Free Republic

URS in deal to acquire Washington GroupThe $2.6-billion union of the engineering and construction firms would give it more heft. By Evelyn Iritani, Times Staff Writer May 29, 2007 San Francisco-based URS Corp. is buying Washington Group International Inc. for $2.6 billion in a corporate marriage that would create one of the country's top engineering and construction powerhouses, the companies announced Monday. Directors of both companies unanimously approved the deal, which calls for Washington Group stockholders to receive $43.80 in cash and 0.772 of a share of URS stock for each share in Boise, Idaho-based Washington Group. **SNIP** The combined...

IN THE November 2006 election, the voters demanded congressional ethics reform. And so, the newly appointed chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., is now duly in charge of regulating the ethical behavior of her colleagues. But for many years, Feinstein has been beset by her own ethical conflict of interest, say congressional ethics experts. As chairperson and ranking member of the Military Construction Appropriations subcommittee (MILCON) from 2001 through the end of 2005, Feinstein supervised the appropriation of billions of dollars a year for specific military construction projects. Two defense contractors whose interests were largely controlled by...

<p>URS Corp., a San Francisco planning and engineering firm partially owned by California Sen. Dianne Feinstein's husband, landed an Army contract Monday worth up to $600 million.</p> <p>The award to help with troop mobilization, weapons systems training and anti-terrorism efforts is the latest in a string of plum defense jobs snared by URS. In February, the firm won an army engineering and logistics contract that could bring in $3.1 billion during the next eight years.</p>