Press Releases

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO) announced that yesterday Standard and Poor's revised the Company's long-term outlook to stable. At the same time, S&P also affirmed the Company's "A" long-term rating and "A-1" short-term rating.

    Source: The Washington Post Company

FARGO, N.D., Dec. 4, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Otter Tail Corporation (Nasdaq: OTTR) announced today the closing of an offering of $100 million of its 9.000% Notes due 2016. The Notes will be senior unsecured obligations of Otter Tail Corporation. Otter Tail Corporation intends to use the net proceeds of the offering to reduce borrowings under its revolving credit facility.

Banc of America Securities LLC and J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. acted as joint book-running managers, U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc. acted as lead manager and BNP Paribas Securities Corp., KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc. and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC acted as co-managers for the offering.

This press release is for informational purposes only and is not an offer to buy or the solicitation of an offer to sell with respect to any securities. The offering was made only by means of the prospectus supplement and the prospectus relating to the Notes. The offering was not made in any jurisdiction in which the making or acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities, blue sky or other laws of such jurisdiction.

About The Corporation: Otter Tail Corporation has interests in diversified operations that include an electric utility, manufacturing, health services, food ingredient processing and infrastructure businesses which include plastics, construction and transportation. Otter Tail Corporation stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol OTTR. The latest investor and corporate information is available at www.ottertail.com. Corporate offices are located in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, and Fargo, North Dakota.

The Otter Tail Corporation logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=4958

CONTACT:  Otter Tail Corporation
          Media contact:
          Michael J. Olsen, VP of Corporate Communications
            (701) 451-3580
            (866) 410-8780
          Investor contact:
          Loren Hanson, Director of Shareholder Services
            (218) 739-8481
            (800) 664-1259

WARRENDALE, Pa., Dec. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Two new systems represent the future of air traffic management (ATM) - Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) and Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR).

Recognizing the importance that both systems will play in global aviation, SAE International is creating an ATM Steering Committee to identify key standardization issues regarding the new ATM technology. SAE International already has several technical committees developing standards related to NextGen and SESAR.

Currently, ATM-related mandates are focused on developing high-level requirements for the implementation of NextGen and SESAR; the new SAE ATM Steering Committee will address more detailed aspects of both systems.

"Throughout its history, SAE International has been at the forefront of standards development for the aviation industry," Edward M. Manns, manager of aerospace standards for SAE International said. "We continue that tradition with the creation of this new ATM Steering Committee. NextGen and SESAR systems are the future of air traffic management and SAE International will be a leader in developing an infrastructure for technical standards."

The SAE International ATM Steering Committee will include aerospace professionals from around the world, and has received commitments for participation from the Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing, Airbus, International Civil Aviation Organization, ITT, Rockwell Collins, CIRA, QinetiQ, General Electric and MITRE.

Serving as the committee's chairperson will be Rick Heinrich, Director of Strategic Initiatives for Rockwell Collins, Commercial Systems. Heinrich organized and moderated the "NextGen Avionics: Which Technologies Will Soar Higher?" Webcast for SAE International in August 2009.

"These systems are extremely relevant in that they will help revolutionize how air traffic management is done in Europe, the United States and around the world," Heinrich said. "This new committee will play an important role in the safe and efficient deployment of these new technologies. One of the key roles of this committee will be to ensure that we minimize redundancy as standards are being developed, and to identify new areas where standards or guidance is necessary. One example is the area of human factors as the roles of the aircraft and automation systems evolve."

SAE International is a global association of more than 121,000 engineers and related technical experts in the automotive, aerospace and commercial-vehicle industries. SAE International's core competencies are life-long learning and standards development. SAE International's charitable arm is the SAE Foundation, which supports many programs, including A World in Motion(R) and the Collegiate Design Series.

- www.sae.org -

Contact: Shawn Andreassi, SAE International, via pr@sae.org or call 1-724-772-8522

SOURCE SAE International

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement on the November jobs report issued today by the Department of Labor, which showed that 11,000 jobs were lost last month, far fewer than economists had anticipated. And the job losses for September and October were revised downward, showing that the rate of job losses has started to decline - from an average of 673,000 per month in the final three months of the Bush Administration to 87,000 during the past three months.

"Today's jobs report is evidence that our recovery efforts are moving our economy in the right direction. After losing an average of 673,000 jobs per month in the final three months of the Bush Administration, the report for November showed a job loss of 11,000 jobs - the lowest level since the recession began in December 2007.

"The economy grew by nearly 3 percent in the third quarter, compared to a decline of 6.4 percent in the first quarter of 2009 - in large part because of the Recovery Act, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office. These economic trends are clear signs that our country is on the path back to job growth and illustrate that the economic policies of President Obama and the Democratic Congress are starting to work.

