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| Blog and Media Roundup - Thursday, Feb 5, 2009; News Roundup | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Feb 5 2009, 05:28 AM (917 Views) | |
| abb | Feb 5 2009, 05:28 AM Post #1 |
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http://heraldsun.southernheadlines.com/durham/4-1089199.cfm? Officials suggest voting changes By Matthew E. Milliken : The Herald-Sun mmilliken@heraldsun.com Feb 5, 2009 DURHAM -- With money at a premium, local voting officials have suggested Durham city officials change the way they are elected. Ronald Gregory, the chairman of the county Board of Elections, sent the mayor and City Council a letter Tuesday afternoon suggesting that the city switch to nonpartisan plurality elections. The key to the recommended change is money. The nonpartisan plurality method is fundamentally cheaper because, unlike the other systems, it requires just one round of voting per election cycle. The top vote-getter in each race automatically takes office, regardless of whether he or she receives a majority. "Each of the four authorized election methods have produced both outstanding and poor leaders," Gregory wrote. "This is not an issue of which type of election is better or worse. It is an issue of saving taxpayer money." By far the most popular form of municipal voting, the nonpartisan plurality system is used by 487 of the state's 549 towns and cities, according to Gregory's letter. State law also allows municipalities to hold partisan primary and general elections; nonpartisan general and run-off elections; and Durham's system, nonpartisan primary and general elections. The Board of Elections estimates that the current voting system would cost the city $350,000 to $375,000 this year. Switching to the plurality system could yield savings of $170,000 to $185,000 -- nearly 50 percent. Local elections director Mike Ashe, who has held the post since 2000, said his board has discussed a switch but never recommended one until now. "Our normal role is to administrate," Ashe said. "But we felt strongly. We're all city of Durham taxpayers." The recommendation came one day after Mayor Bill Bell warned in his state of the city address that city departments were being told to submit 2009-10 budget requests with 3 percent to 10 percent spending reductions and that layoffs might be necessary. Bell said Wednesday he hadn't yet staked out a position on the voting system. "I'm sure there are going to be a lot of pros and cons independent of the money issue," Bell said. "If it were just a money issue, it's almost a no-brainer, but it's much more than that." As a candidate for re-election, the mayor emphasized, he does not want to take any action regarding voting that would be perceived as a conflict of interest. When asked whether the overwhelming popularity of nonpartisan plurality voting in this state would weigh in its favor, Bell answered, "This is Durham." |
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| abb | Feb 5 2009, 05:29 AM Post #2 |
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http://heraldsun.southernheadlines.com/durham/4-1089208.cfm Voting system switch was discussed in 2006 By Matthew E. Milliken : The Herald-Sun mmilliken@heraldsun.com Feb 5, 2009 DURHAM -- This is the second time in three years that the subject of switching Durham's voting system has come up. In February 2006, then-city attorney Henry Blinder informed the council that the city's voting system, which is set by city charter, could be changed by any of three methods. They are General Assembly action, citizen petition and vote, or City Council vote. A council resolution stating its intent to consider a change in voting methods would require that a public hearing be held within 45 days of the resolution's passage, Blinder wrote. The council would be able to vote to enact the change as soon as the first regular meeting after the public hearing and no later than 60 days after the hearing. The charter amendment could be subject to popular vote if the council wished. If not, a petition signed by 10 percent of registered city voters would force a binding referendum on whether the change should take effect. Under state law, a successful charter amendment would stay in force for at least two years after the start of the term of the officials who were first subject to the new election method. Blinder's inquiry into changing the voting system followed 2005 voting in which candidates who won by commanding margins in the primary all won by similarly wide margins in the regular election. No action was ever taken on Blinder's memo, current city attorney and then-city manager Patrick Baker said. City and elections officials were not sure Wednesday what was the latest date on which the voting system could be changed in time to be used this year, but Mayor Bill Bell said he expected the matter would be taken up soon. The council will hold a work session this afternoon and a budget meeting Friday. Durham's mayor is elected every two years. The council's six members serve four-year terms, with the three ward seats up for election this year and the three at-large seats up for election in 2011. Candidate filing for the municipal election will take place July 3-17. If more than two candidates file for the same seat in at least one race, as has been the case for the past 20 years, a primary will be held Oct. 6. The election, featuring the two top vote-getters in the primary, is scheduled for Nov. 3. If the city switches to plurality voting, all balloting will take place Nov. 3, said Mike Ashe, the director of elections for the city and county of Durham. |
