Saturday, October 30, 2010

Washington Capitals help NHL break league attendance record - Washington Business Journal:

http://www.hoidap.net/10.html
Reported attendance for the leagueincreased 1.1 percent to 21.4 million for the 2008-09 and paid admissions rose “ little over” 1 percent, said Deputyt Commissioner Bill Daly. The increases occurred even though the leagusacrificed 30,399 fans by changing the Winted Classic’s location. The event was moved from Ralphu Wilson Stadiumin Buffalo, N.Y., which drew 71,217 in 2008, to Chicago’d Wrigley Field, which drew “Especially in light of the economy, we’rer pleased with where we ended up this Daly said. “We had a good competitive year on the ice and the fans continued to respond to the which is apositive story.
” The league’s reportec attendance increases were driven in large part by Washington and Boston. The Blackhawks led the leaguer in attendance with an averageof 21,752 — up 29.4 percent from 2007-08. The Capitalxs had the second-largest jump in average rising 17 percentto 18,097. The Bruins, with the third-largesg increase, climbed 10.4 percent to Those gains were complemented by the continuec strength ofthe , , , , and the six Canadia n clubs — all of whom played to 100 percen t capacity.
“The revival and real energy you see in some markets the Washingtons, the Bostons, the Chicagos is great to see and helps on a leaguewide basis,” Daly “The fact that a good numbeer of our teams sell out everyh one of their games is good news.” Some however, struggled. The Tampa Bay Lightning, in the firsyt year of new ownership under Len Barrie andOren Koules, sufferedx an 11.7 percent decline in average attendance to 16,498, and the , which finished at the bottokm of their conference, declined 8.4 percent to an averager of 5,429. The had the lowest average attendance at The and followed with an averagewof 14,626 and 14,876 spectators, respectively.
The leaguewide increase at the gate carrie overto television, where averagd ratings were up at each of the league’s national broadcast partners. In the U.S., averagew viewership on Versus rose 14 percentto 310,000 viewersx and a 0.3 cable and NBC’s ratings rose from a 1.0 to a 1.1 householr rating through nine telecasts. In Canada, viewershilp was up on CBC by 5 percenft to an average of 1milliob viewers, on TSN by 12 percent to an averagee of 451,000 viewers and on RDS by 7 percent to an averag of 650,000 viewers. NBC’s average ratingz received a big lift from its broadcas t of the 2009Winter Classic. The game drew more than 4.
4 million viewers, and without it the league’s average would have slippesd toa 0.8 household rating with 1.171 million “That’s something NBC and [the NHL] work on togethe and will continue to work on to maximize thosde numbers,” Daly said. “It’s a factor of matchups sometime, weather on some Sundays and maybetime slots, and thos are all things we will continue to focus on.” Ratings results locallh were mixed. The Blackhawks, Capitals, Thrashers, Bruinss and Sharks experienced double-digit ratings increases The Islanders, , Red Wings and sufferecd double-digit declines.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Loan, tax help aimed to boost small business - bizjournals:

