BTW News Briefs

Battle May Be Looming for California Board of Equalization

With Carole Migden (D - San Francisco) leaving her post on the California Board of Equalization (BOE) this past Monday to be sworn in as a state senator, a battle appears to be looming regarding her successor on the Board, as reported by The Sacramento Bee.

At present, Betty Yee, a fellow Democrat, who was deputy to Migden, the BOE chair, is her acting replacement to fill out the term through 2006, but, the Bee noted, "[Republican Governor Arnold] Schwarzenegger has the power to nominate a replacement. If he exercises that power, and if a majority of both Democratic-controlled houses of the Legislature confirms that nominee, Migden's protege would be forced out."

The Bee reported that "with the five-member board now split among three Democrats of varying philosophies and two staunchly pro-business Republicans, the decision could affect the tenor and interpretation of tax policy for the rest of ... Schwarzenegger's term."

During Migden's tenure as chair of BOE, the board conducted a full-scale audit of Barnesandnoble.com to determine if the online retailer has nexus in the state of California through its relationship with its bricks-and-mortar Barnes & Noble bookstores, and, as such, owed the state back taxes.

Page & Palette to Close in Orange Beach

On Tuesday, December 7, Page & Palette in Orange Beach, Alabama, announced that, due to the three hurricanes that ravaged the South this past summer, the store would be closing and all inventory would be moved to P&P's Fairhope locale. In an e-mail missive, Donna Anderson explained that the store had suffered damage from repeated flooding that had yet to be repaired. In addition, Anderson noted that the island had been slow to rebound and predictions were for only a 40 percent return by the summer.

Mystery Writers of America Honor Marcia Muller

On December 6, the Mystery Writers of America (MWA) Board of Directors named author Marcia Muller a Grand Master, MWA's highest honor. The presentation will be made at the 59th Annual Edgar Awards dinner gala celebrating the organization's 60th anniversary year, on Thursday, April 28, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City. The announcement was made by MWA President Michael Connelly, who said the choice was based on Muller's widely acknowledged role as "the founding mother" of the modern hard-boiled female private eye novel.

Call for PEN/Newman's Own First Amendment Award Nominations

The Freedom to Write Program of the PEN American Center recently announced that nominations are now being accepted for the 2005 PEN/Newman's Own First Amendment Award. Now in its 30th year, this $25,000 award recognizes a U.S. resident who has fought to protect freedom of expression as it applies to the written word. To nominate a candidate or learn more about the award, visit www.pen.org/noa or e-mail [email protected]. The deadline is December 31.