Our alt weekly neighbors across the Columbia are about the print their last issue: The Vancouver Voice is heading into the sunset August 18th, unless someone ponies up to buy the paper.

"It's been up and down, but we ended up having to put it up for sale because of the overall state of the company," says Ossie Bladine, whose family owns the McMinnville News-Register and who ran the VanVoice out of his bedroom when his family bought the paper three years ago. Since then, the paper has moved into more professional downtown digs, but also became a monthly rather than bi-weekly publication.

"We put up 75 grand or best offer," says Ossie, who adds that the paper may go online-only while waiting for a buyer or may just cease publication entirely. It's a small paper, with only two full time staffers, but chronicles Vancouver's nascent arts scene. Their freelancers have also occasionally done some important reporting: Writer Marcus Griffith was the first person to question the story of the acid attack "victim" last year.

So long, Vancouver Voice!