AINSWORTH, Neb. - Just days before its anticipated closure, the Ainsworth Star-Journal has been saved in a last-minute agreement by three local families. Kirk and Chelsey Peterson, Graig and Stephanie Kinzie, and Clint and Katie Painter have joined forces to keep the historic publication running, according to an announcement on the newspaper’s Facebook page.

The Star-Journal, founded in 1886, was on the brink of shutting down as longtime owners Rod and Kathy Worrell prepared for retirement. The Worrells, who also own newspapers in Valentine, Neb., and Gregory, S.D., have now sold all three publications, although the new owners of the Valentine paper have not been officially announced.

In their post, the Worrells said the agreement with the Ainsworth families came just as they were preparing to publish their final edition. Due to the last-minute nature of the arrangement, the Worrells will continue publishing the Star-Journal for the next two to three months to help the new owners transition smoothly.