Layoffs reported at GateHouse Media Illinois paper

The Rockford Register-Star, a GateHouse Media newspaper, announced it is laying off 13 employees, and closing its state bureau in Springfield:

The latest layoffs at the northern Illinois paper came after a round of voluntary buyouts from April to June that resulted in the departure of 17 employees. The newspaper now has 355 employees, including about 75 in the newsroom.

"We said at the outset that buyouts might not be enough," President and Publisher Scott Bowers told the staff Monday, the paper reported. "We had to look at business conditions and then make changes that still ensured the integrity of our products to both our readers and our advertisers. That brought us to layoffs, something that is never easy, but unfortunately, a reality in this economy."

And the bad news may not be over for the Illinois newspaper:

The question everyone will ask is, 'Is this enough?'" Bowers said. "We can't promise that. Unfortunately, economic conditions drive our destiny."