Snow in October?

My sister just e-mailed me to say that it's snowing in Milwaukee!

Where Prisoners and Ex-Offenders Are Eligible To Vote

I came across and article in Jet Magazine a few weeks ago and I admit to being pretty ignorant where Ex Offenders and voting are concerned.

I thought that it was the norm that Ex Offenders were not allowed to vote period, but I was VERY wrong and if you know of any and they're registered, let them know what the deal is.

(O, I bet you thought I forgot, huh? )

Criminal Offenders:  Who Can Vote?

Though criminal records can impact citizens' voting eligibility, voting laws vary from state to state.  In Maine and Vermont, all prisoners and ex-offenders can vote, while in Kentucky and Virginia, convicted felons permanently lose their eligibility.  Currently, an estimated 5.3 million Americans are prohibited from voting because of a felony conviction.

States where prisoners, probationers and parolees can vote-Vermont and Maine

States where probationers and parolees may vote-Oregon, Utah, Montana, North Dakota, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Hawaii, Rhode Island and Massachusetts plus Washington D.C.

States where only probationers may vote-California, Colorado, South Dakota, Connecticut and New York

States where all people with felony convictions can vote upon completion of sentence-Washington, Idaho, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Georgia, West Virginia, New Jersey, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina and Alaska.

States where only some people with felony convictions can vote-Check state election boards for qualifications-Nevada, Arizona, Wyoming, Mississippi, Delaware, Tennessee, Alabama and Florida.

States where all people with felony convictions are permanently disenfranchised-Kentucky and Virginia.

Information from the October 6, 2008 edition of Jet Magazine www.ebonyJET.com

Maybe I'll get to travel for my birthday after all...

As the economy struggles, it may be an opportunity for you to "buy low" on holiday airfare.  Here's what's happening: 1. More and more businesses are beginning to cut back on travel as a way of reducing costs during the current economic climate. As a result, business travel is down 10-20% and airlines are trying to fill the void by making leisure airfare prices more attractive. 2. Airline competition is growing more fierce in certain markets and it's forcing some carriers to lower fares. 3. Some airlines are lowering airfares due to cheaper fuel prices. So, if you've completely abandoned the notion that you'll be able to get a good airfare for the holidays, think again.  Cheap fares are emerging in certain markets and presenting a perfect opportunity to save!  If you're planning to fly during the holidays, use Yapta to track the airfare on various flights as soon as possible.  (It's not too late!)  We'll alert you when the price of these flights drop.  And if you've already booked a flight, use Yapta to protect your price.  We'll alert you when there's an opportunity to save by re-booking at a lower fare. Thanks! YAPTA - Your Amazing Personal Travel Assistant P.S. There's only 15 more days until Yapta's "Track-A-Flight Sweepstakes" expires, so track a flight today to become eligible to win!

Store Layoffs and Closings

I got this in an e-mail this morning and it's partly true.

 

http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/storeclosings.asp

 

Linen n Things is also starting to liquidate all of their stores this Thursday! Sad…but I am certainly going to go get some towels and sheets if they are not all gone when I get there! 