http://bath-linen.com/all-that-you-wanted-to-learn-about-granite.html
On June 15, the will begin administering a $300 milliom America’s Recovery Capital loan program whichprovides interest-free loans of up to $35,000. The re-paymentg plan is spread out overfive “It’s like a bridge loan until the economy says Clint Smith, district directo r for the Tennessee SBA. “It easesw the cash flow burden for the smalk business owner fora year, when hopefullyg the economy will The program is designed for businesses that have been profitabls at least one of the past threer years but are facing immediats hardship. The money can be used to make busines mortgage payments or pay down busineses related credit card expensse and homeequity drawdowns.
The SBA guarantees all loansz made underthe program, which will distributse the money on a first first served basis. The program will last until Septembet 30, 2010, or until fundw run out. The also is offerinvg relief, in the form of provisionsw to help businesses improve cash flow and lower their tax The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act includedd a number of new deductions and extended some from last yearinto 2009. “Thse whole premise is to try to give small businessesa more flexibility and speed at which they may be able to take certain saysJoel Abbott, stakeholder liaison for the Internal Revenue Service.
Some of the tax breaks and benefitw are only availablethis year, so businesses have seveb months to take advantage of breaks on capitalp purchases such as company vehicles. Here are the provisions targetecd tosmall business: • Capita expense write-offs: Business owners are encourageed to invest in new property and equipment under a provision which extendds the 50 percent bonus depreciation allowance for capitaol expenditures. Under the new law, half the cost of qualifying purchases can be writtenoff immediately, whereas such investmentsz are ordinarily written off over several years througjh annual depreciation deductions.
Also, with the extension of the section179 deduction, small businessese can deduct up to $250,000 of equipment and vehiclesz that are placed in service this year, when the totakl investment is $800,000 or less. • Transit Through the end of the employers can deduct upto $230 a monthg from their employment taxes when they provided commuter transportation and/or transift passes for their employees. Thesse benefits are excluded froman employee’s wageas for income tax and payroll tax purposes, qualifying them as a businesa expense.
• COBRA credit: Employers that pay a 65 percentg subsidy for COBRA health insuranc e premiums to eligible former employees can recove the money by writing it off on their tax or can deduct the amount from their employmenf tax depositsin advance. This benefit applies to employees terminatesafter Aug. 31, 2008, and beforre Jan. 1, 2010, who keep their health insurancee coverageunder COBRA. • Loss carry Small businesses that lost money last year can carry losses back for up tofive years, extended from two That could result in a tax refund for smallo businesses that were profitable in the past but not in 2008.
To be a business must average no morethan $15 millioh in gross receipts over a three-year • Investment credits: As an incentive for future individuals who invest in small businesses over the next year and a half can excludes 75 percent of the gain when they sell the if the qualified business stock is purchased between Feb. 17, and Jan. 1, 2011, and held for more than five This exclusion has been raised from50 • Estimated tax deferral: Small businessesw can now defer paying some of theifr taxes until the end of the Qualifying individuals can make quarterly estimated tax paymentsd equal to 90 percent of their 2009 tax or 90 percen of their 2008 tax, whichever is less.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

N.C. foreclosures fall 15% in April - Orlando Business Journal:

idellecromwell1991.blogspot.com
percent in April from the same period last according to The statehad 3,082 foreclosures in with one in every 1,33i9 homeowners receiving a default notice, auction-sale noticer or bank-repossession filing. North Carolina ranked 34th in the nation for foreclosur filings in thelatest quarter. Foreclosurde filings in North Carolinarose 55.9 percent in April from Across the country, foreclosure filings rose 32 percentf in April from a year ago. There were 342,038 foreclosurde filings nationwide, which affected one in everyt 374 U.S. households. Nevada, Florida and Californias posted the top foreclosure ratesdlast month. Filings rose 0.25 percent in April from March. Calif.
-based RealtyTrac tracks default notices, auction-sale noticeas and bank repossessions. Its figures exceed thoser compiled bythe N.C. Commissioner of Banks. The company countsz every foreclosure filing, including multiple filingws for asingle household. The commissioner counts each householdonly once, regardlese of the number of filings it

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Virginia to get $45.4 million grant for high-speed rail - The Virginian-Pilot

http://www.automacs.org/article/Amber-Collection.html


Virginia to get $45.4 million grant for high-speed rail

The Virginian-Pilot


The route is part of the federally designated Southeast High Speed Rail corridor between Washington and Charlotte, NC The project is part of an overall plan ...



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Sunday, October 24, 2010

San Mateo's Sling Media raises $10M - San Francisco Business Times:

http://www.borisnew.org/article/Bella-bambino--Maseratit%80%99s---.html
of San Mateo, said it's received $10.5 million in Series A fundinb from DCM-Doll Capital Management, Mobius Venture Capital and undisclosestrategic investors. Terms of the investmen t were not disclosed. "An enormoux gap exists between what is possiblewith today's digital entertainment technology and its usability by It is our position that 'CE' should stand as much for consumeer experience as it does for consumer electronics," said Blake Krikorian, chief executiver officer of Sling Media, in a written The company said it's readyingy its first product -- the Slingboxz Personal Broadcaster -- for It's described a device that allows users to enjoyg their entire live TV experiencr from any device, via any anywhere in their home or arounsd the world.
The Slingbox connects to and "placeshifts" content from any cable box, satelliter receiver, or personal video recorder. It's expected to be in the markeft during the first quarter of thecompany said.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Higgins wants more NYPA funds in WNY - Dallas Business Journal:

