Like most people my age, I grew up with the newspaper as my main source of news. During my college years I worked for a newspaper ad representative (where I met Global Traveler publisher and CEO Fran Gallagher). Upon graduation, I worked for a community newspaper for 17 years. I loved newspapers.

Times have changed, though. Community newspapers have been hit especially hard. Delivering news on a weekly basis is no longer considered very useful.

Enter the Patch, an online news and features site about specific communities. Billing itself as “your source for local knowledge,” the Patch currently covers communities in almost half of the 50 states. I am a fan of the Patch, and I check the Skokie Patch regularly, especially when I travel, to keep up with the local events.

The Patch has a ton of info, the current news being first and foremost. There is also a local business directory, an events calendar, local coupons and even blogs from area residents. You can spend a few minutes to scan for breaking news or much longer for general entertainment from learning about the area.

The Patch is the direction local newspapers should be going. The community newspapers where I worked are now all defunct. They tried several incarnations of websites, but none is as comprehensive as the Patch. People had no reason to go to those sites daily. This is where the Patch shines.

While I am as saddened as most people by the decline of newspapers, I am happy to have a viable local news outlet at my fingertips. Now I can leave home without leaving the local news behind.

— John Wroblewski, online contributor