It’s time for Page Two: News that might not make the front page for Wednesday January 28, 2026.
A ragtag group of paperboys went on strike in New York City in 1899. Their actions forced Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolf Hearst to change the way they paid the young workers. The boys –and some girls—could not have known how successful they would be. After all, they were standing up to some of the most powerful men in the country.
Those teens and pre-teens could never have imagined that 127 years later, Colony High School students would tell their story on stage. With singing. And gymnastics. And tap dancing. And a love story thrown in.
And yet, here we are. Colony High School students will perform the musical Newsies in February. It is based on the stories of those young strikers so many years ago.
This is a pivotal moment for the rehearsals. There isn’t room for the 36-member cast to rehearse together at the school. They’ve been rehearsing in the small theater and band room. They’ve had to learn their lines, their music, and their dance moves in small groups.
This weekend, director Rentz will move the rehearsals to the Glenn Massay Theater. The band and the full cast will rehearse together for the first time.
Renz expects that moving to the big stage will be magical. It’s her favorite part of the rehearsal process. The actors are beginning to get a sense of the personalities of their characters. That will continue to gel when they rehearse together. “Each one of them has their own character and their own personality,” she says. “So, it’s kind of fun to see those develop so they’ll connect with the audience and really do this story justice.”
The dance numbers are grand, she says. Some of them have 25 people on stage at one time. The dancing, including some pretty dramatic flips, are going to be dazzling.
Back in 1899, those kids risked their livelihoods to stand up for better wages and working conditions. They were confronting some very powerful adversaries. They had no idea if they would win. Don’t you wish those kids back in 1899 could peak into the future and see their stories played out on stage 127 years later?
The show premiers on February 17 for members of the Mat-Su Classified Employees’ Association and the Mat-Su Education Association. Members can contact Rentz for free tickets.
The show will run Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights from February 19 to March 7. Rentz expects tickets to sell out quickly. Purchase them at glennmassaytheater.com.
Last night the Palmer City Council indefinitely postponed the ordinance that would remove any parking requirements for new businesses downtown.
Ordinance 25-004 was proposed by former council members Hudson and Graver last fall. Council had voted to postpone the voting on the legislation pending completion of the Palmer Parking And Pedestrian Access Strategic Plan from RESPEC.
The plan has been released and the council acted on the ordinance.
The public comment period for the plan has been extended to this Saturday. Public comments can be emailed to Maija DiSalvo. The plan and DiSalvo’s email are at palmerak.org.
The Sutton Community Council meets tonight at the Sutton Library at 7 p.m.
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This Page Two article was written by David Cheezem and read by Lee Henrikson. If you have an idea for a Page 2 topic, please email us at page2@radiofreepalmer.org.
That’s it for today and the news on Page Two on Wednesday January 28, 2026.