Clayton leaving Times

This one was brewing for quite some time, at least on the gossip circuit. The AME in charge of Metro had been rumored to be coming and going for months (Roderick has been keeping closer tabs). In his memo, editor Jim O'Shea says that "the decision to leave the Times was Janet’s. I tried in vain to talk her into staying at the paper." She's leaving "to pursue other opportunities," though O'Shea doesn't indicate any departure date. Now comes the speculation about her successor. From the memo:

Her career here spans 30 years and she has done it all, from her tenure as an award-winning editorial page editor to her current job as AME for state and local news. Her departure is a loss for the newspaper, its readers and the community. But, after working on a daily newspaper virtually non-stop since she was 21, Janet joked that she felt it was time to take a break without resorting to maternity leave. Janet is in no rush to leave the paper. She and I wanted to get this note out now, though, because we both felt it was important for the staff to hear this significant news from us.

Memo on jump