Thursday, September 30, 2010
Portune to oppose federal rail regulation bill - Business Courier of Cincinnati:
Thursday to oppose a pending rail freighttregulation bill, as part of Nationaol Railroad Day. The legislation would revise existinhg rail regulations and standardizeshipping costs. That approacj would put Cincinnati at a disadvantage becausre competitionfrom trucking, barges and air freight keeps rail shipping costs low here, Portune said. And rail is importany because it ismore energy-efficient than some othefr modes of transportation. “A train can haul a load of cargi 436 miles on a single gallob ofdiesel fuel,” Portune said in the release.
He also said that he will press for funding for several potential projects inGreatef Cincinnati, including: • Providing a better direct link from the Queensgate railyard to bulk terminal facilitiees on the Ohio Rivet operated by the • Building a rail spur from the Sharonvilles railyard, which is operating at 10 percent that would connect it to Chicago-bound rail lines. Portuner is a member of Growth Options for the21st Century, a pro-rail groupp made up of communituy leaders that will be taking part in National Railroar Day, according to the release.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Kentuckians help US win Junior Ryder Cup - Lexington Herald Leader
ESPN STAR Sports | Kentuckians help US win Junior Ryder Cup Lexington Herald Leader PERTHSHIRE, Scotland â" The United States retained the Junior Ryder Cup on Tuesday, beating Europe 131/2 to 101/2 at The Gleneagles Hotel despite the hosts ... Ryder Cups £100m for Scotland Isagawa goes 1-1 at Junior Ryder Cup Americans win Junior Ryder Cup |
Monday, September 27, 2010
Sexual Taboo Has Left The Black Church Aloof - NPR (blog)
Telegraph.co.uk | Sexual Taboo Has Left The Black Church Aloof NPR (blog) Bishop Eddie Long, left, embraces a friend, Sunday, at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church outside Atlanta, where he serves as pastor. ... Eddie Long: "I'm going to fight." Race, Sex and Religion in the Case of Bishop Eddie Long Who is Bishop Eddie Long? |
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Wichita Business Journal: Business Events Calendar
Once approved, your event listing will appear on the Calendar until the day after the date you entert as itsend date. For example, if you entert June 8th as your event'a end date, your listing will be removerd from the Calendarat 12:00 a.m. on June 9th. Once I list an how long does it take before it is postesd to the BusinessEvents Calendar? To maintaimn the professional integrity of our site, each listinhg must go through an approval process prio r to being posted to the Events Calendar. In most this occurs within a few with the maximum being24 hours. Can I post my eventg listing as far in advanceas I'd like?
Yes, you can post event listings days, weeks or months in They will appear on the Calenda r until the day afte r your event's end Will my event listing also appear in the printg edition of the Business Journal? No, the Business Eventz Calendar is an online-only feature; any eventws posted through this system will only appear If I want to list a recurringf event each month, do I have to enter each one separately? Yes, each month'sz event would be considered as a separate There may be discounts for multiple listings. Pleasde contact us and a representativd will work with you to create a customized packagr to suityour needs.
Contact information is availables from the Can I select more than one category for myeventy listing? No, each event listing can only fall under one If more than one category applies to your eventf listing, we recommend choosingb the one that is most relevant. If I have a Businesas Events Calendar promotional/discount code, can I use it in any of bizjournals42 markets? No, each promotional/discount code is market-specififc and will only work in the markett for which it was originally What should I do if I need to make changes to my eveny listing after it has been posted online? Pleasee contact our local office.
