Melissa Block speaks to Beverly Gage, a history professor at Yale University, about her current article in Slate, “Why Is There No Liberal Ayn Rand?” Gage says the conservative movement has been developing a common intellectual heritage, but liberals have been moving in the opposite direction, to an increasingly diversified, rather than a shared, set of ideas. Read More
Another $50 million has been added to a set of disputed cost overruns for the nuclear construction project at Plant Vogtle. That brings the total amount to nearly a billion dollars, some of which Georgia Power ratepayers could be on the hook for. The overruns are related to a delay in federal licensing. The project’s primary contractors – Westinghouse and the Shaw Group – say Georgia Power and its partners should absorb the $950 million or so in extra costs. Georgia Power spokesman Mark Williams says negotiations have entered formal dispute resolution and may take several months to settle. “We’re still in discussions with the contractors over the disputed amount.” The disagreement surfaced shortly after the Nuclear Regulatory Commission okayed the project in February. Since then, the project has faced a series of problems involving the construction of the nuclear site foundation. Ratepayer advocates say those issues – which are separate from the $950 million currently in dispute – threaten to drive up costs and delay the project further. Williams, however, insists the two new reactors remain on schedule. “There’s no change, we’re still on target for 2016 and 2017.” Williams says if Georgia Power is deemed responsible for additional costs beyond the project’s originally approved $14 billion, the company may go to state regulators and ask to recover those costs from ratepayers. Read More
The hobby of amateur or “ham” radio can be traced all the way back to the late nineteenth century. And in this day of smart phones and super computers, you Read More
It may be next month before the debate over Georgia’s move not to allow seasonal workers to qualify for unemployment insurance is resolved. The U.S…. Read More
Following the resounding defeat of metro Atlanta’s T-SPLOST, transit advocates are setting their sights on a new goal – Clayton County joining MARTA. At… Read More
In Ontario, it’s illegal to text while driving but apparently its ok to read. So technically, Toronto Mayor Tom Ford was not breaking the law, as he checked out a stack of papers while driving. A Twitter user snapped a photo of the mayor. Read More
The small Southern California city of San Fernando is facing a seven-figure fiscal crisis. But the town has been unable to address its money issues because the romantic entanglements of the city leaders are dominating the agenda. Read More
Once relegated to one-time promos and marketing campaigns, Twitter is now a tool businesses use to provide customer service. And for some customers, Twitter can be a deciding factor in what companies they do business with. Read More
At issue is the fate of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the only known U.S. prisoner of war held captive in Afghanistan. The Taliban may be keen to trade him for some of its leaders held at Guantanamo Bay. Read More
By adding Paul Ryan to the GOP ticket, Mitt Romney may risk turning off an important voting bloc: senior citizens. But while some Florida seniors are set against any big changes to Medicare, others are embracing Ryan’s plan for reshaping the program. Read More