The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, PA) articles from February 2001

The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, PA) archives from February 2001

Bush Address Marks Start of Efforts to Move Agenda through Congress.
February 28, 2001... Byline: Ron Hutcheson Feb. 27--WASHINGTON--President Bush will go before Congress and the American people tonight to outline his vision for the nation in his first prime-time speech as president. After a generally smooth start for...

The Philadelphia Inquirer Andrew Cassel Column.
February 28, 2001... Byline: Andrew Cassel Feb. 28--Some months ago, I stood in a stairwell as a pack of financial journalists struggled to understand what is wrong with the following hypothetical news lead: "Inflation rose, pushed by higher prices for...

Peco Energy to Raise Natural Gas Rates by 25 Percent for Philadelphia Suburbs.
February 28, 2001... Byline: Linda Loyd Feb. 28--Facing a $128 million shortfall because of escalating natural-gas costs, Peco Energy Co. said yesterday that it would raise gas rates for its customers in the Philadelphia suburbs, boosting the average yearly...

Pennsylvania Health Care Executive Leaves for Position in Ohio.
February 28, 2001... Byline: Andrea Knox Feb. 28--Ken Hanover, who played a key role in creating the Jefferson Health System and who unified the Main Line Health system, is resigning as head of Main Line Health to take a position in Cincinnati. Hanover...

Residents of Western States Blame California for Rising Power Bills.
February 28, 2001... Byline: Nita Lelyveld Feb. 27--LAS VEGAS--From miles and miles away across the desert, the lights of the Las Vegas Strip shine brightly -- neon and millions of bulbs endlessly beckoning visitors to come inside the big casinos. ...

Philadelphia Convention Bureau Chief's Bonuses Tied to Hotel Figures.
February 28, 2001... Byline: Marcia Gelbart Feb. 28--If ever Tom Muldoon needed an incentive to sell the Pennsylania Convention Center to out-of-towners, he has one now: The more overnight guests he lures here for association and trade-show meetings, the...

Iselin, N.J., Man Helps Indian Workers Gain Visas to Work in U.S.
February 28, 2001... Byline: Bob Fernandez Feb. 25--ISELIN, N.J.--From his one-room office in Little India, Harish Pandya, a former motel clerk, runs a "body shop" of high-tech workers. He finds young people in India and brings them to the United States...

New Jersey Shore Denizens Say Beach-Replenishment Plan Ruined Surf Culture.
February 27, 2001... Byline: Amy S. Rosenberg Feb. 25--LONG BRANCH, N.J.--Robert Sickler opens his narrow garage like the gateway to an ancient burial ground. He unveils the relics of his life as a Jersey waterman. On the left wall, surfboards. On the...

Comcast Reports Annual Profit of $2 Billion.
February 27, 2001... Byline: Patricia Horn Feb. 27--Bolstered by new products such as digital cable plus a large gain from an exchange of subscribers with AT&T Corp., Philadelphia's Comcast Corp. reported a profit yesterday of $2 billion for 2000, doubling...

Pitch to the Credit-Hungry Draws Complaints in Philadelphia Area.
February 27, 2001... Byline: Jeff Gelles Feb. 26--To Robert Caldwell of East Oak Lane, the words looked golden. "You have been approved to receive a $3,000.00 credit card," said the unsolicited letter from a Los Angeles company, Nissan Bancorp. ...

Residents' Concerns Rise as Upper Uwchlan Township, Pa., Develops.
February 27, 2001... Byline: Brian Woodward Feb. 27--UPPER UWCHLAN, Pa.--Surrounded by rolling farmland for the last 20 years, Polly Gable had hoped the signs might never come. This month, they finally did. "When I saw the sign for the new...

The Philadelphia Inquirer Loose Change Column.
February 27, 2001... Byline: Joseph N. DiStefano Feb. 27--NEW JERSEY AND PENNSYLVANIA ARE TOPS IN LATE MORTGAGES: New Jersey and Pennsylvania lead the nation in the proportion of homeowners who are behind on their mortgage payments and in danger of losing...