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| abb | Feb 5 2009, 05:31 AM Post #3 |
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http://heraldsun.southernheadlines.com/orange/10-1088985.cfm Two Chapel Hill attorneys switch jobs as officials BY BETH VELLIQUETTE : The Herald-Sun bvelliquette@heraldsun.com Feb 5, 2009 CHAPEL HILL -- Two Chapel Hill attorneys have switched jobs, and one is now the director of the Center for Death Penalty Litigation and the other is director of the N.C. Office of Indigent Defense. Thomas Maher began his duties Jan. 1 as the executive director of the Office of Indigent Defense, and Malcom Ray "Tye" Hunter Jr. began his duties as the director of the Center for Death Penalty Litigation on Feb. 2. Each man had previously been director of the other organization. Both offices are located in downtown Durham. "That was not planned," Maher said. Hunter, who could not be reached for comment, retired as director of indigent defense after serving two four-year terms. Maher then applied for that vacancy and was hired. That caused a vacancy at the helm of the Death Penalty Litigation Center, and its board of directors was able to convince Hunter to come out of retirement to take that position, Maher said. "He was willing to put aside his desire to retire so he could take on this job," Maher said. Maher, who has worked as a trial attorney in a number of high-profile cases, will give up his work in the courtroom, a decision he said he struggled with, to take on the administrative duties at the Office of Indigent Defense. There he will work on policy issues, work with legislators, judges and attorneys, try to find funds for indigent services and provide training for attorneys throughout North Carolina. One of the big challenges ahead is making sure indigent defenders have the resources they need to represent their clients, he said. Hunter is not new to the Center for Death Penalty Litigation. He, along with Mary Ann Tally and Adam Stein, founded the N.C. Resource Center. That center later became a state agency with the Office of the Appellate Defender, which Hunter headed. He then served as the Appellate Defender from 1986 to 2001, when he became leader of the Office of Indigent Defense. He also has served on the Center for Death Penalty Litigation's Board of Directors. Hunter represented numerous death row prisoners on direct appeal and successfully argued McKoy v. North Carolina in the United States Supreme Court. The win in that case resulted in new sentencing hearings for more than 40 death-sentenced prisoners. Hunter also successfully represented Anson Maynard and Wendell Flowers in clemency proceedings. Maynard and Flowers are two of only five prisoners to whom N.C. governors have granted clemency since the death penalty was reinstated in 1977. |
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| abb | Feb 5 2009, 05:38 AM Post #4 |
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http://www.newsobserver.com/2932/story/1394388.html Published: Feb 05, 2009 12:30 AM Modified: Feb 05, 2009 05:10 AM Joyce James Probation agents sent to ask why plant fell Joseph Neff, Staff Writer Comment on this story In the summer of 2006, North Carolina's probation system faced a variety of problems: more than 15,000 offenders who couldn't be found, job vacancies that piled more work on overburdened probation officers, and probationers committing new crimes. And in Harnett County, probation supervisor Joyce James walked into her office and found a potted plant tipped on the floor. James R. Fullwood, the regional manager, assigned probation managers from Burlington and Roxboro to investigate. They spent two days on the road, conducted 21 interviews and produced a two-page report that concluded: "It is undetermined as to whom or how the plant located in chief probation/parole officer James' office got overturned." It is also undetermined what drove James to push the potted-plant probe; she did not return phone calls. Neither did Fullwood, who began an unrelated interview in January with the declaration that "Governor-elect Perdue has made it clear she wants transparency and truth." On July 18, 2006, a probation officer whom James supervised won the Officer of the Year award for District 11, which comprises Harnett, Smithfield and Lee counties. The officer was awarded a plant -- the report