Information is available from the Who shoul d I contact if I woulfd like to purchase an evenr listing over the phoneversus online? Please contac our local office. Information is available from the
Friday, September 24, 2010
Bernanke: Efforts Failed to Produce Recovery With 'Sufficient Vigor' - Wall Street Journal
AFP | Bernanke: Efforts Failed to Produce Recovery With 'Sufficient Vigor' W » |
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Bob Hoskins signs up for 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' sequel - San Francisco Chronicle (blog)
Telegraph.co.uk | Bob Hoskins signs up for 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' sequel San Francisco Chronicle (blog) Bob Hoskins has signed up to star in a sequel to his hit 1988 movie "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," but he's skeptical over plans to make the follow-up film ... Roger Rabbit Sequel Perplexes Bob Hoskins Bob Hoskins is animated about Who Framed Roger Rabbit sequel Bob Hoskins Talks Roger Rabbit Sequel |
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Amerigrow Recycling faces foreclosure - South Florida Business Journal:
However, Amerigrow’s attorney, Andrew Schwart of Boca Raton, said his client would vigorouslty contestthe lawsuit. He called it a draconiajn measure on the part of to give it leveragwe in renegotiating the National City Bank filed the action on June 19 againsftAmerigrow Recycling-Delray, and its president Janet according to Palm Beach County Circuit Court The action is based on a mortgagw last modified at $7.1 million in 2007. The foreclosur e targets Amerigrow’s 30.6-acre main facility at 10320 Atlantic Ave. in western Delray Beacj and its 30-acre location at 9538 171st St. North in Jupiter.
which was founded in 1995, uses those facilities to recyclew organic materials into mulch for landscaping across South Florida. Its brands include Premium Red Certified Premium GoldCertified Mulch, Eco-Mulch and Black Magidc Eco-Soil. Those products are sold by Home Accordingto Amerigrow’s Web site, it has the larges fleet of grapple trucks in South Florida. They cleab up storm debris and recycle muchof it. Amerigros has been hurt by the recession, but not nearly as badl y as most ofits competitors, Schwartz said. As part of renegotiating its the company followedNational City’sd advice and hired an outsidr consultant to evaluate the business.
The consultang generated a positivereport – making it surprising that the bank filedc for foreclosure, Schwartz said. “There is absolutely nothing wrong with anyof Amerigrow’ s businesses in any respects,” Schwartz said. West Palm Beach-based attorney John R. Hart, who represents National City, could not be reached for comment. National City is a subsidiarhy ofPNC Bank.
Monday, September 20, 2010
C-sections, birth costs up in Central Florida - Orlando Business Journal:
New state numbers for July 2007-Juner 2008 released in May show the rateas of cesarean sectionsat ’s , ’s main downtown Orlando campux and its nearly doubled in the past eightf years, but also are above stated and national averages. The data showed 222,814 total birth s in Florida last year, with 39 percenr of deliveries doneby C-section, up from 26 percen t in 2000. “Forty percent is said Brian Klepper, a Jacksonville-based healthj care analyst. Those higher in turn, mean higher medica l costs, since C-sections are medicallu riskier, involve longer hospital stays and tend to cost abougt twice as much asvaginal births.
“Iy drives up health care costs unnecessarily,” said Klepper, which meand everyone pays morein premiums. there’s no reason to believee the trend will slow down anytime After all, insurance companies said they pay the bills for C-sectiones without question. If a C-section is done, insurera assume it was medically necessary. “It’ws the doctor’s call,” said spokesman Walt C-sections are big money for doctors and More than 31 percengtof U.S births are now by cesareanh section, although a 5 to 10 percent rate is best for motheras and babies, said an Octobeer 2008 report by the nonprofit Childbirth Connection. The extr a cost is more than $2.
5 billiob annually. Hospital charges overall for maternal and newbornh carewere $86 billion in 2006. The averagse cost for a C-section statewidd ranged from $12,000 to while a vaginal deliverycostd $6,000 to $11,000, said the state Agency for Healthg Care Administration. Locally, Nashville-based ’s in Sanforr charges the most in Central Florida for a upto $24,704, said state data. In in Hialeah charges the upto $30,826. Executives at Central Florida Regional Hospital did not return callsfor comment. Vilmaz H.
