Local Story Finder: Free Claude Skill

How it works

Check your feeds firstPull candidates from local news, city, county and school sites, and stop at two strong stories.
Search only the shortfallSpend up to about 8 searches, by covered town, only for stories still missing.
Prove the townConfirm the exact city and state from the source page itself, or cut the story.
Apply freshness and bansCut anything over 14 days old, pure press releases, crime, injury, doom and partisan fights.
Rank upbeat and usefulLead with openings, wins and practical changes, picking stories of different kinds.
Write the briefsEmoji headline, The Gist, a separate Why It Matters and a source link, under 100 words.

Have this ready

The issue's send date
Covered towns and state
Your local news and government feeds
Any banned sources
What ran in recent issues

What you get back

2 to 3 news briefs in the house format
Candidates table with decisions
Search log
Flags for anything unverified

A taste of the output

From the worked exampleMade-up town, for illustration

🌊 Maple Grove is getting its first splash pad
The Gist: The city council voted 6 to 1 on Tuesday to build a splash pad at Lakeview Park, next to the playground on Shore Drive. The $1.2 million project is paid for with park bond funds. Construction starts in March, with a target opening of Memorial Day weekend.
Why It Matters: Families get a free place to cool off next summer without driving to the next county.
[Read more](source)

🚧 Main Street repaving starts next week, one lane at a time
The Gist: Crews begin repaving Main Street between 1st and 8th Avenues on Monday, 10/26. One lane in each direction stays open, and work runs weeknights from 7pm to 5am.
Why It Matters: If you drive Main Street after dinner, plan an extra few minutes or take Elm.
[Read more](source)

(Town, agencies and stories are made up for illustration.)

What's in the download

local-story-idea-scout/SKILL.mdThe playbook Claude reads

local-story-idea-scout/examples/worked-example.mdA full sample run

local-story-idea-scout/references/quality-checks.mdPass or fail checks

local-story-idea-scout/templates/operator-worksheet.mdFill-in worksheet

New to skills? Here is how to add one to Claude in about three minutes.

Rather have it done for you?

Turns a week of local news into one edited issue.

lightbreak pulls in your local news and builds the whole edited issue in your voice in under 15 minutes.

See lightbreak

Questions

Why does it skip crime and crashes?

This format is the neighbor who tells you what is worth knowing, not a police blotter. Readers open for useful, upbeat local news, and other outlets already cover public safety. The skill never runs, teases or pairs those stories.

Why limit web searches to about 8?

Your own feeds are more reliable and already local. Searching only for the shortfall keeps the work fast and cuts down on wrong-town and stale results.

How does it know a story is really in my town?

It proves the city and state from the source page itself, such as the dateline, the address or the named city or school district. A feed label or the outlet's headquarters does not count, and an unproven location is cut.