http://www.mbausa.org Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:44:05 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. View our consumer-friendly CPI report for the most up-to-date information. June ... http://www.mbausa.org/cpi/archives/consumer-price-index-june-2010 Government jobs have long enjoyed a reputation for being plum positions. But it took Robert Rizzo to really make the case. Rizzo is the man who became famous last month for the salary he was pulling down as city manager of Bell, Calif. -- $787,000 a year. Who knew that running ... http://www.mbausa.org/government-affairs-news/archives/sep-3-2010-fix-federal-pay Rep. Joe Sestak said Thursday he made a mistake by failing to connect two requests from the same person, one of which could have led to a $350,000 earmark going to a for-profit company in violation of House rules. The requester, Drew Devitt, applied for the earmark in March for his ... http://www.mbausa.org/government-affairs-news/archives/sep-3-2010-sestak-admits-earmark-error HARRISBURG -- An agency outside the state Department of Corrections should investigate allegations that ranking officers misused leave and sick time, a lawmaker serving on the House Judiciary Committee said Thursday. The department's Office of Professional Responsibility is investigating whether supervisors at prisons abused leave time, officials said this week. Rep. Tom ... http://www.mbausa.org/government-affairs-news/archives/sep-3-2010-lawmaker-wants-outside-probe-of-doc-agency Pennsylvania families were squeezed last year as many residents lost jobs and those working saw their inflation-adjusted buying power eroded by stagnation in income and wages, according to an annual report on the state of the state's economy. The Keystone Research Center's 15th annual check-up on the status of working Pennsylvanians ... http://www.mbausa.org/government-affairs-news/archives/sep-3-2010-pa-residents-buying-power-still-eroding The Post-Gazette on Thursday filed a motion with Allegheny County Judge John A. Zottola asking that he hold a hearing on the issue of releasing documents related to the grand jury investigation of state Sen. Jane Orie, R-McCandless. The newspaper filed a motion on March 30 seeking access to documents filed ... http://www.mbausa.org/government-affairs-news/archives/sep-3-2010-post-gazette-asks-court-to-release-document-in-orie-investigation Two reports Wednesday on the labor market provided starkly different views, showing that the strength and timing of the nation's economic recovery are uncertain. ADP Employer Services said private companies in the United States unexpectedly cut 10,000 workers in August. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg News had estimated a gain of 15,000 ... http://www.mbausa.org/government-affairs-news/archives/sep-2-2010-job-reports-show-differing-views WASHINGTON -- The former chief of Lehman Brothers told a panel investigating the financial crisis that the Wall Street firm could have been rescued, but regulators' refused to help -- even though they later bailed out other big banks. Richard S. Fuld Jr. told the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission at a ... http://www.mbausa.org/government-affairs-news/archives/sep-2-2010-ex-lehman-chief-says-fed-could-have-saved-it HARRISBURG -- State Department of Corrections investigators are examining allegations that ranking corrections officers have abused leave and sick time, an agency spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday. The Office of Professional Responsibility's investigation is believed to be focusing on at least three institutions: Woods Run in Pittsburgh and prisons in Mercer and Chester ... http://www.mbausa.org/government-affairs-news/archives/sep-2-2010-time-off-abuses-by-ranking-corrections-officers-alleged HARRISBURG -- Politicians don't usually tout new or higher taxes while running for office. But Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dan Onorato thinks his support for an extraction tax on Marcellus Shale gas will be a political plus in his race against Republican Tom Corbett. Mr. Onorato told reporters here Wednesday that the ... http://www.mbausa.org/government-affairs-news/archives/sep-2-2010-onorato-decides-to-back-shale-gas-extraction-tax