The 34,000-circulation Monterey County Hearld, operated by Dean Singleton’s MediaNews Group, has announced that it cut seven full-time jobs and one part-time position, spread across various departments within the paper, reducing its workforce by about 5 percent. The paper did not disclose the number of newsroom jobs affected. “Like many businesses in transition, we are forced to make difficult economic choices. The small reduction in workforce is aimed at trimming costs amid a downturn in the newspaper industry,” said Publisher Gary Omernick (pictured). “Despite that trend, our readership continues to grow as we transition from a newspaper to a multi-media company. We will continue to provide excellent value for our readers and advertisers with our daily newspaper, online and niche products.”