Missouri town’s mayor has threatened a boycott, saying it puts the city up for ridicule

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

For many in the town of Uranus, Missouri, the title of the town’s new newspaper is taking some time to digest.

This week publishers announced the launch of the Uranus Examiner, a new local paper in Pulaski County in the southern US state. It quickly became the butt of controversy, flushing out critics who wasted no time attacking the new title.

According to local media reports, the town’s mayor, Luge Hardman, threatened to boycott the paper after its launch.

'Miraculous': Missouri boy survives after falling head-first on to meat skewer Read more

“No. I’m sorry. But the innuendo of that title puts my city up for public ridicule, and I will not be a part of it,” Hardman was quoted as saying.

A rival news publisher, Darrell Todd Maurina, also found the name hard to stomach, saying it “does not indicate a serious newspaper”.

Despite straining relations with local authorities, the paper’s managing editor, Natalie Sanders, believed the name had a ring to it.

“We had thought about constitution, but most of the people who love us, and who were part of coming up with the name, liked the examiner better,” Sanders reportedly said.

It was unclear if other titles – such as the Uranus Express, Bugle or Mirror – were considered.

The paper – which will be published weekly – replaces the defunct Waynesville Daily Guide, and will ensure a paper of record can continue to investigate local issues in Uranus.

“It’s a weekly. It’ll come out, we’re thinking Thursdays, although the production schedule isn’t set yet because we just decided this and we’re still working out the kinks,” Sanders told local media.

Located about five miles from the city of Waynesville – which has a website containing warnings about the release of natural gas – Uranus has become known less as a town than a series of extended puns.Its tourism website states that “there’s a lot to do in and around Uranus”, and local sites include a fudge factory and a competitive axe-throwing facility called the Axehole.

In 2017 the St Louis Post-Dispatch described Uranus as “a strip mall gone delightfully, disgustingly wrong – or right”.

The first issue of the paper is expected to be printed near the end of October, with distribution of about 15,000.