<body.content> <block> <p>NEW YORK, Sept. 10 /PRNewswire/ — The law firm of Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach LLP announces that a class action lawsuit was filed onSeptember 9, 2003, on behalf of purchasers of the securities of the Strong Funds family of funds (the “Funds”) owned and operated by Strong Financial Corporation, and its subsidiaries and affiliates,between October 1, 1998 and July 3, 2003, inclusive, (the “Class Period”), seeking to pursue remedies under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment AdvisersAct of 1940. A copy of the complaint filed in this action is available from the Court, or can be viewed on Milberg Weiss’ website at: http://www.milberg.com/cases/strongfunds/</p> <p>TheFunds, and the symbols for the respective Funds named below, are as follows:</p> <p style=”pre” id=”pre1″> Strong Advisor Bond Fund (SVBDX, SADBX, SABCX, SIBNX, F008W1, SBDIX)
Strong Advisor Municipal Bond Fund (SAMAX, SMBBX, F00BH8)
Strong Advisor Municipal Select Fund (SMUIX, STAEX, F005LZ, F005M9)
Strong Advisor Short Duration Bond A Fund (STSDX, SSDKX, SSHCX, STGBX)
Strong Advisor Common Stock Fund (SCSAX, SCSKX, STSAX, STCSX)
Strong Advisor Endeavor Large Cap Fund (STALX, F008GO)
Strong Advisor Focus Fund (F005MO, F005M7, F005LT)
Strong Advisor International Core Fund (F008GQ, F008GR, F008GS)
Strong Advisor Large Company Core Fund (SLGAX, F00AO2, F00AO3, SLCKX)
Strong Advisor Mid-Cap Growth Fund (F005LQ, F005M1, F005LO, SMDCX)
Strong Advisor Small Cap Value Fund (SMVAX, SMVBX, SMVCX, SSMVX)
Strong Advisor Strategic Income Fund (SASAX, F005L7, SASCX
Strong Advisor Technology Fund (SASCX, F005LM, F005LM)
Strong Advisor U.S. Small/Mid Cap Growth Fund (F009D0, F009D1)
Strong Advisor U.S. Value (F005M2, F005M5, F005MA, SEQKX, SEQIX)
Strong Advisor Utilities and Energy Fund (SUEAX, F00AED, F00AEE, F009D5)
Strong All Cap Value Fund (F009D5)
Strong Asia Pacific Fund (SASPX)
Strong Balanced Fund (STAAX)
Strong Blue Chip Fund (SBCHX)
Strong Discovery Fund (STDIX)
Strong Dividend Income Fund (SDVIX, F008VY)
Strong Dow 30 Value Fund (SDOWX)
Strong Endeavor Fund (SENDX)
Strong Energy Fund (SENGX)
Strong Enterprise Fund (SENAX, F04ANX, SENTX, SEPKX)
Strong Growth & Income Fund (SGNAX, SGNIX, SGRIX, SGIKX)
Strong Growth 20 Fund (SGTWX, SGRTX, SGRAX, F00B67, SGRNX)
Strong Growth Fund (SGROX, SGRKX)
Strong Index 500 Fund (SINEX)
Strong Large Cap Core Fund (SLCRX)
Strong Large Cap Growth Fund (STRFX)
Strong Large Company Growth Fund (SLGIX, F04ANY)
Strong Mid Cap Disciplined Fund (SMCDX)
Strong Multi-Cap Value Fund (SMTVX)
Strong Opportunity Fund (SOPVX, SOPFX, F00AH2)
Strong Overseas Fund (F00B4I, SOVRX)
Strong Small Company Value Fund (F009D3)
Strong Technology 100 Fund (STEKX)
Strong U.S. Emerging Growth Fund (SEMRX)
Strong Value Fund (STVAX)
Strong Life Stages – Aggressive Portfolio Fund (SAGGX)
Strong Life Stages – Conservative Portfolio Fund (SCONX)
Strong Life Stages – Moderate Portfolio Fund (SMDPX)
Strong Corporate Bond Fund (SCBDX, SCBNX, STCBX)
Strong Corporate Income Fund (SCORX)
Strong High-Yield Bond Fund (SHBAX, SHYYX, STHYX)
Strong Government Securities Fund (SGVDX, F00B66, SGVIX, STVSX)
Strong High-Yield Municipal Bond Fund (SHYLX)
Strong Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund (SIMBX)
Strong Municipal Bond Fund (SXFIX)
Strong Minnesota Tax-Free Fund (F00B64, F00B65, F00B63
Strong Wisconsin Tax-Free Fund (F0068K)
Strong Short-Term High-Yield Municipal Bond Fund (SSHMX, SSTHX, STHBX)
Strong Short-Term Municipal Bond Fund (F00B62, STSMX)
Strong Short-Term Income Fund (F00B1K)
Strong Short-Term Bond Fund (SSTVX, SSHIX, SSTBX)
Strong Ultra Short-Term Income Fund (SADAX, SADIX, STADX)
Strong Ultra Short-Term Municipal Income Fund (SMAVX, SMAIX, SMUAX)
Strong Florida Municipal Money Market Fund (SLFXX)
Strong Heritage Money Fund (SHMXX)
Strong Money Market Fund (SMNXX)
Strong Municipal Money Market Fund (SXFXX)
Strong Tax-Free Money Fund (STMXX)
