---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Public NewsService Web Site <wvns@publicnewsservice.org>
Date: Tue, Jun 24, 2008 at 1:33 PM
Subject: Story calendar openings - let's brainstorm!
To: pjgrunt@gmail.com

Greetings!

We have openings in our story calendar for the remained of June, as well as into July. July 7th will be a great day to position stories as radio stations will be coming back to an empty story folder after the July 4th long holiday weekend.

If sending me an email reply - please CC debbienews@gmail.com, as we've noticed some email glitches on the regular wyns@publicnewsservice.org address and I want to make sure I don't miss a thing!

Let us know if there are events, reports, editorials, campaigns, education projects, or anything else on your calendars. The more info, the better!

Some notes on current news that may help with brainstorming.

The economic downtown - rising prices for just about everything - increases economic pressure on families. Those already predisposed to abuse issues are at a higher risk during tough family budget times.

More complaints coming in about Google Earth - from people worried about privacy, and those who being stalked. Google will remove pictures of a person's home by request - but they don't make a big public campaign about it - and maybe we should. If a person leaves a domestic violence situation, or is being stalked, they ought to be able to keep a picture of their safe location out of the public world.

James Hansen, one of the world's leading climate scientists, is calling for the chief executives of large fossil fuel companies to be put on trial for high crimes against humanity and nature, accusing them of actively spreading doubt about global warming in the same way that tobacco companies blurred the links between smoking and cancer.

Pocketbook issues are big because of rising consumer prices – nonprofits are hit hard to deliver services, especially with increasing demand, because the prices hit them, too.

"Staycation" is a buzz word this summer as people look for ways to avoid rising travel costs.

The number of underinsured U.S. adults--people who have health coverage that does not adequately protect them from high medical expenses--has risen dramatically, finds a new Commonwealth Fund study. As of 2007, there were an estimated 25 million underinsured adults in the United States, up 60 percent from 2003.

Microsoft's Bill Gates retires this week – to focus full-time on philanthropy. Will he inspire more philanthropy, spark a revival?

New research suggests that the average supermarket shopper is willing to pay a premium price for locally produced foods, providing some farmers an attractive option to enter a niche market that could boost their revenues. Interesting since food prices are rising anyway – how does this fit in with being a healthy, conscious consumer?

The study also showed that shoppers at farm markets are willing to pay almost twice as much extra as retail grocery shoppers for the same locally produced foods.

Thanks for taking a look!

Deborah Courson Smith/ Regional Editor
Public News Service/ West Virginia News Service
888-692-8362
dcourson@publicnewsservice.org
debbienews@gmail.com
www.publicnewsservice.org

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