does not specify the variety -- and he in turn gave it to James, along with a card. She placed the plant atop a bookshelf in her office. When James returned to her office Monday morning, July 24, she found the plant on the floor. "She called me in, she was hysterical," said Lynwood Raines, then manager for the Harnett, Lee and Johnston counties. "There was a very little bit of dirt spilled out of the pot." Raines said he didn't get upset or react much. James then contacted Fullwood, who oversees probation offices in 22 counties in eastern and central North Carolina, and David McDuffie, Fullwood's assistant. Fullwood assigned John Lee, then the probation manager in Person and Caswell counties, and Jeff Allen, the probation manager of Alamance County, to investigate. At the time, Alamance County had the state's highest absconder rate: Probation officers there couldn't locate 24.5 percent of their offenders. On Friday, Aug. 11, Allen and Lee each drove 80-plus miles to the Smithfield probation office to discuss the matter with McDuffie and Raines. On Monday, Aug. 14, Allen and Lee drove to Lillington to investigate. "It was just an average-size house plant, nothing special," Lee said. Fullwood assigned him to the investigation, he said, declining to comment further, saying it was a personnel matter. Efforts to reach Allen were unsuccessful. Allen and Lee interviewed 20 probation officers. They reviewed time cards to see who had worked the weekend shift in question. "At the completion of questioning all the staff, no one admitted to going into Ms. James' office and knocking over the plant, no one witnessed anyone else doing so and no one had any knowledge or information in relation to the incident," the report found. Lee even called a Harnett County employee "to ask if by chance she could have set the plant on the floor while cleaning the office of Joyce James and failed to put it back when she was finished." The employee said she couldn't remember anything particular from the day in question, and didn't recall doing that. James had a lock installed on her office door to prevent future security breaches. The report recommended that the probation staff in Harnett County be reminded to treat all employees and their possessions with respect at all times. James has since been promoted to district manager, overseeing Johnston, Harnett and Lee counties. The News & Observer recently reported that in May 2008, James disciplined a probation surveillance officer for conducting a search in Harnett County of a convicted drug dealer on probation in neighboring Sampson County. The officer, Mark Hornsby, had 10 years of outstanding job evaluations and dozens of seized firearms to his credit. Secretary of Correction Alvin Keller, who has been in the department less than a month, declined to discuss the investigation. His spokesman, Keith Acree, said Keller didn't know the history or the facts of an incident that occurred in the prior administration. joseph.neff@newsobserver.com or 919-829-4516 |
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| abb | Feb 5 2009, 05:53 AM Post #5 |
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http://cancelthebee.blogspot.com/ Furloughs coming to McClatchy? scroll for updates |
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| abb | Feb 5 2009, 07:52 AM Post #6 |
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http://media.www.dukechronicle.com/media/storage/paper884/news/2009/02/05/News/Duke-Budget.Faces.Deficit.Of.100m-3614757.shtml Duke budget faces deficit of $100M Trask: No backing off academic programs By: William Hyung Posted: 2/5/09 Executive Vice President Tallman Trask spoke at Duke Student Government's weekly meeting Wednesday about the University's strategy to cope with the economic downturn. The University's spending budget has been reduced by more than $100 million, Trask told The Chronicle Wednesday, and he estimates that the deficit is close to $130 million. "How to adjust to this without destroying the momentum of the institution and causing more damage than necessary is really important," Trask told senators at the meeting. He emphasized, however, that there will not be "any backing away from academic programs," and said students should not expect any abnormal changes in tuition fees. "There will be various strategies employed by different universities. Some will see lower tuition costs as more beneficial and others may substantially increase the cost," Trask said. "Duke will not seek any extraordinary adjustments to its tuition." It is difficult to adjust to the loss as the entire economy is looking down, Trask said. He added that administrators are considering various models for a smart and effective way to deal with a $100 million deficit over several years, rather than reducing spending all in the next year. Also at the meeting, DSG leaders announced their latest plans and updated the Senate on earlier projects. President Jordan Giordano, a senior, announced that a private attorney for