Business Partners Battle Over Bellingham Weekly
By AAN Staff
december 15, 2005 05:41 pm
Business partners Tim Johnson and Doug Tolchin are fighting in court over the future of Bellingham Weekly. The Bellingham Herald reports that after Tolchin allegedly fired Johnson and his staff on Tuesday, Johnson sought a restraining order against Tolchin to ensure that this week's edition of the Weekly would be printed. Johnson was the editor of Bellingham Weekly and Tolchin was the publisher; both men owned a percentage of the paper, but the percentages are in dispute. The court decided that this week's edition would be printed if Johnson posted a $22,000 bond, which he said he had no intention of paying. Tolchin told the Herald that he plans to relaunch the paper, "better than ever," with a new staff. Bellingham Weekly was
just voted in as an AAN member at the 2005 convention, after being denied membership in 2004.