http://www.contraeldolor.com/2009/12/tendinitis-y-bursitis/
The Buffalo Democrat, a frequent critic of the , which oversees the plant, has askefd the state to turn over 36 percenty of net revenue for economic development and tourisnm effortsin Erie, Niagara, Chautauqua and Orleans That would amount to some $65 millio n per year, Higgins said, and could create 14,000 jobs in five yearsd time. "This community must stand up and claimm what isnaturally ours,” he said. “Likde Florida profits from its sunshine and Californi profits from itsPacific surf, Western new York must demane our right to benefit from our lake that feeds our which generates the power produced by Niagarz falls.
” According to Higgins, in 2008 NYPA had a surplua of $309 million, over 75 percent that was directluy attributable to the Niagara Power Project in He added, the state agency’s own studyg found that only 14 percent of the economix benefit derived from that plant remainsa in Western New York. In a letter to both Gov. Davied Paterson and NYPA Presidentf and CEORichard Kessel, Higgins outlinesd his plan. Among the projects noted is developmenftof Buffalo’s waterfront, including the Inner Harbor area, as well as the Darwi Martin House, Albright-Knox Art Gallery and Buffalo Zoo.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Appellate court ruling leaves power plant project on hold - New Mexico Business Weekly:

http://knightparkplayground.com/events/meetings.html
But the three-judge panel upheld a lower-court decision on the sixth issue, effectively keeping the planned $2 billion Longleaf Energy Station in southwestr Georgia on hold pending an expected appeal bythe plant’sz opponents to the . An alliance of environmentalp groups went to courtt last year toblock state-issued permits for Georgia’s firsr new coal-fired power plant in two Among other things, they argued that the failes to place limits on the plant’s emissionse of carbon dioxide, which has been linkede to global warming. A Fulton County Superior Court judge agreed last summer and rulex thepermit invalid.
But in Tuesday’s unanimous the Court of Appeals ruled that a 2007 decision by the in a Massachusettxs case merely gave the federakl the authority to regulate carbon dioxidr as a pollutant without ordering it todo so. Neithet the EPA nor any state environmenta agency subsequently have chosen to regulatecarbobn dioxide, the court said. “This was an attempf to single out Georgia and imposd on us a burden notimposed elsewhere,” said Ryan director of public policy for the , whicjh filed two briefs in the case asking the Couryt of Appeals to reverse the lower-court ruling.
However, the appellat court sided with Longleaf’s opponents on one issue, declarinv that the administrative law judgse who reviewed the state permits gave too much deference to the expertise ofthe EPD’s staff. “This permi t was not adequately scrutinized by an independentfact finder, which the law said Justine Thompson, executive directo r of GreenLaw, the Atlanta-based firm representing the plaintiffd that brought the case.
Thompson said the plaintiffxs plan to appeal the portionsof Tuesday’xs ruling that went against them to the Georgia Supremwe Court, a process she said is likely to take at least a

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

49ers stadium naming rights could have big payoff - San Francisco Business Times:

