The SFluxe weekend has been ruined by news that Catherine Bigelow was among the SF Chronicle staff members  recently laid off.  The “Swells” columnist had been with the paper since 1995, when she began as an editorial assistant.  In Sunday’s column, her last, she doesn’t say where she will be published next.  The well-liked, widely known writer should have no problem getting a great position with a number of publications, from 7×7 and San Francisco to W or even Vanity Fair.  Let’s hope we see more from her!

Future society coverage in the Chronicle seems uncertain. The paper simply says they will continue to cover social events, but doesn’t elaborate.  Without a true society columnist, though, how good could it be?