Last Blog On Earth

The website for Today’s Local News, the Copley Press free daily that covered the North County, no longer has a website. Through much of today, the website went to a blank white screen that simply said “Gone.” By this afternoon, the link forwarded to the North County section of Signonsandiego.com, the Union-Tribune’s website. CityBeat has had a call in to Copley press spokesperson Sid Shapira since early this afternoon, but he has not yet been able to confirm whether Today’s Local News is shuttered for good.

The move comes as the paper is preparing for what could be drastic layoffs. Rumors have been circulating for days that the paper could end up cutting at least 50 members of its staff when they announce layoffs either tomorrow or early next week. Sources also tell CityBeat that in addition, the lease on the paper’s Chula Vista office will be allowed to expire, and all South County bureau reporters will be moved to the paper’s Mission Valley headquarters. The move would follow the recent closure of the office in El Cajon that housed the East County bureau.

In addition to announcing wage freezes earlier this week, the paper has tightened up vacation policies for new hires, reduced paid jury leave time to eight days, increased the normal pay work week for hourly employees from 37.5 to 40 hours per week (thus reducing overtime payments to those employees), and reduced disability benefits. The Union-Tribune is been shedding workers through layoffs and buyouts for two years now, and the paper has been for sale since last summer.