RENO, Nev. -- Sure, this blog is fun, but sometimes we actually have news. OK, not news, but at least interesting tidbits. Golden nuggets of reading enjoyment. Read here, then amaze your friends with all you've learned.

It's halftime of the Fresno State women's game. They're beating Utah State 36-24. I'm desperately trying to keep up with all their 3-pointers, but frankly I'm not sure if that's going to be my column or not. These things aren't usually figured out until the last desperate minute.

So there's been talk around the Western Athletic Conference tournament that Utah State employees are on an unpaid furlough this week. You know, times are hard and all that*. Everybody's trying to save money. That was confirmed yesterday by WAC commissioner Karl Benson, who said he'd heard a joke that Utah State coach Stew Morrill was going to stay home on furlough this week and send his team to Reno on its own. Obviously, there are several Utah State employees here. Are they working for free? Benson didn't know the details.

*Coming soon: A blog about the layoffs in our office. It's been a tough week back at the Fresno Bee. It's a tough time for everyone, but especially newspapers, and especially newspapers owned by companies with a lot of debt. I will not bore you with fiscal analysis. It's just heartbreaking to read the goodbye emails from co-workers. I'll try to get that blog up before it's too late, if you know what I mean.

Today I saw Utah State athletic director Scott Barnes, and decided to get the scoop. You might remember him from his playing days at Fresno State. He said all Utah State employees are on unpaid furlough this week, except for -- and now I am forgetting the word he used -- vital employees. Everyone who needed to work because of the WAC Tournament will have to take their week off at another time.

Not everyone's salary comes out of state funds, of course, including the men's basketball coach, Stew Morrill. But in a pretty impressive gesture, he volunteered to give up a week's pay. Other employees did, too. That money will not go to the state, according to Barnes, but back into the athletic department budget, which Barnes said is leaking oil like Greg Norman at the end of a major. My words, not his.

"What's the California State system doing?" he asked me.

Losing money. Like everything else.