Briefcase
Realtors association to mark 100th anniversary
The Spokane Association of Realtors marks its centennial this week, including a gala celebration tonight in the room in which it was founded in 1911, the Hall of the Doges at the Davenport Hotel.
The event, dubbed “Ragtime to Real Time,” will feature ragtime piano music, a vintage costume contest and a game of chance for a $40,000 Lexus automobile.
“Our members have been leaders in growing and developing Spokane for 100 years,” association President Joe Mann said. “It is important for us to reflect on the progress of our profession and our city and remember that we are now shaping both for the next 100 years.”
As part of the celebration, the association commissioned three original works: a fine art print by Rolf Goetzinger; a book on early local history by Tony and Suzanne Bamonte; and a DVD companion to the book. All are available at the association office, 1924 N. Ash St.
Staff reports
Facebook adopts changes, plans to announce more
NEW YORK – Facebook is at it again. The social network is tweaking the home pages of its 750 million users, much to the chagrin of some very vocal folks.
The world’s largest online social network is expected to announce even more changes today, when it holds its annual f8 conference in San Francisco for developers who create games and other applications for its site.
On Wednesday, many users woke up to find their homepages altered, with what Facebook calls “top stories” on the top of their pages, followed by “recent stories” listed in chronological order. On the right side, meanwhile, there’s something called a “ticker,” a live feed of all the ongoing activity that also appears in users’ news feeds. It’s a kind of Facebook inside Facebook, if you will.
Facebook has long asserted that it makes changes to keep users engaged and that those alterations are often based on user requests.
And, so far, that’s been good for business – despite the grumblings of a vocal minority of Facebook users. The company is expected to bring in $3.8 billion in worldwide advertising this year and $5.8 billion in 2012, according to research firm eMarketer.
Associated Press
Eight deaths linked to tainted cantaloupe
WASHINGTON – The death toll has risen to eight in an outbreak of listeria traced to Colorado-grown cantaloupes, officials said Wednesday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that a person in Maryland died from eating the tainted produce. Four deaths have been reported in New Mexico and two in Colorado, and one person has died in Oklahoma.
The CDC said 55 people in 14 states have now been confirmed as sickened from eating the cantaloupes. On Monday, the CDC reported four deaths and 35 illnesses in 10 states.
The outbreak has been traced to cantaloupes from Jensen Farms in Holly, Colo., which recalled the tainted produce last week.
Associated Press