The owner and publisher of a weekly Vermont newspaper has abandoned his plan for an essay contest to find a new owner for it because he failed to get enough entries.
Ross Connelly said Monday that he had received 140 essays since the $175-per-entry contest started in June — much lower than his goal of 700 entries. He extended the essay deadline twice.
He says he's now hoping to sell The Hardwick Gazette to one of the essayists. The 71-year-old says he is returning contestants' entry fees and has notified them that the newspaper is for sale. He isn't publicly disclosing the price he is seeking.
He came up with the idea of the essay contest when previous attempts to sell it failed.
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