| America's dirty little secret?
They were supposed to be on the job, but last week was spring break in Magic Valley schools. That's one of several weeks during the year - the week before Christmas, the week between Christmas and New Year's Day, the week that deer season opens - when nobody actually shows up at the office.They get away with it, obviously, through the wonders of voice mail. If, for example, you're supposed to be at your desk Monday through Friday but have a hankering to do some telecommuting in Mazatlan by Tuesday, you simply leave the following message on your office telephone's answering machine:"Hi, this is Steve Crump. It's Tuesday, and I expect to be in the office for the rest of the week. If you've reached this recording, then I've just stepped away from my desk."About 1,900 miles away, actually.This ruse works because anyone who seriously wants to get in touch with you has your cell phone number.
Dog auction sparks protest Puppy mills targeted
MILLERSBURG About 350 dogs and puppies are expected be sold this weekend at a Holmes County auction that promises to draw protesters. More than 200 people will object, said Kristina Lange, who organized the protests at 8:30 a.m. Saturday outside Buckeye Dog Auction in the Walnut Creek area. She considers the auction an active part of Ohio's puppy mill industry. "Most breeders who participate in this event are raising large numbers of puppies for profit in mills ... characterized by overcrowding, filth and lack of food, water, adequate shelter and little to no veterinary care," she contended. Harold Neuhart, a Guernsey County kennel operator and owner of Seneca View Kennels, confirmed that he owns the Buckeye Dog Auction but would not comment on it. He said the public is invited to the auction, but media, cameras and cell phones with picture-taking capability are not permitted on the property at 5860 Township Route 409.
Senator urges deeper review of CSAR bids
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he fears the Air Force is merely going through the motions in its required review of the combat search-and-rescue helicopter award and is pressing the military branch to "open up the books" on the flawed bidding process. Schumer's bid comes after Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, joined the ranks of public officials questioning the Air Force's earnestness of the required Air Force review. "I strongly believe that the Air Force should use this opportunity to determine if the industry can offer improved proposals within the same time frame that will provide additional value for the taxpayer," Schumer said in the statement released Monday. "I again urge the Air Force to issue an amended request for proposal, re-open discussions with the bidders, request revised proposals, and hold a fair and open-re-evaluation." The Air Force in November awarded the contract to The Boeing Co.
Van service to go out for bid
SPRINGFIELD - After pressure from the state's new transportation chief, the region's public transit agency yesterday announced that it will seek bids for a troubled van service for the elderly and the disabled. Bernard E. Cohen, secretary of the state Executive Office of Transportation, yesterday met with Mary L. MacInnes, administrator of the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority, and recommended that she advertise for bids for the estimated $6 million van service, he said. MacInnes has been facing growing criticism for naming a new van vendor without obtaining bids. "I don't think this is an agency that needs more questions about procedures," Cohen said yesterday during an editorial board meeting at The Republican. Federal investigators, concerned about possible bid-rigging, raided the agency's Springfield headquarters in late 2005, but no charges have been brought.
|
