BRIEFLY: National Debt Clock out of spaces

In a sign of the times, the National Debt Clock in New York City has run out of digits to record the growing figure.

As a short-term fix, the digital dollar sign on the billboard-style clock near Times Square has been switched to a figure —- the “1” in $10 trillion. It’s marking the federal government’s current debt at about $10.2 trillion.

The Durst Organization says it plans to update the sign next year by adding two digits. That will make it capable of tracking debt up to a quadrillion dollars. The late Manhattan real estate developer Seymour Durst put the sign up in 1989 to call attention to what was then a $2.7 trillion debt.

Speaker urges new stimulus plan

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday that a $150 billion economic stimulus plan is needed now because of the faltering economy and she may call the House into session after the election to pass it.

Pelosi (D-Calif.) told reporters in Denver that the stock market meltdown was a factor in her recommendation for a second stimulus bill. The first relief plan sent out $600-$1,200 tax rebate checks to most individuals and couples this year.

The House did pass a $61 billion economic aid proposal last month before lawmakers left Capitol Hill ahead of the Nov. 4 election.

But a similar plan failed to pass the Senate. President Bush had promised a veto, anyway.

If Democratic nominee Barack Obama wins the White House and if Capitol Hill Democrats make gains in the elections as well, it might be easier to pass a stimulus measure over dispirited Republicans, especially if the economy remains in big trouble.

Illinois sheriff to stop evicting renters

The Cook County, Ill., sheriff said Wednesday he’s ordering his deputies to stop evicting people from foreclosed properties because many people his office has helped throw out on the street are renters who did nothing wrong.

“We will no longer be a party to something that’s so unjust,” a visibly angry Sheriff Tom Dart said at a news conference. “We have to be sure that when we are doing this —- and we are destroying some people’s lives —- we better be darned sure we’re talking about the right people.”

Dart said he believes he is the first sheriff in a major metropolitan area to stop participating in foreclosure evictions, and the publisher of a national foreclosure database said he is probably right. “I haven’t heard of any other sheriff unilaterally deciding to stop foreclosures,” said Rick Sharga, senior vice president of the Irvine, Calif.-based RealtyTrac Inc.

Dart said that from now on, banks will have to present his office with an affidavit that proves the home’s occupant is either the owner or has been properly notified of the foreclosure proceedings. State law requires renters be notified their residence is in foreclosure and they will be evicted in 120 days, but Dart indicated the law has been routinely ignored. He talked about tenants who dutifully pay their rent, then leave one morning for work only to have authorities evict them and put their belongings on the curb while they are gone.