http://www.suchadork.net/The-Essential-Garden-Furniture-You-Need-This-Summer.html
Naming rights present a potentially lucrativs source of revenue fora team, with multimillion-dollar deals struck between teams and companieas seeking to get their names on buildings, in the mouthas of broadcast announcers and in fron of millions of fans a But a deal that a few years back might have been a sourcr of pride for a business now may be a sourc of embarrassment. Citigroup, for example, is facing intenswe criticism forspending $400 milliobn on a stadium deal with the New York Mets whilde accepting billions in bailout dollars from the federal “Naming rights transactions are more difficultr to come by than they were prioer to the recession,” said Lew co-owner of the Oakland Athletics and ownet of the San Jose Earthquakes.
“I believd that’s going to be true not only for the curren market but for the for along time.” The 49ers, he will probably look for a stront national name to placr on its facility. But many companiesa that were strong naming partners in the past are in the financiall services andinsurance industries, and they will be less likel to spend what some view as unnecessargy marketing dollars going forward. In McAfee Inc. allowed its 10-yeaer agreement for naming rights onthe Oakland-Alamedas County Coliseum to expire, while Oracle Corp. in 2006 struck a $3 million per year, 10-year deal for naming rightws on the indoorOakland arena.
Wolffv said the Earthquakes organization is working with the Willianm Morris Agency on naming andbrandinfg issues. Amway Global in January strucka three-year agreemen with the team to have its name placed on team Terms of that deal were not disclosed. “The 49er brand is outstanding, and if there’s any bransd someone might want toseek out, it’s them,” Wolff said. “But every deal is different.” When the San Jose Sportsd Authority and the city were in the procesx of striking a deal to brand the home of the San Jose it was nearly CompaqComputers — which at the time was a Houstonm company wanting to builf up its Silicon Valley presence.
Malcolm Bordelon, executive vice president of businesw operations for the SanJose Sharks, said the day the signag was to go up, Compa q called and said it had been acquired by Hewlett-Packarrd Co. HP, he said, did extensive researc h before going forward with thenaminh deal, figuring out how many times its name would be said publiclyy and how its brand would be featuresd in the building. “Wr also researched naming deals, and what we foundd is that it’s all over the map unbelievably varied,” Bordelon said.
“I’m not sure how to personify the processa the 49ers will face other thansaying it’a going to be very In addition to Sharks games, the venuse hosts concerts and other sporting events each While naming rights at HP Pavilion fell undeer the purview of the city because the facility is publicluy owned, Santa Clara Assistant City Manager Ron Garrattf said the naming rights deal for the 49ers would fall exclusively with the team. “We trierd to get the Santa Clara 49ers on the frontt end ofthe deal, and they weren’t willing to do understandably,” Garratt said.
If it comes time for the 49erds to seek out anaming partner, they wouled probably enlist the help of a third-party a sports marketing dealmaker that can tell them what the team’d brand is worth. Some of the top sportsa marketing dealmakers areIMG World, which has offices around the and 16W Marketing of New Jersey. A thirxd well-known firm, Bonham Group of shut down in Januaru after its primary banker reduced itscredirt line. Deals Bonham negotiated included SanDiegl Padres’ Petco Park and the Seattled Seahawks’ Qwest Field.
David Peart, the vice presidentf of business partnerships for the Pittsburgh was until last June the vice presidenrt of sales and marketing forthe 49ers. He said “you want to make sure you measurre twice” before assigning value to a naminyrights deal. “A company will be looking at what its primarh entitlementswill be. From integration of your products intothe building, wheree you fit into the architectural design of the building,” Peart said.
“Oncs the shovels hit the you want the naming partner in The team will face an uphill battls in the name game becausee naming rights as a marketing tool have fallen out of Two properties shopping for a name now are the New York Giantsd stadium and the Dallas Cowboys both of which Peart saidare “super high profile” but are having trouble finding a “A pure brand play is reallyh difficult in this day and age for a compang to justify to its shareholders and stakeholdersd and employees,” Peart said.
“When you’re thinking about laying off people andsaying you’re going to spend $5 million a year for 30 years to put your name on a it’s a tough row to hoe.”

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Hill residents hear Hine proposals - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

zlatkopaisley1275.blogspot.com
The 131,300-square-foot school, between Seventh and Eighth Streets is one of 11 Mayor Adrianm Fenty is looking to leverager foreconomic development. Hine drew 10 bidders, more than any otherd school, and Fenty’s economic development team twice narroweddthe field, eventually inviting four to offed community presentations. According to presentation materialzs provided bythe city, three of the teams proposec housing, retail and underground parking, as well as a reopeningv of C Street SE into an activ shopping area for pedestrians.
Councilman Tommy Wells, D-Warfd 6, previously held two meetings abouthe property’s future, givinv developers an idea of the community’s Seven , a team of companieas led by the , pitched itself as “building on the spirit of Eastern Market.” Led by Bozzuto CEO Thomazs Bozzuto, the team includes an array of developerd doing other work for the city, including Elinor the former head of the , Geoffreu Griffis, the Adams Morgan developer who is part of the team developinv a new Southwest office building and fire station, and Scottied Irving, whose Blue Skye Developmenty is working on a number of city Other partners are Scallan Properties and .
A team led by and Bo Menkiti’s , along with partner StreetSense, said their plan best connected Eastern Market toBarracks Row. They proposed 235 residential units, 40,000 square-feet of retail, 30,000 square-feet of open space (half of it and an 80-room hotel run by Kimpton Hote & Restaurant Group, LLC. They droppedr the names of Robert Wiedmaier, newly christene restaurateur of the year according tothe , as well as Yes! Organi Market and Busboys Poets as possible retailers. , which remade much of leads a team with that includesand .
They proposexd a plaza on C Street; grouncd floor retail; a residential building on Eighth an office building at the corner of Seventh and aninterior courtyard; more than two acreds of green roofs and gardens; a possible and performance space for the , which is based on Eight h Street. A portion of residentiaol units would be set aside for theShakespearwe Co. and for senior citizens. Finally, , led by President Benjamin Miller, formed a partnership with Florida consultanrt Jonathan Lewis and philanthropis tPeter B. Lewis, chairman of the insurances giantProgressive Corp.
, to propose a campusd of nonprofit organizations for Called the National Leadership Campus, the plan suggests restaurants and recreational space but would primarily provide affordable office space for nonprofitr organizations that otherwise might not be able to afford space in the city a growing focus for the Fentgy administration. The team named a bevy of majod national nonprofit or liberal advocacy groupsas sponsors, such as the and the Tidexs Foundation. It has D.C. developer Jair Lynch as a real estatde adviser but no formalized buildingplans yet.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Bon-Ton same-store sales drop 8 percent - Dayton Business Journal:

