The February 2010 Street Edition of the Sentinel is out and about.  This issue is focused on the offbeat and overlooked gems of the neighborhood. See the tag Objects of our Affection for more.

Also in this edition is the sad announcement that, unless unforeseen circumstances arise, the March 2010 Sentinel will be our last print issue. It remains unclear if the Sentinel can continue online service past March. See the excerpt from the Publisher's Page below. Or download the PDF from the attachment link.

FROM PUBLISHER'S PAGE

Final Sentinel Street Edition in March

I regret to announce that the March Street Edition of The Sentinel will most likely be our last. It’s an awkward way to announce this sort of thing.  As publisher, there are thousands of readers, hundreds of businesses, scores of writers, activists and dear friends to consider.  How does one impart this kind of news to everyone in a way that is fair? This is what I’ve come up with:

Last year was trying for most North Portland businesses. But for the past two years, The Sentinel has seen a steady decline in advertising revenue. This decline represents both the impact of the recession and the challenges of running an advertising-driven business in today's media-saturated environment. At present The Sentinel is 100% print advertising-driven, and it is now clear that we can no longer provide services to our readers and advertisers at our current level of quality. I hope I speak for all Sentinel contributors when I say we have worked exhaustively to provide the community with accurate, high-quality, professional news in a multi-media, interactive format.  We hope that this paper served as a useful provider of information, an engaging tool for public discussion and a source for amusement and insight.

For the past two years, I and others involved with The Sentinel have been exploring the feasibility of a nonprofit business model, which at present remains undetermined. Currently, The Sentinel is considering a project to put all of the paper's archives online and in a format that is easily accessible to the public. However, this project cannot be completed without funding. 

The Sentinel website will continue to provide daily service through the end of March 2010. 

Your support, friendship, tolerance, and kind attention has been invaluable to me and those with whom I have had the privilege to work.  The March edition and our online service will provide more details in the coming weeks.  Until then ...

See you in the neighborhood,

Cornelius Swart

Publisher  

To advertise in the final March Street Edition please call (503) 706-7190 or go to www.portlandsentinel.com/advertise. To make a tax-deductible contribution to the online archives fund, go to www.portlandmedialab.com or, go to our ChipIn Widget call The Sentinel at (503) 287-3880.