VNN ENDORSES KERRY FOR PRESIDENT
By: Sharon Childs-Long

Birmingham, AL -- (October 22, 2004) Voter News Network announced today its support for Massachusetts Senator John Kerry's candidacy for President. "This endorsement was the toughest one our organization has made in its history", said VNN founder Donald V. Watkins. "George Bush and John Kerry were so uninspiring as candidates, that our candidate evaluation committee agonized for weeks before making the endorsement decision", he noted.

In making the endorsement, VNN considered the career records of both men on key pocket book issues, the state of the economy during the past three and a half years, fiscal management skills, recent polling trends, and each man's vision for the future. While neither candidate was seen as a strong and effective leader, Kerry edged out Bush for the endorsement primarily because he has the intellectual capacity to become one. Bush's intellectual capacity and public policy judgments have been called into question on numerous occasions during his presidency by worldwide media organizations and respected political analysts. VNN's assessment of these men was devoid of political spin and campaign sound-bites.

A Kerry Administration will probably be more open to progressive economic measures for working and middle-class Americans. The Bush Administration lost its focus on economic issues, and devoted too much time and effort on surrounding the President with ultra-conservative ideologues who worked overtime to contain progressive and responsive government. Bush's Attorney General, John Ashcroft, has been a particular disappointment. When VNN supported Ashcroft's nomination three years ago, the organization stated at the time that it would hold Bush accountable politically for Ashcroft's performance in office. The Attorney General's job performance has been pathetic on issues involving the enforcement of environmental regulations and laws, the even-handed enforcement of criminal laws, and the protection of civil liberties and constitutional rights.

Bush rightly believes that the war on terrorism must be fought where terrorists train. However, his policies implementing this belief, including the war in Iraq, are hopelessly flawed. Bush's war plans were and continue to be based upon faulty intelligent assessments and political judgment. These policies will not change unless there is a change in the Presidency. Meaning well and performing well are two different things. VNN's support is strictly performance-based.

Kerry has been in the cold shadows of Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy so long, he will have to thaw out in the sunshine of America's political grace before he can grow into a strong leader and effective President. VNN is in a strategic position to help Kerry get elected and govern successfully, if he listens to mainstream, independent voters. Kerry will have to work hard to meet the high standards of political accountability VNN applies to candidates it supports. VNN's continued political support for Kerry will be based upon his performance in office, nothing more and nothing less.

With VNN's endorsement, the organization will encourage its base of 500,000 independent voters to send financial contributions to the Kerry campaign, and to e-mail VNN at info@voternewsnetwork.com when they have done so. VNN will also fund and mobilize its GOTV teams in key battle ground states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Michigan, and Wisconsin to maximize voter turnout for Election Day.

VNN does not accept campaign funds from candidates, political parties or special interest groups affiliated with candidates. Its endorsement cannot be brokered or bought. It must be earned.



BUSH, KERRY DEBATE FOREIGN POLICY
Candidates Back on Campaign Trail as Post-Debate Polls Tilt Toward Kerry
By TERENCE HUNT, AP

CORAL GABLES, FL. (Oct. 1) -- President Bush and Sen. John Kerry rushed back to the campaign trail Friday to try to convince voters they had won the debate over foreign policy and to renew the argument over whether going to war in Iraq had made the nation safer.

Three post-debate polls suggested voters who watched the policy-driven confrontation Thursday night were impressed by Kerry. Most of those surveyed said he did better than Bush.

Kerry's running mate, Sen. John Edwards, said Friday he told Kerry after the debate ''I think people saw the next commander in chief,'' and he criticized Bush for failing to acknowledge problems in Iraq. ''You can't fix a problem if you're not willing to admit that mistakes have been made and that you have a problem,'' he told ABC's ''Good Morning America.''

Bush, however, believed he had effectively spelled out the strategy and shown the resolve with which he is fighting the war on terror, White House communications director Dan Bartlett said. ''I think he spoke from the heart, spoke with strength about the necessity for our country to fight the terrorists over there so we don't have to face them here at home,'' Bartlett told ABC. ''He had a good time last night.''

Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican who informally advised Bush on how to debate his friend and Senate colleague, told reporters in Miami on Friday that the debate was probably Kerry's ''brightest moment'' in the last six weeks. ''He presented himself well, John did,'' McCain said. ''Kerry came out slugging.''

Kerry's campaign prepared a TV ad that featured newspaper headlines from Friday praising the Democrat's performance. The Democratic National Committee was rolling out a Web video showing clips of Bush appearing frustrated at the debate.
When Kerry leveled some of his charges, Bush appeared irritated and scowled at times and, at other moments, glanced away in apparent disgust. Kerry often took notes when the president spoke. The television networks offered a split screen to viewers so they could see both men at the same time and watch their reactions.

Bush knew he would be on camera during the entire debate and was aware that the networks had not agreed to show only the candidate who was speaking, Bush campaign spokeswoman Nicolle Devenish said. Regarding Bush's facial reactions, Devenish said: ''The president reacted honestly. It showed the president really believes in his convictions.''

From the first question, Kerry went on the offensive, accusing Bush of leaving U.S. alliances around the world ''in shatters'' and later calling Iraq ''this incredible mess.'' Bush said Kerry had voted to authorize the war he now criticizes. ''That's not how a commander in chief acts,'' Bush said.

Less than five weeks before the election, Iraq dominated the debate on a day when a string of bombs killed 35 children and wounded scores of others in western Baghdad. Overall, more than 1,000 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq.

Kerry summed up Bush's strategy for Iraq as ''more of the same'' and added: ''This president has made, I regret to say, a colossal error of judgment. And judgment is what we look for in the president of the United States of America.''

Bush acknowledged that not every American agrees with the decisions he's made. ''But people know where I stand,'' Bush said, suggesting they don't know where Kerry stands. ''People out there listening know what I believe.''

From Florida, Bush was heading out Friday to rallies in Pennsylvania and New Hampshire, two key battleground states. Kerry was spending the day campaigning in Florida, where the presidential race was decided four years ago.

In Thursday night's encounter at the University of Miami, Bush and Kerry drew heavily on oft-repeated lines from their campaign speeches but they faced each other directly across the same stage for the first time.

On Iraq, Bush criticized Kerry for saying it was the wrong war at the wrong time in the wrong place. ''What message does that send to our troops?'' the president said. ''Not a message a commander in chief gives.''

Repeating a line he has used countless times to show his opponent is inconsistent, Bush tweaked Kerry for saying he voted for an $87 billion spending bill for Iraq and Afghanistan before he voted against it.

Kerry shot back, ''Well, you know, when I talked bout the $87 billion, I made a mistake in how I talk about the war. But the president made a mistake in invading Iraq. Which is worse?''

Trying to persuade voters that he is tough enough to be commander in chief, Kerry said, ''I believe in being strong and resolute and determined. And I will hunt down and kill the terrorists, wherever they are.'' He said that Bush, in invading Iraq, lost sight of the goal of capturing terrorist leader Osama bin Laden.
But Bush insisted that ''the world is safer without Saddam Hussein.'' He called Iraq ''a central part in the war on terror'' and said 75 percent of bin Laden's leadership had been brought to justice.

Trying to turn Kerry's criticism against him, Bush said, ''I understand what it means to be the commander in chief. And if I were to ever say, 'This is the wrong war at the wrong time at the wrong place,' the troops would wonder, 'How can I follow this guy?'''

To Kerry's contention that he could summon broader international support for the war, Bush said, ''They're not going to follow someone whose core convictions keep changing because of politics.''
While Iraq was the dominant issue in the debate, there were notable differences on North Korea and Iran, two nations suspected of pursuing nuclear weapons programs. Kerry urged that the United States hold direct bilateral talks with North Korea, but Bush called Kerry's proposal ''a big mistake'' that would crush multinational talks and remove pressure from China on North Korea. Kerry said North Korea has amassed more nuclear weapons during Bush's administration.

On Iran, Kerry said the United States should have worked with allies like France, Germany and Britain to impose sanctions if Tehran refused to give up its nuclear program.



