Tri-County shakedown

Since our story about problems at the four Tri-County newspapers ("Tri-County News blues,” March 22), a few changes have been made. Gary Lawrence, who was the vice-president in charge of Morris Newspapers’ California holdings, is no longer overseeing the Tri-County division. Vern Ingraham, Tri-County’s general manager, has resigned.

A source at Tri-County’s Willows headquarters confirmed Ingraham’s resignation. Don Swartz, Lawrence’s replacement as head of Morris Newspapers’ Tri-County division, could not be reached for comment.

The News & Review’s story detailed how the four-paper chain (it publishes in Colusa, Willows, Orland and Corning) was plagued by distribution and employee-morale and ­turnover problems and faced an inspection by the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

It also looks like an advertisement for a new editor is in the works. Tim Crews, editor and publisher of the Sacramento Valley Mirror, said that Corning Observer Editor Todd Shurtleff also had handed in a letter of resignation. “I heard they gave him a week [to reconsider],” added Crews. A call to the Observer confirmed that Shurtleff did not change his mind and will be leaving by the end of the week.

Crews suggested that Ingraham was a largely invisible manager. "You would think, with all the meetings I attend, I would have met the man," he commented. "[Tri-County News doesn’t] have much of a community presence. "