The bidding process for the construction of the convention center – like virtually every other aspect of the project – was a circus. The process began on January 12th, 2006, when it was reported in the Intelligencer Journal that bids to demolish and stabilize the site apparently came in slightly (2%) under budget projections.
Month: March 2013
American Airlines-US Airways Merger Approved By Court; World’s Largest Airline Created
HUFFINGTON POST: AMR Corp , American Airlines’ bankrupt parent, on Wednesday received court approval to merge with US Airways Group Inc and create the world’s largest airline. But one clause in the merger agreement – a $19.9 million severance package for Tom Horton, AMR’s outgoing chief executive – was not approved by the judge at […]
Merit selection will make picking judges more political, not less: As I See It
HARRISBURG PATRIOT-NEWS Op-ed: … One needs look no further than the federal system to see how a “nomination and consent” process can get bogged down in politics. The New York Times has written about the “severe breakdown” of the federal appointment process in recent years due to political skirmishes.
Cyprus imposes severe capital controls
FINANCIAL TIMES: …Under drastic measures that some analysts say are incompatible with monetary union, depositors would be able to withdraw no more than €300 in cash each day, said people familiar with the move. Transfers over €5,000 would require permission of the central ban. Overseas credit card transactions would be limited to €5,000 per month, […]
Lehigh County Authority to bid on Allentown water, sewer lease
LEHIGH VALLEY MORNING CALL: The Lehigh County Authority, which jumped through hoops for the chance to bid on the Allentown water and sewer lease, voted Tuesday to make an offer on the system… Allentown needs a $150 million to $200 million payout in the lease to bolster its severely underfunded employee pension funds. The city’s […]
Euro Nears 4-Month Low As Cyprus Ignites Financial Stability Fears
HUFFINGTON POST: …The euro dropped 0.1 percent to $1.2849, not far from the four-month low of $1.2828 hit on Tuesday. The common currency is still suffering from suspicions that bank depositors and bond holders may be forced to foot the bill in future rescue deals in the euro zone, with the Cyprus bailout used as […]
LANCASTER NEW ERA
Editorial “Turnpike chief’s feigned outrage” opines: “CEO Mark Compton, of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, has announced a series of measures in the wake of corruption charges against his predecessor and four former turnpike employees, a disgraced former state Senate leader and two executives who did business with the turnpike…. “Compton not only wants a review of […]
Replacement test for merit selection Governor to nominate interim justice on top court
SCRANTON TIMES-TRIBUNE Editorial: …In a process much like that for federal judges, Mr. Corbett will nominate an interim justice who then would have to be confirmed by a two-thirds vote of the Senate – 33 of 50. Just as in the federal system, that two-thirds requirement is an important check against philosophical hegemony on the […]
Beaver lawmaker questions Pennsylvania’s no-bid website contract
Matzie said the 456-page contract appears to give NIC the right to process credit cards for new or existing electronic transactions for up to 10 years, potentially earning NIC hundreds of millions of dollars
Beaver lawmaker questions Pennsylvania’s no-bid website contract
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE / AP: …State Rep. Rob Matzie, D-Beaver, complained about the sole-source contract with a subsidiary of Kansas-based NIC Inc. in a letter to Attorney General Kathleen Kane and Auditor General Eugene DePasquale. A spokesman for Corbett’s Office of Administration said on Tuesday that the firm is the only company in the country that […]
Consumer Confidence Drops in March as Outlook Sours Amid Economic Angst, Govt Spending Cuts
NEWSMAX: …The Conference Board, a New York-based private research group, said Tuesday that its Consumer Confidence Index fell in March to 59.7 from a revised reading of 68 in February and the 68.7 that analysts polled by research firm FactSet expected. Confidence is still far off from the 90 reading that indicates a healthy economy… […]
Obama appoints first female head of Secret Service
USA TODAY: President Obama named Julia Pierson, a longtime U.S. Secret Service agent, on Tuesday as the first female director of the agency, a pick that could mark a cultural shift for an agency that’s reputation was tarnished by last year’s prostitution scandal. The selection of Pierson, 53, who has been the service’s chief of […]
Rabbi Who Cried to the Jews of Buchenwald: ‘You Are Free’
“Shalom Aleichem, Yidden,” Rabbi Schacter cried in Yiddish, “ihr zint frei!” — “Peace be upon you, Jews, you are free!” He ran from barracks to barracks, repeating those words. He was joined by those Jews who could walk, until a stream of people swelled behind him…
Arab League welcomes Syrian opposition
ALJAZEERA: … [Moaz al-Khatib, the president of the Syrian National Coalition,] addressed the summit shortly after Al Thani, opening his speech with a bleak summary of the humanitarian crisis in Syria: tens of thousands killed, infrastructure destroyed, 25 percent of the country’s population displaced. But he demanded additional support from both Arab and […]