The alternative newspaper The Durango Weekly announced Thursday that it was ceasing publication. The paper cited a lack of adequate ad sales representatives in the region as the reason for its demise.

Durango Weekly chairman and editor, Rick Baker, could not be reached for comment on Friday.

In the final edition of the Weekly, Baker said, "We have decided to go out of business rather than continue to lose money because of the failure of this area to provide adequate ad sales representatives."

Baker said that the two-person staff was not large enough to write stories, produce the newspaper paper and sell advertising on a weekly basis.

Baker said he had offered the paper to others in the area and to its minority owners, but all declined to take over the paper. Baker said he was unable to raise more capital for the paper because of an ownership dispute that is currently in court.

Along with The Durango Weekly, Baker is also the editor of the alternative weekly newspaper Montezuma County TODAY.

Previously, the Montezuma County TODAY appeared as an insert to The Durango Weekly. However, an edition of the TODAY has not been printed since June 1.

According to staff member Don Denison last Friday, the TODAY is in a "redeveloping stage." Denison said that the TODAY would be "taken to the next level," as the staff was still investigating topics important to its readers.

An organizational meeting had been planned for Monday, June 12. Denison said that he expected answers at that time.

"A lot will depend on that (meeting)," Denison said.