For the Journal Register Co., a $400 million, publicly held newspaper chain with operations in the northeastern U.S., the opportunity that presented itself this past spring to buy 21st Century Newspapers, a private chain with publications in and around Michigan, was exciting–and at the same time, worrisome. True, 21st Century might fit nicely into Journal Register’s expansion plans, but the challenge of bringing the acquired firm into compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act’s reporting requirements by the Journal Register’s Dec. 31 yearend close was daunting, to say the least.