Bed and board?--"Ellsworth, Kansas --More than 40 employees lost their jobs when Century Manufacturing closed its acrylics plant and the owner began using inmates at the local prison to do the work. Now the owner says the former employees can have their jobs back, but with less pay, and they must work inside the prison. Century owner Jim Laubach said few people have taken the company up on its offer to transfer to the prison or to an entry level job in Wichita."--News report.

They need new school property?--A California supreme court judge nullified state regulations permitting the dumping of "low grade" radioactive waste in ordinary landfills. A news report said: "The court ruling rebuffed state health officials who formulated a rule last year to make it easier and cheaper for companies and institutions to get rid of some nuclear waste."

Is nothing sacred?--"Organic labels on food do not necessarily mean that the items are healthier, or more nutritious than conventional products, Which? magazine says. Some shoppers could pay up to 40 percent more for organic products with more fat, salt, and sugar."--The Times. London.

Pacesetter for Swedish unions--The king of Sweden has called on the government to grant him a $10 million raise to cover increases in the cost of living and the payroll he has to meet.

What would we do without experts?--In Maine, personal bankruptcies jumped 13 percent last year. This, a report stated, was due to increased debts, "experts said."

Didn’t fit?--It’s not easy to beat the New York Times in court, but Dr. Sheila Horn has won a significant step in the fight to regain her job as in-house doctor at the paper. She was fired for trying to protect the rights and confidentiality of Times employees. She refused to lie about their work-related injuries. The state appeals court denied a Times motion to bar the suit from going forward. According to the rival New York Post, the Times did not report the court decision.

The truly great society--It was a small Los Angeles guide to senior services and looked useful. But we were taken back a bit by the list of "frequently requested" phone numbers: 1) Elder Abuse; 2) Suicide Prevention.

A rich life--Parking enforcement officer Jim Mootz was nominated for the St. Paul Police Department civilian employee of the year. Police officials say his record is unbeatable. In 18 years as a parking enforcement officer, Mootz has issued 150,000 tickets that have put $2.5 million in the city treasury."--News item.

‘Labour’ program--"Overcrowding on the London Underground will not start to reduce for at least two years after the part privatization, according to Metronet, the company due to take control of two-thirds of the lines. The three million passengers who use the network each day will not notice a substantial improvement in frequency until 2008 and sometimes will have to wait longer."--News dispatch  
 
 
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