AltWeeklies Wire
At Vermont's Biggest Auction of the Year, Another Dairy Family Calls it Quitsnew
Ken and Carol Borland are among the many victims of Vermont's flagging dairy industry. In the past five years, the state has lost 250 dairy farms. In the last 12 months, 50 Vermont dairy producers have gone out of business.
Seven Days |
Lauren Ober |
08-17-2009 |
Business & Labor
Public Displays of Dissensionnew
If you'd just moved to Pittsburgh in the past two weeks, you might think you'd stumbled into a hotbed of civic disobedience. In less than 10 days, local activists have generated headlines -- and a few headaches -- with a series of high-profile protests.
Pittsburgh City Paper |
Chris Potter and Chris Young |
08-04-2009 |
Business & Labor
Localwashing: The Corporate Co-Opt of Localnew
With Americans' new focus on buying products made close to home, corporations are moving quickly to co-opt the term "local." But if everything is local, is anything local?
Gambit |
Stacy Mitchell |
07-16-2009 |
Business & Labor
Kansas City Notifies Wal-Mart That One of its Dead Stores is a Nuisancenew
Wal-Mart has abandoned hundreds of locations in the course of its aggressive expansion. Big-rig operators and others have stashed vehicles near a dead Sam's Club in Kansas City for more than a year, and city officials are finally taking notice.
The Pitch |
David Martin |
07-14-2009 |
Business & Labor
Dodging the Ditches at GMnew
General Motors' Arlington plant is in the middle of an eight-week furlough. But even with a set return-to-work date, union members are worried about their jobs.
The Texas Observer |
Michael Hoinski |
07-02-2009 |
Business & Labor
A Philly Startup Tries to Bring Philanthropy into the Wireless Agenew
For the past year, iugo has been developing applications that you can download onto your iPhone or BlackBerry, and, with a single click, donate to the organization of your choice precisely when the spirit moves you. And you can give as little as the cost of the latest Lady Gaga single on iTunes.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Maureen Coulter |
06-30-2009 |
Business & Labor
Richard Scrushy Now Broke and Bustednew
At the end of one of the few remaining court battles in the HealthSouth saga, a Jefferson County circuit court judge saw what 12 jurors in criminal court did not - he found the former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy guilty and liable for the massive accounting fraud at the company.
Birmingham Weekly |
Kyle Whitmire |
06-23-2009 |
Business & Labor
Dying to Build: Why Texas is the Deadliest State for Construction Workersnew
A construction worker dies in Texas every 2 1/2 days. The causes are far from mysterious: lax enforcement of labor and safety regulations, too many overtime hours without rest breaks and a lack of safety training and equipment.
The Texas Observer |
Melissa del Bosque |
06-17-2009 |
Business & Labor
As a 24-Year-Old with Down Syndrome, Trevor Falk is a Hot Commoditynew
The population of disabled residents in private group homes in Texas has grown to about 14,000, and the industry generates about $896 million in revenue from state funds alone, according to the state's figures from 2008. It does so by targeted people like Falk.
Houston Press |
Paul Knight |
06-16-2009 |
Business & Labor
GM's Bankruptcy Marks the End of an Era of Second-Best Arrogancenew
The truth is we all lose and, in a sense, it is the end of an era. But romanticizing GM's past, particularly the past several years, when we've watched it fall further and further behind Asian automakers in terms of affordability and technology isn’t healthy either.
Pasadena Weekly |
Jennifer Hadley |
06-16-2009 |
Business & Labor
Advocates Work to Tranform Community-Based Care in Pennsylvanianew
The majority of disabled people in need of long-term care want to live at home. To do so, they need people like Brenda McFadden to help them get through the day. But the working conditions are intense and poorly remunerated.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Daniel Denvir |
06-15-2009 |
Business & Labor
Seattle's Swordsman of Semen Detection Doesn't Care for His New Competitionnew
Snooping through your partner's undies has become big business, and Bradley Holmes, the self-proclaimed father of the in-home semen-detection industry is disappointed in his offspring -- in part because they are giving him competition.
Seattle Weekly |
Vernal Coleman |
06-15-2009 |
Business & Labor
Exploitative Scumbag or Entrepreneur With a Heart? Meet Mr. Showbiz!
He's reviled for trying to sell a doll in the likeness of a murdered 2-year-old girl. He's being prosecuted for defrauding customers who tried to buy his Michael Vick Chew Toy. But just who is Jaime Salcedo, and how does he live with himself?
Folio Weekly |
Gwynedd Stuart |
06-10-2009 |
Business & Labor
Mutual Benefits Corp. Stole a Billion Dollars by Peddling Bogus Life Insurance Policiesnew
Even with all his money and powerful friends, his latest con game is so massive that it seems almost impossible he will find his way to freedom again. But the slippery Joel Steinger has a knack for surviving so he can pull off his next scam.
New Times Broward-Palm Beach |
Bob Norman |
06-09-2009 |
Business & Labor
It’s Survival Of The Fittest For Urban Pioneers in Downtown Dallasnew
Dallas dreams of a vibrant city center, where residents, shops and restaurants mingle. But this is not a report on what city officials envision. This is a look at downtown from the street-level. Restaurants are still struggling. Homelessness is still an issue. People still perceive the area as dead, although that perception is beginning to change.
Dallas Observer |
Kimberly Thorpe |
06-08-2009 |
Business & Labor