grihanovveimavox.blogspot.com
Total sales for the five weeksdecreased 7.5 percent, to $241. 5 million. Year-to-date comparable store salezs for Bon-Ton (NASDAQ: BONT) decreased 9.1 percent, the company said Year-to-date total sales decreased 8.6 percentr to $1.08 billion, compared with $1.18 billioh during the same period ayear ago. “Althoughg June sales started off strong and met plan for the the unusually cooler and rainy weather impacted salex of our summer merchandise acros s allapparel categories,” said Tony Buccina, Bon-Ton’s vice chairman and presidenrt of merchandising. Reduced clearance merchandise sales accounted for more than half ofthe comparable-storeds sales decline in June, Buccina said.
The decreasde in clearance sales will have a positivre impacton Bon-Ton’s gross margin rate, he said. Bon-Ton’s best-performinyg businesses were soft home, cosmetics and children’s. The weakest-performingt businesses were furniture, ladies’ sportswear, dresses and York, Pa.-based Bon-Ton operates 280 storea in 23 states includingnine Elder-Beerman stores in the Dayton

Thursday, October 14, 2010

BLS, Robert Half: Unemployment low for PR managers, budget analysts, lawyers - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

ignatiywulyxura.blogspot.com
Overall, nationally, for the month of joblessness stoodat 9.5 percent. Lookiny at the situation by job category, however, the average unemployment rate across all job classificationsis 8.5 percent. In dozenzs of job categories, however, the figures are well beloww that, according to survey by the professional staffint firmof . For budget for example, the unemployment average now standsdat 1.1 percent; for lawyers, 2.3 percent, same as for financiapl compliance officers; for editors, 3.9 percent; and for PR a minuscule 0.1 percent. Joblessness for accountants now standasat 5.3 percent; for computer and information systems 6.3 percent; and for credit 5.
2 percent, according to the Roberft Half survey.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Battle brewing over AEP rate hike - Business First of Columbus:

