AF&PA Reports Kraft, Containerboard, Boxboard Ships

http://www.afandpa.org/

Total Kraft paper shipments were 119 thousand tons, a decrease of 15 percent compared to the prior month.  Bleached Kraft paper shipments increased year-over-year 13 percent while unbleached

Kraft paper shipments decreased 13 percent year-over-year.     
Containerboard production fell 10.2 percent over January 2012 and 1.7 percent over the same month last year.  However, the month-over-month average daily production decreased just 0.5 percent.  The containerboard operating rate for February 2013 lost 0.5 points over January 2012, from 97.1 percent to 96.6 percent.  
Total boxboard production decreased by 1.9 percent compared to February 2012 and decreased 5.6 percent from last month.  Unbleached Kraft Boxboard production decreased over the same month last year and decreased compared to last month.  Total Solid Bleached Boxboard & Liner production decreased compared to February 2012 and decreased compared to last month.  

National Geographic et al Release Study

http://www.greenamerica.org/pdf/NatGeo-LCA-Report-2013.pdf

Using recovered fiber in place of virgin fiber for magazine paper has a benefit in 14 of 14 environmental impact categories studied, according to a life-cycle assessment (LCA) issued today by ENVIRON International Corporation.

Supreme Court Decision Favors Timber Industry

Georgia-Pacific Responds To Supreme Court Decision In Forest Roads Case:
The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court's decision in the case of Georgia-Pacific West, Inc. v. NEDC, Sup. Ct. No. 11-347, commonly referred to as the "forest roads" case.

In a ruling announced this morning, the decision overturns a 2011 ruling by a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court that reversed 35 years of regulation governing management of rainwater runoff from forest roads. Originally, the Ninth Circuit Court had rejected the Environmental Protection Agency's longstanding interpretation of the Clean Water Act and would have required forest road operators in the states under its jurisdiction to obtain Clean Water Act discharge permits for ditches, drains and culverts that channel rain runoff from their roads -- treating rain runoff from forest roads used for logging the same as industrial sources.

http://www.afandpa.org/

American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) President and CEO Donna Harman issued the following statement today in response to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that reversed the Ninth Circuit court decision in Northwest Environmental Defense Center v. Brown (NEDC v. Brown). The U.S. Supreme Court held that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has authority to exempt discharges of channeled stormwater runoff from logging roads from Clean Water Act point source permitting.

Two Sides: Victory in Go Paperless Campaign

Two Sides claims victory as Go Paperless campaign drops 'save trees' message:
The campaign caused surprise and criticism in the industry when it launched in January, urging people to "Save money. Save time. Save trees".
Two Sides reacted with an open letter to Google's chairman Eric Schmidt, which spoke of "some incredulity" at the ‘Go Paperless in 2013' drive, while pointing out Google's own environmental impact.
But now the Paperless 2013 website has been revised, leading Two Sides to claim victory. Images of trees and claims about paper's negative impact on the environment have been removed, while the tag line has been changed to "Take the paper out of paperwork".

Who’s REALLY Consuming Print?

Who’s REALLY Consuming Print?:
by Joanne Gore
“In the last decade, while the digital marketing space has gotten noisier and considerably less effective, print has enjoyed a renaissance of increased conversion rates and marketing return on investment. Customers actually appreciate getting a nice postcard, well-designed catalogue, or personal thank you note in the mail today.” (via www.printisbig.com)
• Catalogues – According to Forbes, even with everyone on the Internet, catalogues are still mailing in the billions (with a B) and the reason from the marketers’ perspective is the foundation of direct marketing: catalogues work! They more than pay for the costs of getting them into the hands of customers and prospects.
I was recently at a tradeshow featuring the latest and greatest in premium incentives. And what were the vendors handing out? Catalogues! I wondered why they didn’t simply hand out cards with QR codes that went directly to the catalogue online and so I asked why. The answer I got? “We tried that. We found the majority of people still want a tangible, printed catalogue.” Still not sold? Consider this: The IKEA catalogue is the 3^rd most printed publication in the world. (via information-facts.cotm).

