Former Indianapolis Star business editor Vickie Elmer emailed this week with news of her latest published story: a lengthy, well-honed piece from the Washington Post about religious bias towards a Jewish engineer working at an Army base in Detroit.

Said Elmer: "I write tiny little items for the Business Desk every week and careers stories every month, but this one was for the National Desk, and they sought me out! It involves spying, workplace issues, discrimination and the FBI and more."

I asked Elmer to bring readers up to date on where she's living now (Ann Arbor, Mich.) and fill us in on the dates of when she did her time at the Star. Her response:

"Well, my resume says I was there from November 2003 through February 2005, though it seems much longer than that. I was there for the Dennis Ryerson --- Barbara Henry era, and Dennis was the one who hired me and then pushed me aside. (Weirdly they didn't fire me, and tried to convince me to move over to the Features Desk in an assistant editor job but I declined. Way too little trust and respect to continue on.)

"I ...freelance for the Washington Post (I write this tiny little mini-feature called Working four days a week and other stories monthly for the Business and National Desks); the Ann Arbor Observer and also occasionally for AARP Bulletin. I've had pieces in the Financial Times and Kiplinger's Personal Finance since leaving the Star....

"I am glad every day not to work at the Star."

Thanks to Vickie for keeping in touch. Any others out there who want to join the "I Survived Gannett" alum club, just shoot an email.

Here is the link to Elmer's latest -- a very good read:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/23/AR2008082301605.html