The Middletown Press, some people here say, seemed something of a stepchild after that.

Russell D'Oench, the former editor and co-owner, said the story of The Middletown Press had not worked out as he had hoped.

"I never thought I would end up here," he told The Middletown Press last year about his acceptance to Wesleyan.

Simultaneously, MediaNews Group sold the Middletown Press to the Journal Register Company.

Lucas Held, who has been the director of community relations for Connecticut College as well as editor of The Middletown Press, called the friction between the town and the newspaper healthy and necessary.

Lindorff also worked at the Minneapolis Tribune (now the Star Tribune), the Santa Monica Evening Outlook and the Middletown Press in Connecticut.

The Middletown Press is a daily broadsheet which covers news in the Middletown area.

"I think buying The Middletown Press after buying that building just sealed it," Mr. Miller said.

The Damucks took the tape to Mr. Bodwicz's editor at The Middletown Press, as proof, they believed, that he was biased and should not be covering East Haddam.

That suit noted that the Damucks had tried once before to hurt his relationship with his employer by complaining to The Middletown Press in the spring of 1998.