Sandy Post Stops Printing; Sandy Standard Starts to Provide Print News
By Abby Haney
(Left) Spread of The Sandy Standard newspaper of their first printed publication in January. Readers have 16 pages of content that include Local News, Health & Wellness, Community, Neighbors Making a Difference and Legislator Letter sections plus more. (Right) The Sandy Standard spread at Sandy Historical Museum for the public to read. It’s a monthly paper focusing on the area of Sandy.
After serving Sandy for 88 years, The Sandy Post published its final physical newspaper in June, 2025, ending a print run that started in 1937. Even so, The Sandy Post still exists with their online website. At the suggestion of local journalist Brit Allen, Active Media Publishing President and founder Matthew Nelson founded a new print newspaper in Sandy, The Sandy Standard, which published its first issue in January.
“The Post is no longer a print publication, neither is the Estacada News. The News and Post are no longer print but they still have websites and people trying to cover those communities,” Allen said.
Active Media Publishing includes 10 brands that serve various communities. One of these papers is The Mountain Times, a newspaper focusing on local news from Eastern Sandy to Timberline. Readers have expressed their love for this paper, causing Nelson to feel confident in providing Sandy with a printed paper.
Nelson has taken newspapers and resurrected them to become active again. However, creating a newspaper from scratch was uncharted territory for Nelson. Allen contributed to Nelson taking on the challenge.
“It’s with somebody who has been out here for [nine years] and in a similar format to something that is already really successful and well received by the community,” Allen said.
Allen first approached Nelson about starting a printed publication due to the feeling of Sandy still needing a print publication.
“I feel like there’s still a need for a print publication that does unbiased news,” Allen said. “It was mostly just a perception I was getting from people and the way they felt after The Post wasn’t in print anymore.”
Print publication differs from online format due to the different form of reading it grants readers.
“Printed media allows people to read at a relaxed pace,” Nelson said. “We are adding to local content. Putting physical form allows digestion in a different way.”
The Mountain Times is a current newspaper that is successful and receives positive feedback. Its base will contribute to The Sandy Standard, allowing for the same results.
“Taking that blueprint [of The Mountain Times] and using it for Sandy Standard,” Nelson said.
The Sandy Standard is a monthly paper that began in January 2026. If the paper becomes popular and demand for more is evident, the publication can expand. Overall though, their goal is to provide local news content to the community in a printed format as “People like having local coverage they can touch,” Nelson said.
The Sandy Standard is available free for Sandy citizens where it can be found in your mailbox or you can become a monthly subscriber. Additionally, it can be picked up at the Sandy Post Office or view their article online on their website https://www.sandystandard.com/.
Abby Haney is the Editor-In-Chief at Sandy High School for the Pioneer Press and is a writer at large for The Sandy Historical Society and The Sandy Standard.
