Saturday, March 2, 2013

Study: N.C. economy to contract this year - Houston Business Journal:

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percent below the 2008 according to UNC Charlotte economisfJohn Connaughton. He foresees output declinexs for nine ofthe state’s 11 economic sectorsx this year. The sectors with the largest expected declinexare construction; agriculture; finance, insurance and real retail trade; durable-goods manufacturing; wholesaled trade; nondurable-goods manufacturing; transportation, utilities and information; and services. For 2009, North Carolin is likely to lose 123,50o net jobs, Connaughton says. The sectors that are expecterd to display the greatest employmenr declinesare construction, durable-goods manufacturing and nondurable-goodd manufacturing. The N.C. economy contracted by 0.
3 percent duringv 2008, he says. That compares with a 2.4 percent increasde in gross state product in Connaughton states in his quarterly Last year, the state’s economy lost 120,000 net The sectors that saw the biggest employmenft declines were durable-goods manufacturing, constructiob and nondurable-goods manufacturing, the reporgt states. For 2010, the Nortjh Carolina’s gross state product is expectec toincrease 1.9 percent over the 2009 Connaughton says. Seven of the state’s 11 economic sectorw are forecast to experience growthnext year.
The sectorz with the strongest expected growthy forecastsare finance, insurance and real estate; services; transportation, warehousing, utilitiea and information; and wholesaled trade.

Monday, February 25, 2013

Web site connects consumers to free health care - Dallas Business Journal:

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The site, myhealthresource.org, is sponsored by . It providez information on health services throughout the including local, state and federal health care insurance options, information abou disease management prescription services, area hospital and clinics along with locations and direction — mental health assistance, homeless resource and A visitor simply enters a ZIP clicks on the category of and is presented with information and a variety of The online resource comes as unemployment continue s to rise in the region and growing numbers of loca l residents lose their health insurance along with theird jobs.
There are an estimated 250,000o people without health insurance in Sacramento said registered nurse Maria president of Californians forPatientt Care. “Sacramento’s teachers, firefighters and state government workers are losintg their jobs at analarmingb rate,” Robles said in a press release. The online service providezs information on how to getcoverage and/or treatment at no or low cost. While the Web site is intendee for consumers who need direction to doctors and other providers may want to use it to find out how to help an uninsurede patient get access tofurther care.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

UTMB Victory Lakes expansion to start next week - Houston Business Journal (blog)

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UTMB Victory Lakes expansion to start next week

Houston Business Journal (blog)


In a related project, UTMB will build a 5,000-square-foot central-plant facility to provide utilities to its 62-acre Victory Lakes campus. The central-plant facility is valued at $8 million and is scheduled for completion in August 2014. The contractor ...



and more »

Friday, February 15, 2013

Saguaro's architects visit Palm Springs hotel, give talk - The Desert Sun

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Saguaro's architects visit Palm Springs hotel, give talk

The Desert Sun


Brightly colored The Saguaro just turned a year old this week and is joining in on the Modernism Week celebrations by hosting two events featuring its architects รข€" Peter Stamberg and Paul Aferiat. Stamberg and Aferiat will be at the hotel today and ...



Sunday, February 10, 2013

Michigan, Kansas Go Down as Run Continues - ABC News

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ABC News


Michigan, Kansas Go Down as Run Continues

ABC News


Michigan, Kansas Go Down as Run Continues. By The Associated Press. February 10, 2013 (AP). There goes another one, and another one. No. 3 Michigan, fifth-ranked Kansas and No. 11 Louisville  »

Monday, February 4, 2013

CB Richard Ellis acquisition complete - South Florida Business Journal:

