Island Gazette no longer in business, employees look to build new paper

CAROLINA BEACH, N.C. (WECT) - A decades-old family-owned newspaper in Carolina Beach has ceased publication. The Island Gazette closed its doors last month.

Now, the two remaining employees want to bring a new publication to the New Hanover County town.

The owner’s son, Shawn McKee, says he was surprised to learn a few weeks ago that his father was shutting down the paper.

“We weren’t aware of it until it was too late,” McKee said. “And once we saw where the finances were going, then we kind of knew everything at that point that, you know, the money was being made, but wasn’t being put back into the business.”

McKee says he has not been able to reach his father to discuss why the paper was shut down. The Island Gazette was founded and run by the McKee family since 1978.

The closure has left McKee and his wife, Jasmine, without full-time jobs. Now, their plan is to create a new publication as a way to give back to the community.

“We love the area,” the couple said. “We love the people. I mean, we live in paradise, and I’ve been here my whole life. So, it’s kind of hard to ever want to leave, you know. It’s the only community that, every single time, backs everybody up.”

WECT reached out to Roger Mckee, the owner of the Island Gazette, but he has not responded to our calls.

A fundraiser to help fund the new publication Shawn and Jasmine McKee plan to create will be held this Sunday at the Dive in Carolina Beach.

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