<B>Crown to Idle Michigan Mill Indefinitely</B>

Crown Vantage Inc. will be idling its entire Parchment, Mich., paper production operation indefinitely. The closure should take place by this fall.

``We made several attempts to turn the Parchment facility around over the years; however, we now believe that idling this plant is the most appropriate action and will provide a greater benefit to our remaining employees, customers and stakeholders in the long run,'' said Bob Olah, CEO. ``Halting production at our Parchment facility is the latest in a series of strategic moves to improve overall operating performance. This, and other initiatives are intended to return the business to a more profitable base from which to grow.''

Management said that capacity available in the company's active mills is expected to absorb the production no longer being scheduled on the Parchment machines.