After 30 years on the job, Rutland Herald chief photographer Vyto Starinskas says he was let go and his job eliminated Tuesday afternoon.

According to several people with knowledge of the situation, Starinskas was not the only Herald employee laid off Tuesday, though Seven Days could not immediately confirm the details. Neither publisher John Mitchell nor state editor Rob Mitchell returned calls seeking comment late Tuesday.

"Today I packed up my stuff at the Rutland Herald for the last time because my job as Chief Photographer was eliminated for financial reasons by the newspaper, along with some other jobs," Starinskas wrote on Facebook. 

Reached Wednesday morning, Starinskas confirmed the situation but declined to speak about it further, explaining that he was still processing the news.

According to the Herald's web site, Starinskas was one of three staff photographers for the paper. Its sister paper, the Barre-Montpelier Times Argus also employs two photographers.

Starinskas struck a positive tone in his Facebook post, writing that he had a "huge smile" on his face when he left the paper Tuesday — just as he did when he joined it in 1980.

"I was so privileged to be able to touch the hearts of so many Vermonters who let me into their personal lives to be shared with the Rutland Herald," he wrote. "I am so excited by my future and saddened by the job eliminations and the impact on people's lives. Thank you Rutland Herald readers for all the wonderful years. One bad day isn't going to wipe that smile off my face."

We'll update this story when more information becomes available.