A casual reader could have missed the announcement, which didn't even make the lead item in the publisher's note. Under the subheading "Beware the ides of March," Publisher Cornelius Swart wrote that there is likely only one more issue left in the life of The Sentinel, a monthly newspaper with a circulation of 27,000 in North, Northeast and outer Northwest Portland. The Sentinel began publishing as The St. Johns Sentinel in 2001.

From this issue's publisher's note:

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.

Swart and other members of The Sentinel's all-freelance staff have been involved in forming the Portland Media Lab with the intent of creating a local nonprofit news center. That project is now raising funds to create an archive of The Sentinel.