Forbes Publishes Spanish Edition

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/18/business/media/spanish-magazine-publisher-bets-against-the-crisis.html?src=rechp&pagewanted=print

Andrés Rodríguez, the publisher and founder of SpainMedia, has the most at stake in the debut this month of a Spanish-language edition of Forbes, the U.S. business magazine, in crisis-hit Spain. 
For Forbes Inc., the New York-based publisher of Forbes Magazine and his partner in the Spanish licensing venture, “their only risk is if the magazine really proves a failure, because that could hurt their image,” Mr. Rodríguez said Thursday during an interview in his office, inside what had been an abandoned printing-equipment plant.

Annual Retail Trends Survey

http://www.retailonlineintegration.com/article/search-engine-25058638/1

A move away from online channels and toward physical spaces — e.g., pop-up, outlet and brick-and-mortar stores — to market products is trending for Retail Online integration readers, at least according to this year's Annual Trends Survey. They'll also rely more on television, digital catalogs and social media this year to increase consumer engagement and ultimately grow sales. Their biggest challenge? For the third year in a row, customer acquisition.

The ZIP Code Collection Debate Continues

http://www.retailonlineintegration.com/article/the-zip-code-collection-debate-retailers-continues/1 

As of last week, two states have now declared that asking for customers’ ZIP codes in-store at the point of sale violates their privacy laws.

Court Ruling on ZIP Codes Challenges Retailers 

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled last week that retailers that record customers’ ZIP codes when they make credit card transactions can be sued under Massachusetts consumer privacy law because they're retaining personal identification information. California's Supreme Court made a similar ruling in 2011.

Supreme Court Rules Against Publisher

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/19/us-usa-court-copyright-idUSBRE92I0MV20130319

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said U.S. copyright holders cannot block the resale inside the country of products they make elsewhere, a major case affecting the annual importation of tens of billions of dollars of gray market goods.
By a 6-3 vote, the country's highest court said the "first sale doctrine" applies to copies of a copyrighted work lawfully made abroad.

http://publishers.org/press/98/ 
The following statement was released today by Tom Allen, President and CEO, the Association of American Publishers, in response to the Supreme Court’s decision in Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons, Inc:
“We are disappointed that today’s copyright decision by the US Supreme Court ignores broader issues critical to America’s ability to compete in the global marketplace...

Nielsen (Not Big Brother) is Watching

http://adage.com/article/media/nielsen-tracks-bank-statements-credit-card-transactions/240439/

Nielsen is going beyond trying to track everything you watch to tracking everything you buy -- adding data from what an executive said is "virtually all" credit and debit-card purchases plus bank statements, including online bill payments and paper checks, to what it already gets from food and drugstore purchases.Nielsen is anonymously matching all that data through an undisclosed third party to members of its TV ratings panel, an executive of the company told Advertising Age, and plans to expand such matching to online and other measurement services

Elsevier Launches New Title

http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/20/5277457/elsevier-announces-the-launch.html

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, is pleased to announce the launch of Wound Medicine - The International Wound Journal for Clinical and Health Economics Research and Applications. 
Published in print and online four times a year Wound Medicine is devoted to the clinical, scientific and health economics aspects in the prevention, management and reimbursement in wound care.

Williams-Sonoma Reports Q4 Results

http://news.yahoo.com/williams-sonoma-4q-profit-rises-221728957.html

Williams-Sonoma Inc.'s fourth-quarter net income jumped 9 percent to beat market expectations on gains at its West Elm brand and the benefit of an extra week in the period.

The San Francisco company also said that it is increasing its quarterly dividend by 41 percent and plans to repurchase shares. The news sent the home furnishing company's shares up sharply in after-hours trading Tuesday.

