Tullett Prebon researcher Sachin Shah is the centerpiece of a Bloomberg story on the likelihood of Family Dollar ending up with new owners, be they activist investors Nelson Peltz and Bill Ackman or Goodlettsville-based Dollar General. Peltz earlier this year bid $60 for Family Dollar, but since the stock popped on that offer, Dollar General has outperformed it by more than 20 points. That, says Shah, coupled with Dollar General's ability to load up some on debt, could have the local company making a $70 bid.

SEE ALSO: Might Dollar General be a Family Dollar buyer? from back in February

Hedge fund investor Bill Ackman says Family Dollar Stores can emulate the success — and maybe the leveraged buyout — of Goodletsville-based Dollar General and yesterday plowed a bunch of cash into shares of the retailer. Ackman's presentation to an investor conference also helped Dollar General shares.

Another local connection: Ackman's move into Family Dollar comes shortly after he bailed on his investment in Corrections Corp. of America.

Pershing Square Capital Management, the hedge fun run by Bill Ackman, has sold all of the almost 8 million Corrections Corp. of America shares it held early this year. Ackman, who dove into CCA late in the summer of 2009 and held almost 10 percent of the company, looks to have made some money on his prison management bet: CCA shares (Ticker: CXW) rose quickly as he was building his stake, but have lagged the S&P 500 by 20 points since.

Ackman is mobbed at investor conferences. Bloggers pore over his investor letters when they appear on the Internet. Ackman denies posting them, but he seems to relish the publicity, which distinguishes him from many others in this secretive business. What some might see as an intrusion, he regards as a useful transparency. Along those lines, Ackman seems to be styling himself as the people's hedge fund manager.