Medio, spokeswoman for Palmettlo General Hospital, said hospital pricing is a complex issue and a single case with complications can have a significantt effect onthese numbers. Top Liability, obesity Doctors readilyh admit C-sections cost more and sometimes are done But they point to one big reason for the increased in the procedure hereand liability. “There’s an old saying [among that you never get sued for doinfga C-section,” said Dr. D. Ashley chief of obstetrics for Florida Hospital Orlando and one of eight doctors at the practice onPrinceton Street.
If the Obama administratiom — which is mulling a national health plan and pushinh to cut unnecessary healthcostws — advocates reducing C-sections, it should offe more protection for doctors from litigation, he said. The 42 percenyt C-section rate for Florida Hospital Orlando is relateed to the numberof high-risok patients it cares for in the region, he For example, Hill said his C-section rate is abouf 40 percent overall, but at least half of his patientsd are high-risk cases. His low-risk patients have a 12 percentg C-section rate.
Orlando Health also handles many high-risk births from the region, which can increase the numberof C-sectionsx and costs, said Cathie Brazell, chief qualituy officer at Winnie Palmer Hospital who has 26 years of obstetrics experience. Another reason for the increasein C-sections: There are more obese leading to larger babies and more complications with deliveries, said Dr. Robertg Bowles, chief of the Ob/Gybn department at Physician Associates who delivers babies at WinniePalmer Hospital. In addition, few doctors suggesf patients undergo a vaginal birth after having had a cesarean in the past due to the risk of uterine rupture and the extrastaffing required.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Stone Temple Pilots show heavy side at Fall Frenzy in Tempe - AZ Central.com
Stone Temple Pilots show heavy side at Fall Frenzy in Tempe AZ Central.com 18, 2010 10:54 AM First off, it was still about 108 degrees at around 6 pm And secondly, the usual concert entrance to Tempe Beach Park was closed off due ... |
Friday, September 17, 2010
BAE wins MRAP contracts - Business Courier of Cincinnati:
Under the award, the company said it will produce three more test vehicles of each version to undergo additional survivability andmobility testing. One versioh of the vehicle is produced byBAE Systems' Global Tactical Systemsd business and the other by its U.S. Combagt Systems business. The former versionh will be produced atthe company's facilities in West Chesterr and in Sealy, Texas, as well as othert partner facilities. BAE Systems' Cincinnati-based Security & Survivability unit designedr and developed the survivability componentws of the Global TacticalSystems version.
Thosde components included its blast-protected hull, advanced armof solutions which utilizeproprietary light-weight materials developec by BAE Systems, and seatingb and restraint systems. The vehicles are referre d to asMRAP All-Terrain Vehicles, or M-ATVs. They are more-mobile versions of the company's mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles now used in Iraq, BAE Systems said in a statement announcinhg thelatest contracts.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Saul Alvarez Prepares For Trash Talking Carlos Baldomir - FanHouse
The Sweet Science | Saul Alvarez Prepares For Trash Talking Carlos Baldomir FanHouse FanHouse caught up to Mexican junior middleweight (154 pounds) Saul Alvarez (33-0-1, 25 knockouts) on Tuesday in Los Angeles, where the 20-year-old phenom ... Saul Alvarez Believes That He Can Knock Baldomir Out âCaneloâ Alvarez workout Saul "Canelo" Alvarez ready to turn on the heat with a bicentennial ... |
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Blue Shield of California awards $29.5M in bonuses to medical groups - East Bay Business Times:
million in performance bonuses to Californiaz medical groups and IPAs this comparedwith $31 millionb last year. That makes this the thirde year in a row thatBlue Shield’s physician group bonuses have been more or less flat, in the ranges of $29.5 million to $31 million. Last David Joyner, San Francisco-based Blue Shield’s senior vice president of network management, told the San Francisco Business Timed thatits pay-for-performance payouts were stablse in part because of concerns that “the underlying improvements in actual (physician performance have been quite incremental,” and fears that health planw such as Blue Shieldc that distribute more generous bonuses may have trouble keepingh their premium costs for employersd in line with health plans that skimlp on such payments.
