The Star News provides right-in-your-backyard information that helps Northeast Portlanders feel engaged and uplifted by the people, places and pursuits that make our neighborhood home. Our local news publication has been serving the upper right quadrant of Portland since 1984, delivering news that helps people love their community directly to your mailbox or inbox.
Our team
Owners and Publishers
Todd Milbourn and Lisa Heyamoto
todd@starnewspdx.com ⭐ lisa@starnewspdx.com
Editorial Department
editorial@starnewspdx.com
Copy Editor and Designer
Denise Szott
Featured contributors
Michael Aviña, Angela Britton, Casey Chaffin, Meg Cotner, Doug Decker, Maggie Grainger, Tony Greiner, Janet Goetze, Taylor Evan Johnson, Mark E. McClure, Maya McCollister, Fawn Morosky, Jonathan Potter, Eleanor Price, Amanda Rau, Amelia Shaw, Riley Stevenson, Steph Szabo, Bryan M. Vance, Maria Weyne, Michael Wright
Advertising Department
advertise@starnewspdx.com
Advertising Designer
Julie Rea
Advertising Sales Representative
Heidi Settlemier
Our story
For two local journalists, buying the Hollywood Star News was a dream come true
Todd Milbourn and Lisa Heyamoto always knew they wanted to run a local news publication someday. They just didn’t expect their opportunity would be delivered to their literal doorstep. There it was on Page 5 of the November edition of the Hollywood Star News: Longtime owner Mary DeHart was selling, and she wanted the newspaper to go to someone who would love it as much as she did.
Of course Todd and Lisa already loved the Star News. Who didn’t? It showed up at their house on the first of each month, when they would eagerly pore over the stories and ads. Each word and photo presented an opportunity to learn more about their neighbors, local businesses and community. It made them feel part of something. It made them feel connected.
So when they had the chance to steward this community gem into its next chapter, they jumped at the chance.
“It feels like we’re embarking on the adventure of a lifetime,” Todd said. “There’s truly nothing I’d rather be doing than meeting neighbors, exploring new businesses, discovering local history and discussing what we want for our families and community.”
Todd and Lisa feel like everything in their past has prepared them for this future. And if they ever wonder how it all came to pass? They’ll know what they reached for, what aligned and what they wished upon to make their dream a reality.
We'd love to hear from you! Feel free to reach out to us at todd@starnewspdx.com or lisa@starnewspdx.com with questions, ideas or just to say hello!
The history of the Star News
The Hollywood Star News traces its roots to the neighborhood’s earliest community journalism. In the 1920s, the Rose City Herald was published from a building at 1820 NE 40th Ave., where the faded Herald sign is still visible today.
From 1944 to 1983, the neighborhood was served by the Hollywood News, a Murphy publication, before a brief period without a newspaper. In February 1984, local publishers Tom and Marcia Pry revived neighborhood coverage with the launch of The Hollywood Star. Modeled after their Woodstock Independent News, the monthly paper emphasized local reporting paired with neighborhood advertising.
Ownership changed hands in 1995 when Mary DeHart purchased the paper, continuing its community-focused mission through decades of growth and challenge, including the 1997 Hollywood fire and the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2025, the paper entered a new chapter when local journalists Todd Milbourn and Lisa Heyamoto purchased the Star News through Electric Heights Publishing Company, committing to preserve its friendly, people-centered approach while guiding it into the future.