Margo Hutchinson

Adv. Newswriting & Reporting

Gail Towns

10-31-08

FIVE

 

 

Issue 5 in the hands of voters November 4

By: Margo Hutchinson

 

            Election day is only a few days away and soon voters will decide on who they want in office and what issues get the ‘yes’ and ‘no’.  When it comes to the issues on the Ohio ballot, it seems like Issue 5 is one of the most prominent issues in this election.

            The House bill 545 passed a law in the summer detemining how money lending companies place interest and lend to customers.  Due to a referendum the law is placed on the 2008 voting ballot to be voted on by Ohioans. To many this bill is more of an issue and if passed it could cost around 6,000 jobs.

             12 News interviewed Bridgette Roman, Ohioans For Financial Freedom:  who told the news station "Frankly, the business model cannot work, and how do we know that? Because 150 pay day lenders have already turned in their licenses. Just last week, I talked to a woman from Stuebenville who operated five stores. She has closed her stores, turned in her license and terminated all of her employees. The business model just can't work at that kind of limit.”

            If the law is voted “no” payday lenders are able to resume to they way they do buissiness.  If voted ‘yes’ on payday lenders must abide to the law that the government had put into action.  If voted ‘yes’  lenders maximum amount to lend to client is $500  and the borrower has 30 day to repay the lender with an interest rate of 28%.   Before the  Issue 5, lenders could lend clients a maxiumum of $800 with no particular amount of day to repay the lender and a interest rate of  391% interest rate. 

            But it seems that this issue confuses more voters than anything.  Many say yes because it saves jobs and that it keeps the government out of the buissiness, but other see that payday loans cause more borrower to pay more money in the end.  To repeal a law or to keep it will be determined on election day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B28wkI0UE1c <>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azPp-CC76kw < Vote Yes video

Margo Hutchinson

JOUR 216 Adv. News writing & Reporting

Oct. 2008

LAYAWAY

 

 

A Layaway Christmas!

By: Margo Hutchinson

 

            The credit crunch putting a little damper on your Christmas shopping?

            With Macys stores throughout the sates putting up there Christmas trees in the chill fall of October, it reminds the American people that there is only 61 days left to do your Christmas shopping.  But with the economy in such a poor state, how will parents fulfill the Christmas wish list of their children? Consider the Layaway!

            Layaway, popular during the Great Depression in the 1920s, is being resurrected to help the Christmas shoppers in 2008.  A Layaways is when a customer wants a particular item but is unable to pay for it in full at the time so they have the store hold it for them until they are finished paying for the item. 

            To put a gift in layaway you must pay a five-dollar fee upfront and to cancel the layaway will cost from 10 to 15 dollars. The payment plans allows customers to pay every two weeks, and once the item is fully paid off the customer is allowed to take the purchase home.  

            Stores such as TJ Maxx and Burlington offer the option of layaway and Kmart has offered this option to their customer for years and with the economy on the rocks, Kmart is now advertising it their plan more this year.  You also have the option to layaway item online.  Kmart’s website tells you step by step on how to put something on hold.  Kmart’s layaway payment is over an 8 week period and if you miss a payment for 7 days, you item will be put back on the sales floor for another customer to buy and you are refunded you money minus the activation fee. 

            Though it seems that only a few stores are offering the Layaway option, retail expert Neil Stern told Dorothy Tucker of the CBS2Chicago news that, “given this season we may see more and more retailers, big and small, pick it up."  So it seems like if you chose to shop the layaway way Christmas shopping starts now!

           

 

 

 

Ohio Votes Early

Margo Hutchinson

JOUR421

Gail Towns

VOTE

 

College Students Chance to Vote Early

By: Margo Hutchinson

1-1-1

Two vans sit outside the University of Cincinnati Recreation Center to take college students to the Board of Educations to register and to vote in the 2008 presidential campaign.

Since the Sept. 30, Ohio residents are allowed to go vote and though their has been speculation that this early voting will benefit the Democratic party the most, Vote Today Ohio just wants everyone, no matter if they favor the Republican party or Democratic party candidate, to make sure that they have a part in the decision of America’s next leader from now till November 4.  Vote Today Ohio is a non-profit organization that was started a couple of weeks ago to make sure that every citizen has transportation to be involved in the election and encourage all to fill out a ballot. 

“I feel empowered when I go vote”, stated Cathie Glover who is apart of the Vote Today Ohio organization, and she wants others to feel that same empowerment in the voting booth.  Cathie Glover and others are on campus to make sure that college students are able to have the opportunity to make it to the polls early the prevent from standing in line on election day whether it be in between classes or on their way back to their dorms.  Two vans wait outside near the Engineering Building and the Recreation Center the transport students to register and vote for the candidate that they feel is fit to run the country.  “Students tend to be apathetic,” says Cathie Glover when it comes to students

Voting on Election Day.  With the country in a facing hardships economically and politically, it seems that this election, compared to previous elections, is crucial for the well being of America and it’s Citizens.  Cathie feels as if the political system has the same people over and over again in congress and has hope that college students and others who do not have the opportunity to vote will make it to the ballots.  Not only are

College students given the chance to take one of the two vans to the Board of Education, but people who reside in homeless shelters and residents who live in low-income neighborhoods.  Cathie explains that in order to vote, you must have the address of where you live to write down on the registration, which made it difficult for the homeless to vote, but now they can use the address of the homeless shelter to register.  

 

Vote Today Ohio is on University of Cincinnati’s campus until Monday October 6, the deadline for voting registration

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