The Philadelphia Inquirer Personal Finance Column.
February 27, 2001... Byline: Jeff Brown Feb. 27--Thinking of refinancing your mortgage? This always seems appealing when interest rates fall, as they have recently. But how do you know if the hassle and expense of refinancing are worth it? The old rule...

53-Year-Old Gloucester County, Pa., Furrier Family Enjoys Local, Global Appeal.
February 27, 2001... Byline: Jake Wagman Feb. 25--WEST DEPTFORD, Pa.--There are some brave foxes around here. Ducks are disappearing from the pond next to the Zander property on Mantua Grove Road, and brothers Tom and Harry believe neighborhood foxes...

Devices Could Cut Philadelphia-Area Consumers' Power Bills.
February 27, 2001... Byline: Akweli Parker Feb. 25--For now, mandatory rate caps protect Pennsylvania and New Jersey electricity customers from the Jekyll-and-Hyde swings of the power market. But between 2003 and 2011, those caps will be lifted, possibly...

Companies Create Formula to Aid Back Office Computer Systems.
February 27, 2001... Byline: Harold Brubaker Feb. 26--Each month, FMC Corp. ships thousands of tons of soda ash from its plant in Green River, Wyo., to five PQ Corp. chemical plants in four states from Illinois down to Louisiana. PQ uses the soda ash to...

Pat Burrell still being criticized for Penthouse article.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Bob Brookover CLEARWATER, Fla. _ Pat Burrell's agent stopped at the Carpenter Complex on Monday, but he said it had nothing to do with his client's controversial interview in the April edition of Penthouse magazine. "I do...

Taking lessons on new strike zone.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Bob Brookover CLEARWATER, Fla. _ Umpire Jim McKean conducted a course in Strike Zone 2001 on Monday at the Carpenter Complex. It is definitely a different curriculum from what we have seen in the past. As Phillies...

Russian 7-1 center close to having major impact at St. Joseph's.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Ray Parrillo PHILADELPHIA _ It had been exactly 1 minute, 19 seconds since Alexandre Sazonov of St. Joseph's had entered the game, and already he was standing there with a grimace on his baby face, his right hand raised. He had...

Mutombo cheered on at home.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Stephen A. Smith PHILADELPHIA _ First, George Lynch was introduced. Then came Tyrone Hill. After that, for the first time in a while when someone other than Allen Iverson stepped onto the basketball court, a roar shook the walls...

Janet Evanovich ended a whole book with a cliffhanger _ and a great line.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Sandy Bauers Some authors end each chapter with a cliff-hanger. Like a movie in search of a sequel, Janet Evanovich ended a whole book with one. And it was a great line to boot. There was her main character, Stephanie...

Educators struggle to teach words and ideas in a culture of images.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Maureen Fitzgerald PHILADELPHIA_The class was English, but veteran teacher Barbara Mayberry was handing out colored markers to her seventh graders. The writing assignment: What is your favorite food? The students were told to...

Figuring out how much to spend on gambling, and when to stop.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Bill Ordine A key question facing most folks who plan to visit a gambling destination is how much money to allot to gaming, should they choose to gamble at all. There is no easy answer to that question. It depends on the...

Simon Gagne out at least three weeks.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Tim Panaccio PHILADELPHIA _ Flyers left winger Simon Gagne will undergo three weeks of rehabilitation for his partially dislocated left shoulder and then be reevaluated, but he is not expected to miss the remainder of the season....

Israel's Labor Party votes to form a unity government with Sharon.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Barbara Demick JERUSALEM _ Israel's Labor Party voted Monday to form a government with prime minister-elect Ariel Sharon, hoping to be a moderating influence as Israel wrestles with the Palestinian uprising. The deal was...

Tough week for Phillies' brass, and other bytes.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Phil Sheridan PHILADELPHIA _ Poor Larry Bowa. The Phillies' new manager is a week into his first spring training. So far, he has had to deal with his top pitcher, Robert Person, being hog-tied by police and his up-and-coming...

Names in the news.
February 26, 2001... A security guard Monday testified at the trial of rap mogul Sean "Puffy" Combs that she fell on top of him and did not see a gun in his hand during the Manhattan nightclub fracas that led to his arrest. Charise Myers was on duty Dec. 27,...

