| Corzine to pitch tolls plan in Randolph
Corzine hasn't said how much tolls may increase, though a recent report suggested a 45 percent toll hike was needed to widen the New Jersey Turnpike and fix bridges on it and the Garden State Parkway. Seating at the public meetings will be limited. People who want to attend the meetings must complete a registration form online at http://www.state.nj.us/townhallmeetings. Some have said tolls might increase 50 percent, which would mean a more than $3.20 increase on the $6.45 it currently costs cars to drive the length of the New Jersey Turnpike. A 70-cent Garden State Parkway toll would rise by 35 cents. Officials have said Parkway tolls have not increased in 17 years and that 35 percent of the fees are paid by out-of-state residents, while on the New Jersey Turnpike only half of tolls are paid by New Jerseyans.
Matt Stevens finds plenty on his mind
He, along with his Bath colleagues, have had to digest the departure at the end of this season of Steve Borthwick, the club captain, to Saracens, their Guinness Premiership opponents tomorrow. Also, there is Bath’s league run to sustain, plus biting back the frustration of having to take second place to Phil Vickery, the England captain, as the RBS Six Nations Championship approaches. It is the pauses for thought that are instructive with Stevens. The prop seeks to match diplomacy with a hint of his true feelings where his personal situation is concerned, but Borthwick’s decision brings a prompt response, echoed elsewhere among the playing staff. "We’re all disappointed he’s leaving, but I understand why, and it’s not a monetary decision," Stevens, 25, said.
Banker's Northern Rock salvage plan
A former boss of Abbey said that he was working on a possible salvage plan for stricken mortgage bank Northern Rock. Luqman Arnold - regarded as one of the City's most experienced bankers - is preparing a proposal that does not involve the sale or break-up of the Newcastle-based business. Mr Arnold will use a heavyweight team of banking experts to work alongside existing management in an attempt to save the ailing bank. The team - drawn from Mr Arnold's financial services investment business, Olivant - will take a minority stake in Northern Rock. He is best known for joining Abbey after the UK's fifth-biggest bank dived into the red five years ago. He stabilised its performance before the business was sold to Spanish bank Santander.
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