Place a layer of cardboard over the paper, then anchor it with stones. A layer of soil around the perimeter will help keep the cardboard down. Over the rest of the fall, and again in the spring, worms and soil microorganisms will break down the grass, the layer of organic matter, the newspaper and the cardboard until you have a thick layer of friable humus to dig into your soil. Anything not yet broken down will quickly disappear when you mix it into the soil. Finally, if you have the space, plant a tree or three.
Trees slow and reduce the flow of surface water, reducing soil erosion.
If you plant nut or fruit trees or berry bushes, you'll also feed your family. Remember to protect any saplings or whips from severe cold and from predation. Wrap the trunk with burlap and keep mulch and long grass away from it so that rodents don't gnaw away the bark this winter. Protect each tree with a fence so that deer and other browsers can't reach it during winter. With autumn, our gardens wind down for another year.