LIKE THAT 'FAHRENHEIT' FILM, EXCEPT BUSH IS THE HERO
By JOHN TIERNEY, The New York Times

The Republicans finally have Hollywood's answer to Michael Moore: "Celsius 41.11 - The Temperature at Which the Brain Begins to Die," a documentary made in six weeks that is billed as "The Truth Behind the Lies of Fahrenheit 9/11!"

After its premiere in Georgetown on Tuesday night, there seemed to be two prevailing sentiments among the solidly Republican crowd of 300. One was that the film is a lot more thoughtful and accurate than "Fahrenheit 9/11." The other was that it is not going to gross $100 million. But then, that was not the point, as the Hollywood conservatives (yes, there are some) who made it kept insisting.

"We could have gone wall to wall with red meat on this, but we purposely didn't," said Lionel Chetwynd, a writer and producer of the film. His credits include the screenplay for "The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz" and documentaries on D-Day, Vietnam and Sept. 11, and he is billed as a special guest at the Liberty Film Festival, "Hollywood's first conservative film festival," running Friday through Sunday. "The cheap shots may be entertaining in Moore's film," he added, "but we wanted to make the intellectual case and go beyond lecturing to the converted."

Hollywood's version of the presidential campaign seems to be an inverse of the one being waged out of Washington. Democrats have been lamenting that their candidate is too much brain, too little heart, in contrast to the Republicans' emotionally appealing message.

But on the big screen, the Republicans are taking the wonk approach in an attempt to show that their brains have not overheated. "Celsius 41.11" offers a point-by-point defense of President Bush (listed on the screen like a PowerPoint presentation) by politicians, journalists and scholars discoursing on the legality of the Florida recount in 2000, the Clinton administration's record on fighting terrorism and the theory of American exceptionalism.

The film does have a few "Fahrenheit"-style juxtapositions, like an image of the World Trade Center burning as Mr. Moore declares: "This needs to be said on national television. There is no terrorist threat." The discussion of Europe's slow response to Hitler is illustrated with a picture of French antiwar demonstrators in 1938 holding up signs saying "Non" - which inspired a hiss from the Republicans on Tuesday.

Senator John Kerry is serenaded with a new song (written and recorded on deadline last weekend) by Larry Gatlin, the country-music star. Sounding a bit like Pete Seeger, he sings, "John boy, please tell us which way the wind's blowing." But it's not even accompanied by the famous shot of Mr. Kerry windsurfing.

"It would be easy to string together a montage of Kerry footage as the man of athletic leisure, make him out to be a wealthy dilettante, the way that Moore did with Bush," Mr. Chetwynd said, alluding to the recurrent images of Mr. Bush on vacation in "Fahrenheit 9/11." "But we wanted to deconstruct the anybody-but-Bush argument by taking Kerry on his own terms, as a serious man."

The film was financed and produced by Citizens United, a conservative group in Washington. In June it asked the Federal Elections Commission to stop Mr. Moore from running advertisements for his film during the period before the election when political commercials by outside groups are restricted. That complaint was dismissed after Mr. Moore said he would not run the commercials in question.

In a separate ruling this month, the commission refused to allow Citizens United to advertise "Celsius 41.11" or pay to run it on television. David N. Bossie, the group's president, said this week that several distributors were interested in "Celsius 41.11" and that he hoped it would appear in theaters within two weeks.

No one, including its creators, expects the film to have the popular impact of "Fahrenheit 9/11," and the premiere Tuesday lacked the array of Washington celebrities who turned out for Mr. Moore's opening. But those who did show up seemed delighted that someone was finally taking on Mr. Moore.

"This film wins an entry into the debate," said Jerome R. Corsi, an author of "Unfit for Command," the best-selling critique of Mr. Kerry's Vietnam record. "It's going to be talked about."

Debra Burlingame, whose brother was the pilot of the airplane that crashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, said she found the film's sober tone a welcome contrast to Mr. Moore's approach.

