This week, the Santa Barbara Sentinel — the newest media outlet to enter the Santa Barbara County news sphere — released its first issue, in light of closures of other local news sources.

The newspaper features sections written by a wide range of other local media sources, with Presidio Sports backing the Local Sports section of the paper and community magazine Santa Barbara View supporting the Local Opinion section. Under the leadership of local attorney Matt Mazza, who acts as editor-in-chief, the paper appears to take a business-oriented perspective through regular columns covering local corporate events and urban development updates, as well as its inclusion of a golfing feature and extensive coverage and advice regarding Santa Barbara real estate opportunities. Other offerings include restaurant reviews, political endorsements and a crime blotter.

The Sentinel’s arrival comes as the Daily Sound fades into silence and the Montecito Messenger ceases to deliver further memos.

By abandoning the format of a traditional newspaper, the Sentinel hopes to adapt to differing community focuses by presenting pieces on a wide variety of county issues, with sections such as “Crime Time” with the Santa Barbara Police Department, renowned journalist Wendy Jenson’s “The Dish” and the mothering blog “You Have Your Hands Full” by international journalist Mara Peters.

Promising to appear “once a week from pier to peak,” the Santa Barbara Sentinel is currently on newsstands.

Santa Barbara County’s Newest Newspaper Releases First Issue