| Contractor loses La. scholarship account data dating back to 1998
BATON ROUGE, La. -- A Boston-based contractor hired to store and safeguard state scholarship and college savings account data lost most of those records _ including bank account numbers and student and parent Social Security numbers _ during a move, officials say. "We certainly don't want to create any panic. But people should be aware and take the necessary steps," said Melanie Amrhein, executive director of the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance. "This is backup data off of a mainframe that contains sensitive personal information." Special equipment and software and "sophisticated computer skills" would be needed to get the compressed records from the TOPS scholarship program, START Saving Program, and Free Application for Federal Student Aid, according to a notice posted on the Internet.
IT'S A CHORE: But farmers have to fill out forms or possibly face ...
Last year, Tom Dancer farmed approximately 500 acres, all but a few rented, in Freehold, Manalapan and Millstone townships, growing field corn, soybeans, rye straw and wheat.
That quick profile of Dancer, a 49-year-old lifelong farmer who lives in Millstone, is the kind of information the U.S. Department of Agriculture seeks in its five-year census of farmers in the 50 states and Puerto Rico.
The census is important in drawing up farming legislation, determining how federal agriculture money is distributed and positioning farming support services, according to state Secretary of Agriculture Charles M. Kuperus and Troy Joshua, director of New Jersey farming statistics for the USDA.
Also, the census will provide financial figures for a state industry that is under-recognized in terms of dollars, said Peter J.
Senator Feingold Charts Course
But we agree that we ought to have a commission that allows three or four states to win a competition to become pilot projects to show their vision of how they can move toward universal coverage in their state. For some, it might be a single-payer state, it might be an employer coalition, co-op type of approach. He says health savings accounts; I'm skeptical of it. But the idea is that we would actually have some evidence on the ground of what works and what doesn't. This has all been a theoretical debate since, God knows, Harry Truman. And it goes nowhere. So we're excited about this. The Heritage Foundation has endorsed it, the Brookings Institution, the SEIU. The Heritage Foundation is very conservative. The SEIU might be the most liberal union. They all come together, saying, "You know, we think we can show our stuff with this kind of deal." On No Child Left Behind Act I'm been trying for years to try to modify it in some way, try to fix it, to make it less onerous.
Buck & New Dawg: Bring on the Giants for Round 3
Vinny was a Heisman Trophy winner/No. 1 pick overall who didnt win enough ... but didnt give up trying. I think history will treat him kindly. It should. Can anyone beat the New England Patriots? NEW DAWG: Yes, the Colts can beat them. BUCK: I just have a gut feeling about Jacksonville. The Jags could get first crack at the Patriots, too. I dont see anyone else winning at New England including the Colts. And I dont see Tom Brady losing in Glendale, Ariz., if he gets there. Is the Cowboys offense headed into the playoffs in any better frame of mind than last years team? NEW DAWG: Ill say yes. The Cowboys gave a weak effort against the Redskins because they didnt have much to play for. Last years team could not say that. BUCK: Losing two of the last three in December is about all thats the same.
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