"Michael Moore actually used footage of the Pentagon in flames as a sight gag," said Ms. Burlingame, a founder of a group of relatives of Sept. 11 victims who are supporting Mr. Bush. "It was really hard to sit there in the theater listening to people laugh at that scene knowing my brother was on that plane. I wish more people would see this film instead."



DEALING WITH A DISASTER'S AFTERMATH -- AND YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY
By Jennie L. Phipps, Bankrate.com

The disaster has passed, leaving behind a mess so complete it's hard to know where to begin putting things right.

Resist the temptation to run away and worry about it later. Your mission -- and you better accept it -- is to call your insurers and get the claim ball rolling. The sooner you report damage, the sooner you get to cash the check.

Here are 12 tips from insurance experts that will assist you in cleaning up the financial mess and getting on with life:

1. Call right away.
Calling the insurance company will put the claim on record and also may get you some emergency help, such as a crew to help pump out a swamped basement following a hurricane or flood. You can contact your agent by phone or e-mail, but it is always a good idea to also mail a letter notifying the company and outlining the loss. Getting proof of delivery will let you off the hook if, for some reason, your report goes unrecorded and there is some question concerning timing of the claim.

2. Hunt down your insurance policies.
Ideally, you would have collected these policies in a safe place beforehand. Now is time to get them out. This includes not just your homeowners, wind and flood policies, but also auto and even health insurance. You need them all because some policies may include overlapping coverage. Read the fine print of each carefully, especially the part in your homeowners policy entitled "Duties After a Loss."

Don't take the naive attitude that your insurance company will take care of everything.
"Even if you have a good, proactive company, you have obligations," says James Walsh, author of "Get Your Claim Paid."

And although it won't help with your current problems, now that you have all your policies in hand, when things settle down consider what revisions you might want -- or need -- to make in case there ever is a next time.

For example, can you get a more reasonable deductible? In at least 15 coastal states stretching from Maine to Texas, the hurricane-related wind damage deductible (especially on newer policies) probably isn't a flat amount. It usually equals 2 percent to 5 percent of your home's insured value, meaning that if you have a $200,000 policy, you'll have to cover as much as $10,000 in hurricane-related damage before your homeowners policy kicks in. Some companies will allow you to pay a higher premium to lower the percent or, in some cases, even get a flat dollar deductible. Some insurers even allow changes with as little as 24 hours notice. Call your agent and ask. The worst the company can say is no.

Another coverage worth adding if you don't already have it is sewer-backup insurance. While homeowners policies don't cover flooding (you have to buy federal flood insurance for that), sewer-backup insurance will cover damage caused by water that backs up, overloading the sewer system, your septic tank or your sump pump, and then flows into the house.

3. Check your property thoroughly as soon as possible.
Inspect everything: basements, attics, backyard sheds. In particular, look carefully at the roof. Even if it looks solid, search for any evidence of leakage. Check the foundation for cracks or erosion, even if you don't have floodwater inside your house. Make sure that major systems like your furnace and air conditioner are working. Turn on all your appliances. Make a written list of any damage you find. It also is a good idea to corroborate any damages by taking photographs. If you have pre-damage pictures of your property and belongings, all the better. The before and after photographs can substantiate what property you lost or how strong a hit your home took.

4. Make temporary repairs.
This will prevent further damage to your property. For instance, if a picture window is smashed, do what you can to cover the opening. "If an adjuster looks at your house and sees that you made a good effort to mitigate further damage, he or she is more likely to approve the claims you make," Walsh says. But stop short of removing evidence of the damage. If the insurance adjuster can't see what happened, he's unlikely to take your word that it did.

And as much as you'd like any help, don't accept the services of companies that drive through damaged neighborhoods immediately after a disaster and offer to help. While these services may seem tempting, Carolyn Gorman, vice president of the Insurance Information Institute, says catastrophes bring scam artists out of the woodwork. Plus, the services that many of these opportunistic companies offer, such as tree removal after tornadoes or hurricanes, are usually performed free of charge by Federal Emergency Management Association teams.

5. Be wary.
Give your agent the phone numbers and addresses where you can be reached day or night. When an adjuster contacts you, ask for identification. Do not permit an adjuster to inspect your property without proper identification. Thieves have been known to use this ruse to get inside your home.

