Friday (2/27/09) is the last day of publication for the Rocky Mountain News, as another excellent cartoonist, Ed Stein loses his job. Ed sent me his last cartoon and his last blog post for the paper.  Ed’s cartoons will continue on our site as he will keep drawing for syndication.

 Well, folks, this is the last cartoon I’ll draw for the Rocky Mountain News. I’ve had a wonderful run for the last 31 years, producing more than 8,000 drawings. It’s the career I dreamed of having when I was a kid, and it’s been more rewarding than I ever could have imagined. I’ve had the great good fortune over the years of toiling for editors who appreciated my skills and who believed in the editorial freedom a cartoonist needs to do the best work, even when they disagreed with my opinion. I’ve worked with more talented journalists than I can possibly name. I’m especially grateful to the many loyal readers of the Rocky for having given my long career meaning.

Thank you for your comments, kind and critical, over the years. It is you who have kept the discussion, so vital for a vibrant democracy to flourish, alive all these years. I will miss hearing from you.  – Ed Stein