As far as our local freebie newspapers go, I keep an eye on them for bits about local history. Definitely when projects I’m involved with get publicised in them (including pics of me ol’ mug!). Around here, they’re a good local community info resource.
Does the OP also mean those free newspapers you pick up at designated stands, not just home delivery? Those free weekly ones that many cities above a certain size have? That’s how I first discovered The Straight Dope way back when, in the ones in Albuquerque and Honolulu. They both had some very good articles.
We have the Eugene Weekly which is free and generally better local news than the Register-Guard. I pick one up whenever I happen to see it.
I get two or three different papers on my doorstep at seemingly random frequencies, one called The St*r where the a is a… star, and one that looks religious but that I’ve never actually opened. These others are thin, delivered to my house unsolicited, and go right in the recycle bin.
Edited to add: the Weekly is the sort of paper that Siam Sam is referring to. When I lived in Northern California, we had the Chico News and Review that was an almost identical layout to the Weekly and ran the 'Dope.
Here, we receive something which is thrown onto our front walkway. I read it once. Since we don’t use the front door, it doesn’t get brought in except if my son happens to bring it in. It then goes directly to the recycling bin, or in our stack of papers used for lighting our chimney starter for the grill.
The ones in South Florida seem to only advertise escort services, personals ads which advertise escort services, and pain management clinics (WE DISPENSE MEDS ON SITE!) which leads me to believe that they are just pill suppliers.
Did sudoku hit Australia before it became popular here, given how close you guys are to Japan?
It’s funny this thread is up now. Somehow we didn’t get the free weekly this week, and I had a really hard time figuring out the day and time of the Fire Department Open House without it! My 3yo was really wanting to go.
I read the Hour and Mirror (alternaweeklies) and I read Métro online.