EDGEFIELD – After 30 years of publication and service to both Edgefield County and the greater Ridge area, The Citizen News will print its final edition on April 18.

Profitability at the newspaper has waned in the past few years and not rebounded as the economy slowly begins to show signs of recovery, making it necessary to close the doors to avoid further losses. The newspaper has been a part of the Barnwell Newspaper Group, a division of The Augusta Chronicle portfolio of newspapers.

“This closure is not a failure of the people working at the newspaper who have given their all to this venture and the community here in Edgefield County,” said Laura McKenzie, Barnwell Group Publisher. “It is the culmination of market conditions facing a small newspaper in a two-product market.”