Wal-Mart Pushes Senate to Tax Online Retailers

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-20/wal-mart-pushes-senate-victory-against-ebay-led-exemption.html

Brick-and-mortar retailers like Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) see an opportunity to claim victory in a lobbying duel against online companies that don’t collect sales tax from their customers.

Retailers are urging U.S. senators to take a non-binding vote this week to demonstrate support for allowing states to impose sales taxes on out-of-state online sellers. Opponents including EBay Inc. (EBAY) have prevented House or Senate action so far in a decade-long dispute.

Congress Votes to Keep Saturday Delivery

Congress Votes to Force Postal Service to Keep Saturday Delivery: The financially beleaguered U.S. Postal Service suffered a setback in its plan to end Saturday delivery of first-class mail as Congress on Thursday passed legislation requiring six-day delivery. The House of Representatives on Thursday gave final approval to the legislation, known as a continuing resolution, that maintains the provision, sending it to President Barack Obama to sign into law. The Senate approved the measure on Wednesday.

Print Reaches All Ages, Including Millenials

Print Reaches All Ages, Including Early Adopter Millenials: Today's consumers move between multiple devices and media platforms. TV still has the greatest reach, mobile is gaining ground, and print retains its reach among all age groups -- including younger adults. What will be a surprise to some is that traditional media -- newspapers, magazines and radio -- also does well reaching the 18-34 year-old age group.
Looking at a key sub-group of Millenials --  the 52% of those who rank above average when it comes to being early adopters of technology -- traditional media still plays a key role in their lives. In the 7 days prior to the survey, 93% watched TV, 83% listened to the radio, 66% read a newspaper and 62% read a magazine.

Amazon Debuts 'Send to Kindle' Button

Amazon debuts 'Send to Kindle' button for publishers: Amazon.com Inc. has introduced a “Send to Kindle” button that Web publishers can add to their articles, enabling users to aggregate various content on Kindle devices for later viewing.
The button, which also can be added to WordPress blog posts, offers a function similar to read-it-later services Pocket and Instapaper. The Washington Post, Boing Boing and Time are the first to integrate the button, Amazon said in its Kindle Daily Post blog.

Norske Skog to Idle 130M mtpy Newsprint PM

Norske Skog to curtail newsprint production
In order to avoid unnecessary build up of inventory, Norske Skog will temporarily idle one paper machine (PM2) at Norske Skog Skogn from June. PM2 has an annual production capacity of 130 000 tonnes. Skogn has an annual capacity of 550 000 tonnes.
The temporary closure of capacity at the Skogn mill in Norway is required, both to create a better balance between demand and supply for newsprint in Europe, and to avoid unprofitable production at Skogn.
The one machine still in operation at Norske Skog Tasman (New Zealand) will reduce production by removing 15 000 tonnes from the market, as a direct consequence of the energy price development in New Zealand

APP Tests 500M mtpy Uncoated PM

Indah Kiat Pulp & Paper, an Asia Pulp & Paper's (APP) subsidiary in Indonesia, has kicked off mechanical tests on a fine paper unit assembled from two sets of Beloit paper machine parts it bought 15 years ago.

An Indah Kiat contact said the machine, PM 6, is expected to roll out the first sheet of paper in early
April at the latest at the firm's Perawang mill in Riau province, Sumatra.
The output of the PM will be mainly uncoated fine paper for converting into cut-size copy paper in the basis weight range of 60-120 g/m², the source added.

Consumers Trust Print

Consumers Trust Advertising In Print More Than Other Media: Despite changes in media consumption in recent years, research conducted by finds European consumers continue to have most trust in advertising in printed media. Despite changes in media consumption in recent years, research conducted by finds European consumers continue to have most trust in advertising in printed media.
When asked how much trust they attach to advertising in the various media, consumers gave magazines and newspapers a score of 63%, TV 41% and Internet 25%.
Consumers were also asked about the role of advertising in purchase decision making - almost seven out of ten said that advertising in magazines and newspapers was most important in supporting purchase decisions.
When asked to compare direct mail with social media nearly 90% of respondents valued addressed and non-addressed mail above social media.

