Ben Eason testified yesterday during a hearing to determine whether he will be able to maintain ownership of the six-newspaper chain or if it will be handed over to CL's largest creditor. According to Wayne Garcia, much of Eason's testimony related to the digital transformation of CL and the struggles of the print publishing industry. On Tuesday, CL's chief financial officer and its valuation expert are scheduled to testify. The judge will then rule on who gets control of the company, Garcia reports.

Continue ReadingCreative Loafing CEO Testifies in Bankruptcy Proceedings

A Marine Corps veteran who has been struggling with mental-health issues has credited a story published in this week's Phoenix in Boston, Portland, and Providence with saving his life. Just hours after the story, "Soldiers Committing Suicide," hit the streets in Maine, the former Marine called the Portland office, thanking the paper for running the story and sharing his own ordeal of being out of meds he takes for his PTSD. Portland Phoenix managing editor Jeff Inglis recommended the vet contact a local counseling service, and the vet called again later saying he'd made the appointment. "You guys saved the life of a veteran," he said on a voicemail message. MORE: Read Inglis' account of the day here.

Continue ReadingVeteran Says Phoenix Story Saved His Life

Pasadena police say they arrested a 26-year-old man on suspicion of grand theft yesterday. They think he's responsible for stealing 18 Pasadena Weekly news boxes over the past few months. The boxes, which are bolted to the ground, may have been stolen for their metal, cops say. MORE: In other thievery news, Las Vegas CityLife reports that a bill is being considered in Nevada that would make taking more than 10 copies of a free newspaper a misdemeanor.

Continue ReadingMan Who Allegedly Stole Pasadena Weekly News Boxes Arrested

The Portland, Ore., alt-weekly was the latest to announce company-wide salary reductions yesterday. Effective March 16, staff pay will be reduced by 8 percent, while owners Mark Zusman and Richard Meeker will reduce their own pay by 25 percent. The move was made to keep the paper profitable for the balance of 2009. At the same meeting, Meeker, who is WW's publisher, announced that this week's paper was the largest since November and that ad sales for the spring appear ahead of budget.

Continue ReadingWillamette Week Introduces Cost-Cutting Measures

The budget President Obama just signed includes $1 million for the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS), which will mediate disputes over FOIA requests and act as a government-wide ombudsman for FOIA issues. The budget also houses OGIS in the National Archives, not the Department of Justice, where the Bush administration had attempted to place it. "OGIS should help end stalemates and lengthy delays when faced with controversies over disclosure decisions," Rick Blum, coordinator of the Sunshine in Government Initiative, tells Broadcasting & Cable. "This investment will help agencies strengthen their responses to FOIA requests."

Continue ReadingFOIA Ombudsman Gets $1 Million in New Budget

The alt-weekly recently published on its blog a state database containing the names and addresses of Arkansans who hold permits to carry concealed handguns, but after an uproar from gun lobby and death threats made against Times editor Max Brantley and his family, the paper took the database down. Not long after, the state House of Representatives introduced and passed by a 98-1 vote a bill that would prohibit revealing "the identities or other information concerning concealed handgun licensees." Sponsors of the bill argued that doing so put handgun owners at risk.

Continue ReadingArkansas Times Publishes Concealed Weapons Data, Causes Backlash

As part of a larger redesign, the paper has decided to pull listings from the printed page entirely. "We simply don't have the resources -- in people-power or page count -- to continue" printing listings, editor Stephen George writes. He notes that Louisville's Gannett papers have replaced much of their cultural reporting and criticism with listings. "We've realized that instead of trying to compete, we should fill the gaps," he writes. "Our real value to you, we believe, is our judgment and expertise on matters of arts and culture." To that end, LEO is launching a blog that will hip readers to cultural events the paper finds worthwhile.

Continue ReadingLEO Weekly Eliminates Listings from Print Edition