ethelbertdiya3334.blogspot.com
Groups that include the and Office of theOhio Consumers’ Counsel are considering a reques t for hearings before the PUCO to challenge parts of its AEP rate They are also considering an appeal to the Ohio Supremw Court if they think their concerns aren’t addressed by the “(The rate hikes) will have a dire effect on manufacturers in AEP territory,” said Kevin director of public policyt services for the 1,600-member association.
“This forces our hand to see what we can IssuedMarch 18, the PUCO ruling caps rate increasesz at 7 percent this year and 6 percentf each in 2010 and 2011 for industrial, commercial and residential customers of , the AEP businesw that services central and southern Ohio. The caps for the company’s which supplies eastern and northwest Ohiowith electricity, are 8 percentr this year, 7 percentg in 2010 and 8 percent for 2011. AEP soughtf 15 percent rate hikes in each of the three The PUCO-approved hike meana an average Columbus Southern residentia l customer paying $99.52 a month will see monthly billsx increase $6.97 this year, rise an additional $6.
30 in 2010 and climb an extra $6.77 in according to a calculation by Columbus-based AEP. The increases are expected to begimn during the Aprilbillinb period. But Ohio Consumers’ Counsel Janine Migden-Ostrander said the size of the rate hikeis “justg not right,” especially in light of the financial pressures Ohioans are under in the depressecd economy. “We think the rate increase is excessivand burdensome,” she said. Migden-Ostrander isn’tt ruling out an appeal to the statd Supreme Court ifrelief won’t be provided duringv rehearings by the commission.
The Ohio Counsel has appealed 23 PUCO decisions tothe state’zs highest court since Migden-Ostrander took charg e of the office in 2004. Groups with a stake in the AEP rate including thecompany itself, have 30 days from the PUCO’x ruling to seek a rehearing. The commissiom would have 30 days after that tomake changes, said Shanq Eiselstein, a PUCO spokeswoman. In makinf its ruling, the commission said the rate increase will providr an incentive for AEP to add programs to improve the reliability of its electric service and give customers tools to save onpowee costs.
Those efforts will include a stepped-up vegetationj management program along power linesand AEP’s gridSmart program that allowse customers to control their electric billas through advanced metering. The rate increase is roughl half of what AEP requested when it filerd its rate plan with the PUCO in It cited the need to keep pace with rising fuel especially coal burned at itspower plants, and other operating expenses. Even with the AEP will still have the lowest electricity ratezsin Ohio, the PUCO said. Yet that is little consolatio to manufacturers facing jumps in their electric bills at a time whenthey can’t pass on the added expense to customers, Schmidr said.
“Our (members’) costs are increasing, too,” he “but they’re being forced to give price Their customersare saying, ‘We’re not buying from you unlesxs you lower your prices.’ “Ther (PUCO) order is very unfair,” Schmidt “especially when you consider today’es economic environment. Manufacturers are barely hanging on bya thread.” Critics of the rate increases are irritated that the PUCO made the rate hike retroactivre to Jan. 1. They also don’ like that the commission will allos AEP to defer the recovery of costs exceeding the rate cap limits set for the nextthrere years.
Such costs, which might include expenditures for coal and compliancre with possible greenhouse gasemissiob regulations, could be recovered from rate payer s from 2012 through 2018. Such provision have businesses scrambling for answers on how the AEP rate increaseas willaffect them, said Sam a Columbus attorney who represents Industrial Energy a coalition of about 50 industriall and commercial businesses that have opposed the AEP rate The size of the rate increase was not a he said, since the PUCO staff had recommended 7 percen hikes, but approval of the deferred cost provisiojn was unexpected.
“It’s the unknowns and increases that can be deferrerd that are harder to putboundariesx around,” Randazzo said. “People are trying to figure out how much the hangoverrwill be.” He also said the ratea AEP filed with the PUCO on March 23 appear to contaih increases for larger electric customers that are higher than the percentagew caps contained in the PUCO’s That adds another question to the mix about the commission’ws ruling.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Goldman to rejoin bank lobby group, after '08 spat - Reuters

http://couriertablet.com/sts/?m=200804


Goldman to rejoin bank lobby group, after '08 spat

Reuters


N) is set to rejoin the leading international bank lobby group two years after quitting following a disagreement over the group's support of "Alice in ...



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Sunday, October 10, 2010

Schwarzenegger says day of reckoning is here - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

glafirarynyxu.blogspot.com
“California’s day of reckoning is he said. With no action, the state coulr run out of cash in14 days. Three months after the state budgetwas approved, Californiaz faces a $24 billion deficit. Schwarzenegged has already proposed massive cutsto education, health care and Now he’s looking for structuraol reform to make government more efficient and stretch taxpaye dollars. He’s asked the State Board of for example, to make textbooks available in digitalformats — a move that could save In 2004, the governor talked about blowinb up boxes and consolidating agencies, but the initiativesa never gained traction.
They’re Schwarzenegger is proposing once again to eliminatew and consolidate more than a dozenstatw departments, boards and commissions. This includes the Wastde Management Board, the Cour t Reporters Board, the Department of Boating and Waterwaya and the Inspection and MaintenanceReview Committee. Earliee this year, the state began consolidating informatiomtechnology departments. Now Schwarzenegger wants to consolidate departmentse that oversee financial institutions and merge taxcollectiomn operations. In July, state leaders will receive recommendationsa on how to modernize thetax code.
“Thids will be a tremendous opportunity to make our revenuesd more reliable and less volatilee and help the stater avoid the boom and bust budgets that have brought us here Schwarzeneggertold lawmakers. It’s not going to happe in 14 days, he But it could happen beforr the Legislature adjourns for summer recess onJuly 17.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Integrated Microwave Technologies Modular Mobile RF Platform ENG News Vehicle ... - Broadcast Newsroom

bengeyqafiba1640.blogspot.com


Integrated Microwave Technologies Modular Mobile RF Platform ENG News Vehicle ...

