BLOOMING PRAIRIE — The Blooming Prairie Times managing editor has resigned amid accusations of plagiarism, according to the newspaper’s publisher, Rick Bussler.

Bussler told the Herald Thursday that The Times’ editor, Jon Flatland, resigned by email Feb. 29, the same day he and Bussler received an email from a blogger accusing Flatland of routinely plagiarizing his and several other columnists’ work in his column, “Thoughts While Shaving.”

“We certainly never expected anything like this,” he said.

Asked Thursday whether he committed plagiarism, Flatland told the Associated Press, “Apparently I did, but not to the extent they’re saying.” He also said: “I’m definitely out of the newspaper business. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

Bussler issued an apology March 6 in The Times to his readers and the columnists who were allegedly plagiarized, saying “this disturbing trend involving Flatland appears to have been going on for many years.”

“Flatland has disgraced this newspaper, this community and the entire newspaper industry,” Bussler wrote.

According to Bussler, Flatland has worked in the newspaper business for 28 years in states including Minnesota, North Dakota and Nebraska. He was employed at The Times for the past four months, Bussler said.

— The Associated Press contributed to this report.