BREMERTON — The Northwest Navigator, the Navy’s contract newspaper for this region, will print its final weekly edition on March 29, Navy Region Northwest announced Friday, Jan. 18.

After March 29, there will no longer be an official or authorized Navy print newspaper for Commander, Navy Region Northwest; Naval Air Station Whidbey Island; Naval Station Everett; Naval Base Kitsap; and Naval Magazine Indian Island.

“This is the end of an era, but we still have Navy information to share and stories to tell,” said Sean Hughes, public affairs officer at Navy Region Northwest. “We will continue to communicate through our official Navy channels and, of course, work with area publishers and media representatives to further our Navy’s story with our communities. We will continue to explore new ways to communicate in this fast-changing media landscape, and look forward to keeping the conversation going.”

The Northwest Navigator, which is published by the Kitsap Sun and was formerly published by Sound Publishing Co., won numerous awards for production and reporting, and has helped tell the Navy story to tens of thousands of sailors, family members, retirees, veterans and residents.

The decision to stop publication was made as a Navy-wide cost-savings measure, Hughes said.

“This was a tough headquarters decision in a belt-tightening world,” Hughes said. “We’d like to thank everyone who made The Northwest Navigator a part of their lives, the outstanding publishers we’ve worked with over the years, and all of those who helped us share the stories of our fleet, fighters and families.”

Lori Maxim, vice president of Sound Publishing Co., said in response to the news, “It’s a sad day,” noting that the Northwest Navigator has a long history. Sound published the Northwest Navigator, which served the Navy community in Kitsap, and Whidbey Crosswind, which served the Navy community on Whidbey Island, for several years before the Sun won the contract. Sound then launched the Kitsap Navy News and a new Whidbey Crosswind as publications for veterans. The Kitsap Navy News is now Veterans Life.

Whidbey Crosswind and Veterans Life are also available online as green editions.

Hughes said his office will make Northwest Navy news and information available in many formats, including on Navy social media pages (Facebook and Twitter), websites, and in internal command employee newsletters.