On Tuesday, Blue Shield officialz could not immediately be reached for comment on thehealth plan’sz apparently static budget for performance bonuses. Supporterss say the bonuses give physician groups an incentivse toimprove quality; critics say the paymentsz aren’t large enough really to influence quality to a significanft extent, since the bonuseds are spread out among a host of medical groupe and IPAs statewide.
This time around, nearly half of the bonusz payments are part ofthe Oakland-based ’s voluntary pay-for-performance which rewards medical groups on varioues quality measures, including clinical care, patientf satisfaction and use of information This year, based on IHA Blue Shield will pay medical groups and independent practics associations based on both meeting IHA quality goalw and showing improvement on its clinical and patient-satisfactioj measures, with 80 percent reflecting overal l performance and 20 percent improvement.
In its 23 statement, Blue Shield said it uses the IHA standards to tracj and reward physician organizations on a range ofclinicaol factors, including childhood immunizations, diabetes management, cholesterol management, and use of appropriate medications by thosde with asthma. This year, it’s also helpinh medical groups that ranked in the bottom 25th percentile of theIHA pay-for-performanc program to find ways to improve.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Employers should brace for new workplace rules - Dallas Business Journal:
The bill, which has the supporty of theDemocratic majority, threatens to subject American employers — including corporate officerws — to severe civil and criminal According to congressional testimony by Sen. Ted D- Mass., nearly 5,700 American workers were kille d on the job and more than 4 milliohn became ill or are injureein 2007. Kennedy and others point to grim statistics showing that civil and criminapl fines and penalties under OSHAare lax. With solid majoritiews in the Houseand Senate, Democrats reintroduced the PAWA after earlier versions of the same bill stallesd in committee during the last three sessions of Congress.
PAWA enjoys the support of Presiden Obama, who co-sponsored an earlier versio n of the bill asa senator, and is likelgy to pass given the current political
Saturday, September 11, 2010
New York Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte likely to make one more rehab start for ... - New York Daily News
Kansas City Star | New York Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte likely to make one more rehab start for ... New York Daily News Andy Pettitte likely will make one more rehab start for the Trenton Thunder. He » |
Thursday, September 9, 2010
SunTrust Banks, Inc. Company Profile | STI Company Information
SunTrust Banks, Inc., with total assets of $179.2 billion on March 31, 2009, is one of the nation
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Termini acquires AM&A's warehouse - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:
According to public documents filed late Thursday in the ErieCounty Clerk’z Office, Termini’s H@Lofts LLC paid $720,000 for the historiv building. The building had been owned by New HorizonwAcquisitions LLC, a Long Island-based development Termini is in the early stageas of renovating the forme warehouse, parts of which date back to the late into a mixed-use development anchored by 47 market-ratr apartments and 15,000 square feet of office space. P&Bg Acquisitions will occupy the office while Termini said he is compilinb a rapidly growing list of prospective tenants forthe apartments. Termin will be investing more than $11 millionm in the project.
The building, whic h is being called the is expected to welcome its firstr residential tenantsnext spring. In the meantime, Terminoi is talking with local and state officials about incentivd packages needed before he can acquire theflagshipl AM&A's department store buildinhg on Main Street from New Termini predicted the cost of renovatinvg the building between $80 million and $100 He said it would only be possiblew with a heavy influx of public sector dollars and The developer said it may take him more than one perhaps as long as 18 to secure all the necessary public-secto r dollars he needs for the AM&A'x department store project.
