The Real-Time Local News - Digits - WSJ

May 15, 2009

Impending hurricanes and missing children make the local news, but what about smaller incidents — like senior citizens who wander from their care facility or nearby traffic accidents — that residents still want to know about?

Nixle, a San Francisco community-information startup, has developed a notification system for authorities that lets them alert people in their community by text or email. A police officer can quickly tell local subscribers, for example, if a bank robbery suspect is on the loose...