Scam Diego Entries for February, 2009

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KUSI's McKinnon Still Interested in Union-Tribune Purchase, but Industry Turmoil Slows Any Deal

Michael McKinnon, whose McKinnon Broadcasting owns 82.5 percent of KUSI-TV, is still interested in putting together a group of buyers ...

California Unemployment at 10.1%, Highest in Quarter Century

The California unemployment rate jumped to 10.1 percent in January, according to the state's Employment Development Department. That's up from ...

SD Traffic Congestion Down 46.9% Last Year, Second Biggest U.S. Drop

San Diego traffic congestion plunged 46.9 percent last year, according to Kirkland, Washington-based Inrix, which tracks congestion in metro areas. ...

Rocky Mountain News, Unable to Find Buyer, to Close Tomorrow

The Rocky Mountain News, the daily tabloid which put itself up for sale in early December, could not find a ...

CIA Official Challenging Competence of Foggo's Mistress Got Fired -- and Other Misadventures

The federal government's sentencing memorandum in the case of San Diegan Kyle "Dusty" Foggo, filed yesterday by the San Diego ...

San Francisco Chronicle Will be Sold or Closed Unless Payroll Slashed Sharply

Hearst Corp. announced today (Feb. 24) that its San Francisco Chronicle, the city's major newspaper (by far) will be sold ...

San Diego Home Prices Still Plunging, but There Are Some Signs of Moderating Declines

San Diego County existing home prices plummeted 24.8 percent last year, according to Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller indexes revealed today (Feb. ...

SDCERS Lowers DROP Interest Rate to 3.54 Percent, Says DeMaio

The board of the San Diego City Employees' Retirement System this morning (Feb. 20) lowered the interest rate on the ...

North Dakota Relocation? Amylin, Biogen Idec Shivering at Prospect

Billionaire corporate activist/raider Carl Icahn has suggested that San Diego biotech Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Massachusetts biotech Biogen Idec, which was ...

Kodak Down 5%. Brandes Takes Another Hit

San Diego's beleaguered money manager, Brandes Investment Partners, is taking more hits this morning (Feb. 20). Eastman Kodak stock is ...

Maybe Victims of This Scam Should Be Locked Up, Too

Sometimes I think that the victims of certain scams should be locked up with the perpetrators. It might be the ...

If Boston Globe Worth $20 Million, Is U-T Worth $15 Million?

Rumors that the U-T is considering a bid for only $15 million were so startling to me that I was ...

Rumored Copley Suitor Puts Out Racy, Alternative Publications, but Has Debt Woes

Black Press Ltd. of Vancouver is once again rumored to be making a deal with Copley Press for the Union-Tribune, ...

Japan's 12.7% Quarterly Economic Plunge Stuns World

Japan's economy contracted at an annual rate of 12.7 percent in its October-December quarter, compared with the previous year, much ...

Names of $100,000 City Retiree Club

On Wednesday, Councilmember Carl DeMaio released information on 86 retired City employees raking in $100,000 a year or more in ...

La Jolla Pharmaceutical Down 91.42%, Dropping Lupus Drug

Biotech La Jolla Pharmaceutical stock is down a whopping 91.42 percent this morning (Feb. 12) to 19.8 cents -- quite ...

Pension Deficit $2 Billion, Funded Ratio 66.3 Percent

The City has admitted that the pension system is just 66.3 percent funded and the unfunded actuarial liability is $2 ...

Here Are the Banks Using Your Tax Money for Pro Sports Naming Rights Scam

Bloomberg News has published the names of the U.S. banks getting bailout funds while putting money in the pro sports ...

List of Madoff Investors Now Public. Some San Diegans Tell Their Tales of Woe

Names of thousands of apparent customers in Bernie Madoff's alleged $50 billion Ponzi scheme were filed in Manhattan Bankruptcy Court ...

It Looks Like Copley Press Was Spending Money on Acquisitions When It Should Have Been Spending on Technology

In the mid-1990s, Copley Press went into debt to buy some Illinois papers. In the early 2000s, the company strained ...

U-T Axe Was to Fall Friday. It Didn't. Newspaper May Need Employees to Slam Together Long-Delayed Pagination System

Last Friday (Jan. 30), Union-Tribune employees throughout the Mission Valley building expected massive layoff announcements. In the advertising department, employees ...

Three-Way Battle for Control of Biotech Amylin Looks Possible

Two investment groups have announced their intention to nominate five-member slates to the 12-person board of biotech Amylin Pharmaceuticals. Hedge ...