Bye-bye to the New York Times Regional Weeklies?

The New York Times is about to kill off its regional weeklies -- the Connecticut section, the Westchester section and the Long Island section. At least that's what I've heard from a pretty good source.

If it turns out to be true, I'm sure it makes economic sense for the Times. But it's bad for the regions, which will be losing a kind of coverage the dailies don't provide -- namely the summing up of a month or two (or more) of news in one good long comprehensive story, often about an environmental issue.

I've been told that staff has been laid off and regular freelancers have been told they won't be needed any longer. The Times's plan, as I understand it,is to publish one weekly section covering all of New York's outer suburbs.