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“This is the biggest story that we’re going to cover in the next 18 months,” said Sam Feist, CNN’s Washington bureau chief. “It’s important to our network as a news story and as a business because so much of our air time is being dedicated to it.”

In 2008, Atlanta-based CNN rolled out a slate of prime time and weekend programs such as “CNN Election Center” and “Ballot Bowl” leading up to 2008 Election Day. Feist said similar election-based programming will steadily increase between now and January, when the first primary ballots will be cast for the Republican nominee.

“It’s a significant investment,” said Feist.

In Friday’s newspaper, the AJC takes a deep look at how CNN’s strategy in covering the 2012 presidential election. It’s a story you’ll g

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Bequeathing assets to a disabled loved one is a benevolent gesture, but in some cases, it can cause problems that were never intended.

An inheritance can disqualify the disabled person from government needs-based aid programs including:

Supplemental Security Income (SSI), a Social Security Administration program that pays extra cash to people with limited assets and income.
 
Medicaid, which provides far-ranging medical assistance including doctors’ visits, home health care services and nursing homes.

Some assistance plans for the disabled require enrollment in SSI, Medicaid or similar programs. Losing those benefits can mean the loss of other essential help.

But there’s a solution to the dilemma: Create a or trust.

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BLACKSBURG, Va., July 15 (UPI) — Shoppers in a positive mood make quicker decisions than unhappy shoppers so retailers should create positive shopping environments, U.S. researchers suggest.

Study authors Paul M. Herr and Derick F. Davis at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Christine M. Page at Skidmore College and Bruce E. Pfeiffer at the University of New Hampshire manipulated study participants’ moods by showing them pictures of likable objects — puppies — or unpleasant images — diseased feet — or asking them to recall pleasant or unpleasant events from the past.

The participants viewed pictures of common objects one at a time and then chose from a list of evaluative adjectives, positive and negative, which were presented in a random order.

People in the positive condition responded more quickly and more consistently.

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If politicians don’t reach an agreement on raising the debt ceiling by Aug. 2, the looming government default spells trouble for their businesses and the country.

But most of those interviewed last week don’t believe the Democratic and Republican politicians will let the deadline pass.

“It’s pure politics, and it’s nasty politics,” said Rebecca Hadj Taieb, who, with her husband, opened The Little Wine Shop in Avondale Estates last September.

So far, Hadj Taieb hasn’t made contingency plans for a government default and partial government shutdown. “It’s not going to happen,” she said. Politicians will re

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In this fast-paced digital era, many businesses assume that credit card processing is the only way to go. And it is true that most people these days do choose to pay with credit cards over other, older forms of payment, such as cash and checks. But as a business owner, you never want to turn down a paying customer, which means that accepting all forms of payment, both new and old, is of utmost importance.

Even in this wireless age of internet payments and credit cards, there are still consumers out there who prefer to use paper checks as their primary payment method. However, thanks to efficient merchant service providers, your business can be set up to accept checks just like you accept credit cards.

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Quality of the local school system is a top factor in company location decisions, especially among large corporations with employee bases that are substantially made up of families.

If the district’s problems are handled well — i.e. loc

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