Free Republic

On the day that Digital First Media completed its purchase of Freedom Communications — parent company of the Orange County Register and the Riverside Press-Enterprise — a wave of layoffs hit the Register. Rob Curley, editor of the paper, confirmed Thursday that it would be his last day. He was among 70-plus staff members who were being let go from the editorial, circulation, advertising and marketing departments, according to sources who spoke on condition of anonymity when discussing the Register.

Digital First Media will be the next owner of The Orange County Register and The Press-Enterprise, a bankruptcy judge ruled Monday. U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Mark Wallace approved a request from Freedom Communications to approve the newspaper company’s sale to Digital First Media, the second-highest bidder in last week’s newspaper auction, a deal worth around $52 million to creditors. None of the major players objected to the deal. Digital First Media, the nation’s second-largest newspaper company by circulation, won after the auction’s top bid by Chicago-based Tribune Publishing, owner of the Los Angeles Times, ran into antitrust problems. Digital First...

Tribune Publishing, owner of the Los Angeles Times and other newspapers, said Thursday it won the bankruptcy auction for The Orange County Register and The Press-Enterprise in the face of a looming antitrust fight. After a marathon, contentious auction that started Wednesday morning and went deep into the evening, Tribune said its $56 million cash bid was the winner over Digital First Media, publisher of the Los Angeles Daily News and Long Beach-Press-Telegram, and an investor group headed by Rich Mirman, CEO of Freedom Communications, owner of the Register and Press-Enterprise.

SACRAMENTO - The Legislature's majority Democrats promised Wednesday to push a vote on a spending proposal containing several billion dollars in tax increases despite Republican opposition.