| Citibank says it's committed to Philadelphia
Mont. Co. starts loan program for minority business [Washington, D.C.] Adam Aircraft seeks $75M to $100M [Albuquerque] CRC grants will help agencies hire more housing counselors [East Bay] Accuro Healthcare to go public [Dallas] Supreme Court decides to skip Enron case [Houston] .
Fannie and Freddie to the Rescue?
Hoping to speed delivery of its $150 billion pick-me-up for the U.S. economy, the Bush Administration reluctantly agreed to temporarily increase the size of the mortgages Fannie Mae (FNM) and Freddie Mac (FRE) can purchase, from $417,000 to nearly double that. Proponents of the shift hope that Fannie and Freddie—which together own or guarantee about half of the $10 trillion in total home loans in the U.S.—can unfreeze the market for those "jumbo" loans and kick-start the housing market. But for a variety of reasons, Fannie and Freddie may not be in position to cure the subprime mortgage mess. Economists and analysts agree that boosting the mortgage limit will help inject the jumbo loan market, which is under significant strain, with much-needed financing. The additional business Fannie and Freddie will generate with that financing should eventually help bring down prices and increase the availability of such loans.
More schools 'using lottery system'
The Government's new school admissions code recommends lotteries as one way to stop middle-class parents buying their way into the most popular secondaries, giving poorer families a fair chance. Chief schools adjudicator Philip Hunter acknowledged that lotteries were likely to be "deeply unpopular" with articulate parents. But councils must act to prevent the most sought-after schools selecting pupils from wealthier backgrounds who are "easier to teach", he said. .
Music | One-man mayhem
The unique vocal and maraca stylings of bodyguard, equipment tech, and utility man Beer Belly Slim (aka Lewis Brown) are present in abundance, making "Picking Up Beer Cans on the Highway" so poignant and immediate that you might almost swear you can smell the roadkill and feel the whoosh of the big rigs as they speed past. The disc is available on local label Honey, which has previously issued other examples of the Henderson oeuvre, including the deliciously greasy 45 "Love on You" b/w "Drag Strip," a triumphant slice of lo-fi that makes the Centromatic Band sound like the Vienna Philharmonic. Henderson is currently selling the disc at his shows, and it's also available direct from Honey (P.O. Box 141199-672, Dallas, TX 75214). Check it out. Homer Henderson opens for the Old 97's Thursday, June 19, at the Sons of Hermann Hall.
Bathinda, January 25
Bhucho (Bathinda), January 25 Sukhbir Badal, the acting president of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is only trying to bluff people with his plans for mega projects, said Captain Amarinder Singh, the former chief minister of Punjab.
Former CM Captain Amarinder Singh speaking to media persons near Bathinda on Friday. Tribune photo: Kulbir Beera Subsidised medicines at civil hospitals
Faridkot, January 25
With a aim of providing medicines at subsidised rates to the patients, the state would offer shops in all civil hospitals of the state to private players and non-government organisations (NGOs) after a competitive bidding. Health minister, Punjab, Lakshmi Kanta Chawla, informed this during a state-level function held to observe Anti-leprosy Day in Nirog Bal Ashram at Kotkapura near here today.
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