• The January/ February issue of Hispanic Business listed its Corporate Elite for 2010. Among the top 25 executives in Corporate America were: Loretta Armenta, president, Qwest Communications, New Mexico; Antonio Perez, chairman and CEO of Kodak, and Javier Goizueta, vice president, The Coca-Cola Company president, Global McDonald’s Division.
• In the same issue Hispanic Business listed the Boardroom Elite, Latinos who sit on Fortune 500 boards. The year saw a slight drop to 78. Among those listed was Linda Alvarado who sits on four boards: Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, The Pepsi Bottling Group, Pitney Bowes Inc and QWEST Inc.
• Several East Coast institutions have begun offering Spanish translations of their admissions and financial aid material for Hispanic parents helping children get into college. They include Bryn Mawr College which launched a Spanish version of its web site www.brynmawr.edu/admissions/espanol/index.shtml and the University of Pennsylvania which began conducting some college admissions sessions in Spanish. Nationwide, only 25 percent of Hispanics ages 18 to 24 were in college in 2006, compared to 44 percent of non-minorities. - Associated Press, February 7, 2010
• "The number of illegal immigrants in the United States declined to 10.8 million in January 2009, a drop of one million since a peak in 2007, according to an estimate (February 9) by the Department of Homeland Security. Demographers said the figures, based on census data and the most recent estimate by the department, showed the largest two-year drop in the population of illegal immigrants since 1990." - New York Times, February 10, 2010
• Only 40 percent of Hispanic homes have broadband compared to 66 percent for non-minorities. Overall, roughly "40 percent of Americans do not have high-speed Internet access at home, according to new Commerce Department figures that underscore the challenges facing policymakers who are trying to bring affordable broadband connections to everyone." - DailyFinance.com, February 16, 2010
• "U.S. Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R., FL), announced that he would not seek re-election. His younger brother, U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, said he would quit his Florida seat to campaign for Lincoln’s vacancy in what is regarded as a safer Republican district. - Hispanic Link Online, February 19, 2010
• Laura Chinchilla was elected the first woman president of Costa Rica. The former vice president is a protégé of outgoing leader Oscar Arias, a Nobel Peace Prize winner. She is expected to continue Arias’ economic policies and his efforts as a peace broker in the region. - Time, February 22, 2010