country, more newspapers are posting legal and public notices on their own websites, making them easier for readers to find, search and access around the clock. In many states, those notices are also aggregated on statewide public notice websites, creating a single, searchable location where citizens can find notices from newspapers throughout the state.
This combination of print and digital publication represents the best of both worlds. Newspapers continue to provide the independent oversight and editorial integrity that government-operated websites simply cannot match, while digital platforms increase convenience and accessibility for today’s readers.
Unlike government websites, newspaper websites are maintained by independent third parties whose mission is to inform the public—not the agencies issuing the notices. That independence is a cornerstone of government transparency. Citizens can have confidence that notices are being published consistently and preserved as part of the public record, free from the influence or control of the governmental entity responsible for the notice.
Statewide public notice websites further strengthen this system by allowing residents, businesses, attorneys and researchers to quickly search notices from multiple newspapers in one location. Whether someone is looking for a zoning hearing, estate notice, tax sale, bid opportunity or foreclosure, these centralized newspaper-managed sites make public information easier than ever to access.
As policymakers continue to discuss the future of public notice, it is important to remember that newspapers have already embraced digital innovation. The industry has demonstrated that it can successfully combine the permanence, accountability and independence of newspaper publication with the convenience and accessibility of modern technology.
The future of public notice is not a choice between print and digital—it is a partnership between the two. By publishing notices in newspapers, on newspaper websites and on statewide public notice portals where available, the newspaper industry continues to prove that it offers the nation’s most transparent, trusted and independent system for informing the public.
GOVERNOR KEHOE SIGNS BILLS SUPPORTED BY MISSOURI PRESS ASSOCIATION
By Doug Crews MPA Legislative Director
On Monday, July 13, Governor Mike Kehoe completed signing legislation that had been passed by the General Assembly earlier this year. Included among those bills signed by the Governor were four bills that Missouri Press Association had promoted during the session.
“Today’s bill signings follow a thorough review of all the legislation sent to my desk this year,” the Governor said. “I appreciate the efforts of the men and women of the 103rd General Assembly during one of the most productive legislative sessions in recent history. I look forward to continuing to work with legislators in the years ahead to make Missouri even safer, stronger, and more prosperous.”
The bills of most interest to MPA were House Bill 1940, House Bill 1871, Senate Bill 1067, and Senate Bill 835 & 1111, all signed on Monday. The legislation will take effect on August 28, according to state law.
“It proved to be a productive session for MPA, highlighted by the passage of House Bill 1940 and the failure of other bills that would have adversely affected our members,” Chad Stebbins, MPA Executive Director said.
NEWSPAPERS’ NEW LEGAL PUBLICATION REQUIREMENTS
House Bill 1940, as amended, was sponsored by Rep. Peggy McGaugh (R-Carrollton), legislation that changes the length of time for successor newspapers and newly established newspapers to be considered legal newspapers, qualified to publish public notices in their communities. Currently, to qualify, a newspaper must have been published regularly for a period of three years or must be the successor newspaper to a non-active newspaper that restarts publication no later than 30 days after the termination of the prior newspaper. HB 1940 reduces the regular publication period from three years to one year and increases the time from 30 days to 90 days for a successor newspaper to begin publication. The bill also allows a newspaper that has been purchased or newly established by another newspaper that already satisfies these conditions to qualify. The bill also allows a county clerk to publish notice of an election twice in at least two qualified newspapers in the county within six weeks before the election. If a county clerk mails the election notice to the county’s registered voters, then the notice will be published only once, rather than two times. The election notice portion of the bill was an MPA compromise with the Missouri Association of County Clerks and Election Authorities.
ELECTION NOTICES
House Bill 1871, sponsored by Rep. Peggy McGaugh (R-Carrollton), allows a county clerk to mail election notices to all registered voters in their county and, if notices are mailed, a newspaper in that county would publish the election notice one time instead of two times. Also, election notices would be published within six weeks of an election, rather than within one week before the election. The bill provides that, in the case of a bond election, if an election contest is not filed within 30 days after the official announcement of the election result, all conditions of state election law must be deemed to have been complied with in the issuance of the bond. The bill also reorganizes and updates Missouri’s election statutes by repealing and rewriting multiple sections that govern various aspects of election administration, procedures, and rules.
ANTI-SLAPP LEGISLATION
Senate Bill 1067, sponsored by Sen. Mike Henderson (R-Desloge), and Senate Bills 835 & 1111, sponsored by Sen. Sandy Crawford (R-Buffalo), both contain the “Uniform Public Expression Protection Act” or anti-SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation). The legislation is to protect speakers at public meetings and elsewhere, even on social media, from meritless lawsuits, creating a faster path for judges to dismiss such lawsuits. The legislation would allow defendants to seek early dismissal of cases arising from speech, press, assembly, petition and association rights tied to matters of public concern.
House Bill 1940, along with the Anti-SLAPP legislation, had been filed for approximately the past five sessions of the General Assembly, but this year those bills were passed and were signed into law by the Governor.
Michigan’s public notices help hold elected officials accountable
Bruce Rolfe Letter to the Editor July 15, 2026
At a time when public trust in our government is at a historic low, transparency has never been more important.
Decisions made by our elected officials have an impact on the lives of our families, friends, neighbors and communities. That is why we must protect — and not weaken — policies in Michigan that require information about government actions to be published online and in print by our local newspapers.
