San Diego News Network Says It Will Expand to 40 Cities
San Diego News Network, an online publication, intends to expand into 40 cities in the U.S. and Canada, according to a news release sent out this week. The company says it will create a parent, U.S. Local News Network, to …
Kittles' Rhoades School Sold
The Rhoades School of Encinitas has been purchased by Nobel Learning Communities of West Chester, Pennsylvania. In a news release, the company did not state the name of the seller. However, the head of the school is Luanne Kittle, wife …
Stock of NC Times Parent Soars 50% on Good Newspaper News
Stock of Lee Enterprises, owner of the North County Times, is up almost 50% to $3.17 this morning (Sept. 29) on good news from Gannett, the largest newspaper chain. Lee stock has been as low as 24 cents within the …
San Diego Home Prices Continue to Improve
San Diego County home prices climbed 2.5% from June to July, according to Case-Shiller/Standard & Poor's data released this morning (Sept. 29). Only three of the top 20 metro areas did better. San Diego prices had risen a lesser 1.6% …
SD Home Prices at Bottom, Says Forbes. Guru Robert Campbell Disagrees
Housing prices have hit bottom in five large cities that were walloped in the real estate mayhem: Las Vegas, Phoenix, San Diego, Miami, and Los Angeles, according to Forbes.com, which used data from Mountain View's Altosresearch.com. In January of this …
San Diego Gets Deflation Whiff. Real Personal Income Also Declines
New data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that for the first half of 2009, the San Diego consumer price index dropped 0.6% from 2008, the first decline in the local CPI since 1954, according to Kelly Cunningham, economist …
Local Lead Indicators Continue Modest Rise
The lead indicators of the San Diego economy, compiled by economist Alan Gin of the University of San Diego, in August continued the tepid rise they have experienced since February. The August index was 102.4, topping July, June, May, April, …
State Sues Beverly Hills Middleman Who Fed Money to Madoff
The attorney general's office today (Sept. 22) filed a fraud suit against Stanley Chais of Beverly Hills, who called himself a money manager. For decades, he convinced investors that he was a wizard who could beat the market by investing …
Chargers Biggest NFL Political Donors -- by Far
Since the 1990 election cycle, the San Diego Chargers have given $2.4 million to federal political candidates and committees -- topping each of the other 31 teams by a long way, according to a study released yesterday (Sept. 17) by …
SDCERS Rejects Looser Accounting. Victory for Frye, DeMaio
The board of the San Diego City Employees' Retirement System today (Sept. 18) rejected by 10-2 a proposal that would have loosened accounting standards even more, and lowered the City's payment to the system next year by more than $30 …
Local Unemployment Hits 10.4% in August
San Diego County's unemployment rate was 10.4% in August, unchanged from a revised 10.4% July. Originally, July was reported at 10.3%. San Diego's 10.4% compares with 12.1 for California and 9.6% for the U.S. Consumer spending continues to be weak …
San Diego One of Five Most Frugal Cities
The Atlantic.com has named San Diego one of the five most frugal cities in the U.S. -- thus tying for the 2009 Frugal Fannie award. The publication selected major cities whose consumers' discretionary spending is below average, and also dropped …
Convention Center Seeking "Specialist"to Ballyhoo Expansion
The San Diego Convention Center Corp. is seeking a full-time "community outreach specialist" who would, among other things, "develop community outreach and education programs for expansion project phases." Translation: propagandize for the convention center expansion. The job opening, which pays …
Bernanke Says Recession Over. Glug, Glug
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said today (Sept. 15) that the recession is probably over. Stock market averages hit their 2009 highs. Actually, a day earlier, Janet Yellen, president of the San Francisco Fed, said the same thing: the recession …
Charles Krulak Denounces Cheney's Torture Policy
Charles Krulak, former commandant of the Marine Corps, now retired, co-authored a scathing attack on former Vice President Dick Cheney in the Sept. 11 Miami Herald. Krulak is the son of the late Victor H. "Brute" Krulak, former Marine Lt. …
Utilities Commission Denies SDG&E's Power Cutoff Plan -- Leaving an Out
The state Public Utilities Commission (PUC) today (Sept. 10) turned down San Diego Gas & Electric's plan to shut off power to backcountry residents during periods of high fire danger, and also to dodge liability for the consequences of the …
Sempra "Investigating" Reports That Its Lobbyist Bedded Down Ex-Legislator
Sempra Energy, San Diego-based parent of San Diego Gas & Electric, has issued a statement claiming that it is "investigating" recent media reports that its lobbyist reportedly slept with former Orange County Assemblyman Mike Duvall. Yorba Linda's Duvall was caught …
Consumers Pay Off Debt; Economy Will Be Weak. Wall Street Rejoices
American consumers cut back debt by $21.5 billion in July -- a 10.3% annual rate, according to the Federal Reserve. Outstanding debt is down 4.2% from a year ago. That represents the biggest year-over-year decline since 1944. American consumers are …
Be Skeptical of Today's Employment Figures
Wall Street seems to be happy that the nation lost 216,000 jobs in August when economists had expected a loss of 233,000. But be VERY skeptical of that number. Each month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates jobs that have …