KELLOGG - A building that long served the news and advertising needs of Shoshone County began to fall to the destructive force of demolition equipment Monday morning.

The Shoshone News-Press office at 401 Main St. in uptown Kellogg was seriously damaged in a Sept. 23 arson incident. As its gutted corpse met the blade of the backhoe, several residents reflected on previous trips to the building.

"It's such a shame - that building has been here all my life," said Joan Ross, who stood observing with eyes fixed on the partially-destroyed landmark. "A lot of the town's old records burned in there."

Demolition workers on site estimated the building would be torn down and cleaned up by Friday.

Since the building burned down more than three months ago, production of the daily newspaper - along with special sections and monthly publications such as the Wallace Miner - continued uninterrupted as the office relocated temporarily to 114 McKinley Ave.

The new, permanent location for the Shoshone News-Press office will be 620 E. Mullan Ave. in Osburn. - centrally located in the Silver Valley between Kellogg and Wallace, publisher Dan Drewry said.

"The new location will be more accessible to our readers and advertisers," Drewry added. "We're looking forward to a great future."

Minor adjustments will be made to the existing office building to accommodate the Shoshone News-Press staff, including adding a connecting door to what currently is two separate office areas, and wiring the location to be ready by mid-February.

An open house will be scheduled later, Drewry said.