Spokesman: Jackson memorial won't be at Neverland - Yahoo! News

Spokesman: Jackson memorial won't be at Neverland - Yahoo! News: "A public memorial for Michael Jackson is in the works but won't be held at the late pop star's Neverland Ranch, a Jackson family spokesman said Wednesday. No further details were provided in the statement issued Wednesday by family spokesman Ken Sunshine. An announcement on the plans was expected soon."

Crain's Daily News Alert prepared for Top Executives

CHICAGOBUSINESS — POWERED BY CRAIN'S — Daily Business Briefing CRAIN'S LISTS SEND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR MULTIMEDIA WEEKLY JOB CHANGES TOP HEADLINES Wednesday, July 1, 2009 · McD's boxed out of NBA sponsorship · In-N-Out Burger sues over S. Side shop's logo, name · Restaurateur Kleiner plans bar in South Loop multiplex · Reinsdorf's NHL bid backed by league · Probation for U of C hospital's brain surgery training program · Boeing may buy 787 parts plant: report · Metropolitan Bank getting $78M in TARP money · Bid to block BP expansion rejected by judge · Judson Green joining Hewitt board · Exelon working toward green goal · Bidding for Sheldon Good & Co. to start at $1.2 million · Sears Tower glass Ledge debuts — video  · Train wreck: state finances, city schools off the rails: Greg Hinz blog · Empty-nesters find D.C. success; Findables a recession victim; reality star Rancic buys foreclosed condo: Taking Names blog · Guv says check's not in the mail; PE firms sit out storm, but interest in small biz rises; survey says IT, sales pros to be in demand post-recovery, and more: Enterprise City · Cubs not getting what they paid for: Biz of Sports blog  Final Markets Dow Jones 8,504.06 +57.06 +0.68% NASDAQ 1,845.72 +10.68 +0.58% Crain's Index 71.39 +0.610 +0.862% » View Other Top Headlines ADVERTISEMENT Crain's Blogs. Now You're Talking. Introducing three blogs sure to pique your interest each business day: government and business, after-hours with Chicago's elite, and the business of sports.Click here to read what Greg Hinz, Shia Kapos and Ed Sherman are saying today. And talk back, we'd love to hear from you. OTHER HEADLINES · Chicago-native actor Karl Malden dead at 97 Chicago Sun-Times · Crabtree & Evelyn Ltd. files Chapter 11 Crain's New York Business · Walgreen ties growth to health clinics Daily Herald Crain's Chicago Business | 360 N. Michigan Ave. | Chicago, IL 60601 ADVERTISEMENT TODAY'S FEATURES Chicago Business Today - July 1 Ferrara Pan wages chocolate-bar battle with former partner Kraft. Bankruptcy court judge orders bidding for Sheldon Good & Co. start at $1.2M. High-speed rail advocates push for even faster Chicago-St. Louis trains. And creator of Carnivale plans lounge inside new South Loop movie theater.Read More · New Crain's golf iPhone app · Enterprise City -- a small-business blog · Inside the Leather: Birdies & Bogeys · Check, Please! visits Keefer's for lunch SIGN UP FOR CUSTOM ALERTS Industries » Account Settings LISTEN LIVE: Traffic, weather and news from our news partner WBBM-AM.

Student Loan Repayment Plan

Trouble viewing this email? Click to open in a browser Please add courseadvisor@emails.courseadvisor.com to your address book to ensure our emails are delivered Income-based Loan Repayment Plan By CourseAdvisor If you're trying to manage student loan payments on a tight budget, you'll be glad to hear about a new federal program, the Income-based Repayment Plan, that goes into effect on July 1. Just like it sounds, the Income-based Repayment Plan (the "IBR" plan) will determine an affordable monthly student loan payment based on your income and family size. Calculated on a sliding scale linked to the federal poverty line, the IBR rate caps all eligible student loan repayments at 15% of monthly income, although for many students, loan payments may drop to less than 10% of monthly income, or nothing. An IBR calculator can help you determine if you qualify for the program.   Featured Programs Nursing, Healthcare, & Medical Education & Teaching Business & Management   Featured Schools Westwood College Online Strayer University Ashford University Online Sponsored Advertisement Send this to a friend|Read our privacy policy| Profile Center CourseAdvisor Inc. 100 Quannapowitt Parkway, Suite 102, Wakefield, MA, 01880 | | www.courseadvisor.com © 2009 Course Advisor Inc., a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company

Far too many Blacks still living in 'food deserts' (Chicago Defender)

