PlaceBlogger, which launched yesterday, is a blog directory focused on certain places. It's not about news specifically ,the site says, but also about the experience of living in a certain place. You can find "hyperlocal" blogs, add blogs to the directory and subscribe to an OPML file of each place (a list of RSS feeds). At launch, the Drupal-powered site has 750 blogs listed. There's also integration with Yahoo Maps, search and a few other standard features.
The site is getting some buzz because it has a strong team behind it, but frankly it feels lacking. There's not much here at the moment, and you wonder if you'd find more value in searching Technorati tags for a place name.
See also event-based social networks, many of which have a local reviews element.