AltWeeklies Wire
Gas Hits $4 a Gallon -- and the End of Oil Isn't Far Down the Roadnew
Suddenly, with $4-per-gallon gas, the public buses fill up, the bike racks are crammed and scooter and hybrid car dealers are looking at enormous back orders.
Santa Fe Reporter |
Dave Maass |
06-13-2008 |
Economy
What Was the Role of the Real Estate Appraiser in the Housing Bust?new
Predatory lenders get most of the blame for the housing bust, but real estate appraisers -- many pressured by lenders -- were accomplices.
Style Weekly |
Diane York |
06-11-2008 |
Economy
Proposed Foreclosure Moratorium Bill in Michigan Recalls 1930s Legislationnew
You know things are getting bad when legislators start drafting new bills modeled on laws originally enacted as a way to help people survive the Great Depression. But that's the spot we're now finding ourselves in when it comes to the issue of home foreclosures.
Metro Times |
Staff |
06-10-2008 |
Economy
The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Poorer in Connecticutnew
A new report from Connecticut Voices for Children (CVC), a research and advocacy group for low-income families with offices in New Haven and Hartford, offers a stark analysis: Connecticut is the only state in the nation to see a significant decline in the real wages of the poorest 20 percent of state residents.
New Haven Advocate |
Jim Motavalli |
06-10-2008 |
Economy
Federal Regulators Crack Down on Egregious Credit Card Industry Practicesnew
Under proposed rules, card companies would have to give consumers more time to make payments before charging late fees. If a bill carries two different interest rates, card issuers would be barred from applying payments to the lower interest charge first. They also would be limited in raising the interest rate on an outstanding balance.
Shepherd Express |
Ken Reibel |
05-23-2008 |
Economy
Bring On Expensive Gas!new
War. Famine. Blackout. The rising price of oil has some heavy implications. But what's the one that North Americans are freaking over? The high cost of gasoline.
The Coast, Halifax's Weekly |
Kyle Shaw |
05-13-2008 |
Economy
Food Prices are Going Up, but Food Stamp Allowances Aren'tnew
There hasn't been a major revision of food stamp regulations since 2002. Philadelphians on food stamps continue to wait for any action, and improvise.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Tom Namako |
05-13-2008 |
Economy
High Metal Prices Fuel Underground Trade of Stolen Scrapnew
Scrap dealers and police say they cooperate to prevent the sale of stolen goods, and Connecticut law has recently been toughened. But the rise in metal heists begs the question: Would there be so much theft if there wasn't a network of places to "fence" the swag?
New Haven Advocate |
Jim Motavalli |
05-13-2008 |
Economy
With Prices Up and Employment Down, Food Pantries Get More Visitsnew
There has been a 5 percent increase in the number of food-stamp recipients in Tennessee this year, and more than twice as many Memphians are visiting the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association to pick up food vouchers that entitle them to get a five-day supply of groceries four times a year from one of the group's food pantries.
The Memphis Flyer |
John Branston |
05-09-2008 |
Economy
On the Foreclosure Tour Bus, the Mortgage Crisis is Just Another Money Makernew
The Miami Homes Tour is a new tactic for hawking foreclosed property. Its organizers are part of a burgeoning brood of businesspeople cleaning up after Miami's burst real estate bubble.
Miami New Times |
Janine Zeitlin |
05-05-2008 |
Economy
Rural People Once Watched the Weather; Now They Track the Price of Oilnew
Rural America's deep disaffection is in some ways more terrible than the pain of the inner city -- because urbanites never harbored any illusions about the Republicans' deceptive rhetoric.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Bruce Schimmel |
04-29-2008 |
Economy
Home Sales Down, but Prices Are Up: Blame it on the Credit Crunchnew
After the bottom fell out of the subprime mortgage debacle, lenders started to look at potential borrowers with greater scrutiny. Gone are the days of borrowers with weak credit snagging mortgages with no money down. Yet higher-priced houses are still moving because better-off buyers have an easier time getting loans.
C-Ville Weekly |
Scott Weaver |
04-23-2008 |
Economy
As Natural Resources Dwindle, Vermont's Scrap Yards Find Business Boomingnew
If you bring a ton of No. 1 Steel to a scrap yard today, you'll get a check for $210; last year you might have taken home only $130 for the same weight. The booming market has even spun off its own cottage industry of thieves.
Seven Days |
Kirk Kardashian |
04-21-2008 |
Economy
Development-Mad Orlando Ignores Flailing Economynew
The $1.8 billion plan to build two new downtown venues and renovate a third that almost never gets used is rock-solid. Yes, it's based on rising property values, increasing tourism and people snapping up downtown condos, but it's rock-solid nonetheless. And that's all you need to know.
Orlando Weekly |
Jeffrey C. Billman |
04-21-2008 |
Economy
Monterey County Foreclosures on the Risenew
If the pace continues, the number of foreclosures in the county this year will hit close to 4,000; last year the total was 1,568. "This is unprecedented," says Lou Solton, county treasurer and tax collector for 23 years. "There have been other downturns in the real estate market but never this pronounced and not this lengthy."
Monterey County Weekly |
Zachary Stahl |
04-17-2008 |
Economy