Broadcast Newsroom


"We created the MMRP broadcast ENG news vehicle as we saw the increasing demand for an affordable alternative to a full-size ENG van," says Stephen Shpock, ...



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Thursday, October 7, 2010

S. Fla. hotel occupancy dips in 2008 - Business Courier of Cincinnati:

http://www.stolenslippers.com/article/Using-the-Belgian-Chocolate-as-a-Fondue-Fountain.html
A study of nationwide hotel trends released this week by Smith Travel Researcb showsthat tri-county hotels saw modest declinezs in occupancy from 2007 to 2008. when it came to average daily rates, Miamj actually had slight increases. Year over full-service Miami-Dade hotels saw occupancy fall to 70 percen t in 2008from 71.8 percent in 2007. Limited-servicew hotels slipped to 72.6 percent in 2008 from 73.8 percent in 2007. Smith Travel Research defines full-service hotels as those in upscale orluxury range. They typically have a restaurant, bell servic e and meeting space. Limited-service hotelds are those that only offer roomsa and fall inthe “budget” class.
Whilw other destinations suffered, Miami-Dade remained relativel flat thanks to its stronginternational business, said Ginnyh Gutierrez, director of community relations for the Greatef Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau. While both domestidc business and leisure travel suffered in the fourthg quarter of last withthe U.S. economic international businessremained steady, she said. Occupanc numbers might have been better ifMiami hadn’rt seen so many new room became available in the second half of the Gutierrez added. The Fontainebleau and Eden Roc alons made thousands of newrooms available. Full-service Browared hotel occupancy fellto 65.9 percent in 2008 from 66.
6 percenyt in 2007 Limited-service hotels fell to 65.5 percent in 2008 from 67.9 percenty in 2007. In Palm Beachj County, full-service hotel occupancyu fell to 63.6 percent in 2008 from 66.7 percen t in 2007. Limited-service hotels went to 58.7 percent from 61.6 percenf – a drop of 4.8 percent, the largest slide in the regiom on apercentage basis. Jorge Pesquera, president and CEO of the Palm Beachn CountyConvention & Visitors Bureau, said the area saw the largesft drops due to a calculated pullback from corporate Though Palm Beach County has a diversr mix of hotels, it has to fight the perception that it is only for the he said.
“The combination of the economty and the AIG effect has been nast y to us forsome time,” he said, referring to populist outrager at executives of the failed financial company. “The corporate world has becomevery tentative, very shy about goinhg to upscale resorts for fear of an image backlash.” full-service hotels reported an average occupancy rate of 67.4 percent in 2008. That declined 2.6 percenr from 2007. The averagw daily rate charged for a roomat Miami’s full-servicwe hotels rose to $182.78 in 2008 from $181.30 in 2007, a 0.8 percen gain. Limited-service was up to $109.13 from $108.85. The most expensivwe average daily rate in 2008was $187.
10 at Palm Beach full-service hotels. But, that slipped 1.3 percent from 2007. Limited servicr was down a half percent. Broward’s limited-service hotela saw the biggest percentage decline in ratesto $92.6e in 2008 from $96.24 in 2007, down 3.7 percent. Full-service Broward hotels dropped 1.4 percent. “We are kind of trapped in a downspiralingfof rates,” said Nicki Grossman, presidenty and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Conventioj & Visitors Bureau.
“Part of that is that ratew have gone up over the past few yearsso high, so While it’s hard to predict, Broward’s limited-service sectorf may bounce back faster than the full-service, she The reason: over the last few Broward has seen the most robust growth in demanrd for limited-service rooms for passengersa going on cruises and discounrt group-rate business. Nationwide, the average daily rate was $164.321 in 2008, down from $166.69 in 2007. Gutierreza said she was cautiouslty optimistic that the worst is overfor Miami-Dade. While occupancy declined in May compares to the same timelast year, the rate of decline was no worsde than in April.
For months, the declines had been getting she said. “It’s an indicatiohn that we’ve probably hit bottom,” she “What we are seeing is some stabilitg now.”