</p> <p>The action, numbered 03-CV-6916, is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against defendants Strong Financial Corporation, Strong Capital Management, Inc., and each of the Funds’ registrants and issuers, Edward J. Stern, Canary Capital Partners, LLC, Canary Investment Management, LLC, Canary Capital Partners, Ltd, each of the Funds, and John Does 1-100.</p> <p>The Complaint alleges that defendants violated Sections 11 and 15 of the Securities Act of 1933; Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder; and Section 206 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The Complaint charges that, throughout the Class Period, defendants failed to disclose that they improperly allowed certain hedge funds, such as Canary, to engage in the “timing” of their transactions in the Funds’ securities. Timing is excessive, arbitrage trading undertaken to turn a quick profit. Timing injures ordinary mutual fund investors — who are not allowed to engage in such practices — and is acknowledged as an improper practice by the Funds. In return for receiving extra fees from Canary and other favored investors, Strong Financial Corporation and its subsidiaries allowed and facilitated Canary’s timing activities, to the detriment of class members, who paid, dollar for dollar, for Canary’s improper profits. These practices were undisclosed in the prospectuses of the Funds, which falsely represented that the Funds actively police against timing.</p> <p>If you bought the securities of any of the Funds between October 1, 1998 and July 3, 2003 and sustained damages, you may, no later than November 4, 2003, request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. A lead plaintiff is a representative party that acts on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. In order to be appointed lead plaintiff, the Court must determine that the class member’s claim is typical of the claims of other class members, and that the class member will adequately represent the class. Under certain circumstances, one or more class members may together serve as “lead plaintiff.” Your ability to share in any recovery is not, however, affected by the decision whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff. You may retain Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach LLP, or other counsel of your choice, to serve as your counsel in this action.</p> <p>Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach LLP (<a>http://www.milberg.com/</a>) is a 190-lawyer firm with offices in New York City, San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boca Raton, Philadelphia and Seattle, and is active in major litigations pending in federal and state courts throughout the United States. Milberg Weiss has taken a leading role in many important actions on behalf of defrauded investors, consumers, and others, and has been responsible for more than $20 billion in aggregate recoveries. Please contact the Milberg Weiss website for more information about the firm. If you wish to discuss this action with us, or have any questions concerning this notice or your rights and interests with regard to the case, please contact the following attorneys:</p> <p style=”pre” id=”pre2″> Steven G. Schulman
Peter E. Seidman
Andrei V. Rado
One Pennsylvania Plaza, 49th fl.
New York, NY, 10119-0165
Phone number: (800) 320-5081
Email: <virtloc idsrc=”dummy” value=”dummy”>[email protected]</virtloc>
Website: http://www.milberg.com </p> <datasource>Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach LLP</datasource> </block> <block class=”contact”> <p>CONTACT: Steven G. Schulman, Peter E. Seidman, or Andrei V. Rado of<br/> Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach LLP, 1-800-320-5081,<br/> <virtloc idsrc=”dummy” value=”dummy”>[email protected]</virtloc> </p> </block> <block class=”website”> <p>Web site: <a>http://www.milberg.com/</a><br/> <a>http://www.milberg.com/cases/strongfunds</a> </p> </block> </body.content>
