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Thursday, May 07, 1998 Page: 10B
AROUND TOWN
HUMBOLDT PARK GROUP FORMED:
Representatives of companies in the Humboldt Industrial Park in Hazle
Township recently formed the Humboldt Park AssociationThe new group is
designed to help companies address common issues including roadways, fire
protection services, park amenities and the investigation of a public
transportation system to the park.
Officers of the association are: Alan Richenbacher of PP&L, president; Bill
Kramer of National Starch and Chemical Co., vice president; Carol Wetzel of
PP&L, secretary. A treasurer will be elected at an upcoming meeting.
Charter members of the association are PP&L, Meadow Burke, Pocono P.E.T.,
Genova Pennsylvania, National Starch and Chemical Co., Mericle Development,
Humboldt Industries and Union Camp.
The committee will hold its next meeting in June.
W-B DEVELOPMENT GROUPS WILL MEET TODAY:The Wilkes-Barre Industrial
Development Authority Board of Directors and the Wilkes-Barre Economic
Development Corp. will hold its monthly meeting at 5 p.m. today at the PNC
Building, 69 Public Square.
WOMEN BUSINESS OWNERS ACCEPTING MEMBERS:The Northeast Pennsylvania Chapter
of the National Association of Women Business Owners will hold a membership
meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Marvelous Muggs in Moosic.
The meeting is designed to provide a networking opportunity for business
owners and provide information about the organization.
Women who own a business as an individual, partner or stockholder who has
the power to make policy decisions or are actively involved in day-to-day
operations are encouraged to attend.
For more information or reservations, call Lynn Evans at 586-1064.
NATIONAL
NOT WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST?:Thousands of mothers and children owed
support payments would have to take a back seat to credit card companies in
collecting debts from fathers under bankruptcy overhaul legislation before
Congress, a group of 25 Democratic senators warned Wednesday.
But spokesmen for the biggest card companies, Visa and MasterCard, insisted
that wouldn’t happen under the legislation to revamp the nation’s bankruptcy
laws that is moving through the House and Senate.
The move came as the House and Senate moved closer to votes on separate
versions of the legislation. Lawmakers are alarmed by the rising number of
debtors. The number of Americans filing personal bankruptcies last year jumped
to 1.2 million- up more than 300 percent since 1980.
Under the House bill, credit card debt incurred 90 days before an
individual files for bankruptcy would be considered nondischargeable, meaning
it couldn’t be erased or written down. Child support and alimony, federal
taxes and student loan debts are nondischargeable under current law.
Sam Gerdano, executive director of the American Bankruptcy Institute, a
research group that doesn’t take positions on the issue, said the broadening
of types of credit card debt that would be made nondischargeable in the 90-day
period means “there’s one more hand reaching into a necessarily finite pot” of
payments by debtors.
The problem doesn’t appear to arise in the Senate version, which does
include the 90-day nondischargeable period, Gerdano said.
INTEREST-RATE WORRIES HELP CAUSE DROP: Stocks fell Wednesday as renewed
interest rate jitters and troubling developments in Asia negated some early
excitement over a potential merger between Chrysler and Germany’s
Daimler-Benz.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell nearly 93 points to 9,054. An early
32-point gain had put the blue-chip measure within 13 points of Monday’s
record close of 9,192.66.
Broad-market indicators also surrendered early gains as investors remained
cautious in advance of Friday’s report on payroll and wage levels, two key
forces behind inflation.
Stocks also were pressured by unsettling reminders that the Asian backdrop
has hardly stabilized.
In Indonesia, stocks tumbled 4.7 percent amid a third day of rioting over
government price increases. Elsewhere in the region, stocks fell 2.3 percent
in Tokyo and 3.9 percent in South Korea.
The