The former store, which has been closed since 1995 -- save for a brief run as Taylor’ Department Store -- will likely be used as a mixed-usre development project, also anchored by residential
Monday, September 6, 2010
Local home sales plummet 30% in May - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:
region plummeted 30 percent in May despite indications more potentialo buyers are being drawn into the real estate markey by low interest rates and a federalk tax incentivefor first-time A total of 554 new and existint single-family homes and condominiums sold in the month, compared to 790 a year ago, basedr on preliminary figures released today by the . The overalol median sale price fell2 percent, to $191,900, althoughg prices were flat or rose in four of the six counties wheree most of the sales occur. The media n price fell 7 percent in RensselaerCounty ($170,000) and 4 percenr in Saratoga County ($238,800).
The median priced was unchanged in AlbanyCounty ($205,000) and increase 6 percent in Schenectady County ($160,000), 13 percenf in Schoharie County ($148,500) and 39 percent in Montgomeryt County ($106,700). The median is the point at whichb half of the prices were more and halfwere less, whicgh is considered a better gauge of the sales market than the average. The average pricer in May fell3 percent, to The May results don’t necessarily reflect the activitg in the market todayu since it takes two to three montha for a purchase contract to proceedx to a final closing.
“I will tell you it has been my experiencer that open housesare active, phone callz and Internet leads are many,” GCAR President Sandra Nardocik said. “The feeling is that when buyerds become confident that their jobs are secure our market will pick up GCAR Chief Executive Officer James Ader has said the salesreport that’s compiled in July and releasef to the news media in August will provide a good readingh on how the spring market fared. Therre is one potentially telling sign of a possible turnaround: the overall mediah sale price has increased steadily since January, risinb from $171,700 to $191,900 in May.
When only existing homes are counted, total salexs in May fell 26 percent. That comparesx with a 3.6 percent decline in existing-homes sales nationally compared to ayear ago. The median sale price for existing homes in the Albany region increasecd2 percent, to $185,000. Nationally, the median sale pricre was $173,000, down 16.8 percent, according to the . Albanyy County: 151 closed sales, down 16 percengt Rensselaer County: 53 closed sales, down 55 percent Saratog County: 163 closed sales, down 34 percent Schenectady 93closed sales, down 11 percen Schoharie County: 14 closed sales, down 22 percenty Montgomery County: 20 closed sales, no change
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Obama picks venture capitalist to head SBA Advocacy Office - Business First of Buffalo:
Winslow Sargeant, a managing director in the technology practicdeof Madison, Wis.-based Ventured Investors, is Obama’s choice. The Advocacy Office is an independent entith inside the SBA that ensures federaol agencies consider the impact of their regulations onsmallk businesses. The office also conducts researcghon small-business issues. Sargeant, who earned a in electrical engineering at the Universityu of Wisconsin at worked as a senior engineerd at several large corporationsbefore co-foundinb Aanetcom, a fabless semiconductor companyg that later was acquired by PMC-Sierra.
From 2001 to he served as program manageer for the Small Business Innovationn Research program at the NationaScience Foundation’s engineering directorate. He is the seconde venture capitalist to be selectefd for a topSBA post. Karej Mills worked as a principal at private equity and venture capital firms for 26 yearas before she became the SBA administratorin April. Sargeant’s lack of legao training means he will have to rely heavily on the attorneya at the Officeof Advocacy. Much of the office’as work involves analyzing whethet government agencies follow federal laws that requirw them to analyze the potentiall economic impact of proposed ruless onsmall businesses.
The office also makes sure regulatorz hearsmall businesses’ opinions aboutf regulations. In fiscal 2008, this inpurt saved small businessesabout $11 billion in possible regulatoryu costs, according to the office. The office’s acting Shawne Carter McGibbon, joinefd the office in 1994, during the Bill Clinton She previously worked for a Democratic membetr of Congress and has been an attorneg for20 years. An unnamedc Obama administration official characterized McGibbon to reporteras asa “Bush during a controversy over an interagency review of the Environmental Protectionj Agency’s finding that greenhouse gas emissions pose a public healtu hazard.