Williams-Sonoma Names President

http://www.retailingtoday.com/article/replacement-named-long-time-williams-sonoma-president

Janet Hayes, currently the president of Pottery Barn Kids and PBteen, will become president of the Williams-Sonoma brand, effective March 20. She replaces Richard Harvey, who will be leaving the company on May 3, 2013, after 30 years of service.  
Hayes has served as president Pottery Barn Kids and PBteen, since 2010. From 2008 to 2010, she served as EVP Pottery Barn Kids and PBteen, and from 2007 to 2008, she served as SVP and general merchandise manager Pottery Barn. Prior to 2007, she held roles at American Eagle Outfitters, Nike and Gap.
Sandra Stangl, president of Pottery Barn, will expand her role to include Pottery Barn Kids and PBteen, effective March 20.

Magazines Face New Circulation Requirements

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/magazines-face-new-circulation-requirements-148049

It may have taken more than six years, but the Alliance for Audited Media (formerly the Audit

Bureau of Circulations) has finally passed a rule to make publishers release their sales data in a timely manner. Today, the AAM announced that it will require U.S. magazines with a circulation of more than 250,000 to submit per-issue data through its online Rapid Report database.

Under the new rule, which was first introduced in November and takes effect in July, magazines will have to report initial sales by the end of the month following the month of the issue. (For instance, July issue data must be posted by Aug. 31.)

NPF: USPS Recognizes Quad/Graphics

http://www.piworld.com/article/quad-graphics-earns-the-usps-service-partnership-for-growth-award/1

Quad/Graphics, a leading global printer and media channel integrator, was recognized by the U.S. Postal Service this week for excellence in driving technology innovation and supporting growth for the mailing industry. Postmaster General and CEO, Patrick R. Donahoe presented the inaugural Partnership for Growth award to Quad/Graphics at the annual National Postal Forum.

Bid for LA Times

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/196104/eli-broad-bids-for-la-times.html#axzz2O6xqMRvJ

The Los Angeles Times is up for sale again, and once again L.A. investment mogul Eli Broad is interested. The billionaire philanthropist has partnered with Austin Beutner, who served as L.A. deputy mayor from 2009-2011, to bid for the newspaper -- still one the nation’s largest metropolitan dailies, despite declining circulation in recent years.

Carat Forecasts Advertising Up 3.7%

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/196238/carat-projects-digital-at-one-fifth-of-all-ad-spen.html#axzz2O6xqMRvJ

While TV will remain advertising’s No. 1 medium, digital -- principally online display and search -- will account for one-fifth of all ad spending next year, according to new projections released this morning by Aegis Group’s Carat unit. The forecast, which calls for the global ad economy to expand 3.7% this year, represents a significant downgrade from Carat’s previous projections in August 2012, when Carat projected ad spending would increase 5.1% in 2013. On the bright side, Carat projects worldwide ad spending will rise 5.0% in 2014, led by double-digit increases in Latin America, Russia, and a resurgence in North America and the U.K.

Wiley Launches Digital Classroom

http://www.fortmilltimes.com/2013/03/19/2564914/wiley-announces-digital-classroom.html

John Wiley and Sons, Inc., in partnership with the American Graphics Institute, announce the launch of Digital Classroom (www.digitalclassroom.com), a new e-learning resource that combines video training from expert instructors with a rich library of digital books published by Wiley.

Folio: People On The Move

People On The Move | 3.20.13:
Bobby Ghosh has been promoted to international editor at Time. Ghosh was serving as deputy international editor at the magazine.
Jane Wladar has been promoted to publisher and chief revenue officer at Hearst's Country Living. Wladar was previously associate publisher of Hearst's Car and Driver and Road & Track titles.
Town & Country has named Hillary Koota Krevlin as executive director of partnerships and brand development. Koota Krevlin was serving as a corporate executive at Condé Nast Media Group. Also, William Gasperoni has been named executive director of print and digital marketing. Gasperoni was previously an integrated marketing director at The Wall Street Journal.
And more...

