Reports are coming in that the Washington Blade is closing effective this week. The source for the news is our sister paper, Creative Loafing Atlanta. City Desk has made several calls to the Blade but hasn’t yet gotten through. More to come.

UPDATE, 11:46 A.M.: Queerty posts a nice wrapup on what went down. Seems that the Blade‘s publisher, Window Media, posted a note on the front door of its Atlanta offices saying, hey, we’re done. It instructs employees to return on Nov. 18 to retrieve belongings and get the lowdown on “separation stipulations.”

UPDATE, 12:55 P.M.: Politico’s Michael Calderone reports that Blade staffers are already planning a new venture. Editor Kevin Naff tells him, “The Blade staff is united and ready to continue the paper’s long-standing mission. The first meeting for our new venture is Tuesday and we welcome the community’s input as we move forward.”

photo by Darrow Montgomery