Data breaches hit TVA workers
Nearly 1,800 TVA employees are getting new TVA-issued credit cards after they victims of a security breach involving the Hilton hotels franchise.
TVA spokesman Scott Brooks said the breach involved employees who used TVA-issued credit cards for travel at certain Hilton hotels where hackers got data from thousands of credit cards. TVA card holders who used their cards at these compromised hotels were notified of the breach this week.
“TVA employees continue to review all transactions posted to their accounts for accuracy,” Brooks said. “In the event of a potential fraudulent charge, employees follow the established dispute process to resolve.”
The TVA building and Market Street in downtown Chattanooga are seen from the roof of the Edney Building.The data breach follows a much bigger breach of nearly all federal employees earlier this year when hackers got information from federal background checks and personnel files. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management is mailing notification leeters to any federal employees whose personal information was compromised by the cyber intrusion.
“TVA would be considered part of the data set that could have been impacted, as TVA workers and others do undergo federal background checks,” Brooks said. “TVA takes cyber security very seriously. We have worked to consistently share relevant information on these breaches with our employees and have worked closely with other federal agencies to remain appraised of the situation.
Mescon to head Mark Making
Phyllis Mescon, a longtime leader in Chattanooga’s non profit, educational and corporate communities, has been named the executive director of Mark Making.
She succeeds Frances McDonald, the founder and former executive director for Mark Making who has stepped into the new role of art director.
Mescon has previously worked in executive level jobs at Chattanooga CARES, Hunter Museum of American Art and Girls Inc. of Chattanooga. Erskine Oglesby Jr., board chairman for Mark Making, praised Mescon for her “incredible wealth of talent, knowledge and energy” to help lead the nonprofit, which began in 2009.
“I’m beyond thrilled to take on this new challenge of working with underserved populations,” Mescon said. “Mark Making has a six-year history of empowering those who have been marginalized by society. I look forward to expanding our presence, which will certainly benefit the entire Chattanooga community.”
Second VW executive quits amid scandal
An executive linked to Volkswagen’s emissions scandal has resigned his post as a top manager of the Audi luxury car division, the company said late Thursday.
Ulrich HackenbergThe executive, Ulrich Hackenberg, 65, a member of the Audi management board responsible for technical development, was one of eight executives suspended after Volkswagen admitted in September to programming cars to evade clean air rules. But he is the first of those eight to resign.
Besides his post at Audi, Hackenberg also had responsibilities for the Volkswagen group as a whole, and he was one of the company’s most prominent executives in developing the technology that went into Volkswagen vehicles.
Hackenberg’s resignation came after a demand by Audi’s top labor representative to eliminate any ambiguity about who was in charge. Labor units have an unusual degree of power at Volkswagen.
Hackenberg is only the second executive to resign in connection with the scandal, as far as is known publicly. As regulators and prosecutors in Germany and the United States conduct investigations, Volkswagen has pursued its own internal inquiry, but so far it has not disclosed any findings.
Fuel mileage drops in last month buys
The average fuel economy of new vehicles sold in the U.S. in November was 25.0 mile per gallon – down 0.1 mpg from the revised value for October, according to the University of Michigan Eco-Drivng Index.
The decline likely reflects the continuing drop in the price of gasoline in November, and the consequent increased sales of pickup trucks, SUVs, and crossovers. Fuel economy is down 0.8 mpg from the peak reached in August 2014, but still up 4.9 mpg since October 2007.
The average new-vehicle driver produced 17 percent lower emissions in September 2015 than in October 2007, but 5 percent higher emissions than the record low reached in August 2014.