6. Be prepared.
When the adjuster shows up, have available evidence of your loss, including itemized lists, appraisals, videos, still photos, receipts -- whatever you can muster to prove what you owned and what it's worth.

7. Don't settle for less.
It can be a blessing if your insurance company sets up an emergency claims office in the area and offers to settle partial claims on the spot. This is a practice of many large insurance companies experienced in disaster management. But don't jump at immediate relief. Occasionally, a less scrupulous insurer will try to slip in language on a small settlement that states the payment is a full satisfaction of the company's liability.

And be careful of anything you sign, warns Walsh.
"Under those circumstances, most major companies won't require that you sign anything other than endorsing the check," says Walsh.
Even before you do that, make sure that there isn't language on the back of the check that prevents you from making any further claims.

8. Don't take the first offer.
You don't have to accept the first settlement your insurance company offers. If you don't think a settlement is enough, go back and look over your policy. Read the coverage limits for various types of structures and personal possessions and check how the insurance company is applying each type. Talk to the claims adjuster. If he doesn't provide satisfaction, go higher.

"If you're sure you're right, don't take no for an answer," says Gorman.

If all else fails, file a report with your state insurance department.

"In a disaster situation, no company wants the state insurance department breathing down its neck," says Gorman.

9. Consider the alternatives.
It's possible that your policy limits you to rebuilding exactly the same house in the exactly the same place. Many policies don't. Consider whether you want to use this opportunity to move to a condominium or pick up stakes and sail around the world.

10. Get help.
Filing any insurance claim generally is a do-it-yourself task. In most cases, that's not a problem -- as long as you are dealing with a reputable insurance company and you are reasonably assertive and willing to stay on top of the claim. But if you're unable to be near the property or the claim is complicated or you're not well, you might consider hiring a licensed public adjuster. For about 10 percent of the claim, they'll read over your policies, submit the paperwork and follow up on any problems.

11. Vet the repair services.
Your insurance company may offer to wave a deductible if you're willing to work with a contractor it recommends. While this can be a good thing, Walsh warns that it can also lock you into hiring a company whose work doesn't meet your standards. Whether you go with the insurer's choice or find somebody on your own, don't be in such a rush that you neglect to check references or sign on the dotted line for work that you don't want. And if the insurance company is paying the repair company directly, don't sign anything that approves payment until the work is completed to your satisfaction.

12. Continue to be vigilant.
Even after you've submitted a claim, stay on the lookout for damage that may take weeks to appear. Storms sometimes trigger things such as sinkholes and other earth movement that occur days or months later. And foundations of houses may shift or settle weeks after flooding. But don't let too much time pass. Find out your policy's time limit on making claims and meet that deadline.



DISASTER AID FROM A SURPRISING SOURCE
By Tamara E. Holmes, Bankrate.com

Homeowners and renters, especially those in Southeast and Gulf Coast states, know insurance can cover a lot of the damage caused by hurricanes and other natural disasters, but you might be surprised to learn substantial aid is available through an unlikely source: the U.S. Small Business Administration.

The SBA offers low-interest loans for property damage, and you don't have to be a small business owner to get it.

"That seems to confuse people because of the name of the agency," admits Carol Chastang, a spokesperson for the SBA. "But it's a mandate from Congress 51 years ago that made it possible for us to make loans to homeowners and renters, as well as businesses."

Approximately one of every five Florida homes has been damaged by a hurricane this year, according to the Insurance Information Institute. And hurricanes aren't the only natural disaster that can affect your home. Wildfires, tornadoes and earthquakes -- not to mention the new threat of terrorist attacks -- all give homeowners something to consider, if not all-out worry about.

Anyone who lives in a declared disaster area can apply for the loans, which currently have interest rates as low as 3.187 percent, but vary depending on your ability to obtain funds elsewhere.

If you can obtain credit elsewhere, the rate is based on the cost of money to the U.S. government, but will not be more than 8 percent. If you cannot get the money elsewhere, the rate is cut in half, and not more than 4 percent per year. The maximum loan term for homeowners and renters is for 30 years, but can vary depending on your ability to repay.