Relationship with late mother influences Amy Tan's work.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Nita Lelyveld SAN FRANCISCO _ Beyond the windows of Amy Tan's lushly furnished two-story apartment sits San Francisco's most famous picture-postcard view. Just outside, down the slope of a hill, the Golden Gate Bridge seems...

Gay couples entranced by `Buffy the Vampire Slayer'.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Eils Lotozo PHILADELPHIA _ It was Tuesday night, and the guests at Peter Wechsler's grand house were chatting over Chilean sea bass, sauteed snow peas, and red wine when Michael Williams checked his watch. "It's 8 o'clock,"...

Does race play role in speeding? Study asking in context of profiling.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Tom Avril TRENTON, N.J. _ Armed with stopwatches, clipboards and two rental vans, a group of eight researchers drove the highways of North Carolina last summer in search of the answer to a delicate sociological question: Does...

United States, Mexico to meet in frigid zone.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Mike Jensen PHILADELPHIA _ The United States and Mexico will play soccer on Wednesday night while trying to avoid frostbite. The temperature is expected to dip as low as 20 degrees when the final yearlong round of World Cup...

Travelers with medical needs getting a hand from an airline.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Donald D. Groff People who need medical assistance in order to fly are getting a helping hand from American Airlines. The airline introduced a program this month that offers a new option for infirm people who can't fly unless...

Shaw readies for his swan song.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Gail Shister CNN's Bernard Shaw has shed a tear on the air only twice in his 37-year career, but smart money says he'll hit his hankie Wednesday. Shaw, CNN's premiere anchor since its 1980 launch, will bid farewell to the...

The Philadelphia Inquirer Business People Column.
February 26, 2001... Feb. 26--COMCAST CABLE NAMES GASTON A VICE PRESIDENT: Doug Gaston has been promoted to vice president and general counsel of Comcast Cable Communications Inc., Philadelphia. He had been deputy general counsel. Carpenter Technology Corp.,...

The Philadelphia Inquirer Business Travel Column.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Tom Belden Feb. 25--Sales of airline tickets and other travel services to business travelers over the Internet account for only a fraction -- probably less than 5 percent -- of the $200 billion U.S. companies spend on business...

The Philadelphia Inquirer Andrew Cassel Column.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Andrew Cassel Feb. 26--THE MESSAGE FROM A CAR SALESMAN'S PEN AND POCKET CALCULATOR: Technology still faces bumpy patches on the road to adoption. Some obstacles were put there by industries that fear change. I hadn't bought a...

Conciliator Tackles Labor Disputes at Philadelphia Convention Center.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Marcia Gelbart Feb. 25--Billy Corazo is so fiercely loyal to his labor brothers that he would not accept the business cards his new nonunion boss ordered for him. The cards lacked the insignia, or "bug," that identifies work done...

Developer Plans to Buy Troubled Complex from Montgomery County, Pa.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Erin Carroll Feb. 23--Montgomery County officials announced yesterday that a Devon developer has agreed to buy a debt-ridden Norristown office complex once celebrated as a harbinger of the borough's revitalization but now widely...

Pennsylvania's Deregulated Electricity Market Proves Tough for Competition.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Akweli Parker Feb. 25--As California's deregulated electricity market unraveled during the last few months, Pennsylvania officials swiftly drove home the message that such a mess could not happen here. In Pennsylvania,...

The Philadelphia Inquirer Loose Change Column.
February 26, 2001... Byline: By Joseph N. DiStefano Feb. 25--BANKRUPTCY AS 'WEALTH INSURANCE': Will Congress hurt small-business owners by helping the credit-card industry? A restrictive bankruptcy law that the Senate and House will consider this week...

The Philadelphia Inquirer Personal Finance Column.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Jeff Brown Feb. 24--The smart money says some form of income-tax cut will be enacted this year, but many expect President Bush to put his campaign promise to repeal the estate tax on the back burner, figuring it's too...

The Philadelphia Inquirer Gambling Column.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Bill Ordine Feb. 26--A key question facing most folks who plan to visit a gambling destination is how much money to allot to gaming, should they choose to gamble at all. There is no easy answer to that question. It depends on...

