The end of several sections was formally announced in today's Los Angeles Times, starting with a wrap-around sheet on the paper itself that included a message from Editor Russ Stanton:

The future of the Los Angeles Times, in print and online, rests in our ability to meet the needs of our readers and deliver news and information that is unique, far-reaching and indispensable. In-depth journalism remains our hallmark and we are committed to that mission in the face of economic challenges to our industry and our nation as a whole.

Here's how the editorial begins announcing the move of Sunday Opinion content (or what's left of it) to the back of the A section, starting next weekend.

This final issue of the Opinion and Book Review section is a regrettable concession to the economics of the newspaper business and the particular travails of this company. However, the loss of these pages does not mean the eradication of such journalism, merely its relocation -- beginning next Sunday, book reviews will run in Calendar and the opinion pages in the main news section.

Book Editor David Ulin:

This issue of the Los Angeles Times Book Review is the final one in its current form. Starting Aug. 3, Sunday book coverage will move to a reconfigured Calendar Part II, which will be renamed Arts & Books and will feature dedicated space for books.

In addition to Arts & Books, we will also continue to publish book reviews six days a week in daily Calendar. We will also publish book-related features, both in the daily paper and on Sunday. And, of course, we will maintain the online book coverage at latimes.com/books, including our Web columns and our book blog, Jacket Copy.

Literature is essential to the well-being of our culture; it is the substance of our collective dreams. That has long been part of this newspaper's legacy, and even in the midst of changes, we will continue to honor it -- as we have since the days of Robert Kirsch and Art Seidenbaum

In Real Estate:

This is the last edition of the Sunday Real Estate section, which first appeared in The Times in 1901.

Real estate editor Lauren Beale expands in a blog post at L.A. Land.