In an e-mail to colleagues early this afternoon, Kyung Song, who ran the Seattle Times' D.C. bureau, announced "with sadness" that the bureau is closing effective today. "From here on," Song wrote, "the Times will cover the Washington delegation and DC-related news largely out of Seattle."

Jill Mackie, spokesperson for the Times, said the move "was not made lightly" and that Song was offered a position here in Seattle but has decided to stay in D.C.

In a statement to The Stranger, Mackie continued:

With tight resources, the decision allows for greater resources focused on our Northwest government and politics team with a priority on producing more accountability and watchdog stories. We will continue to cover D.C. by sending reporters to work on key projects, major profiles or enterprise stories of keen interest to the region. And we will do research from Seattle of federal documents and databases to keep track of our delegation including their voting records, campaign finances and their positions on federal spending.