Health Insurers Slowly Go Online; Software Makers Tout Possible Savings.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Andrea Knox Feb. 26--Taming the tangle of transactions between physicians and insurance companies is a job that looks to be a natural for the Internet -- if the nation's welter of insurance companies can agree on how to do it....

The Philadelphia Inquirer Homenotes Column.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Alan J. Heavens Feb. 25--In this technology-crazy dot.com world, you'd think today's youth wouldn't be all that interested in the building trades. You'd be right. Jobs Rated Almanac has ranked employment as a...

University of Pennsylvania Health System Records $18.5 Million Profit.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Josh Goldstein Feb. 24--The University of Pennsylvania Health System made $18.5 million on operations during the last six months of 2000. After four years of operating losses totaling more than $400 million, the health...

Wayne, Pa.-Based Investment Holding Firm Posts Quarterly Loss of $219 Million.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Joseph N. DiStefano Feb. 23--After writing off $274 million in stock losses during the fourth quarter, Safeguard Scientifics Inc. is continuing to invest millions in private companies while cutting expenses in hopes it can meet...

Former Business Partners Recall Recently-Pardoned Marc Rich.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Mark Bowden Feb. 25--Sandy Weinberg has never met Marc Rich, but the then-fugitive commodities trader nevertheless made a strong first impression. "After we indicted him in 1983, he hired one of the best lawyers in the...

Finnish Culture Integrates Mobile Phones into Lifestyle.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Andrea Gerlin Feb. 25--HELSINKI, Finland -- Reija Myllynen stood before a vending machine in a downtown shopping center and pressed 0600-80031, the number for Dial-a-Chocolate, twice on her mobile phone. Seconds later, two...

The Philadelphia Inquirer Real Estate Notes Column.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Mike Placentra Feb. 26--KAISERMAN BUYS BUILDING: The Kaiserman Co., Philadelphia, has purchased the 50,000-square-foot Charles Building, at 125 N. Eighth St., from 125 North 8th Street Associates for $2.15 million. Kaiserman,...

German Software Firm SAP Sees Improved Sales for E-business Platform.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Wendy Tanaka Feb. 26--After a late entry into the Internet software marketplace and a confusing marketing campaign that hampered sales, SAP AG appears to be making inroads with its e-commerce platform, mySAP.com. Sales of the...

Analysts Say Naming Rights for New Philadelphia Stadiums Will Go for Big Sums.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Robert Moran Feb. 25--The contributions by the Philadelphia Eagles and Phillies to the stadium-financing deal -- $310 million and $172 million, respectively -- are among the most substantial in professional sports. That said,...

Central New Jersey Firms Recruit, Place Overseas Tech Workers in U.S. Jobs.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Bob Fernandez Feb. 26--A federal program enabling U.S. corporations to hire overseas for specialized jobs has spawned a niche industry of consulting firms that is recruiting and then feeding tens of thousands of Indian high-tech...

Delaware County, Pa., Tourism Office to Move Headquarters.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Steve Esack Feb. 23--Delaware County's tourism office is on the first floor of a brick office building at 200 E. State St. in Media. But few people know that. There's no sign indicating that the Brandywine Conference and...

UN Leader Urges Governments to Increase Commitments to Fight AIDS.
February 21, 2001... Byline: Huntly Collins Feb. 21--Laying the groundwork for a workable plan to combat the AIDS crisis in Africa, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan yesterday urged governments to increase their political and financial commitments to AIDS...

The Philadelphia Inquirer Andrew Cassel Column.
February 21, 2001... Byline: Andrew Cassel Feb. 21--RECOVERY? RECESSION? ANSWER LIES WITH CONSUMERS: If you're worried that the economy might be sliding into recession, you'll be relieved to know that the experts don't think so. According to the Federal...

New Plan Could Help Save More Farmland in Chester County, Pa.
February 21, 2001... Byline: Nancy Petersen Feb. 21--A new program to save farms in northern Chester County that relies on forming a financial partnership with the state and the county's largest employer may be a tough sell. The county commissioners...