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Berger worked as a brokert for /ESG on a recent Friday and return to work Mondayt asa employee. The suddenj job change marked the final stretch of CBRichard Ellis' acquisitionm of Insignia. The two real estate firms spent sevenn months charting how to combine thegianr operations. The marriage of New York-based Insigniaa and Los Angeles-based CB Richard Ellis seemed to many a logica l union inSouth Florida. "The transition was seamless," said who joined Insignia three years ago aftetr resigning from TrammellCrow Co. "uI closed the door of my officd at on a Friday and opened the door of the new office at the Doral Center thefollowing Monday.
" Both officeds are west of in the Doral area. CB Richared Ellis' acquisition of Insignia makes the combined grou one ofthe world's largest real estatre firms. Insignia was a force in the United France, Europe, Asia and Lati America. The 14,000-employee CB Richard Ellis was aforcew domestically. While both companies often tussled for the same deals in many the dynamic in South Florida was less Insignia was a relative newcomer to the region and stil posturing for market share inthe tri-county pecking order, local real estater observers said.
"CB and Insignia have complementary services," Richarr Bamonte, a former associate director of now a senior associate with CBRichard "Insignia represented landlords by managing and leasingh major office buildings. CB was more focused on apartment buildinf sales andindustrial properties." CB Richard Ellis' strengthy was in investment sales and tenan representation. That is something Insignia did on alesseer scale, he said. CB Richard Ellis had tried to penetrate the leasing and propert y management marketin Miami-Dade County, dominated in part by said Ed Mitchell, CB Richard Ellis' managinh director for the South Florida region.
"Ths merger was a perfect fit forSouthh Florida," he said. "The union will help us be more effectivs andprice competitive." In an era when brokerage fees are plummeting and operatingt costs are staying the same or going up, mergersx tend to be a said Michael Cannon, managing director of the Soutyh Florida office of Integra Realty Resources, a national real estate valuatio and consulting firm. "Service providers in the commercialo and residential real estate industry will continue to he said. "By doing businesses are going to be able to performjcoordinated services.
It has to do with Fees are coming down while expenses stay the Cannon knows the situation well because his own Appraisal and Real Estate Economics merged in 1999 with Integra Realty anational group. Dismantling and moving three Insignia offices in Fort Lauderdalr and Miami into four CB Richard Ellis officezs happened ina weekend, Berger said. Most of Insignia's 16 brokerss were relocated to CB Richard Ellisw offices at 777Brickell Ave. in Miami; 8350 N.W. 52nd St. in west 1 E. Broward Blvd. in Fort and 5355 Town Center Road inBoca Raton. The union producee a total of 74 CB Richard Ellisd brokers inPalm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade Mitchell said.
Only one Insignis broker left the company followingthe merger. "Hse had been with Insignia for a Bamonte said of former broketJubeen Vaghefi. "He was a junior."

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Facebook, VCs give 18 developers seed money - Boston Business Journal:

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The companies were chosen from more than 400 developerss and entrepreneurs from around the world who appliecd in a competition sponsoredby Facebook, and . The two venturew funds will invest morethan $500,000 into the companiesd in exchange for equity. Two non-profitd that will not get funding were also chosenb to participate in theincubator program, which will be run by Dave McClurse of Founders Fund. The incubator prograjm will operate out of oneof Facebook’s Palo Alto officesw from mid-June to the end of August, at which point all of the startupxs will present to Silicon Valley angel and venture capitao investors.
According to Facebook's Web site, the companie s and nonprofitsselected include: : Find friendsw of friends to date...ot play matchmaker! If you're single, you can searcu your friends' friends and ask for intros. If you'res taken, you can set friends up. Friends of friends are the best peoplrto date. It's social dating via friendly intros. : Funju is an avatar-based social networking app for the iPhone and iPod satisfying users' desire to expresd themselves and communicate with others in a fun, creative way. The team has more than five yeara of experience in the mobile market in both Soutn Korea andthe US.
: Gameyol a is a distribution and monetizatioh platform for casual Flash Flash games currentlymonetize poorly, but Gameyolaa solves this problem by providing Flash developerds tools to sell virtual goods and to acquire userd through social channels. (private beta): From keeping track of your kids to protectinf your identity and getting back yourlost stuff, Life360 is the place you go to keep your familyy safe, secure, and preparee for daily life. : Churcheas create their own social networks on They extend their community between Sundays with tools to connect and engagetheidr members.
Over 30,000 church congregations are representedon Navify: Navify is a visual encyclopediqa that combines Wikipedia articles with videos, and comments. It is the only general encyclopedia that alloww you to listen tomusif videos, watch movie trailers, and brows news and celebrity photo galleries. : Simplify the way you manage Facebook and othersocial networks. NutshellMai consolidates activity from all your accountxs into a single email digest delivered onyour Don't let email alerts clutter your Get informed, not interrupted. Get the Nut!
: Brinbg your blog to Facebook, and Facebook to your Pull your Feed to your profil e andbusiness pages, add widgets to promot e your network, and read the news from blogs you folloew on the largest community of bloggers and blog loversa on Facebook. : Paradise Paintbal is the first game developedon Cmune'a next-generation social gaming platform. It is the firs t casual, 3D multiplayer FPS game on Apple Dashboard, and Mac and PC.
Play with up to eighyt friends and buy virtual items to enhancethe : Photos I Like is a digital media sharing and discovery site emphasizing lightweight social content, self-expression, and : Combines the success of resident referrao programs with the power of sociapl networks. Residents refer their communityy to friends through social networkslike Facebook, and emaip to earn rewards and live with : RUNmyERRAND is a sociao networking inspired web and mobile marketplace that providesd people and businesses an easy and trusted way to get everyday taskss done in their own hyperlocal community. : RunTherse is a social-networking servic e for runnersand cyclists.
Users can map and measure theifr favoriteroutes (no GPS required), keep a running/bikingh log, and find athletes and routes nearby Sortuv lets you start with somethinhg you like, and discover more. Instead of searchinv for a "great restaurant" just say what you "Find me a place sortuv like Spagoin Seattle". Check them out , , and . / : Trave l Brain by GeckoGo helps youtrack (and show your travels, share experiences with others, and discovee new places to visit. Learn from the knowledge of over 600,00p travelers, and get expert guide info from theird Bradt TravelGuides partnership.
Weardrobe (private beta): Weardrobe is a fashion-focused communitu for discovering different ways to wear Weardrobe provides a platform for people to share reviews of theirown clothing, post photos of their looks, catalotg their closet and search for styld inspiration. : Workstir is a communit that connects users with trustworthyy localservice providers. Anyone can post a job and choos a provider with confidence by browsing theifrpast reviews. For businesses, Workstir provides a wealth of jobs in theidr areaof expertise.
Worldlty Developments (private beta): Worldly Developmente is building online services that will help you connec withthe people, placeds and events in your local community. Its first productg makes it a snapto plan, and communicate around group activities. : Sama is Sanskritr for "equal" – Samasource finds and trains reliablr QA professionals to test Facebook apps witha user-friendluy interface that lives on Facebook Platform. With developers lower costs, reduce poverty, and improvre their applications. Vittana: Vittana enables you to lend directly to studentxs in thedeveloping world, $25 at a time.
Theit mission is to bring student loans to the developingv world through the powerof person-to-person microlending.

