Sadly, one of the newsfolk taking the buyouts here at The Sun is none other than Tom Pelton, my deskmate and the paper's environmental beat reporter the past four years.   He cleaned out his desk on Wednesday, one of the first of about 55 members of the news staff who are leaving through buyouts and layoffs to meet cost-cutting targets set by our corporate parent, Tribune Co.

Tom will be missed, especially on Bay & Environment, where he was a prolific poster.  He broke a lot of good stories here at The Sun, and placed 2nd & 3rd, nationally, in successive years for the beat reporting award given by the Society of Environmental Journalists.

We'll still get to benefit from his reporting and insights, though, it seems.  Tom said last week he's not at liberty yet to reveal his new job, but he plans to continue nature writing, as well as his environmental broadcast segments on WYPR.

Thanks, Tom, and good luck!