'Charlotte (N.C.) Observer' Managing Editor Resigns

By: Joe Strupp Frank Barrows, managing editor of The Charlotte [N.C.] Observer, told his staff Monday that he is leaving the newspaper in two weeks, according to a story on the paper's Web site. In an e-mail to staffers, Barrows, 58, said he was departing for "destinations unknown."

"I find myself relishing the idea of something different," Barrows said in his e-mail. "You might say this is where my life story jumps to another page."

His last day will be May 13, the paper reported. Editor Rick Thames reportedly had known about Barrows' plans for "some time," according to the paper and expected to have more information about his replacement by the end of this week. Several internal candidates appear to be in the running.

The departure of Barrows, who is married to associate editor Mary Newsom, follows last year's retirement of Jennie Buckner, the former editor who had held the top post for 11 years. She was replaced by Thames.

Barrows, started his newspaper career at the Martinsville (Va.) Bulletin while stil in high school, joining the Observer in 1967. He left for several years in 1972 to be a freelance writer, but returned in 1976. He rose through the editors' ranks to became managing editor in 1992.