A reporter's last day

The mood in the Capitol press room this week is subdued and most are even a bit angry.

It was nearly a year ago that Capitol reporters watched Greg Hladky clear off his desk. Hladky covered state politics for the New Haven Register and was laid off in early March 2008.

Today, we watch as Mark Pazniokas follows in Hladky's footsteps. Both were laid off because of budget concerns.

The AP reports that the Hartford Courant, which is owned by Tribune Co., is struggling with an industrywide decline in advertising. As a result, the company announced Wednesday that it would eliminate 100 jobs, primarily through layoffs. Pazniokas fell victim to the ax.

But so did 30 other newsroom employees, bringing the state's largest newspaper staff to just 135 -- only slightly more than half the number of people the Courant had in the newsroom last year.

I worked out of my Meriden office yesterday, but was in Hartford Wednesday and am obviously here today. Public relations people, lawmakers...even the governor's budget director have filed through the press room to talk to Mark, offering him advice and sympathy. I believe Mark likened it to being alive at his own wake.

Sadly, layoffs are becoming less rare. With today's bad economy, there are often newspaper articles saying that this company or that company cut their staff. Newspapers like the Courant are not the only ones laying people off. Layoffs are not unique to the newspaper industry.

Let's hope things get better.

A while ago, I wrote a blog entry about the economy and about jobs and unemployment. I have a feeling that every now and then, this topic will pop up, and I want people to use my blog as a forum. I want it to be a place where they can exchange ideas and share stories. So, go ahead and share your thoughts, feelings and frustrations. Everyone needs a place to vent.