Top brass has blown over at the Daily News with the announcement of editor Michael Cooke's departure for the Windy City. With just 10 months on the job, Cooke is leaving on Jan. 2 and returning to the Chicago Sun-Times, where he was once editor in chief before quitting in January. Now he'll be VP of editorial operations at the paper's parent company, Hollinger International.

The announcement sent shockwaves through the New York Post's newsroom, as editors struggled to figure out how to replace the content that Cooke's shoe fetish so regularly provided.

(Actually, we just checked in with a blabbermouth at the Post, who had this to say: "Who's Michael Cooke?" Twats.)

UPDATE: Says another Post-it: NYP editor Col Allan's going away gift to Michael Cooke? Hot pink stilleto boots. Depending on whether the bike messenger decides to get a jump start on his weekend of unprotected meth sex, they should be there soon.

Daily News editor leaving after less than a year [Crain's]
Full Memo: C is for Cookie, and Also for Chicago [Gawker]