New Value in Uncommon Print Marketing Options

Print Marketing Less Travelled:
Oddly enough, with the digital tsunami drowning us, print has taken on a fresh personality. What some once derided as “junk” is becoming semi-precious.
That thought prompted me to consider options for less-often-seen print marketing. Here’s my list.
1. Personalized print products used post-purchase to bolster relationships..
2. Transpromotional customer service relationship building..
3. “Handwritten” notes..
4. “must save” value-added print..
5. “Real” photographs..
7. Personalized 3D-printed products.

PostNet Receives USPS Mail Innovations Award

PostNet Receives 2013 Mail Innovations Award From U.S. Postal Service: DENVER - PostNet, the nation's first Neighborhood Business Center offering printing, marketing and design solutions for small businesses, received a Mail Innovations award from the U.S. Postal Service at the 2013 National Postal Forum on March 18. PostNet was recognized for its exemplary participation in Every Door Direct Mail, a direct mail service from the U.S. Postal Service.
Launched in 2011, Every Door Direct Mail enables businesses to efficiently reach all residences in a designated area.

Mailstream Meets the Inbox

Where the Mailstream Meets the Inbox: The convergence of print and digital has been much-discussed in recent years, but what exactly does that mean? There are of course QR codes, near field communications (NFC) and augmented reality solutions—all in various stages of market maturity. The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is working on solutions of its own. The goal: to digitize mailboxes.

McClatchy Buys Tru Measure

McClatchy buys Tru Measure: Sacramento, Calif.—Newspaper publisher McClatchy Co. has acquired Tru Measure, a digital marketing company that measures online ad effectiveness. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Email Open Rates Up, Click Rates Fall

Email in Q4 2012: Open Rates Up, Click Rates Fall: The average email open rate increased to 27.4% in Q4 of 2012, representing the highest rate in at least 2 years, finds Epsilon. Click rates remain near a 2 year low at 4.5%.

InfoTrends: Big Data, Customer Experience & Personalization

InfoTrends Explores How Big Data Powers Customer Experience Personalization: Weymouth, MA - There continues to be plenty of hype in the business and technology media about the potential that ?big data? has to help companies glean meaningful insights, make better decisions, develop useful products, and deliver exceptional customer service. Many enterprise marketers have been clued into the power of big data years before the hype caught on, amassing an incredible amount of data on everything from target audiences to campaign performance, all in effort to improve the effectiveness of their customer acquisition and engagement activities.

Washington Post Imposes Paywall

Washington Post to establish paywall: The Washington Post will begin charging users to access its website after they've viewed 20 articles or multimedia features a month. The paywall is expected to go into effect this summer, although no fee structure has been announced.

NewPage Rumford Looks for Tax Break

http://www.sunjournal.com/news/river-valley/2013/03/18/newpage-makes-case-lowering-property-taxes/1335623

The Rumford Paper Mill is paying $2 million more in property taxes than the next highest NewPage mill, according to recent statistics released by the mill.

The Rumford Paper Mill pays $4.4 million annually in property taxes, which is the highest annual property tax of all eight NewPage mills, and $2 million more than the Escanaba mill in Michigan, the mill with the next highest property tax, said mill spokesman Anthony Lyons.
"The Escanaba mill and the Wisconsin Rapids mill are much more modern and newer than our mill," Lyons said. "Yet somehow, their tax rates are much lower than ours in Rumford. Something has to be done."

WA Extends Biomass Tax Break to Mills, with Caveat

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2013/03/17/2518539/legislature-clamps-down-on-tax.html

Winning a tax break could become a lot harder to do at the Washington state Capitol soon.

