in Port Allen will close after 88 years of publication, according to a message to readers in its Thursday, Oct. 31, edition. It was the only local newspaper dedicated to West Baton Rouge Parish.
鈥淭his decision was not made lightly,鈥� publisher and owner George Jenne said in the statement.
Jenne did not provide a reason for ceasing publication. The paper's staff, as well as West Baton Rouge residents on social media, indicated they were upset by the announcement.
A local staff member said they were not ready to comment at this time.
Anna Johnson, executive director of the West Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce, said she hates to see a small business forced to close. The West Side Journal previously won the chamber鈥檚 annual small-business award.
鈥淭his is, in terms of distributing information, going to be a loss,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淔rom a chamber perspective, we look at it as another small business that鈥檚 suffering.鈥�
Johnson added that the community will miss The West Side Journal because it was specific to their parish.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e been good,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think people trust our local papers because they know everybody.鈥�
The West Side Journal is one of nearly 3,000 newspapers nationally that have closed since 2005, according to a report last year from the at Northwestern University. The report found that more than half of U.S. counties have no local news source or have only one remaining local news outlet.
The Oct. 31 edition is the final issue of The West Side Journal.