students will be available soon. The hire will allow students to receive free legal advice on campus, he said. "It is important to note that the attorney will help students in a variety of ways," Giordano said. "The attorney will help with speeding tickets, [driving under the influence] or court issues, but matters regarding new business ventures or initiatives could also be consulted." He said specific matters about the attorney's availability and meeting schedule are still being decided, but added that he hopes the procedure will be completed by the end of the year. DSG members also passed a resolution to work toward a new policy on pass/fail courses, presented by junior Chelsea Goldstein, vice president for academic affairs. The proposed policy is an effort to "expand the use of pass/fail courses," she said. "There is a problem at Duke where students are scared of a low GPA and don't take challenging or unfamiliar classes," she said. "This will give students a lot more flexibility and give them a chance to take a variety of courses." The pass/fail policy will next be presented to the Academic Standards Committee by the end of the week, Goldstein said. Although these pass/fail classes will not count toward T-reqs or major requirements, Goldstein said it will allow students to try out harder classes and further explore their careers and interests. Changes in this proposal include extending the deadline for declaring pass/fail courses until the end of withdrawal period and allowing undecided and undeclared students to register for these classes. David Graham contributed reporting. |
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| abb | Feb 5 2009, 07:53 AM Post #7 |
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http://media.www.dukechronicle.com/media/storage/paper884/news/2009/02/05/News/Juicycampus.Site.Set.To.Shut.Down.Today-3614761.shtml JuicyCampus site set to shut down today By: Emmeline Zhao Posted: 2/5/09 Looks like the juice wasn't worth the squeeze. Popular gossip Web site JuicyCampus.com will shut down today because of the faltering economy, JuicyCampus Founder and Chief Executive Officer Matt Ivester, Trinity '05, announced Wednesday. "Even with great traffic and strong user loyalty, a business can't survive and grow without a steady stream of revenue to support it," Ivester said in a statement. "In these historically difficult economic times, online ad revenue has plummeted and venture capital funding has dissolved. JuicyCampus' exponential growth outpaced our ability to muster the resources needed to survive this economic downturn." The site, which first surfaced on Duke's campus in 2007, allows users to post anonymously to message boards for more than 500 colleges across the nation. It has accumulated numerous messages targeting individual students and has sparked controversy surrounding legal and ethical issues since its inception. Duke and other universities' officials and students have called the site repulsive and devastating-but it has still gotten hits. Still, according to the JuicyCampus blog, Ivester said the decision to take the site down was unrelated to legal investigations or feedback from universities. No plans are currently in place to resuscitate the Web site, he said. "I will always be a proponent of free speech," Dean of Students Sue Wasiolek said. "That being said, I'm delighted that [Ivester] has made a decision to take this site down. I think that's good news." Ivester, however, disagrees. In an e-mail to The Chronicle Wednesday, the Duke alumnus said the site's termination is not something to be pleased about, and the gossip Web site would be "thriving" if economic conditions were different. "JuicyCampus' shutdown is not a positive change for campus-the issues brought up by JuicyCampus will continue to exist," he said. "It will simply be easier to ignore those issues without our site." Some administrators said they are skeptical that the loss of JuicyCampus would change the dynamic of campus gossip. Ivester signs his statement with "keep it juicy," and students may follow through. "This is not going to solve the issue," said Stephen Bryan, associate dean of students and director of judicial affairs. "As soon as JuicyCampus shuts down, something else is going to spring up in its place. There are larger issues of Internet and anonymity and how we as a culture use the medium to express things that we wouldn't say to others to their face." But Ivester said in the statement that the site has offered a "platform that students have found interesting, entertaining and fun," and has opened discussion about Internet censorship and privacy. He added that the "mean-spirited posts and personal attacks" will not be missed, but the "lighthearted gossip of college life" that the site was intended for is the legacy he hopes to leave. Although Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta does not expect much to change following the site's dissolution, he said he hopes a general trend of slander will ease. "Rest in peace," Moneta said of the site's termination. "It had no impact in its existence, it'll have no impact in its death. Whatever short-term pains it has caused can be replaced by the next foolish look-alike. In the long run, it's meaningless-for each one that comes, one goes-but hopefully it'll diminish the next." |
