AOL has closed down AOL Government, although you wouldn’t know it by visiting the site; at least not at first.

A tipster informed us that AOL shut Government down after only eight 18 months of publishing and let go off all staffers. However, the site keeps “updating” with content from other AOL verticals and links to completely other sites, such as CNN.

We reached out to AOL and they declined to comment on Government and any layoffs. If anyone has any further details, feel free to share them with us.

AOL has launched a new trade website, AOL Government. According to Jay Kirsch, Vice President and General Manager of AOL Industry, the site will be dedicated to discussing the many issues that those in the government sector face on a daily basis.

“The site is a platform for this audience to engage each other about opportunities and challenges in the business of the Federal Government, a monumentally large and daunting area,” he explains. “We see this as a valuable resource for anyone who is working with or for the government, or is simply interested in keeping up with the latest news in this challenging world.”

Wyatt Kash is AOL Government’s Editor-in-Chief. He was most recently Editor-in-Chief of Government Computer News (GCN), a magazine dedicated to government IT professionals.