Last Edition for North County News

This Thursday's edition of the North County News will be the last one as readers now know it.

The local newspaper is consolidating with the PennySaver for a once-a-week free publication. The publication will be called PennySaver Community. 

Yorktown councilman Nick Bianco said he got a flyer in this week's Pennysaver edition alerting readers of the upcoming changes. 

He's been subscribing to the local newspaper since 1972 and has always found it informative and well done, he said.

He's sad there won't be a local newspaper for him to sort through, but couldn't comment further until he saw what the new edition would look like. 

"I like to hold the newspaper," he said. "I like to fold it at breakfast in the morning. I'm an old-fashioned kind of guy. I love sitting outside and just reading a paper."

North County News has gone through a number of changes over the years.

Back in the 1970s it was called the Yorktowner, Bianco said. He said the local paper put Yorktown in the spotlight and provided great sports coverage and an opportunity for children to have their picture taken for the newspaper when they've won a trophy. 

"North County News has been a staple in Yorktown for a long time," said Councilman Jim Martorano who has been subscribing to the paper for more than 20 years. "I'm sure North County News will still be around but in a different form."

The paper has seen different editors and reporters over the years, with whom Martorano said he has had a great relationship. He has mostly enjoyed reading about local politics, he said. The media, he said, is very important in keeping residents informed.

"For democracy to work you need an informed community," he said. "I hope whatever new configuration the North County News takes, it's still going to be able to provide important information about the town that we love."

Martorano cited the widely reported struggles the country's print media has had with circulation declines.

"I used to read them but their reporting seemed to be a little skewed, so we stopped subscribing," said Yvonne Braun, a clerk at the John C. Hart Library whose husband Floyd Braun used to be a town councilman. "I appreciated them for their sports coverage. I think they will be missed by a lot of people."

Martorano and Bianco said they wondered if they would be reimbursed for their subscription, which has not expired yet. Bianco is in his second year of a three-term subscription. In the new configuration, the weekly paper will be free. 

Town Supervisor Susan Siegel said she has been a subscriber since moving to Yorktown in 1970. Its first edition was published in 1966. 

"Back then, long before computers, cable TV, Facebook and Twitter, the Yorktowner was the prime source of news about what was happening in Yorktown: town affairs, our schools, community events and of course local sports," she said. "The paper kept us informed and made us feel a part of a vibrant community."

While she'll miss reading her weekly copy of the North County News, she said she wishes Chase Media Group the very best in its new venture and looks forward to reading the first edition of the PennySaver Community.

In the editorial/commentary section of the last edition of North County News, the paper writes that starting April 13, Chase Media Group will merge its two print products, the PennySaver and North County News into a single source- the PennySaver Community. 

"We thank you for allowing us to serve you as your paper of record," the paper wrote to its readers. "We appreciate your feedback-- both when you think we've done a good job, and when you feel we've come up short. Thank you for sharing your stories-- your accomplishments, your dreams, your sorrows. We've been here for every stage of your life, from birth announcements to graduation day, from wedding day to obituaries."

"We have learned and grown together over the past 44 years and we look forward to doing so for many more," the paper wrote as it moves on to a new stage in its life.