BG boy starts neighborhood newspaper and yard business

Sawyer Hahn, 10, of Battle Ground is the newest reporter in town after starting his own neighborhood newspaper, The Neighborhood Gazette. 

Reporting on the small-town life of his Dollar's Corner neighborhood, Hahn reports, edits and delivers the paper to his neighbors. Stories of Hahn’s include sightings of coyotes and poisonous mushrooms, updates on renovations in the neighborhood and the history of some families.

Hahn said he got the idea of a neighborhood newspaper from the popular children’s novel series “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” and “just decided one day” to start up the Gazette. 

“Then I went around and reported on the news and I typed it all out,” he said, explaining that he knocked on neighbors’ doors and kept track of different events occurring in the neighborhood. “Things started to get interesting, and I wrote it down,” he said.

After reporting and writing, Hahn edits his stories with the help of his family and includes photos taken by his family and neighbors in the area. 

Following the edits, he prints it out and hand delivers the rubberband-bound paper to neighbors. 

“I deliver every week,” he said. “So far I’ve had a few neighbors talk to me and say they love the stories.”

Along with doing all the news work himself, Hahn advertises his other businesses, such as his lawn care company and his farm fresh eggs from his chicken coop. “I started my egg company this summer and it went really well,” he said. “I was like, hey I should have a few ads in the newspaper and since I have my own companies I can put them right there.” 

Hahn said he plans to keep the newspaper going for “as long as he wants to do it” and has the motivation to keep it up for the foreseeable future as he gets a large sense of accomplishment in his newspaper. 

“Seeing people and writing it down gives me a huge feeling of accomplishment,” he said. 

To contact Hahn, or perhaps provide a news tip, email him at sawyer@hahnclan.org.