Cable television: Adelphia Communications dismisses Deloitte & Touche

Adelphia Communications, under investigation for questionable accounting practices, has dismissed Deloitte & Touche as its accountant and acknowledged overstating revenue for 2000 and 2001.

The nation’s sixth-largest cable television company said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that it is lowering its revenue figures for 2000 and 2001. It also lowered its subscriber count by more than 47,000 to 5.76 million.

Adelphia revised its 2001 revenue to $3.51 billion from the $3.58 billion stated in its earnings report, and its 2000 revenue to $2.55 billion from $2.6 billion.

Adelphia said it dismissed the accounting firm on Sunday and is hiring a new accountant it did not identify.

The company has been under investigation by the SEC and two federal grand juries since disclosing off-the-books loans now estimated at more than $3 billion to the family of Adelphia founder John J. Rigas and Rigas-controlled companies.

Meeting: Lawrence planning office wants input on development

The Lawrence/Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Office is seeking input in the development of a comprehensive historic preservation plan.

The public is invited to attend “Identifying Historic Preservation Issues,” from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday in the multipurpose room at Vinland School, 702 W. 1747 Road.

If persons are unable to attend, they can e-mail comments to denslinger@ci. lawrence.ks.us. For more information, call Dennis Enslinger, historic resources administrator, at 832-3151.

Agriculture: Kansas wheat harvest is off to rough start

Plagued by drought in the west and untimely rains elsewhere, the 2002 Kansas wheat harvest is off to a rough start.

The few wheat harvest offices now open reported Monday that harvest is not expected to reach full swing until Wednesday and even that may be delayed in places by forecast thunderstorms.

The OK Coop Grain Elevator in Kiowa reports its seven elevators have gotten 371,000 bushels with harvest in full swing in that area. Yields there are averaging 22.3 bushels an acre, with production ranging from less than four bushels per acre to 50 bushels an acre, the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers reported Monday.

Kansas Agricultural Statistics Service reported Monday that 48 percent of the wheat was in very poor or poor condition. Another 32 percent was rated as fair. Only 19 percent of the Kansas wheat crop received a good rating, and just 1 percent ranked as excellent.

About 15 percent of the wheat is ripe, according to agricultural statistics.

Technology: KU graduate receives promotion with Microsoft

Microsoft Corp. announced Monday the promotion of Mary Snapp to vice president of Law and Corporate Affairs.

Snapp, a Kansas University graduate, has been a member of Microsoft’s Law and Corporate Affairs Department for nearly 14 years. She most recently was deputy general counsel and associate general counsel, managing 160 people to provide broad-based legal support for Microsoft’s product development and marketing groups.

Snapp will continue to serve as Microsoft’s deputy general counsel for product development and marketing. With Snapp in that role, her group will assume significant responsibility for ensuring Microsoft’s compliance under the new antitrust consent decree and for improving cross-group coordination on legal issues related to the company’s critical business priorities.