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| Quasimodo | Feb 5 2009, 08:25 AM Post #8 |
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That's great...if you have ten candidates running, one of them might win office with only 11% of the vote or so. IOW, yes, there is a chance that Victoria Peterson could finally win office... (Or as Mayor Bell said, "This is Durham". ..) |
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| Quasimodo | Feb 5 2009, 08:28 AM Post #9 |
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However, Judge Smith was able to get up on his own, without any additional assistance... |
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| Quasimodo | Feb 5 2009, 08:36 AM Post #10 |
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Wonder why they felt the need to do that? Why didn't Duke itself propose this solution? (Wasn't Wes Covington enough?) Anyone think the Frame and Duke's failure to support its own students had anything to do with this? Or the problems Duke students have when they are targeted by the DPD (which have been publicized by several notorious blogs)? At first read it's hard to see this as anything but a positive result of the Frame; and maybe this will become a trend nationally, and we will see legal aid for students on more campuses. ETA : Who is paying for this attorney's free legal aid? Student fees? Duke? Who selects the attorney to be hired? The Admin? (Wes Convington?) What if there is a conflict between a student and Duke? If Duke pays the attorney, is that a conflict of interest? Questions... Edited by Quasimodo, Feb 5 2009, 08:42 AM.
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| abb | Feb 5 2009, 08:37 AM Post #11 |
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I hope Dean Sue ain't it. |
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| DMom | Feb 5 2009, 09:49 AM Post #12 |
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http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=6641747 Donations Low for Local University DURHAM (WTVD) -- One of the Triangle's wealthiest universities is discovering it's not immune to the economic crisis. Private donations at Duke University are reportedly down millions of dollars. Donations have helped Duke from their classrooms to its academic reputation. But the checks just aren't coming in like they use to. "Right now we're probably down 20 to 21 percent compared to this time last year," Michael Schoenfeld with Duke University said. Story continues belowAdvertisementIn years past, the university has raised up to $385 million in private funds. The university is already rethinking future plans. "We don't have anything that's ready to go just yet, but given the situation in the credit markets and in economy we're almost certainly going to delay things that had been planned for a while," Schoenfeld said. Development in the central campus area and renovations to the West Union are just a few plans now on hold. The good news is the downturn has yet to affect jobs on campus. "No we're not under a hiring freeze, we're looking very carefully at expenses," Schoenfeld said. The university is holding out hope future fundraisers will make up for lost time and money. "There's no question that what's happening in the global economy, regional economy and local economy is going to have an impact on Duke, we're not immune to it," Schoenfeld said. To learn more //snip// |
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| abb | Feb 5 2009, 10:52 AM Post #13 |
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http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/1394634.html Published: Feb 05, 2009 09:22 AM Modified: Feb 05, 2009 10:50 AM McClatchy plans more cost-cutting By Alan M. Wolf, Staff Writer Comment on this story The corporate parent of The News & Observer announced this morning that it will take further steps to cut costs after reporting weaker fourth-quarter revenue and profit. The McClatchy Co., which also owns the Charlotte Observer, Miami Herald and other newspapers across the country, will freeze its pension plans and temporarily suspend the company match to its 401(k) retirement plans, effective March 31. McClatchy also is developing a plan to reduce costs by an additional $100 million to $110 million over the next 12 months. Details are still being finalized. The plan is likely to include further job cuts, including some at The News & Observer Publishing Co. The Raleigh company eliminated more than 70 positions last year through voluntary buyouts and other steps. "We had hoped that previous cuts would be sufficient to see us through the sharp revenue declines affecting our industry," N&O