Friday, January 25, 2013

Cincinnati credit unions:

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So where have the credit unions been in allthis ? For the most part, they’re doing just fine, thanko you. “We’re looking for loans to said Catherine Herring, CEO of . “W e have plenty of liquidity. And we have not had delinquenciess or bankruptciesincrease dramatically.” Communicating Arts, with $48 million in assetx and just one office in is typical of local credit They have avoided subprime loans, they haven’t made many loans beyoned Greater Cincinnati and, as a result, they haven’r suffered from the amount of loan problemsw that have caused a meltdowjn in the broader financial system. Communicatingv Arts is far from alon amongcredit unions.
“We’re still lending, we’re stilo safe and we’re better capitalized,” said Tim CEO of Fairfield-based . “Wer kind of stuck with our knitting.” Creditg unions, by their very structure, are less likely to have run into problemsa during thefinancial crisis. They can put only up to one-fourtn of their assets into mortgage lending. Just 12.5 percentt can go into commercial loans, Boellnetr said. Most go to car loanss or consumer loans. And credit unions are owneds bytheir members. They don’t have separatw shareholders toanswer to.
Many distribute profits back to theie members in the form of So the temptation to take risks to boostprofits isn’t there. “The only peopls we’re beholden to are the peoplwe who walk in the Boellner said. Ohio’s 422 creditf unions have $18 billion in assets. That’s a speckj on the banking scene, making up just 6 percent of the saidPatrick Harris, Credit unions tend to be much smaller, too. They averaged about $45 million in assets. Theier makeup makes a difference, Harris said. “It’d basically people sharing their funds,” he said of the “So they have to err on the sideof caution.” The resultzs show that’s happening.
Delinquencies at Communicatingb Arts have heldbelow 0.75 perceng of assets last year and in Herring said. And its profitzs have held up well. It generatexd a return on assets ofabout 0.75 percent last year befor paying dividends to members. And those members as a group received $138,000 in bonusz year-end dividends last year, down just slightly from $145,000 in 2007. Its capitakl hovers between 13 percent and 14 percent of much higher thanmost banks. AurGroup, with $135 milliojn and five offices, is among the 10 largest loca credit unions. Its delinquent loans totalesd 1.85 percent at year-end.
That’s much higher than its typicall level around1 percent, Boellner But it’s still much better than Ohio’s bank average of 2.5 percen as of the third quarter, according to the Tighterd loan standards, common these days among banks, haven’y been an issue at credit unions. Harris said he hasn’t heard of any credit unions making it toughedr to geta loan. “Nothing has changedr here,” said Steve Behler, CEO of , Greater Cincinnati’s second-largest credit union with $350 million in assets. “We make loan to our members.” Last year “was probably one of the best years we’ve ever had,” he said.
Assets and depositxs both grew13 percent, while loans jumped 20 percent, he said. Kemba’s number of members rose 10 And its capital topped 13 percentof assets. Why the solic growth? Behler echoes other credit union nosubprime loans, no mortgage problems and few delinquency Bad loans haven’t been anywhere near the problem for credit unions that they have been for many Ohio credit unions’ delinquency rate was 1.21 percenyt of assets in the thir d quarter of 2008, according to the Ohio Credit Union It didn’t rise much from a year ago, when the rate was 1.11 And it’s less than half of Ohio 2.5 percent.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Trammell Crow's massive apartment project - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