Ann Taylor closing 117 stores nationwide A company spokeswoman said the company hasn't revealed which stores will be shuttered. It will let the stores that will close this fiscal year know ove r r the next month Eddie Bauer to close more stores Eddie Bauer has already closed 27 shops in the first quarter and plans to close up to two more outlet st ores by the end of the year. Cache closing stores Women's retailer Cache announced that it is closing 20 to 23 stores this year. Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug, Catherines closing 150 stores nationwide The owner of retailers Lane Bryant , Fashion Bug , Catherines Plus Sizes will close about 150 underperforming stores this year. The company hasn't provided a list of specific store closures and can't say when it will offer that info, spokeswoman Brooke Perry said today. Talbots, J. Jill closing stores About a month ago, Talbots announced that it will be shuttering all 78 of its kids and men's stores. Now the company says it will close another 22   underperforming stores.. The 22 stores will be a mix of Talbots women's and J. Jill , another chain it owns. The closures will occur this fiscal year, according to a company press release. Gap Inc. closing 85 stores In addition to its namesake chain, Gap also owns Old Navy and BananaRepublic . The company said the closures - all planned for fiscal 2008 - will be weighted toward the Gap brand. Foot Locker to close 140 stores In the company press release and during its conference call with analysts today, it did no t specify where the future store closures - all plan ned in fiscal 2008 - will be. The company could n ot be immediately reached for comment Wickes is going out of business Wickes Furniture is going out of business and closing all of its stores, Wickes, a 37-year-old retailer that targets middle-income customers, filed for bankruptcy protection last month. Goodbye Levitz / BOMBAY - closed already The furniture retailer, which is going out of business. Levitz first announced it was going out of business and closing all 76 o f its stores in December. The retailer dat es back to 1910 when Richard Levitz opened his first furniture store in Lebanon , PA. In the 1960s, the warehouse/showroom concept brought Levitz to the forefront of the furniture industry. The local Levitz closures will follow the shutdown of Bombay . Zales, Piercing Pagoda closing stores The owner of Zales and Piercing Pagoda previously said it plans to close 82st ores by July 31. Today, it announced that it is closing another 23underperforming stores. The company said it's n ot pro viding a list of specific store closures. Of the 105 locations planned for closure, 50 are kiosks and 55 are stores. Disney Store owner has the right to close 98 stores The Walt Disney Company announced it acquired about 220 Disney Stores from subsidiaries of The Children's Place Retail Stores. The exact number of stores acquired will depend on negotiations with landlords. Those subsidiaries of Children's Place filed for bankruptcy protection in late March. Walt Disney in the news release said it has also obtained the right to close about 98 Disney Stor es in the U.S. The press release didn't list those stores. Home Depot store closings (E. Brunswick, Rt 18 just put up their closing sign) ATLANTA - Nearly 7+ months after its chief executive said there were noplans to cut the number of its c ore retail stores, The Home Depot Inc.announced Thursday that it is shuttering 15 of them amid a slumping U.S.economy and housing market. The move will affect 1,300 employees. It is the first time the world's largest home improvement store chain has ever closed a flagship store for performance reasons. Its shares rose almost 5 percent.The Atlanta-based company said the underperforming U.S.stores being closed r epresent less than 1 percent of its existing sto res. They will be shuttered within the next two months. CompUSA (CLOSED) clarifies details on store closings Any extended warranties purchased for products through CompUSA will be honored by a third-party provider, Assurant Solutions. Gift cards, rain checks, and rebates purchased prior to December 12 can be rede emed at any time during the final sale. For those wh o have a gadget currently in for service with CompUSA, the repair < FONT face=Arial size=3>will be completed and the gadget will be returned to owners. http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9834177-7html < http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9834177-7.html > Macy's - 9 stores Movie Gallery - 160 stores as part of reorganization plan to exit bankruptcyThe video rental company plans to close 400 of 3,500 Movie Gallery and Hollywood Video stores in addition to the 520 locations the video rental chain closed last fall. Pacific Sunwear - 153 Demo stores Pep Boys - 33 stores Sprint Nextel - 125 retail locati ons New Sprint Nextel CEO Dan Hesse appears to have inherited a company bleeding subsc ribers by the thousands, and will now officially be dropping the ax on 4,000 e mployees and 125 retail locations. Amid the loss of 639,000 postpaid   customers in the fourth quarter, Sprint will be cutting a total of 6.7% of its work force (following the 5,000 layoffs last year) and 8% of company-owned brick-and-mortar stores, while remaining mute on other rumors that it will consolidate its headquarters in Kansas . Sprint Nextel shares are down $2.89, or nearly 25%, at the time of this writing. J. C. Penney, Lowe's and Office Depot are scaling back Ethan Allen Interiors : The company announced plans to close 12 of 300+ stores in an effort to cut costs. Wilsons the Leather Experts - 158 stores Pacific Sunwear will close its 154 Demo stores after a review of strategicalternatives for the urban-apparel brand. Seventy-four underperforming Demo stores closed last May. Sharper Image : The company recently filed for bankruptcy protection and an nounced that 90 of its 184 stores are closing. The retailer will still operat e 94 stores to pay off debts, but 90 of these stores have performed poorly and also may close. Bombay Company: (Freehold Mall store closed) The company unveiled plans to close all 384 U.S.-based Bombay Company stores. The company's online storefront has discontinued operations. KB Toys posted a list of 356 stores that it is closing around the United < /FONT>States as part of its bankruptcy reorganization. To see the list of store closings, go to the KB Toys Information web site, and click on Press Information Dillard's to Close More Stores Dillard's Inc. said it will continue to focus on closing underperforming stores, reducing expenses and improving its merchandise in 2008. At the company's annual shareholder meeting, CEO William Dillard II said the company will close another six underperforming stores this year.

 

 

I know here, in the last few years, we've lost The Disney Store, Footlocker, Wilson's Leather and KB Toys...