In both the Democrat-run House and Republican-leaning Senate, bills have passed unanimously this year either to set a new standard for an existing tax break or to lay out expectations for new ones. The House is taking the stricter position, demanding specific goals for job creation or retention, proof that goals are being met, and an expiration date.
And in what House Finance Committee Chairman Reuven Carlyle says is an Evergreen State first, a bill extending a fuel-tax break for lumber and paper mills - mostly on the economically hard-hit Olympic Peninsula - will require a company to repay tax favors if it takes the money then pulls up stakes and leaves the state for China, Brazil or even Idaho.

Nippon Port Angeles/Labor Sign Contract

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20130318/NEWS/303199999/nippon-union-at-odds-port-angeles-paper-mill-continues-operation

Nippon Paper Industries USA implemented a labor contract with about 130 members of the Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers Local 155 without union approval, company and union officials said (Port Angeles, WA mill).

They said workers remained on the job Monday at the plant, which produces paper for telephone books and newspapers, including the Peninsula Daily News.
Plant manager Harold Norlund said the union was warned two months ago that if an agreement was not reached, Nippon would implement it on its own.

Shandong Tralin Converts Coated PM

http://sdtralin.en.alibaba.com/

China's Shandong Tralin Group has halted production on the sole 80,000 tonne/yr coated fine paper (CFP) machine at its Gaotang mill in Liaocheng city, Shandong province, aiming to overhaul it to produce food packaging.

According to the firm, the rebuild of the PM has almost wrapped up. The machine will now mainly produce coated ivory board grades such as cupstock at a rate of 100,000 tonnes/yr.

Holmen to Close 200M mtpy Newsprint PM

Holmen cuts 180 jobs
Holmen Paper intends to cease production on PM 51 at Braviken Paper Mill outside Norrköping, Sweden during the third quarter of 2013. The mill’s product mix will be improved when the proportion of newsprint shrinks by 200 000 tonnes. At the same time, staff will be cut by 180 persons.

Sale of MeadWestvaco's Headquarters Explored

NewMarket Corp. explores possible sale of Meadwestvacoa s corporate headquarters building:
The NewMarket Corp. is exploring the possible sale of one of Richmond’s newest corporate headquarters buildings.
Bruce Hazelgrove, a spokesman for the company, said it has retained HFF Inc. (Holliday Fenoglio Fowler), to check into the possibility of selling the 310,000-square-foot, Class A office tower on South Fifth Street that is home to Fortune 500 company MeadWestvaco Corp.
MeadWestvaco, a global packaging giant, moved its headquarters from Stanford, Conn., to Richmond in 2006 and moved into the building in late 2009.  Since then, Hazelgrove said the building’s owner, NewMarket Corp., has “had so many inquiries that we felt we owed it to our shareholders to look into it.”

Google Drops Tagline of Paperless Campaign

Michael Makin: Google Drops Tagline of Paperless 2013 Campaign: Printing Industries of America’s President and CEO Michael Makin thanked CEO Larry Page and Chairman Eric Schmidt for reconsidering the message of the Paperless 2013 campaign. The following message from Michael Makin has been sent to the Printing Industries of America membership:Dear members,
It may have taken months, but I am pleased to report that as a result of the protest by Printing Industries of America—along with other groups such as Two Sides—Google has corrected its misleading claims made as part of its ill-conceived Paperless 2013 campaign. While the campaign to reduce office paper use will continue, its offensive tag line “Save money. Save time. Save trees” has been eliminated!

Time Inc. CRO Steps Down

Paul Caine Steps Down as Time Inc. CRO:  Shortly after Time Warner announced the spinoff of Time Inc. one senior executive has already taken flight: after 23 years with the company, former chief revenue officer Paul Caine is leaving Time Inc. to become the CEO of Dial Global, Inc., an independent syndicator of audio content

Complex Media Acquires Sole Collector

Complex Media Acquires Men’s Apparel Media Company, Sole Collector:  Complex Media, a multimedia network of entertainment, sports and lifestyle properties, has acquired Sole Collector, a consumer sneaker website, iPad monthly and quarterly print magazine.

