CHICAGO: Nature's Variety, a pet food manufacturer based in Lincoln, NE, tapped Wheatley & Timmons to serve as its first AOR, expanding on its prior relationship.

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA: Equality for All, the coalition of civil rights organizations, GLBT groups, and voters, hired WPP Group agencies Ogilvy PR and Dewey Square Group to handle media relations and campaign consulting as the organization attempts to defeat the initiative that would amend the California Constitution to forbid the recognition of same-sex marriages.

WASHINGTON: The Copyright Alliance launched its "One Voice" campaign on June 9, to engage, educate, and enlist artists and creators in a dialogue about the importance of copyrights.

NEW YORK: The tomato industry concentrated its outreach efforts on buyers to bolster the message that some tomatoes are safe to eat, while the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) try to identify the variety or region of tomatoes that triggered the salmonella outbreak in recent weeks.

SANTA CLARA, CA: Intel says its outreach to policy influencers has remained the same in the wake of a Federal Trade Commission investigation of its competitive practices in the microprocessor market.

WASHINGTON: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently issued an RFP for a PR firm to assist its external relations department with various communications work, including providing early warning and strategic advice on issues that could affect the IMF's overall reputation.

WASHINGTON: The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on June 9 began promoting a fundraising campaign through media and grassroots outreach that ultimately aims to raise $335 million for opening and expanding offices in several US states.

WASHINGTON: The US Mint is working with GolinHarris on a campaign promoting the use of presidential $1 coins as common currency.

WASHINGTON: SEIU launched a new phase of its recent campaign against tax loopholes that it said unfairly benefit private equity firms. This effort specifically targets Kohlberg, Kravis, and Roberts (KKR) and its ties to the John McCain presidential campaign.

NEW YORK: Noting that Burson-Marsteller's CEO is "not a normal 9-to-5 guy," a senior official at the agency said that Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign coming to a close won't affect the company, because CEO Mark Penn never really left.