Tim Sullivan Joins Louisville Courier-Journal
Sports columnist Tim Sullivan, recently fired by the UT, has been hired as a sports columnist by the Louisville Courier-Journal, the newspaper announced ten minutes ago. The hookup has been rumored for some time. Sullivan tells me that "basketball is …
Bridgepoint's Ashford Denied Accreditation; Stock Plummets
Stock of for-profit Bridgepoint Education is down 22.3% to $16.70 this morning (July 9) after the company revealed its Ashford University -- which accounts for almost all of its revenue -- has been denied accreditation by the Western Association of …
June Jobs Growth Anemic
The nation added only 80,000 jobs in June, according to the Labor Department, as the unemployment rate remained at 8.2%. Economists had expected 100,000, but even that would have been tepid. The economy has to grow by more than 100,000 …
Issa's Committee Reports on Countrywide's VIP Loans
The former Countrywide Financial showered preferential VIP loans on politicians, lobbyists, bureaucrats and others who could wield influence on behalf of the company, according to report released this week by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, chaired by North …
La Jolla Architect Disciplined
The California Architects Board has disciplined Scott A. Spencer of La Jolla for practicing without a license. His original license expired in 1987. But in 2000 he identified himself as a licensed architect, and in 2004 paid a $2,500 penalty. …
Physician, Wife Arraigned on Tax Charges
Encinitas osteopathic physician Dr. James Francis Murphy and his wife, Denine Christine Murphy, were arraigned in federal court today (July 3) on charges of corrupt interference with the administration of internal revenue laws, fraudulent use of fictitious financial obligations, and …
UT Bringing in VP of Sports
The UT is bringing in a vice president of sports who allegedly will run the sports department with authority for both the online and print product. According to knowledgeable sources, current sports editor Jay Posner, the current boss, will now …
Shames Forms Own Group; Malcolm of UCAN Questions His Statements
Michael Shames, cofounder and former head of watchdog Utility Consumers' Action Network (UCAN), today (June 26) made a filing with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) claiming that he is taking over UCAN's role in San Diego Gas & Electric's …
U.S., San Diego Home Values Up in April
San Diego County home values rose 1.4% in April, according to Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller data just released (June 26), a bit better than the composite 1.3% gain of the 20 largest metropolitan areas. Home values in 19 of 20 metro …
Stock of NC Times Parent Zooms
Stock of Lee Enterprises, owner of the North County Times, has zoomed the last two days, probably because of rumors that Omaha billionaire/wizard Warren Buffett may be interested in it. Buffett likes small-town papers and has bought some recently. Lee …
Shames out at UCAN
Michael Shames, cofounder of Utiliy Consumers' Action Network, is off the payroll as of today, June 21. New executive director Kim Malcolm notified the California Public Utilities Commission that a different staff member will represent UCAN inn the general rate …
New Bill in Congress Would Thwart Bridgepoint
Sen. Kay Hagan, D-NC, this morning in a conference call with reporters promoted a bill she has introduced that would stop for-profit colleges from using taxpayer-funded financial aid for marketing, recruiting, or advertising. "Make no mistake, Hagan's bill, if it …
Local Brokers Win Multi-Million Dollar Award
Two San Diego County stockbrokers have won an arbitration judgment against Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. The brokers charged they were wooed from remunerative posts at brokerage UBS by false promises. Todd Vitale, who was awarded $2.6 million said that Morgan …
Utility Shareholders Should Pay for Pipeline Tests -- not Customers
The Division of Ratepayer Advocates, an independent group within the California Public Utilities Commission, has said that shareholders of San Diego Gas & Electric (SDGE) -- and not ratepayers -- should pick up the tab for natural gas pipeline safety …
San Diego Lags US in May Housing Statistics
San Diego County housing values dropped 1.5% in May from a year earlier, worse than the 0.9% decline of the nation's major metro areas collectively, according to Zillow.com. The median price was $340,200, one of the highest in the nation. …
UCAN Backs Out of Settlement OK
Utility Consumers' Action Network (UCAN), the watchdog that unsuccessfully attempted to dissolve, and is now going forward under new management, has withdrawn approval of the broad settlement agreement that laid out plans for its continued existence. According to Kim Malcolm, …
Koch Brothers to Have San Diego Convention
Arch-conservative billionaire political activists Charles and David Koch will hold a convention in San Diego June 23, according to Kenneth P. Vogel and Tarini Parti of Politico.com. The meeting is secretive and the authors couldn't find out where the convention …
Local Unemployment Rate at 8.8%
The San Diego County unemployment rate was 8.8% in May, unchanged from a revised 8.8% in April, according to the California Employment Development Department. The county gained 6,400 jobs in the month. The biggest gain was in construction: 6,400. Government …
Cartoonist Steve Kelley Laid Off in New Orleans
Political cartoonist Steve Kelley, who had been fired by the Union-Tribune more than a decade ago, will be laid off by the New Orleans Times-Picayune, according to story in Poynter.org. After a nasty fight with the U-T that went to …
UCAN to Fight Another SDGE Program to Fleece Customers
As part of its general rate case, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDGE) wants to institute a so-called "prepaid utility service program" that would allow the utility to disconnect a customer four days after payments are exhausted. The Division of …