Some interesting news surfaced as Tribune's Chief Innovation Officer Lee Abrams, known for his rambling, stream-of-consciousness memos, visited The Morning Call on February 11 in a closed-door meeting with top execs. The next day, a new round of job cuts was announced, and a rumor that editorial VP Ardith Hilliard was history appeared on a local blogger's site. Apparently, the rumor is true. Employees were informed that Hilliard has one full year to decide to take the buyout or not. Hmmmmm, wish we underling drones had been given the same terms instead of being met at the door by a security guard. Gee, I must not live right, I guess.

The day before Abrams visit, at least 22 positions were eliminated in seven departments, another 3.2 percent of the newspaper's workforce, according to the company's website. The layoffs were primarily in advertising, marketing and circulation. Employees were offered a severance package, but significantly less than previous packages.

No rumor yet as to where the additional cuts will be culled from.