"But our work is not over. Too many people have lost their jobs, which is devastating for any household trying to make ends meet, pay the bills, and put food on the table. The Bush Administration policies created a huge jobs deficit, and getting Americans back to work has been and will remain our top priority. In the coming weeks, House Democrats will continue to build on our efforts to grow the economy and create jobs by investing in our infrastructure, helping local governments keep teachers, police officers, and firefighters on the payroll, and assisting small business owners."

SOURCE Office of the Speaker of the House

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 12/04/09 -- Editors Note: There is a photo and a video associated with this Press Release.

Lucie Jones has joined v, the national young volunteers service to provide a boost to young people all over the country struggling with financial problems this Christmas, launching the new nationwide Gift of Time campaign, setting a new trend to give the 'gift of time' to one of their loved ones or working with the local community.

Glamorous Lucie Jones kicked off the nationwide campaign by launching the brand new 'Gift of Time' pop-up store on Berwick Street, London, (just off Oxford St), offering shoppers across the country the chance to consider doing a good deed for someone instead of buying a present. Now open both in London and online, the 'Gift of Time' store will surprise hoards of young festive shoppers by becoming the only store where everything is absolutely FREE!

After performing a festive rendition of the Christmas classic song, "All I Want For Christmas", when asked who on the X Factor deserved the gift of time she said: "I think that Simon Cowell deserves 'the gift of time' from someone with a good heart to teach him some morals and some manners and I think that would really benefit him.... "

v's online virtual 'gift of time' store allows you to download your very own personalised Time Token or alternatively log on to Facebook and see the new Time Token application. Please visit: www.vinspired.com/giftoftime so you can give the gift of time at any time, in any place.

The 'Gift of Time' store allows customers to choose from a plethora of volunteering options - ranging from something as simple as offering to cook breakfast in bed for a loved one to a more community based action like helping out at a local homeless centre.

The V Gift of Time campaign comes at a time when youth unemployment is at an all time high with an uncertain economy, and research released today highlights the growing financial concerns of young people in the lead up to Christmas, this year.

The Dubit research, conducted by v, The National Young Volunteers Service, shows that young people have had enough of 'spend, spend, spend', with two thirds (or 66%) of the 16-24 year olds questioned feeling that the festive season has become just "too commercial".

Over half of those surveyed (54%) said they are intending to spend less on Christmas this year, while one in two are actively worried about the costs involved with Christmas and the impact festivities have on their family's budgets with expectations to buy expensive presents.

Consequently, a growing number of young people are now looking for alternative ways to have festive fun without breaking the bank, with over three quarters (77%) admitting that they would consider giving up their personal time, to do a good deed instead of buying a gift this year.

Many young people, especially if they are unemployed, don't think their time is worth anything. However, The Office of National Statistics' figures show the average hour of a 16-25 year olds' time is worth Pounds Sterling 7.07. This means an hour of mowing the lawn for your dad is worth the same as a decent bottle of wine! Whatever your 'gift of time' may be v has a FREE personalised Time Token which can be gift wrapped, ready to pop under the tree, for friends or family.

Lucie Jones, from X Factor, who was the first to donate her time at the store, said:

"Giving your time is such a great idea. It's personal, costs nothing and captures the real festive spirit. Last year, it became popular to ask for charity donations instead of a gift. This year, with money tight, the new trend could be giving 'the gift of time'."

Terry Ryall, CEO of v, The National Young Volunteers Service commented:

"With the credit crunch and youth unemployment at record levels, many 16-25 year olds are struggling with their finances this Christmas. That's why the 'Gift of Time' campaign makes perfect sense. It allows you to stay debt and stress free while tapping into the festive goodwill and encourages young people to consider the wider benefits of volunteering."

If you would like to more information, please contact us on the below details.

Notes to Editors:

v, The National Young Volunteers Service aims to inspire a new generation of volunteers (aged 16-25) in England. It does this by funding voluntary organisations all over England to create inspiring, diverse opportunities and by helping to overcome barriers that stop people from taking action to improve lives, communities and the planet. v's aim is to create a culture where volunteering comes naturally and where the benefits of volunteering are understood and celebrated.

Visit: www.vinspired.com for more information on what we do and how we do it.

To view the photo associated with this press release, please visit the following link: http://www.marketwire.com/library/20091204-Lucie_Jones_062LG.jpg.

To view the video associated with this press release, please visit the following link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpjJeWAXseU.

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Shine Communications
Donald Parish
020 7100 7100
donald.parish@shinecom.com

Shine Communications
David Slade
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david.slade@Shinecom.com

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Jane Eggleton
020 7960 7018
jane.eggleton@vinspired.com