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Trammell Crow Residential bought Overlook Atlanta Gardensd and Houston Street apartments at 180Jacksonj St. S.E. near Decatud Street Oct. 12 for $17.5 million, according to Alan president of , a commercial real estate research The Atlanta-based apartment and condoo developer plans to raze the existing 260-uni t complex by the end of the year to buildx Alexan 360, a 592-unit apartment project. The $110 millioj project, once conceived as Alexan Cityscapes, "izs the largest one we've done out of my said Alan Dean, TCR's senior managing director.
Alexajn 360, which will be a mid-rise project, will rival in numbert of units some of the bigger condominiuk projects in development or under construction in the city of including 's The Atlantic, which has 401 units, 's Trumpl Towers Atlanta, which has 365 and and Daniel Corp.'s 1010 Midtown, which has 443 Alexan 360 is designed so that it can be split into two separater projects, either for a future sale of Alexan 360 or to make into a for-sald condo project, Dean said. is the equitgy partner in the deal and is the debt lended witha $82.4 million construction loan, Dean The project is expected to be complete in 2010.
The apartment market in Atlantais "doing OK, but it has been somewhatg impacted by recycled condos and homes that are hitting the rental market," said John A. Williams, CEO of , whicn has an apartment building subsidiary, and foundetr and former CEO of apartment firm PostPropertiesw Inc. "There is a fair amount of [apartment] supplhy inside [Interstate] 285," he said. "If you go back 20 there was very little apartment supplyinsidre 285, it was all suburban. Now it's getting so you can'ty get suburban apartments zoned." The Alexan 360 project is in such a good locatio inEast Atlanta, it should do well, he said.
The Alexan 360 sale was no quickl realestate deal, said John a broker with Speros and fellow broker Larruy Wood represented sellers Diversified Mortgage & Realtyh and Progressive Development, both of in the deal. Jeffrey P. Vantosh of Vantosh Company Inc. was the broker for TCR. It took thre e years to get the existingapartmentse sold, as market conditions kept changing, Sperosa said. "At one time it was tied up fora high-risw project," he said. "Then was tied up by a major retailer to do retailon it, but never coulx make it work out." was a local multifamily developer that sough the Alexan 360 property.
"It's a greatt site," said Marc Pollack, CEO of Pollack Partners. "Theg were more tenacious than I The supply of new apartments in metro Atlantqais healthy, but the time it takes to develop new units is affecting how much supply comes on the he said. "They all take much longer to get off the Pollack said. "There are more barrierws to entry, even in the intown It used to be we could find a piecwof property, buy it and be under way in nine months. Now it's more like two But that maintainsthe balance." Apartment developerss nearly doubled the number of starts in 2007, comparede with 2006, said Dale Henson, president of , who tracks Atlantza apartment data.
"We expect 11,509 starts in 2007, that's going to be up from 5,6387 starts in 2006," he said. "Wer are still in reasonable control on apartment Williamshas 3,000 apartment units in development in metr Atlanta, including projects in near Cumberland Mall, Hapeville and near Interstate 85 and Clairmonyt Road. Williams agreed that if therew is not too muchproduction "a year from now we should have a better market because we will absorb some of thesee condos.
"

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

BNIM Architects Company Profile | Company Information

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BNIM's projects have won numerous desigbn awards from the AIA and otherrespected organizations. Includef among them are national AIA/COTE Top Ten Greem Projects Awards and recognition from the GeneralServicees Administration, the American Planning Association, and the International Interiot Design Association, to name a few.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

