Chicago debates ‘living wage’
When Wal-Mart opened a store just outside the city limits last winter, it proudly announced it received a record 25,000 job applications, nearly all of them from Chicagoans.
It was one of the first salvos in an escalating political and public-relations battle between Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and the City Council, which will consider a proposed ordinance Wednesday that would make Chicago the nation’s largest city to require “big box” retailers to pay their workers more.
Mayor Richard M. Daley and others warn the “living wage” proposal will drive jobs and desperately needed development from some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods. Supporters contend Chicago should be a leader in setting standards for worker pay and benefits.
London
American leads U.K. casino effort
A British government panel has put a U.S. billionaire at the top of a list to build Britain’s first super-casino, despite recent controversy over his relationship with the country’s deputy premier.
Philip Anschutz’s Millennium Dome site in London topped a shortlist of eight proposed venues announced by the government’s Casino Advisory Panel on Monday.
The site in Greenwich, a borough in greater London, was ahead of bids from Glasgow, Scotland, and Blackpool, a popular coastal destination in northwest England.
There will be a final round of judging by the panel, which includes senior planners and business leaders, before a recommendation is made to the government at year’s end.
Houston
Judge rejects Skilling appeal
A judge on Tuesday summarily rejected a request by former Enron Chief Executive Jeffrey Skilling to overturn his convictions of fraud, conspiracy and other charges for helping perpetuate one of the most notorious corporate frauds in history.
Skilling had claimed evidence presented at his four-month trial alongside Enron founder Kenneth Lay was insufficient, and that his convictions on 19 of 28 criminal counts should be thrown out. With no explanation, U.S. District Judge Sim Lake denied the request in an order issued Tuesday.