Lake Oswego, Oregon, is home to the award winning Lake Oswego Review

In a recent report by the USC Annenberg School of Communications on the digital turning point in Americans’ lives, local weekly newspapers were one of the few potential bright spots in the print newspaper’s future. Lake Oswego is in luck because the Lake Oswego Review has been serving this community for the past 99 years. With a commitment by editor Martin Forbes to “do the best in the business in covering Lake Oswego,” here are 10 reasons why you should add yourself to the 5,831 subscribers.

1. It’s community journalism at its best. The Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association seems to think so, honoring the Lake Oswego Review with 15 awards in its 2011 Better Newspaper Contest. This local weekly earned national bragging rights too with two first place awards from the National Newspaper Association for its L.O. sales promotion section and Perspectives, its annual magazine supplement.
2. It’s the bearer of good news. Tired of reading about the depressed economy, high unemployment, gloom and doom? Open up the Lake Oswego Review for stories about neighbors helping neighbors, high school students organizing a canned food drive, an Eagle Scout earning his badge and be reminded of all that’s right in your corner of the world.
3. Perspectives. Once a year the Lake Oswego Review puts out its annual magazine, Perspectives, spotlighting people and businesses based on a theme. In the past the paper has covered: 2008: A Day In The Life, 2009: Best Ever, 2010: Extraordinary People, 2011: Small Business, Big Impact and coming in March: Untold Stories
4. Police Blotter. You can tell a lot about the town I live in and perhaps the humor of reporter Cliff Newell, when you read the Lake Oswego Review’s Police Blotter. Information is gleaned from incident reports filed with the Lake Oswego Police Department but the flavor in which they are written comes from Review. This stuff is so popular, the newspaper even does a year-end roundup of the best entries. Where else are you going to read that, “A dog was reported to be barking for hours on Lindsay Court. However, as always happens in such cases, the dog was silent when police came to investigate.” It must have been another slow week in Lake Oswego because here was another entry, “A litter bug is leaving bags of debris along Lakeview Boulevard.”
5. “Lifting the Fork” column. Reporter and food enthusiast Barb Randall has been writing this award winning column for close to seven years which provides a perfect venue for her lifelong passion for cooking. “Dinner wasn’t just dinner in my family,” she explains. “It was an adventure.” She encourages her readers to experiment in the kitchen offering new recipes each week including her 5/30 selections which feature five ingredients ready in 30 minutes or less.
6. Vern Uyetake’s photos. The Review photographer, Vern Uyetake, seems ubiquitous in this town. Show up to an event, whether it’s a high school basketball game or the Lions Club 4^th of July Pancake Breakfast, and chances are he’ll be there chronicling it for Review readers. He has been with the newspaper for 20 years because taking photographs, “doesn’t feel like a job.” His talent has been recognized by the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association but the recognition that means the most to him is when a resident comes up to him and says, “I liked that picture that you took.”
7. Be an informed voter. Lake Oswego may be a small town but it has its issues like the West End Building or the Foothills development. Read the news stories as well as the letters to the editor and you’ll gain a better understanding of all sides to the decisions you need to make
8. Help support your local economy. Through ads and news stories, the Review keeps local businesses in the spotlight like the opening of Soletta Shoes in Lake View Village or profiling local business owners like Mike Buck of Gubanc’s Restaurant and Pub. These are the businesses that in turn support our schools and community in a myriad of ways and the Review lets you know the stories behind the storefront.
9. Price can’t be beat. At $34 dollars a year for a mailed subscription ($32 for seniors), the Lake Oswego Review is a bargain considering the entertainment and information delivered on a weekly basis.
10. It’s a chance to let your voice be heard. The Lake Oswego Review is a hub for local opinion. Editor Martin Forbes says the hottest topics in recent years have been The West End Building, Portland Streetcar, Foothills development and the move to bring home football games back to the Lakeridge high school campus. Join in the discussion.

Your voice can be heard here too–what’s something you love about Lake Oswego?  And remember, if you like what you read here, consider subscribing by clicking the “Sign me up” button at the top of the right hand column.