Judi Cogen thought she had it made, living comfortably in Cincinnati and working for a Boston technology firm as an Internet consultant.

        But then, in December, the company — like so many once-promising tech startups — ran out of money. And Ms. Cogen got a pink slip.

        The Blue Ash resident joined more than 300 other job-seekers Tuesday at First Tuesday's first “pink-slip party,” designed to help such displaced workers find new jobs in New Economy firms.

        Chicago outplacement firm Challenger Gray & Christmas tracked 41,515 jobs cut by 496 Internet companies from December 1999 to December 2000. High-profile names such as Priceline.com and Scient have cut back. Cincinnati has had a few layoffs as well, with cuts coming from MarchFirst, Synchrony Communications, Copernus Inc., HSR Business To Business and CincyNow.com.

        Meshell Giblin, city organizer for First Tuesday, said the idea was to match recently downsized employees with firms hiring. About 75 recruiters registered for the party.

        But not all the job-seekers at Oakley's 20th Century Theatre were victims of the tech wreck.

        Mary Clark is out of work, having recently moved home to Covington to care for her aging parents after 11 years working for the state of Florida. Mark Krishock is a network engineer about to complete a project at University of Cincinnati — and looking for his next contract, or maybe something more permanent.

        Ron Schneider was recently laid off from his job as an engineering manager at Steelcraft, a maker of doors and frames. The Old Economy company “went through a management reorganization and downsized,” Mr. Schneider said.

        Mr. Schneider had been to two job fairs and was hoping to talk to at least 20 recruiters at the First Tuesday event. So far, he wasn't having much luck.

        “The market's pretty tight right now,” he said.

        Two more pink-slip parties are being planned, for March 13 and in April. Details will be posted at www.firsttuesdaycincinnati.com when they become available.

Hospital crunch worsens
OxyContin: Pain drug becomes the 'heroin of the Midwest'
Physician caught up in OxyContin scheme
TV's sex content climbs, study says
Deters bows out as GOP chief
Ditch the coat - for a day or 2
Brookville woman dies in collision
FBI aids in Hamilton racism
RADEL: State quarters
Village disbands its police force
AIDS fight targeting young, gay black men
CROWLEY: Bunning gunning for Greenspan
SAMPLES: Connections
Colerain buys flood-prone homes
Commandment group buys TV time
Company downsizing spawns fair for jobless
CovCath plans $7.5M home
Error puts schools in money bind
Genesis problems known for years, Heimlich says
Kenton obtains office space
Ky. Assembly has contentious first day
Ky. loses bid to reinstate death sentence against Gall
Lines form for heating program
Mason hires new fire chief
Merger of two cities questioned
Murder suspect seeks 3-judge panel for new trial
Patrons of Music Hall will get new lift
Robot project teaches Highlands students engineering
School district land swap rejected; tax hike fails again
Senate committee OKs reform bills
Suspect says killing was self-defense
Suspect's transfer blocked
Taft demands child-support flaws be fixed
Three men killed when their vehicle falls through thin ice in Lake Erie accident
Woodlawn tax boost passes; school measures elsewhere fail
Kentucky News Briefs
Tristate A.M. Report