Some state lawmakers are considering removing public and legal notice requirements in Michigan. At a time when our state ranks among the worst in the United States for government transparency, this is a terrible idea that should be rejected.
Public notices provide access to information needed to participate in community decision-making on topics that could impact our everyday lives. Along with the Freedom of Information Act and Open Meetings Act, public notices are an essential part of ensuring the public can see what their elected officials are doing.
Our local newspapers remain the best place to publish public notices because they’re a trusted, independent third party. They provide a permanent, time stamped record of government activity that can’t be removed, edited, manipulated or lost somewhere on a government website. Local newspapers are also providing access to notices on their websites and on the website, Michigan Public Notices, which gives 24/7 access of notices to the public for free.
Newspapers are also accessible. Local Michigan newspapers, big and small, reach thousands of households and can also be found at public libraries and various other public spaces. They don’t depend on a person’s ability to access the internet, a smartphone or a government website.
Our state lawmakers should focus on improving transparency, not making it worse. Government works best when residents can inspect and see the ways important decisions are made and how public funds are spent.
Bruce Rolfe is the former publisher of the Climax Crescent.
Statement: EPA should withdraw proposal that would erase public notice and comment for air pollution permits
WASHINGTON, JULY 22, 2026 — Environmental Defense Fund joined other concerned Americans at an EPA hearing today to oppose an action that would take away the public’s right to weigh in when facilities that put more pollution into our air are being built or expanded.
A Trump EPA proposal would allow states to eliminate public notice and comment in most air pollution permit proceedings. EDF is urging the agency to withdraw that proposal.
“The impacts of climate change on air quality have come into focus this summer, with communities across the country suffering from unhealthy air. This is a time to be expanding community input on air permitting decisions — not erasing it.”
said Environmental Defense Fund senior attorney Surbhi Sarang in her testimony today. “Public participation in the permitting process is a key safeguard for local air quality. Community members are uniquely positioned to share information on the impact of additional pollution on daycares and soccer fields where children play or to alert regulators to relevant community health issues.”
EPA’s proposal would revise protections, known as the Minor New Source Review program, that have been in effect since 1973. Since then, states and local air agencies have had to provide public notice and at least a 30-day comment period before deciding about permits for new or substantially modified large sources of air pollution. The new proposal would allow for preconstruction air pollution permits without that public notice or any opportunity for public comment.
While the name of the proposal says “minor” it would actually apply to all but the very largest sources of pollution. For instance, the Tennessee Valley Authority recently got permission to build two new methane-gas fired power plants with Minor New Source Review permits, and almost all new data centers would be covered under the program.
The public may submit comments to EPA through August 21st.
You can read Surbhi Sarang’s full comments here.
If you have a public notice story
or a bill that may be of interest.
Please send information to
Jim Tarrant at jim@pnrc.net.
MASSACHUSETTS
Multiple bills introduced allowing towns to publish notices on their websites.
H4138 Allowing “print-free” digital legal notices for the town of Wellesley
This bill allows the town of Wellesley to satisfy legal notice requirements through digital publications instead of traditional print newspapers, in response to the lack of an adequate print newspaper in the town. Specifically, the bill permits the town’s Select Board, School Committee, Planning Board, and other municipal bodies to post legal notices through multiple digital platforms, including print newspaper websites, local news websites, statewide notice repositories, and townwide websites. The alternative digital publication methods can be used when legal notice in a newspaper is required by statute, bylaw, or judicial order, but only after approval by a majority vote of the public body or at the discretion of the municipal official responsible for the notice. The bill emphasizes that while the publication method is being expanded to digital platforms, the existing timing requirements for legal notices remain unchanged. The legislation will take effect immediately upon passage and is specifically tailored to address Wellesley’s unique local circumstances of not having a readily available print newspaper.
H5512 Allowing print-free digital legal notices in the town of Shrewsbury
This bill allows the town of Shrewsbury to use digital formats instead of print newspapers for publishing legal notices, which are official announcements required by law, such as public hearings or town meeting information. Specifically, it permits Shrewsbury, its schools, and related entities to satisfy these publication requirements by using a print newspaper, a newspaper’s website, a website that reports local news and meets specific digital publication criteria, a statewide website for legal notices, or a town-specific website designated for such notices. This change is made notwithstanding a specific section of Massachusetts General Laws (Chapter 4, Section 13(b)) that might otherwise restrict such digital publications, and it clarifies that the timing of these notices will not be affected.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
HB1369 Proposed legislation. Towns to use at least two of three methods: publishing the warrant in a local newspaper at least 7 days before the meeting, posting it at the meeting location and another public place at least 14 days before, or posting it on the town’s official website, if one exists, at least 14 days before.
GOVERNOR’S VETO MESSAGE REGARDING HOUSE BILL 1369. Town meetings are where some of the most important decisions that affect Granite Staters’ daily lives are made and play a critical role in ensuring local community voices are heard. The public posting of town meetings notices in print is an important part of notice to ensure participation in the decision-making process. Allowing municipalities to only post these notices online or at the place of the meeting but otherwise not in a printed publication can limit public participation. That is a step in the wrong direction for New Hampshire.
For these reasons, I have vetoed HB 1369. Respectfully submitted, Kelly A. Ayotte, Governor Date: June 19, 2026.