Fall 2000 Headlines

Ron Orol
News Service Assignments - The Patriot Ledger, Quincy, MA and The Providence Journal Internship - Fortune Magazine

Split Congress Delays Appropriations Spending
WASHINGTON -- Not being able to come to a compromise about the federal budget has pushed lawmakers to adjourn temporarily until after the Nov. 7th election. Congress has decided to pass a 14-day continuing resolution leaving the debate on the remaining appropriations bills for a "lame-duck" session.

DSL Is One Step Closer To Home
WASHINGTON -- Rhode Island households will soon have more choice when it comes to high speed Internet access.

The Electoral College 101
WASHINGTON - While the nation waits to learn who is going to be the next president in what is proving to be one of the closest elections in a hundred years attention has turned to the little known and somewhat mysterious institution known as the Electoral College.

Legislative End Game Keeps Congress At Work
WASHINGTON - Congress has been having a hard time finishing its business this year. Legislators were supposed to have completed their work Oct. 6th, but they still have four appropriations bills to deal with and can't seem to get a federal budget passed for the fiscal year that started Oct. 1. And with Election Day just two weeks away, members of Congress are getting edgy about making it home to campaign full time.

Small Business Loans Will Aid Area Entrepreneurs
WASHINGTON - It's not easy to start a small business but thanks to a new program, small-time entrepreneurs in Plymouth and Norfolk County with a dream of starting a corner coffee shop or a small web design firm will be getting some help.

Vote Expected To Quell High-Tech Worker Shortage
WASHINGTON - A bill many believe will help shore up the shortage of highly skilled US workers will be voted on by the Senate early next week. Supported by both Democrats and Republicans, the bill would increase the amount of high tech foreign workers admitted to the US from 115,000 to 200,000 for each of the next two years, and help retrain some Americans.

Senate OKs High-Tech Worker Bill
WASHINGTON - High tech firms desperate to fill long-empty positions shouldn't have to hold their collective breaths much longer.

Nader Supporters Make National Impression
WASHINGTON -- Ralph Nader and the Green Party - fighting corporate influence, dumping on genetically enhanced crops and pushing for universal health care - became the third largest party in America last night, collecting about three percent of the vote - two percent less than Nader had hoped.

Hasbro Hoping To Cash In On Chinese Market
WASHINGTON - Pawtucket-based toy-maker Hasbro, Inc. already makes much of its successful Star Wars toy figures in China. But so far, like most US companies with suppliers and operations in China, most of Hasbro's products - $250 million worth in 1999 - are exported back to the US for sale.

Federal Websites Fail Privacy Test
WASHINGTON-Three reports just released by the General Accounting Office say federal Web sites are "fraught with weaknesses", pose security risks for key government agencies, and fail to protect much personal information online.

Microloans: New Federal Funding For Small Businesses
WASHINGTON - Kim Soo Seawell, a Middletown, Rhode Island native, decided she had a great idea for a new business. Without a strong credit history, Seawell was unable to receive a loan from the local bank.

Reed Hopes For Fewer Bottlenecks Next Year
WASHINGTON - As the final session of congress wraps up, Senator Jack Reed took time to talk to The Providence Journal about the past session and his hopes for next year. For Reed, education, health care, housing and attracting new high tech businesses to Rhode Island are top priorities in 2001.

Getting High Tech Workers To Rhode Island
Like the rest of the nation, Rhode Island has a shortage of high tech workers. But the state has the added challenge of keeping workers from moving to the high tech corridor in Massachusetts. Another issue is the state's growing dependence on high-tech foreign workers.

Journalism Stepping Toward Convergence Says WSJ Reporter
Gerald Seib, assistant bureau chief at the Washington D.C bureau of The Wall Street Journal (www.WSJ.com), talked to students at the Washington Journalism Center on Oct. 6 about good jobs, bad jobs and the changing world of journalism.

Lackluster Congress Accomplishes Little
WASHINGTON- There are still three major appropriations bills that must be signed to fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year before Congress can adjourn. Most likely this will not happen before Friday, three weeks later than scheduled, and most political analysts agree that this late finish is just another strong indication of the way things have been going for Congress this year in general - badly.

Wall Street Anxiously Awaits Next President
WASHINGTON - While most financial analysts agree that picking one president - be it George W. Bush or Al Gore - is the best thing that can happen to the stock market in the short term, they also comment that different sectors stand to gain or lose depending on who is sitting in the Oval Office.