The maximum amount that homeowners can borrow is $200,000 to make repairs on primary residences only, meaning owners of vacation homes need not apply. However, homeowners can apply for as much as $40,000 more to cover the repair or replacement of items inside of the home such as "furniture, appliances, clothing and cars -- anything that's not fully covered by insurance that was destroyed or damaged," Chastang says.

Renters too, can get in on the action, being eligible to receive loans of up to $40,000 to cover items damaged and destroyed in the home.

But before you go contacting the SBA for funds to fix up your damaged home, you must first contact the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
FEMA is the point agency for federal aid during emergencies, and a FEMA representative will provide you with an application packet for an SBA home or property loan, says Barbara J. Ellis, a spokesperson for FEMA.

"The SBA then becomes the point agency once [homeowners] complete that packet," she says.
To apply, you must submit an application that includes a list of items that were damaged or destroyed, along with the repair or replacement cost of each. The application also gives the Internal Revenue Service permission to release information from your last two tax returns to the SBA. To bolster your chances of being approved for a loan, you can send evidence of damage such as pictures of a blown-off roof.

Once your claim has been made, you can expect to be visited by an SBA representative who will check to make sure that the claim is valid.

The agency tends to process the claim within 10 days, Chastang says. You should know whether you will be receiving funds in about 18 days.
Loans in excess of $10,000 must be secured, often via a first or second mortgage on the damaged home, so the SBA will need information from you to close the deal. Once that is completed, you'll receive money in installments to repair or replace items in your home.

While SBA home and property loans are designed to augment insurance, they are not designed to replace it. The Insurance Information Institute expects to pay out more than $15 billion in insurance claims as a direct result of Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne.

But for homeowners who don't have enough coverage to address all of their damages, the SBA loans will pick up the slack.

Once the SBA determines how much your damages are worth, it will subtract any monies that have already been paid out by insurance companies. So, for example, if your damages will cost $100,000 to repair and your insurance will pay for $80,000, then the SBA loan would only cover the additional $20,000.

If you're having a problem agreeing with your insurance company on a settlement, don't despair. You can apply for an SBA home and property loan for the entire amount of your damages. Should you come to an agreement with your insurance company at a later time, the money from the insurance company could then be applied to the SBA loan.

Even if you're not having problems with your insurance company, you may find yourself waiting for a long time for your claim to be processed.
For example, in the case of the recent Florida hurricane damage, "The unprecedented challenges created by the multiple hurricanes understandably will strain resources and cause some delays that would not normally occur," according to Robert Hartwig, the chief economist for the Insurance Information Institute.

The SBA does not want homeowners to wait for a lengthy insurance-claim process to end before they apply. If you're not sure how much you'll qualify for via insurance, again, you can apply for a loan up to the limit and pay the SBA once your insurance monies come in.

Once you're approved for a loan, you can't change your mind and use the funds for your son's college tuition or some other expense. To ensure that funds are spent as they were intended to be, the SBA requires that loan recipients keep all receipts and records of repairs and replacements for three years. The penalty for misusing disaster loan funds is the immediate payment of one and a half times the amount of the loan.

While the SBA might not be the most well-known resource when it comes to repairing damaged homes after an emergency, it generally awards $800 million to $900 million in loans per year as a result of national emergencies.

"There's a sizable population in this country that relies on these low-interest loans to rebuild after a disaster," Chastang says.



AUGUST HOME SALES SET RECORD; AVERAGE SELLING PRICE DOWN
Friday, October 01, 2004
MICHAEL TOMBERLIN, The Birmingham News

August home sales in the Birmingham area hit yet another all-time high, capping a record-shattering summer sales period.

Agents in the Birmingham Association of Realtors sold 1,427 existing homes in August, well beyond the 1,389 sold in August 2003, the previous record for the month.

"June and July were records for us and we beat last August," said Jan Camp, managing broker of RealtySouth's Over The Mountain-Acton Road office.