publisher Orage Quarles III said in a statement e-mailed to employees this morning. "Unfortunately, we have seen an unprecedented loss in advertising revenue with many of our retailers and auto dealers either going out of business or leaving the area, and employment advertising dropping to all time lows," he said. "Instead, we must continue to respond to the deepening financial crisis that is threatening not only our industry but all kinds of businesses in almost every sector of the economy." The company is exploring options that could limit the number of local layoffs, Quarles added. The moves follow other cost-cutting efforts by McClatchy, including eliminating 1,150 jobs last year, freezing salaries and suspending its dividend. As with other publishers, McClatchy has been hit hard as the recession erodes ad sales and readers migrate to the Internet. The company also is trying to reduce its $2.04 billion in debt. "This necessary transition to a more efficient company is especially painful in a horrible economy, and we have had to make some very difficult decisions to keep the company safe," CEO Gary Pruitt said in a prepared statement. The Sacramento, Calif.-based company reported that fourth-quarter revenue fell 17.9 percent to $470.9 million. After excluding some one-time costs, the company's adjusted net income from continuing operations was $21.8 million, or 26 cents a share. There were some bright spots. Online ad revenue rose 10.3 percent in the fourth quarter. Average monthly unique visitors to McClatchy Web sites increased 33.5 percent in 2008. The company also warned today that its stock, which closed at 66 cents on Wednesday, faces delisting because it doesn't meet minimum requirements of the New York Stock Exchange. McClatchy has six months to comply with NYSE listing requirements. In morning trading, the stock rose 4 cents to 70 cents. alan.wolf@newsobserver.com or 919-829-4572 |
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| ~J~ is in Wonderland | Feb 5 2009, 11:18 AM Post #14 |
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~J~ is in Wonderland
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http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/1394718.html BofA: Big bailout beneficiary, big donor Charlotte-based Bank of America, the second-biggest recipient of federal bailout money, spent more on political contributions in the last election than any other beneficiary, a watchdog group reported Wednesday. And the bank spent more than all but two of the more than 300 recipients of so-called TARP funds on lobbying the federal government. The Washington-based Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks political money, said companies that got money from the bailout spent $114 million on 2008 campaign contributions and lobbying over the past year. “Even in the best economic times, you won't find an investment with a greater payoff than what these companies have been getting,” executive director Sheila Krumholz said in a statement. “Some of the companies and industries that have received payments may now consider their contributions and lobbying to be the smartest investments they've made in years.” Bank of America, together with newly acquired Merrill Lynch, spent more than $5.7 million last year in campaign contributions. Recipients included state political parties and candidates across the country, including Democratic Senate candidate Kay Hagan and Republican gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory in North Carolina. The bank paid lobbyists $8.8 million. Only General Motors and insurance giant AIG spent more on lobbying. Bank of America has received $45 billion of the $700 billion in bailout money Congress authorized last year. The bank announced last month that it would no longer lobby the federal government about its bailout. “We are very sensitive to the fact that we have taxpayer money,” spokeswoman Shirley Norton said at the time. Wells Fargo, which acquired Charlotte-based Wachovia, spent a combined $2.7 million on contributions and lobbying. It got $25 billion from the bailout |
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| ~J~ is in Wonderland | Feb 5 2009, 11:20 AM Post #15 |
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~J~ is in Wonderland
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http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/1394523.html Lenovo announces loss, CEO resigns -- PC maker Lenovo Group announced a $96.7 million quarterly loss Thursday as sales dropped in the global economic turmoil and said CEO William J. Amelio resigned in a management reshuffle. Amelio will be succeeded as chief executive by Chairman Yang Yuanqing, Beijing-based Lenovo announced. Yang said the company, the world's fourth-largest PC manufacturer, will try to increase its dominance in its home market but denied that Amelio's departure means it is pulling back from ambitions to compete globally. snip |
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