UPDATE: Clem resigns from EDA; Wright to be interim director (The News Herald)

PANAMA CITY — A top Bay County economic development official will be starting 2009 with a new job.

Brent Batten: Prepare to be Kreskin-amazed in 2009 (Naples Daily News)

Brent Batten's column for Sunday, Jan. 4, 2009

Legislators caught in budget squeeze (Brainerd Dispatch)

[Listening to area state lawmakers as they brace themselves for Tuesday's convening of the Legislature is a little like eavesdropping on a group of waiters in a restaurant. The talk is all about "what's on the table" and "what's off the table."

Fewer Jobs Listed In South Florida (Local 10 Miami)

A spike in jobless claims will mark the beginning of 2009, but many unemployed people hope the new year will help turn the job market around.

Clewiston trapped by sour economy (Sun-Sentinel)

On the southwest shores of Lake Okeechobee, the "Sweetest Town in America" faces a bitter and stubborn reality.