If you want to read a simple, straight-forward article that shows how the international credit crunch is hurting local business, read this article from the Raleigh, NC News & Observer.  It discusses why apparently booming and successful Wakefield Commons shopping center might be sold at a fire sale and how that will affect local properties.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced this morning that the H-1B nonimmigrant cap for fiscal year 2010 has not been reached.  Should USCIS receive the necessary number of petitions to meet the respective caps, it will issue an update to advise the public that, as of a certain date (the “final receipt date”), the [...]

One of my favorite sites, WalletPop.com, has a cautionary tale about an identity theft/computer hacking scam in Grand Forks, ND.  Apparently, fake parking tickets were put on cars.  The tickets had a web site where people could view photos of their illegally parked cars and pay a fine.  By visiting the site, the victims downloaded [...]

Karen Mills was confirmed as head of the Small Business Administration (SBA) Thursday.  Her nomination drew widespread head-scratching because of her background as a venture capitalist, rather than as someone familiar with small business needs.  The SBA is supposed to be the federal government champion of small businesses.  According to its web site: The U.S. Small [...]

As of today, April 3, 2009, all U.S. employers must begin using the updated I-9 form for verifying employment eligibility.  The I-9 system of employment verification, created by the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, is the nation’s sole mandatory employment eligibility verification program. All U.S. employers are responsible for the completion and retention [...]

The North Carolina Business Court recently ruled in Mitchell, Brewer, Richardson, Adams, Burge & Boughman, PLLC; v. Brewer that the NC Limited Liability Company Act does not permit a member of a limited liability company (“LLC”) to voluntarily withdraw from the company unless there is a written agreement that permits it.  Even to me, this [...]