NEWS RELEASE

VETERAN CHICAGO REPORTER STARTS ONLINE NEWS SITE
CHICAGO, IL - MAY 15, 2009

Lorraine Swanson, 16-year veteran reporter and former editor of the Chicago Journal's News-Star, will debut her own online news site next week. Called 'Lake Effect News' (LEN), it will cover news and events in Chicago's North lakefront communities. Lake Effect News will be up and running before May 22, 2009.

Lake Effect News (www.lakeeffectnews.com) will be a daily online news site. It will be updated throughout the day, offering up a daily dish of politics, crime reports, development updates, school information, entertainment tips and more, all with a hyper-local focus.

Lake Effect News will focus on Rogers Park, West Ridge, Edgewater, Andersonville, Uptown, Ravenswood, Lincoln Square, North Center, Lake View, Albany Park and other neighborhoods. LEN will combine traditional journalistic values with multi-media news presentation. Swanson has long made community journalism a personal commitment. She has covered Chicago's North Side from Howard Street to Roosevelt Road for Lerner Newspapers, Pioneer Press and, most recently, Chicago Journal. She resides in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood.

"We'll focus on those neighborhoods, but if something else is happening in the Chicago region that affects our readers we will certainly write about it," Swanson said. "For that matter, if something happens anywhere in the world that impacts our neighborhoods, it's on our radar."

"Now more than ever our lakefront communities need an independent neighborhood news outlet," Swanson said, "We haven't asked for a grant and don't want one. We won't pander to readers and have no hidden agenda. In fact, we love to expose hidden agendas."

"Much of what transpires in the Chicago City Council is hammered out in neighborhood church halls, school gyms and community meeting rooms," Swanson said. "The traditional neighborhood print newspaper has always served the role of watchdog. We want to continue that role online, with our strong personal commitment to and interest in neighborhood-level news. Unlike a traditional newspaper, we're more environment-friendly and none of our issues will ever end up in a puddle on your front yard."

Welcome back Lorraine!

We wish you much success!