AltWeeklies Wire
Rampant Foreclosures Have Torn the Very Fabric of Northeast Ohionew

In this young century, we've focused our collective attention elsewhere while market forces battered the vulnerable like a hurricane. And the subprime mortgage explosion was the economic Katrina; Northeast Ohio the Gulf Coast.
Cleveland Free Times |
Dan Harkins |
07-09-2008 |
Economy
Think the Housing Crisis Was Bad? You Ain't Seen Nothing Yetnew
While many eyes are focusing on the housing meltdown and its hugely negative effect on an economy clearly moving into recession, few are paying attention to the next bubble expected to burst: credit cards.
Los Angeles CityBeat |
Danny Schechter |
06-27-2008 |
Economy
A Real Cure for High Gas and Food Prices
Other countries have low gas and food prices fixed by the government. Maybe they're on to something.
The Real Solutions to Our Energy Crisis are Off the Tablenew
After a marathon special session that lasted into the early hours last week, the State Legislature proudly proclaimed that it had acted to address soaring gas prices. Too bad it focused on supply-side issues, and didn't look at the demand side of the equation.
New Haven Advocate |
Jim Motavalli |
06-24-2008 |
Economy
Gas Hits $4 a Gallon -- and the End of Oil Isn't Far Down the Roadnew
Suddenly, with $4-per-gallon gas, the public buses fill up, the bike racks are crammed and scooter and hybrid car dealers are looking at enormous back orders.
Santa Fe Reporter |
Dave Maass |
06-13-2008 |
Economy
What Was the Role of the Real Estate Appraiser in the Housing Bust?new
Predatory lenders get most of the blame for the housing bust, but real estate appraisers -- many pressured by lenders -- were accomplices.
Style Weekly |
Diane York |
06-11-2008 |
Economy
Proposed Foreclosure Moratorium Bill in Michigan Recalls 1930s Legislationnew
You know things are getting bad when legislators start drafting new bills modeled on laws originally enacted as a way to help people survive the Great Depression. But that's the spot we're now finding ourselves in when it comes to the issue of home foreclosures.
Metro Times |
Staff |
06-10-2008 |
Economy
The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Poorer in Connecticutnew

A new report from Connecticut Voices for Children (CVC), a research and advocacy group for low-income families with offices in New Haven and Hartford, offers a stark analysis: Connecticut is the only state in the nation to see a significant decline in the real wages of the poorest 20 percent of state residents.
New Haven Advocate |
Jim Motavalli |
06-10-2008 |
Economy
Confession: I'm Kind of Looking Forward to the Recessionnew

It isn't going to be pretty, as the lines at the food pantries grow. As we slide down the other side of Peak Oil, things will probably get worse before they get better. On the other hand, downturns have their upsides.
Seven Days |
Judith Levine |
05-27-2008 |
Commentary
Federal Regulators Crack Down on Egregious Credit Card Industry Practicesnew

Under proposed rules, card companies would have to give consumers more time to make payments before charging late fees. If a bill carries two different interest rates, card issuers would be barred from applying payments to the lower interest charge first. They also would be limited in raising the interest rate on an outstanding balance.
Shepherd Express |
Ken Reibel |
05-23-2008 |
Economy
Bring On Expensive Gas!new
War. Famine. Blackout. The rising price of oil has some heavy implications. But what's the one that North Americans are freaking over? The high cost of gasoline.
The Coast, Halifax's Weekly |
Kyle Shaw |
05-13-2008 |
Economy
Food Prices are Going Up, but Food Stamp Allowances Aren'tnew
There hasn't been a major revision of food stamp regulations since 2002. Philadelphians on food stamps continue to wait for any action, and improvise.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Tom Namako |
05-13-2008 |
Economy
High Metal Prices Fuel Underground Trade of Stolen Scrapnew
Scrap dealers and police say they cooperate to prevent the sale of stolen goods, and Connecticut law has recently been toughened. But the rise in metal heists begs the question: Would there be so much theft if there wasn't a network of places to "fence" the swag?
New Haven Advocate |
Jim Motavalli |
05-13-2008 |
Economy
With Prices Up and Employment Down, Food Pantries Get More Visitsnew
There has been a 5 percent increase in the number of food-stamp recipients in Tennessee this year, and more than twice as many Memphians are visiting the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association to pick up food vouchers that entitle them to get a five-day supply of groceries four times a year from one of the group's food pantries.
The Memphis Flyer |
John Branston |
05-09-2008 |
Economy
On the Foreclosure Tour Bus, the Mortgage Crisis is Just Another Money Makernew
The Miami Homes Tour is a new tactic for hawking foreclosed property. Its organizers are part of a burgeoning brood of businesspeople cleaning up after Miami's burst real estate bubble.
Miami New Times |
Janine Zeitlin |
05-05-2008 |
Economy