:-0 Fine Print Made Legible

Congress recently approved a bill that would force credit card companies to notify customers when they plan to raise their rates. It also requires the firms to post policies online, where customers can read the fine print. But good, but Senate Republicans, working with some Democrats, inserted language in the bill giving gun owners the right to carry concealed weapons in national parks. That's great. When we find out exactly how screwed we are with credit card debt we can off ourselves in a park. Can't beat the scenery, but watch out for the corpses.

:-( City Council Cuts

Citing a drop in land use hearings, the Salem City Council opted to decrease its number of meetings per month from three to two. Do they really think their only function is approving land use applications? (See the Battle Creek story in the news briefs section). It seems like a perfect time to offer leadership in other areas. (See the gangs story on Page XX) Decreasing the number of meeting cuts the opportunities for citizens to interact with their democratically-elected leaders. Hold the third meeting, and be pleasantly surprised when everyone get to go home early.

:-) Broadway Rejuvenation

The new Salem Cinema is now open in a beautiful new building on Broadway Street in Northeast Salem, and with more openings planned, it's a great time to go take in a show. There probably isn't even a lot of gum stuck under the seats. Yet.

:-| Local Service

It would be tough to find a group of people in the area as committed to local shopping as the folks in our office, but one of them went into a local coffee shop and waited 20 minutes for a cuppa. We're willing to go the distance for you local shop owners out there, but try to meet us halfway.

:-P Keizer Station Festival

A scheduling conflict ended up in most of the Keizer Iris Festival's events getting moved to Keizer Station. Last we checked, the purpose of the Keizer Iris Festival was to draw customers to the business corridor on River Road. Want to draw people to Keizer Station? Throw open the doors to the cavernous and vacant buildings that once housed Wickes, Party City and Circuit City. Isn't it depressing to use "once housed" in a sentence about a mall less than five years old? And apply it to three buildings.