This is a bit outside the box, but I'd consider looking at vivoware.
Without testing it in detail, I'd say it lacks some of the nitty gritty news specific features that some of the more specialized news/blog modules possess. You'd have to do your own research.
The forums, for example aren't bad (fairly simple), but are certainly not the most comprehensive forum solution. However, if you step back, and realize the forums work hand-in-hand with the bigger package (news, blogs, grouping, indexing, etc.), Vivo suddenly becomes much more attractive.
In the larger picture way of thinking, it may be a much better overall solution.
Most of the requirements Rodney posted seem to be met by Vivo. This includes regular updates, and new features being added regularly. They also have active feature/bug support, and appear to be forward thinking.
Vivo's suite seems primarily based around publishing/organizing/ and searching essentially any and all content types/themes. It has a lot more flexibility due to this underlying theme than a more "limited scope" publishing only package. Vivo would probably be more of a site-wide all-in-one foundation from which to build upon.
WIth vivo, you can do things like have groups, have individual/group level/or site level events, forums, news, blogs, wikis, multimedia, etc. It has rating, points, and commenting features built in, and those ratings/comments can be placed onto essentially anything from blogs to search listings to business directory listings. All of these tools/functions come with the suite.
One of it's more powerful features is Vivo can do various on-site or off-site indexing, RSS, etc., then categorize it all, and allow for ratings/comments on any of it.
Another possible benefit of Vivo: Due to it's underlying organizing/indexing capabilities, it may work fairly seemlessly with tools such as Active Forums, Ventrian products, etc. The tools may not fit seemlessly together in the traditional sense. However, if you use Vivo as the main site index/taxonomy/tags/categories/search platform, then you can probably find ways to index say ventrian tools or active forums into a group/individual/site level structure. I'm not 100% sure about this part, but it seems doable.
Anyway, take a look. It might not have some of the specialized news features (but it might), but will offer a lot more in the way of an overall site solution while still including the blogs, etc. Plus it has some powerful goodies that are fairly hard to come by otherwise (particularly the indexing/taxonomy features coupled with the rating/comment/points on anything, and group/individual/sitewide hierarchy organizational capability of any subcomponent). Plus it's open source.
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