Weeklies are great places for stories. Communities usually support one weekly in the area more than the others. Identify which that is and develop relationships with the people there. Weeklies have the reputation of being more beholden to advertisers than large papers are. The editor of the paper and a reporter are probably all you need to know.
Few magazines have on-staff writers who do more than department notes.
Most of the writing is done by freelancers. To interest a magazine in doing a news story on your issue, contact the editor in charge of the department that applies. Many magazines have favorite journalists. Follow what they write. You can reach them through the magazine.