Saturday, September 19, 2009 Final August unemployment data was released yesterday with states indicating continued nonfarm payroll contraction going into the fall. The Labor Department indicated an overall increase in unemployment in 27 states, a decrease in 16 and no change in 7. Record high jobless rates were reached in California (12.2%), Nevada (13.2%) and Rhode Island (12.8%); the highest since widespread state data was first reported in 1976. California’s

Tuesday, March 7, 2006 Kirby Puckett, a former professional baseball player and Minnesota Twins legend, died Monday afternoon, March 6, in a Phoenix, Arizona, hospital, one day after suffering a stroke and undergoing emergency surgery for the resultant cerebral hemorrhage. He was 45 years old. The Hall of Fame center fielder, whose .318 career batting average is surpassed only by Joe DiMaggio among right-handed hitters, was a ten-time All-Star in