I guess if you are going to cut a bunch of people loose from their jobs, you might as well do it quickly.

I’m hearing that this round of layoffs at the Courant — described by management as “aggressive,” if my sources are correct, or about 30 to 35 from throughout the company  – will be finished and the poor souls out of the building by next Friday, Feb. 27. I’m told there will be no buyouts offerred, perhaps because the paper can no longer stand the loss of key people. Or maybe it can’t afford to keep the expensive people. Without knowing what management is thinking, it’s hard to guess.

I gather severence packages will also be only half what they were in the pre-bankruptcy mode: one week for each year of service, plus one week.

Apparently the freelance faucet will be closing tighter, too — though it’s probably cheaper to hire freelance than to pay fulltime benefits, etc.

Anyway, my sympathies to anyone who has to try to work under such circumstances.

Meanwhile, the newshole won’t shrink, I hear, so that means more work for the remnants of the staff who remain. Or mayabe more canned stuff from Chicago. My sympathies to the survivors, too.