Business

A report issued by the Rural School and Community Trust (Rural Trust) uncovered new trends and challenges facing rural educators. Overall, enrollment in rural schools is up by 15%-a reversal of the year-over-year declines seen in these
communities. While overall enrollment is on the rise, the most startling data revealed in Why Rural Matters 2007: The Realities of Rural Education Growth, is the 55% increase in rural minority students, with some states experiencing increases of more than 100%.

Last year, Mayor Steve Lonegan, of Bogota, New Jersey, gained notoriety by demanding the removal of a Spanish-language McDonald’s billboard created by d expósito & Partners. He then tried to make English the official language of the tiny New Jersey town that bears the same name of Colombia’s capital. In a matter of hours, Lonegan was all over the news.

Well, the curious mayor is back in the news and- irony of ironies! – this time he is mentioned for the presumed discovery of two illegal immigrants working on repairs at a second home Lonegan owns in Bogota.

This paper provides an overview of the 2007 political advertising landscape and a forecast of ad spending for 2008. Developed by TNS Media Intelligence/Campaign Media Analysis Group (CMAG), the paper discusses state and local political advertising, strong issue and advocacy ad spend and Presidential campaign ad spend.

The Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) and the National Research Center for College & University Admissions (NRCCUA) announced the results of a new study, which found Latino high school students are increasingly more interested in math, science and engineering subjects with a decrease of interest in technology.

Dewey Square Group announced the launch of DSG LATINovations, the firm’s new venture to tap the country’s fastest growing population.

DSG LATINovations will be led by former DNC Communications Director Maria Cardona and former Congressional Hispanic Caucus Executive Director Maria Robles Meier.

Telemundo and mun2 announced the launch of “Vota Por Tu Futuro” – “Vote 4 UR Future,” the networks’ national non-partisan Hispanic voter registration campaign.

MySpace and MTV teamed up with ImpreMedia as their Hispanic media partner for the 2007 series of Presidential Candidate Dialogues. ImpreMedia’s online channel, LaVibra.com will host the Spanish translated dialogues in streaming video.

Every four years, voters head to the polls to elect our nation’s president.

The process begins with a series of primaries and caucuses in the winter and spring, and ends with the November general election. To mark the start of the 2008 presidential election season, the Census Bureau has culled the following facts from previously released statistical reports.

Univision Communications Inc. announced that it has launched a massive multi-platform campaign to educate the country’s Hispanic population on the upcoming Congressionally mandated transition from analog to digital television broadcasting (DTV). Univision is taking the lead, starting its education program well ahead of the other broadcast networks in order to ensure that all Hispanics in the U.S. and Puerto Rico are appropriately informed about this complex and important issue.

Arturo Villar’s Solmark Media Group, which also publishes Hispanic Market Weekly (HMW), has been distributing information to people in the ad industry about the content and target publishing date of November 5th, 2007 for their new publication dedicated to help politicians, elected officials, candidates, campaign managers, advisers and consultants better understand, reach and create effective strategies to reach Latino voters.

Editorial Campana, a Latino publishing company dedicated to promoting the talent of independent writers, announced the official debut of its 7 new titles. The event will take place on October 4, at 7:P.M at the NYU’s King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center.

Univision Communications Inc., together with the University of Miami, made history this evening with the broadcast of the first ever U.S. presidential candidate Forum in Spanish. Univision’s Democratic Presidential Candidate Forum provided an innovative and landmark opportunity for the candidates to speak directly to the growing Hispanic electorate, whose votes will play a pivotal role in the next presidential election.

It’s gotten cheap to say, but Sunday night it will be true: History will be made. For the first time ever, presidential candidates will take part in a nationally televised debate en español. That anyone would even entertain the idea is a sign of the growing political clout of Hispanics. BY JOSE CANCELA