PORT ALLEN - On Thursday, the last edition of The West Side Journal hit newsstands and front door steps.

On the front page, an article written by journal publisher and owner George Jenne expressed gratitude for readers over the decades.

"The West Side Journal will be ceasing publication after 88 years in operation serving our community," Jenne wrote.

When WBRZ visited the West Side Journal Office in Port Allen on Wednesday, the paper's general manager said no one could comment on the current status of the paper or discuss who the next paper owner might be.

The message in the paper gave no reason why The West Side Journal was ceasing publication.

Port Allen Mayor Richard Lee said the paper was there when he was elected 10 years ago.

"It's heartbreaking because every municipality wants to have its own newspaper catering to the general public," Lee said.

Lee said the city reached out to The Advocate to run its public notices, but he said local news will not be the same with The West Side's closure.

"A lot of it will be lost because the paper services a lot more areas than just Baton Rouge. It serves New Orleans, Lafayette, and so forth. But, it's a part of business," Lee said.

The West Side Journal was the official journal of West Baton Rouge Parish. On Thursday, West Baton Rouge Parish President Jason Manola signed an executive order adopting The Advocate as the official journal of West Baton Rouge until Nov. 14 when further action can be taken. Manola said it is important to have a local paper to tell local news.

"I can remember back to my childhood when the West Side Journal was very important, attended all of our local events within our schools, within our recreation, just telling that story of West Baton Rouge, who we are, and what we're all about," Manola said.

The West Baton Rouge Museum relied on the journal to publicize its events and programs.

"There's nothing like print newspapers," Tonya Wyandon with West Baton Rouge Museum Public Relations said. "It's a loss for the community anytime a newspaper folds, any time we're losing communication for a parish, it's definitely a loss for the parish."

The fate of the West Side Journal is not a rarity. According to the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern, the closure creates another "news desert" in Louisiana. Two parishes in North Louisiana have no local news outlet. In South Louisiana, the journal's closure leaves St. Helena and West Baton Rouge without a local media voice.

"Being public relations for the museum, we worked hand in hand with The West Side Journal on a weekly basis, they were the most amazing, supportive team," Wyandon said. "We're going to really miss them."

WBRZ also reached out to the Louisiana Press Association for a comment. In a statement, LPA Executive Director J. McHugh David Jr. wrote:

The Louisiana Press Association is always disappointed when a member paper closes. We at the LPA work closely with our members and, many times, get to know them on a personal level. The Westside Journal had done an excellent job of covering West Baton Rouge Parish for 88 years, and they will be missed.

Community news and coverage are the backbone of any place people call ‘home.’ As such, the LPA looks forward to seeing who will step up to cover the important community events and government in West Baton Rouge Parish.