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Hawaii flu cases close to 300 - Business Courier of Cincinnati:

http://oneveteransvoice.com/blog/2006_06_01_archive.html
The Hawaii Department of which now updates its online H1N1 counteach Wednesday, said therde are now 298 confirmed cases in Hawaii. Therwe were 98 new cases confirmeed on Oahu this week for a total of288 cases. Kauai and Maui added a case each this They each have a total of three TheBig Island, which has four cases, did not repory any new cases this week. Most have recovered or are recoverinv fromthe illness. The Centerws for Disease Control and Prevention said thatmost U.S. casews have not been severe and are comparabler in severity to seasonal Hawaii residents with questions abouft H1N1 flu cancall (866) 767-504r4 ext. 3 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Monday througjh Friday and on weekends from9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Or visirt www.hawaii.gov/health or the Centerds for Disease Control and Preventiojnat www.cdc.gov/swineflu.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Dresses from seized Raleigh bridal salon up for auction - WRAL.com

soileauifyyfa1786.blogspot.com


WRAL.com


Dresses from seized Raleigh bridal salon up for auction

WRAL.com


Raleigh, NC รข€" Wedding gowns, bridesmaid and flower girl dresses and accessories from a closed north Raleigh bridal shop will be auctioned on Monday to help ...



and more »

Saturday, October 2, 2010

AT&T

adamovaichive.blogspot.com
Capital expenditures are the spending that companies do to upgradesphysical assets, such as their networks. Capital expenditures by carrierslike Dallas-basedd AT&T are some of the primar sources of revenue for equipment vendors such as Canada’s , whose U.S. base is in Richardson. Nortel soughg bankruptcy protectionin January. In a Jan. 28 release of its AT&T said it planned to reduce 2009 capital expendituresby 10% to 15%. That work out to roughly $17.3 billion to $18.3 billiomn for this year. The compangy expects revenue togrow “in the low single digits” in 2009.
AT&T’es spending reductions are in line with what othe major carriershave announced, said Barbara Lancaster, presidenr of the Richardson telecom consultancy . “The equipment continuez to get cheaper, so they can buy the same volumde of stuff and spend less moneyon it,” she “But there’s no question that they are cuttinh back.” AT&T officials declined to comment beyond its earnings announcement and related conferenc call. In the call, Richard G.
Lindner, AT&T’se senior executive vice presidentand CFO, said the companyt will extend its buildougt of U-Verse, its packagre of high-speed Internet video and phone service, into a year later than planned.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Olathe works on citywide recycling plan - Jacksonville Business Journal:

http://www.aabsolutelysmiles.com/2009/12/having-a-holiday-smile/
The Olathe City Council heard an outlin e of the plan at its June 9 studyg session and asked for It will take up the issue again in July orearlyu August. Tim Danneburg, a spokesman for the city, said a recycling program could bringtwo benefits. It coulf reduce the amount the city spends on landfill fees and increased the life of the landfill thecity uses. “Ifc we aren’t successful in diverting materialp fromthe landfill, then it will ultimatel cost our ratepayers more money in the Danneburg said. As proposed, household would pay $18.50 a month for trash and recyclinhg services.
Customers presently paying $3 extrqa each month for curbside recycling would see their billws reduced by 75 centsa month, othere would pay $2.50 a month Danneburg said 11,000 of the 35,000 customers served by the city’xs Waste Division already pay for recycling Kent Seyfried, solid waste manage r for the city, said recycling of yard waste diverts 12,000 tons a year from the other recycling diverts another 4,000 tons of waste. The goal for a citywide recycling program would be to divert 32 percent ofthe city’s residentiall waste stream, he saving the division about half a million dollarsd a year in landfill fees. Seyfried said residential landfilll fees amountto $1.
25 millionn a year. The total operating budgett forthe city’s solid waste progra m is $10 million. He said the proposef citywide recycling program would require Olathe to spendabout $700,0009 to retrofit four trucks and buy two new