| Serious questions plague charity’s leaders, practices
A married couple who took over Pierce County's oldest charity appear to be profiting from it in ways that raise questions of conflicts of interest and possible violations of federal tax law. Tacoma political operator Jamie Beletz and his wife, lawyer Mel Curtiss, joined the board of directors of Gateways for Youth and Families shortly after attending a fundraiser in late 2003, and quickly gained control over an organization that dates to 1890. Beletz and Curtiss recruited allies to the board and ousted longtime employees. Beletz then jumped from volunteer board chairman to temporary paid president. And he left that position 10 months later after a cursory Gateways job search gave the president's position to his wife. While he later served as chairman of the Gateways foundation, it's unclear at this time whether he remains with that group.
Homeland Security Chemical Regulations May Affect Farmers
In 2005 and 2006, the Secretary of Homeland Security identified the need for legislation authorizing DHS to develop and implement a framework to regulate the security of high-risk chemical facilities in the United States. In October 2006, Congress passed and the President signed the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2007, which in Section 550 authorizes DHS to require high-risk chemical facilities to complete security vulnerability assessments, develop site security plans, and implement risk-based measures designed to satisfy DHS-defined risk-based performance standards.
The Act also authorized DHS to enforce compliance with the security regulations, including conducting audits and inspections of high-risk facilities, imposing civil penalties of up to $25,000 per day, and shutting down facilities that fail to comply with the regulations.
Use Google Apps to Build Your Business
Google is synonymous with searching the Web, but search isn't the company's sole focus. Google also provides top-notch services that other businesses can use to improve their Web presence, reach new customers, and make boatloads of money. Google's most important services include AdWords, which allows you to reach new customers with paid advertisements; AdSense, which lets you monetize a content-based site by hosting other people's ads; and Google Analytics, which helps you track key information about your Web site's visitors--and how they interact with your site's content. If you're looking to grow your Web site's reach, it can be vital to use one or all of these services. They can be fairly complex, but once you've mastered the basics, you should be on the road to building up your business.
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