RRD Closes Second Ohio Plant

http://news.cincinnati.com/proart/?aid=/ab/20130314/biz/303140050/&pagerestricted=1

RR Donnelley & Sons Co. told the state of Ohio it expects to close its Sycamore Township facility and lay off 57 workers.

The Chicago-based commercial printing firm said the layoffs could start May 13 and be complete by the end of the month.

Cabela's Pursues Omnichannel Growth

http://risnews.edgl.com/retail-best-practices/Cabela-s-New-Chapter-of-Omnichannel-Growth85374?rssid=Article85374
Cabela's has set its focus on leveraging technology investments for 2013 and beyond. It will make three key technology enhancements including price optimization, SKU profitability and the many segments of omnichannel fulfillment.  

In the next 12 to 16 months, the retailer will deploy three different technology enhancements: the first being price optimization, second is around net SKU profitability, and third is omnichannel fulfillment.

44% Book Purchases from e-Tailers

http://www.bowker.com/en-US/aboutus/press_room/2013/pr_03182013.shtm
The rise in e-book reading in the U.S. and U.K. over the last three years has been a key driver in the market share gains of e-retailers, according to research being released this month by Bowker Market Research. In the U.S., e-retailers accounted for 44 percent of book purchases by volume in 2012, up from 25 percent in 2010. In the U.K. the rise has been somewhat less dramatic but still significant, up from 25 percent in January-November 2010, to 38 percent in the same period in 2012.

Plastic Bags: What a Difference a State Makes

http://www.plasticsnews.com/article/20130301/NEWS/130309988/plastic-bags-remain-under-fire-in-california
While California legislators plan to once again consider a bill that would ban single-use plastic bags across the state, local communities are continuing to plow ahead with their own bag ordinances.
http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/03/14/4703384/legislator-wants-to-keep-cities.html
The Republican from Muenster recently filed "The Shopping Bag Freedom Act," a bill intended to block plastic-bag bans in Austin and other Texas cities.

Washington Examiner Relaunched as Weekly Magazine

Washington Examiner Daily to Relaunch as Weekly Magazine: Denver-based Clarity Media Group is announcing some changes to its Washington Group portfolio, which includes the Washington Examiner, conservative magazine The Weekly Standard and Red Alert Politics. The Examiner will transition from a daily news format to a weekly print magazine offering coverage and commentary on politics and policy.

DMA: Fairness Act Unfair

DMA: Fairness Act Unfair:
The Direct Marketing Association today declared its opposition to a proposed amendment to the 2014 Federal Budget endorsing the Marketplace Fairness Act. If passed, the Senate bill would require remote sellers to collect and remit sales taxes to states where consumers purchased their products via the Internet or catalogs.

USPS: $14B Loss or a $2B Profit?

USPS's Options: a $14B Annual Loss or a $2B Annual Profit: U.S. Postal Service (USPS) CFO and EVP Joseph Corbett laid out the harrowing financial stakes the agency faces now and in the coming years during the “Financial Update” panel at the National Postal Forum (NPF) in San Francisco. Essentially, he said, if the USPS is given by Congress the autonomy it needs to adapt its five-year financial plan in full, the agency will make a “modest profit” of $2 billion per year over the next five years, paying its debt down by 2017. If the status quo remains, the USPS will lose $14 billion per year over the next five years.

Postal Reform: Congressional Interest Revived

Postal Service Reform Finds New Life on Capitol Hill:
During an interview on In Depth with Francis Rose, Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas), the new chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service and the Census, said the problems plaguing the Postal Service exist outside of core party values.
"We're going to work with the minority side to make sure their views are always heard," said Farenthold. "A lot of the postal issues and a lot of the federal workforce issues are not these core differences between the Republicans and Democrats that we see on things like taxing and spending."
Farenthold said Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), ranking member of the subcommittee, also is committed to the issues and willing to work on overcoming the hurdles standing in the way of major postal reform. However, progress may come a bit slower as Lynch is currently campaigning for a seat in the Senate.