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here _____________________________________________________________________     Far too many Blacks still living in 'food deserts'   By Cheryle R. Jackson   Growing up, I don't recall ever being concerned about the quality of the food we ate at home. Memphis is metropolitan but located along the Farm Belt. Even non-farm families were more likely to grow some of their own vegetables and spices. Access to fresh food wasn't a problem. But living on the South Side of Chicago is a different story. After moving here, it wasn't long before I had joined the chorus of residents frustrated by the lack of reputable grocery stores in the area. Why should I have to start up my car and take my dollars outside my community to get a decent piece of fruit? In 2006, a groundbreaking study, Examining the Impact of Food Deserts on Public Health in Chicago, identified numerous Chicago neighborhoods as "food deserts," areas lacking access to quality grocery stores and, therefore, quality food. And, not surprisingly, I was living in one of them. The study was recently updated by the original authors at the Mari Gallagher Research and Consulting Group and found that the food desert has shrunk by 1.4 square miles, benefiting 24,000 people. But we're not out of the woods by a long shot. Areas such as Chatham actually got worse after that community lost two grocery stores, according to the Chicago 2009 Food Desert Progress Report, which covers a period up to September 2008. More than 600,000 people still live in food deserts, most of them African American and about a third of them children. The research goes right to the heart of what residents are experiencing everyday. But more importantly, it shows statistically the impact of the loss of even one grocery store on a community. In that way, it has become a road map for city planners and grocers who are using the data to identify grocery development sites. Areas most in need are Austin, Fuller Park, Grand Boulevard, Englewood, Greater Grand Crossing and Roseland, according to the study. "The industry as a whole has rallied to come up with solutions," said Mari Gallagher, creator and head researcher of the food desert studies. "They want to address market level concerns against human need. We are starting to see evidence of that."Here is where the rubber meets the road. Walgreens recently announced that it would expand its food lines in areas identified as food deserts, starting with locations along Madison Street on the West Side . That's good news in the interim, because when grocery stores move out of Black communities, another grocer is less likely to move in. "That has a direct impact on the quality of life and length of life," Gallagher said. The updated study provides a new measurement called Years of Potential Life Gained that really captures what's at stake. For instance, the study found, if a grocer moved into Roseland, 24,000 people would benefit. But the community as a whole would gain 15 years of life back from diabetes, 58 years of life back from diet-related cancers, 112 years of life back from cardiovascular diseases and 13 years of life back from liver disease. The findings sure do put into perspective why the African American community suffers in greater numbers from food-related illnesses and obesity. It also helps to explain "commercial deserts," areas generally lacking high-impact retailers. "A grocery store is an anchor that can attract other kinds of retail. But unfortunately, grocers go where grocers are already. It takes effort to overcome that," Gallagher said. While lawmakers in Washington grapple with how to solve America 's health care crisis, we, in the Black community, need to start paying close attention to the factors contributing to the illnesses that have been sickening our relatives for decades. The food desert study provides some eye-opening statistics that speak to the urgency of the problem in Chicago and around the country. Think it's not your problem? The study also sought to dispel perceptions that all residents living in food deserts are poor. Food deserts can affect people of all income and education levels. Of the 24,000 residents who benefited from Chicago 's food desert shrinking, about 1,300 earn more than $75,000 a year and 590 earn more than $100,000, the study found. It's also essential that when our community's do gain reputable grocery stores that we support them. The Chicago Urban League featured one, Farmers Best Market, at 1424 W. 47th St ., on our first season of nextTV: Change You Can See. If you haven't stopped by, check it out. _____________________________________________________________________  Cheryle R. Jackson is the president of the Chicago Urban League.  Her column appears weekly in the Chicago Defender.  She can be reached at president@thechicagourbanleague.org. Follow Cheryle on Twitter at http://twitter.com/CheryleJackson. Also visit www.DriveChangeNow.org to learn how you can become involved in the Urban League's movement for change.   Chicago Urban League | 4510 Michigan Avenue | Chicago | IL | 60653

America's Best and Worst Cities for Families - Yahoo! Real Estate

America's Best and Worst Cities for Families - Yahoo! Real Estate: "Metros where folks have enough money for everyday expenses, and spots where daily budgets eat up a sizable chunk of incomes."

States work to stave off government shutdowns - Yahoo! News

States work to stave off government shutdowns - Yahoo! News: "Legislators in more than a half-dozen states, their revenues evaporating in the recession, frantically worked to stave off government shutdowns and devastating service cuts. California failed to meet a midnight deadline and now may need to issue IOUs instead of paying bills."

Iraq Shiite cleric hopeful about US pullback - Yahoo! News

Iraq Shiite cleric hopeful about US pullback - Yahoo! News: "A Shiite cleric whose followers have been blamed in some of Iraq's worst violence gave a cautious welcome Wednesday to the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from cities."

Jackson's will to be filed in court Wednesday - Yahoo! News

Jackson's will to be filed in court Wednesday - Yahoo! News: "Heavy construction equipment and workers passed through the wrought-iron gates of Neverland Ranch, fueling speculation that it could soon be hosting a funeral or a permanent memorial to Michael Jackson. The activity occurred Tuesday, the day before Jackson's will was expected to be filed in court."

Budget up to Quinn as lawmakers leave - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

Budget up to Quinn as lawmakers leave - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star: "Illinois lawmakers left Springfield on Tuesday without voting to raise taxes and left the governor with a budget that he’s strongly indicated he finds unacceptable and will veto."

As new fiscal year begins, Illinois remains without budget - STLtoday.com

As new fiscal year begins, Illinois remains without budget - STLtoday.com: "The clock ran out on Illinois' fiscal year Tuesday without a new state budget in place, raising the specter of mass state service cuts in the coming weeks or days."

Northwest Herald | State budget expires as Legislators fail to reach deal

Northwest Herald State budget expires as Legislators fail to reach deal: "The sputtering drive to come up with a state budget broke down completely Tuesday, leaving Illinois to begin a new fiscal year without any plan for paying its employees or delivering government services.

Government won’t shut down without a budget in place, but the situation creates uncertainty for anyone who depends on state money: government workers, road crews, community agencies caring for the sick and needy, and more."