From Facebook, Margaret Menge's Farewell Pity Party: "Dear Readers of The Lake Worth Tribune"

"I want to thank those of you who have told me over these last few months how much you enjoy the paper, and to let you know, with regret, that I could not make it work as a business, and so have to close up shop.

I began with the the idea, the conviction, that residents of Lake Worth needed more information about their community -- that they were hungry for it, and that they deserved it as citizens and taxpayers.

I tried every week to give you the information that I thought you would want to know, and to present it in a way that was highly readable.

I started with about $15,000 in savings, and took out a loan for $15,000. My father bought $600 worth of stock in the corporation and I assigned stock to an old friend from New York who once gave me $1000 when I was working to start a paper in Key West.

I had a plan. That plan showed us selling enough advertising to cover the expense of printing and distributing a newspaper every week, and a little more. Unfortunately, I faced a number of obstacles. Many of them I expected. I knew going in, for example, what happens when you start publishing a spirited newspaper that shines a light on some things that some people would like to keep hidden. The bullets fly. This is a very good sign and I was cheered by it.

But I didn't expect a sitting city commissioner to go to our downtown businesses and tell them not to advertise in the Tribune. And I didn't expect people to go up and down Dixie Hwy. stealing stacks of newspapers after the chair of a city board encouraged them to do it.

I'm sad for Lake Worth that we have these sorts of people here. This is a wonderful town, in so many ways, and we have so many intelligent and kind people living here.

Speaking of...I had lots of help with the paper. A number of friends helped in a number of ways. I won't soon forget it.

I'm sorry I couldn't keep it going. Lake Worth really does deserve a good newspaper. It's a heck of a town.

Margaret Menge, Editor and Publisher
The Lake Worth Tribune"