Michael Booth of the Denver Post writes Friday about the closing of the Rocky Mountain News, and he interviews some reporters on the paper’s business desk about what it means.

Booth writes, “John Rebchook, who has covered real estate for the Rocky’s business section since 1983, arrived at work about 6:45 a.m. Thursday with a gut feeling that the end was near. Before heading downstairs to the building’s workout room to exercise on the elliptical machine, he spent a half-hour cleaning off his desk.

“‘I just thought I’d better get started,’ he said. ‘I filled a garbage can with notebooks, recycled everything I could. My desk is clean now. This is the first day I came in and thought, ‘This could be the day.”

“Rebchook recalled his early days on the real estate beat in business, when he knew little about either. What began as a learning process in which he constantly asked sources to ‘make it simpler’ evolved into a 26-year gig that ended too abruptly, even though the paper’s closing has loomed for weeks.

“‘Of course, we saw this coming,’ Rebchook said. ‘It’s a little bit like knowing the foundation of the house is weak, but when it collapses, it’s still painful. I still feel sort of numb. And a little sick to my stomach.’”

Read more here. 

John Corrigan, deputy business editor of the Los Angeles Times, has been named the paper’s business editor, replacing Sallie Hofmeister, who is going to oversee paper’s arts and entertainment coverage.

A memo from editor Russ Stanton stated, “John Corrigan, deputy business editor for the past two years, is being promoted to business editor, effective immediately.

“He will head up an ambitious department that has a strong track record of delivering news and enterprise stories for A1, with staffers stationed in Sacramento, San Francisco, New York, Washington and China.

“Over the past eight years, John has compiled an impressive body of work in the Business section. As deputy, he was in charge of the daily report and oversaw the launch of the new Sunday section, which focuses on personal finance. He was the project editor for the 2003 series ‘The Wal-Mart Effect,’ which won the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting. As markets editor, John directed the 2006 series ‘Retirement at Risk,’ which won first place in business writing from the Associated Press and The Times own editorial award for explanatory journalism.

“He also supervised our coverage of several major and long-running stories, including Ameriquest Mortgage Co.’s predatory lending tactics, the Enron scandal, labor strife at West Coast ports, the California supermarket strike and most recently, the nation’s economic crisis. He also has formidable multimedia skills, having served as executive producer, director, cinematographer and screenwriter of the Business section video classic, ‘Tom Petruno Turns 50.’ 

“John joined the Business section in 2001, after being hired here two years earlier as the night city editor in the Valley, a job that also included overseeing the Valley’s weekly business section. Before that, he worked as a reporter and editor at the Orange County Register, the Los Angeles Daily News, the Los Angeles Business Journal and the Vista Press. He also is a board member of the Society of American Business Editors and Writers.

“He has bachelor’s degrees from Loyola Marymount University and California State University, Northridge.

“John will report to Managing Editor Davan Maharaj.”

TALKING BIZ NEWS EXCLUSIVE

The Rocky Mountain News, one of the two daily newspapers in Denver, announced Thursday that it will publish its last issue on Friday.

Virtually all of the business news desk will be out of a job after that.

Among those losing their jobs are business editor Rob Reuteman and finance editor David Milstead.

Reuteman has been business editor of the Rocky since 1997. He is serving a second term on the board of governors for the Society of American Business Editors and Writers. He has been an editor at the Rocky since 1983, working previously as city editor, national editor and state/regional editor.

Milstead joined the Rocky in April 2001 from The Wall Street Journal. He covers banking, accounting and corporate finance. Milstead has an economics degree from Oberlin College.

Others losing their jobs are Jane Hoback, assistant editor; Gil Rudawsky, deputy editor; Roger Fillion, high tech, aerospace, and brewing reporter; Joyzelle Davis, retail and health care reporter; Jeff Smith, telecommunications and Internet reporter; John Rebchook, real estate reporter; Chris Walsh, airline reporter; Joanne Kelley, tourism, ski industry, nonprofits and labor reporter; Jamie Paton, finance, economy, sports, mutual funds, and white-collar crime reporter; Marisa Ware, editorial assistant.

Gargi Chakrabarty, energy and mining reporter for the News, has been hired by the Denver Post to cover the same beat.