Brenda Turk, a receptionist in the American Building, also lost her job when the Star did its layoffs last week.

Here is what an insider says about Brenda's value to the company:

"Not sure of her length of tenure but she worked over at the front desk at the American Building and was one of those do-everything phone answerers who actually knew the reporters and editors and could direct people calling the paper to the appropriate contacts, a skill that will also be lost with her absence."

Also hit: Former Star magazine editor and prolific writer Fred Cavinder, and former Star sports writer Russ Leonard Sr. Both contributed to the South Side Spotlight newspaper, which Gannett bought a few years back -- and will shut down in five weeks, along with the East Side Herald.

Carol Cosby, wife of former South Side Spotlight owner Jerry Cosby, said she badly for all the writers involved, but the overall effect is also troubling for the South Side.

"I feel for the little guys who advertised with us -- the guys who do home repairs, the haulers, the tree men. Many of then have been with the paper for many years." Those individuals, she points out, relied on the paper to attract new clients.

Also of note: the paper would have been 70 years old in February.