Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify that Better Newspapers Inc. did not sell all of its newspapers to Paxton Media Group.

Article Summary

Better Newspapers Inc. has sold eight Illinois newspapers to Paxton Media Group in Kentucky.

A new Illinois law requires media companies to provide 120 days’ notice to several groups before the company is sold to allow time for a local buyer to make a competing offer.

County clerks and an employee of the paper — two of the groups the seller is required to notify under law — said they only learned about the sale when it was announced.

This summary was written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.

SPRINGFIELD – A newspaper publisher in central and southern Illinois has sold eight of its Illinois papers to a Kentucky

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