The Birmingham Association of Realtors has been keeping records of home sales in the metro area for more than a decade. The group's reports are closely monitored as a key economic indicator for the area.

The robust August means Birmingham area home sales have set records in the first eight months of this year. Through August, agents have sold a total of 10,320 homes.

Average selling prices, however, did come down in August.

The average sales price of $176,812 was higher than August 2003's average of $176,213, but it was lower than the $188,494 average in July.

Smallest price gap:
Another report released last week showed that, even with fluctuations in home prices, Alabama's major cities see the smallest gap in average prices among major markets in all states.

Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corp. said the study looked at 348 large markets in the country and found Alabama had the least variation in average selling prices among its larger cities.

The report found Huntsville's homes were most expensive in Alabama at an average sales price of $188,466. However, the average was not much higher than the market Coldwell Banker considered the most affordable, Mobile, where the average sales price was $180,575.

California had the greatest disparity, with homes selling for an average of $1.7 million in La Jolla and $348,600 in Riverside/Ontario.

In Birmingham in August, the most expensive area remained southern communities such as Mountain Brook, Homewood, U.S. 280 and Hoover. The average selling price in August was $248,338 in that area.

The southern area, however, was the only one in the metro area that saw fewer home sales in August than a year ago, though its 637 home sales still represented nearly half of the total market.

The strongest growth was in eastern areas including Trussville and St. Clair County with 446 sales and western areas including McCalla, Hueytown, Pleasant Grove and Bessemer, where sales reached 256 in August.



NATURAL GAS PRICES GOING UP NATIONALLY
Friday, October 01, 2004
ROY L. WILLIAMS, The Birmingham News

First gasoline, now natural gas.

Experts say consumers could soon get hit with higher costs for another form of energy - the gas that heats their homes. Futures prices for natural gas surged 17 percent in New York trading in two days this week, and some are estimating record prices this winter.

Though some experts are predicting higher wholesale costs will be passed along to customers, an Alagasco official said Alabamians needn't worry. The state's largest natural gas utility has enough supply to keep costs in line so far, spokesman Andre Taylor said.

"The bottom line answer is just because prices are rising nationally does not mean they will rise here," Taylor said. Taylor said Alagasco's typical customer will pay in October only $1.50 more than they did in October 2003, provided the state has normal weather. Alagasco serves 463,000 customers in Alabama cities such as Birmingham, Opelika, Selma, Montgomery and Tuscaloosa.

17% jump:
The price for a million British thermal units of natural gas trading in New York for delivery in November jumped 17 percent on Tuesday and Wednesday as traders worried about supplies. On Thursday, crude oil futures, which have surged this year on all kinds of worries, traded just under $50 a barrel.

Some experts are wondering whether natural gas could experience a run-up similar to oil, which has boosted costs for gasoline and diesel fuel. A gallon of regular unleaded averaged $1.84 across Alabama on Thursday, up from $1.47 a year ago.

The U.S. Energy Department in last month predicted the total winter heating bill for the average natural gas user will be $1,010, up 17 percent from last winter and 68 percent higher than the 2001-02 season.

A report released Thursday by the Natural Gas Supply Association, a trade group representing natural gas producers, said winter demand is expected to increase across the country and could boost consumer costs.

"Producers are working harder to compensate by significantly increasing their drilling activity, but this tight market could really impact customer bills in some regions, particularly during extreme weather," said association chairman Joseph A. Blount, president of Unocal Midstream and Trade.

Budget billing:
While not making a price prediction, the Natural Gas Suppliers Association in its report said that the combination of a strengthening economy, expectations for a colder winter in the east and flat production will likely offset higher-than-usual inventories and boost prices.

Taylor of Alagasco acknowledged the industry concerns but added that Alagasco feels secure it can meet customer demands with its supply. "We did not have a hot summer so we were able to increase our storage supply," Taylor said.

Taylor suggested that Alagasco customers concerned about their winter bills sign up for the company's budget billing plan, which levels out their monthly payments on an average based on bills from the previous 12 months.

"The budget billing plan is an excellent way for people to avoid the spike of the winter months," Taylor said.