April 10, 2008


Headlines

Private information of thousands of Georgians on internet
Sidelined?Press coverage of athletics affected by deals
Okla panel ok’s study to privatize lottery
Denver greenlights controversial detention center
Florida:Bill would freeze subsidies for pro-sports franchises
Okla: City seeks other sites for private prison
Opening up world’s top library

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Private information of thousands of Georgians on internet

The state Department of Community Health said it has notified state and
federal agencies that a Florida company mistakenly put the private
records of up to 71,000 Georgians on the Internet. The records were
made available on the Internet for several days by WellCare Health
Plans Inc. of Tampa, Fla., and some may have been viewed by
unauthorized people, company officials said. The problem was caused by
human error, the Department of Community Health said.
The Macon Telegraph

Sidelined? Press coverage of athletics affected by deals
Partnerships between state high school associations and private
photographers that give exclusive rights to sell game photos are
turning what have long been community events into an opportunity for
those private groups to profit from high school athletics. Newspapers
that have commonly made reprints of photos published in the paper
available for a small fee are now prevented from selling those images
under the agreements. Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Okla panel ok’s study to privatize lottery
The bill’s House author, Rep. Ron Peters of Tulsa, says the bill would
create a board that would study whether the lottery would make more
money if it were operated by a private entity. The lottery is now
managed by a state agency. The Daily Ardmoreite
Denver greenlights controversial detention center
Members of the city’s planning commission Wednesday night voted 7-0 to
approve plans to build one of the nation’s largest illegal immigrant
detention centers near the intersection of 30th and Peoria. The GEO
Group, a billion-dollar transnational corporation, is the private
company behind the project. The group hopes to secure a contract with
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after building the 1,100 bed
facility. Rev. Patrick Demmer, who attended the protest on behalf of
the Metro Denver Ministerial Alliance, called the privatization of
prisons ‘immoral.’ "You’re making $95 a day for every person that you
put in a bed. You’re turning people into profit. There’s something
about that that’s just wrong." CW2
(Denver)
Florida: bill would freeze subsidies for pro-sports franchises
State subsidies used to help fund pro hockey and spring training
baseball in Broward County would be eliminated for one year, under a
budget amendment the Florida House adopted Wednesday night. "Listen, I
am a real Dolphins fan — even after the 1-15 season, but really, given
the budget climate this year, wouldn’t their $2 million annual subsidy
be better used to ensure that our colleges aren’t forced to lay off
professors?" House Democrat Leader Dan Gelber, of Miami Beach, wrote on
his blog before the House vote stripping the sports subsidies.
Sun Sentinel

Okla: City seeks other sites for private prison
Florida-based GEO Group Inc. was interested in putting a 1,000- to
1,500-bed prison on a site at the Stroud industrial park. The private
prison would house prisoners who are elderly and in poor health,
according to the group’s proposal. The bed space would be marketed to
the state Corrections Department, whose facilities are near capacity.
City officials initially liked a site at the Stroud Industrial Park,
but the site is within a mile of a Heritage Hall, a school that serves
middle school, high school and alternative education students. NewsOK.com
Opening up world’s top library
A series of largely interactive exhibits labeled the Library of
Congress Experience, opening Saturday, will showcase the library’s
history and holdings in innovative ways that are even a bit flashy.
Dozens of private donors have underwritten the "Library of Congress
Experience," their names scrolling continuously on a screen above a new
information desk. The Washington Times

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