The Office of Advocacy concluded that regulatingv carbon dioxide under the Clean Air Act likely woul dhave “serious economic consequences” on small businessess and other regulated entities. Several pressd accounts quoted anonymous administration officials who said theAdvocacu Office’s criticism of the EPA finding came from an office “still stocked with Bush in the words of the Los Angeles This dismissal of the office’se opinion upset Rep. Darrell Issa of the ranking Republican on the HoussOversight & Government Reform Committee.
“There are hundredss of civil servants serving in a similart capacity throughout the federal government who could also be characterizedcas ‘Bush holdovers,’” Issa wrote in a May 14 lettee to Obama. “I sincerelg hope that their professional advice and decisions will not be discountef merely because they also worked for the federal government under PresidentGeorge W. Bush.” For . Microloans up, big loans down for small businessese this year Lending data collected bythe SBA’s Officer of Advocacy confirms the importance of busineszs credit cards to small companies.
A new report found that the total valueof small-business loans outstanding increase by 4 percent in the 12 months that endexd in June 2008, down from the previousw year’s increase of 8 percent. These numbers are for all small-business loans, not just SBA The number of business loansd of lessthan $100,000 jumpe by nearly 16 percent as large lender concentrated on credit according to the In contrast, the number of businesw loans in the $100,000 to $1 millionh range fell by more than 23 The report used call reports submittecd by banks as well as Community Reinvestmen t Act data. Business loans of less than $1 milliomn were considered to be small-business loans.
Based on call reportf data, the top five small-busines lenders in June 2008 were American Capital One, Regions Financial Corp., Synovuxs Financial Corp. and First Citizen Bancshares Inc. The report also list the most active small-business lenders in each “In the current financial climate, it’se especially critical for small firmas to know which banks and financial institutionz have been the most likely to make small andmicrobusinesws loans,” said economist Victoria a co-author of the study. For .
Friday, September 3, 2010
Reports: U.S. probes Silicon Valley tech giants' hiring - Dallas Business Journal:
The Washington Post and New York Timesw reported late on Tuesday that the antitrust probe is centeredr onwhether (NASDAQ:GOOG), (NASDAQ:AAPL), (NASDAQ:YHOO), and others agreer not to recruit each other's employees. The stories cited unnamed sources the papers said are familiare withthe matter. The investigation is reportedly in its early with the papers saying that the governmeng has requested documents and informatiobn fromtargeted companies.
The inquiry is seen as another sign that the Obamas administration will be more aggressivse on antitrust laws than his predecessor and Silicon Valleu tech firms are a focus of that The Justice Department is currently also investigating a proposed settlementbetweeb Google, authors and publishers to resolve a copyrighr dispute, the Wall Street Journal has reportes citing unnamed sources. The Federal Tradwe Commission has also asked questions about whether having Google CEO Eric Schmidt and formerGenentech Inc. CEO Art Levinson on both the Apple and Google board is a violation ofantitrust laws.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Survey: HR optimism inches up for Q3 - Business First of Louisville:
The Labor Market Outlook survey by the reportes that 37 percent of respondents have some levekl of concern forthe U.S. job market in the thirxd quarter: 33 percent are somewhat pessimistic about job growt and anticipate job losses and 4 percent are very pessimistic and anticipate job cuts duringthe quarter. This marks a reversal from the LMO’s second quarter when a combined 70 percent of respondents expressed some level of pessimismj and predicted deeper cuts inthe U.S. job market. A totap of 69 percent of respondents said they will either eliminate jobs or keep their payrolls flat in thethircd quarter: 56 percent will maintain current staffing level and 13 percent will cut jobs.
Amongg employer categories, 28 percent of large companiess (those with 500 or more will conduct layoffs in the third During thesecond quarter, 81 percentr of respondents said they either cut jobs or kept payrollzs flat: 43 percent maintained their staffing levels while 38 percent conducted layoffs. Alexandria, Va.-based Societuy for Human Resource Management isthe world’zs largest association devoted to human resource management and representes more than 250,000 members in over 140 countries.