AltWeeklies Wire
South Florida Coach Shapes Tennis' Future Starssnew
Florida is mecca for families dreaming and scheming for their children to be the next big thing in pro tennis. The state is home to dozens of tennis academies, from the modest to the most elite, such as Rick Macci's.
New Times Broward-Palm Beach |
Wyatt Olson |
10-20-2004 |
Business & Labor
Tags: business & labor
'Buffalo's Biggest Slumlord' Comes to Baltimorenew
Houston-based real estate speculator Scott Wizig is quietly buying up decrepit properties in Baltimore. Considering he was effectively run out of Buffalo with indictments for predatory lending and other violations, that could be bad news for Baltimore's housing authorities and his local tenants.
Baltimore City Paper |
Gadi Dechter |
10-06-2004 |
Business & Labor
Tags: business & labor
L.A. Stocks Up Food for Hotel Workers' Labor Actionnew
Nineteen Los Angeles elected officials, including Mayor Jim Hahn, are girding for a strike or lockout of hotel workers by gathering food to tide over employees during what could turn out to be a long period without pay.
L.A. Weekly |
Robert Greene |
09-29-2004 |
Business & Labor
Fire & Ice Cream: The Story Behind a Fire at an Oakland Creamerynew
Three employees of Fentons Creamery and Restaurant in Oakland, Calif., served time after the popular spot was robbed and set on fire in 2001. But a police investigation left key questions about the shop's smothering debt, insurance payments and the employees' implausible motives unanswered.
East Bay Express |
Robert Gammon |
09-27-2004 |
Business & Labor
Pixar Foes Challenge City to Ask More of Its Corporate Citizensnew
When Pixar Animation Studios decided to triple the size of its Emeryville, Calif., headquarters, 380 people in the working-class flatlands stopped Steve Jobs' company in its tracks.
East Bay Express |
Chris Thompson |
09-24-2004 |
Business & Labor
The Wreck of the Oglebay Nortonnew
Oglebay Norton was once "the most conservative, risk-averse company that ever existed," according to one analyst. Then a respected, ambitious CEO, John Lauer, sank the shipping and mining company in a sea of red ink.
Cleveland Scene |
Frank Lewis |
09-24-2004 |
Business & Labor
Mayor Fudges Numbers to Explain Minority Employment Ratenew
The city of Springfield, Ill., finally coughed up public records about city employment. Mayor Tim Davlin resorts to obfuscation to explain the shrinking percentage of minority employees.
Illinois Times |
Dusty Rhodes |
09-23-2004 |
Business & Labor
Tags: business & labor
A Dose of Suburbia: Chain Drugstores in the Citynew
Chain drugstores have been taking aim at downtowns and urban neighborhoods for several years now, and even as the industry shrinks, they are clinging to their unpopular building models that emphasize drive-throughs and lots of parking out front.
Metroland |
Miriam Axel-Lute |
09-23-2004 |
Business & Labor
Snake-Oil Salesman Sprays His Way to Successnew
After the FDA complained, one of Joe Deihl's companies stopped marketing the KI-Spray it claimed would protect consumers' health in case of nuclear disaster. But he still peddles vitamin sprays of disputed value, in spite of the nearly 70 lawsuits that have been filed against him and his companies.
Phoenix New Times |
Robert Nelson |
09-21-2004 |
Business & Labor
Tags: business & labor
City Banks on Ex-Con to Revitalize Downtownnew
Kansas City officials agreed not to tax developers for changing an eyesore property into 142 units of luxury living. Does it matter that a key figure behind the venture is a white-collar criminal?
The Pitch |
David Martin |
09-21-2004 |
Business & Labor
Tags: business & labor
Corporate Icon Fends Off Multimillion-Dollar Lawsuitsnew
Rollins Inc. and Orkin are under siege, and president Glen Rollins is the general standing on the ramparts. The outfit is being nibbled at by lawyers and disgruntled customers who are as ferocious in their attack as termites are when they sniff unprotected wood.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
John Sugg |
09-15-2004 |
Business & Labor
Tags: business & labor
Latinos Warn of 'False' Credit Cardnew
Advertised nationwide to Spanish speakers as offering a $2,000 line of credit, Pro Line is derided as a scam by consumer advocates.
East Bay Express |
Kara Platoni |
09-07-2004 |
Business & Labor
Homeland Security Employee Gets Money for Nothingnew
Barry Mallek shows up for work as a Federal Protective Service officer in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, does nothing for eight hours, returns to his hotel, and then comes back the next day and sits around some more.
SF Weekly |
Matt Smith |
09-07-2004 |
Business & Labor
Tags: business & labor
First-Time Home Buyers With Bad Credit Meet the Specialistnew
In Buffalo, N.Y., slumlord Scott Wizig's leases landed him in criminal court. In Houston, his leases made him rich.
Houston Press |
Craig Malisow |
09-07-2004 |
Business & Labor
Labor Day: Remembering the Stugglenew
Illinois remembers the working-class heroes who fought for the eight-hour day, the Workers Compensation Act and the law requiring children to finish elementary school before going to work.
Illinois Times |
Todd Spivak |
09-02-2004 |
Business & Labor