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(NYSE: APC), (NYSE: ME) and Cobalt International Energ y LP all issued separate releases on the find at theHeidelbert prospect, which contains about 200 feet of net oil pay. The well is in abougt 5,000 feet of water in Greenm Canyon, and will have to be drilled toabout 28,5000 feet. For Anadarko — the majority partner with more than 44 percenytinterest — the Heidelberg discovery validates the geologicalo trends evident in the previously announced Caesar/Tonga discoveries, according to Bob Daniels, senioer vice president of worldwide exploration.
“Sincew 2005, we have drilled seven successfulk exploration wells inthis Middle-Miocener trend, each targeting resources of more than 100 millionm barrels,” Daniels said. Anadarko, whose nearbhy Constitution spar affords a variety ofdevelopmentf options, plans to conduct further appraisalp in the second half of this Mariner, which owns a 12.5 percent stakd in Heidelberg, also announced two natural gas discoveries — one in the deepwatee Gulf and another on the deep “We completed our 2008 offshore drilling program with an 80 percen success rate, and our 2009 program is off to an excellent start,” said Chairman and CEO Scott Josey.
Mariner holdx a 30 percent interest inBushwood No. 1 in 2,700 feet of water in the Garden which will be drilledto 25,300 feet. owns 35 percent of and two others own the Mariner owns a 100 percent working interest inSmoothiee No. 2 on the deep shelf. Heidelbert represents Cobalt’s first discovery in the deepwater “The Heidelberg success gives us great confidence inour technology, and geologic modeling of our entire Gulf of Mexicl portfolio,” said Cobalt Chairman and CEO Joseph Bryant, whose companyy owns just under 10 perceny of the project. Anadarko remains busy in the Gulf, committinvg to drilling the Vito prospect in Mississippi Canyonnafter Heidelberg.
Drilling is also underwat at Shenandoah Lower-Tertiary prospecgt in Walker Ridge, and an exploratory well at the Samurai prospect in Green Canyon is expected to spud in the firsr quarterof 2009.

Monday, January 7, 2013

Metro councilors favor MERC oversight - Portland Business Journal:

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Park and Councilor Rex Burkholdetr are sponsoring a resolution that would give the council authority over individuals who leadthe . The proposak comes after Metro Council President David Bragdon criticized the performance of MERC Generall ManagerDavid Woolson. Metro’s council will consider the motion at its June 11 meetingf and could vote on itJune 25. Park likened the impendinfg showdownbetween Metro’s council and the Metropolitahn Exposition and Recreation Commission to 2007’as city takeover of the Portland Development Commission. In both a larger entity assumed more control over asmaller agency’w budget.
MERC oversees the Oregon Convention the Portland Center for the Performing the Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center and thePortland Zoo. Park becamed concerned about Woolson’s performance as the city, countyg and Metro attempt to erect a headquarters hotel near the Orego nConvention Center. While Park wasn’t specific with his the $200 million-plus project has gained littled traction. Yet even though MERC is a Metrok subsidiary, the regional government doesn’t control who leadws MERC. The commission has its own boardr that hires and firestop executives. “Whehn concerns about his performancecame up, it pointed out the vulnerabilityt of the council.
Even if we wanted to take actionjon it, we couldn’t,” Park said. “It’s a good governmentf issue. Those with responsibility over an agency shoulde also have authorityover it.” The council, whicnh leads planning efforts in the Portland region, can currentl only hire and fire two Metro chief operating officer and chief The council does not have the authority to hire and fire MERC Park said he’d hoped to introduce such a measure even beforwe Bragdon’s critiques became public on May 29. None of Metro’ s seven councilors reacted negatively to the accordingto Park.
Woolson and Burkholder have workee together on issues relating to a new interstated bridge over theColumbia River, a key Burkholder responsibility. Woolsonb has received generally good performancee reviewsfrom MERC’s board over the last three MERC has a $40 million budget. Most of its revenu comes from businessenterprise efforts, including facilityu rentals, event services, food and cateringh and parking. It also collectd money from lodgingindustry taxes, government contributionw and investment earnings. In a lettef dated March 12, 2009 to Bragdon from Metr finance and administrative services director Margo Woolson defendedhis performance.
While Bragdon had questioned why Woolson’s office requested an $877,808 budget for the 2009-10 fiscal year — up from $470,5689 in 2007-2008 — Woolson pointed out that the commissiob had reorganized its public affairs departments and created a businessdevelopmenty arm. The commission also filled positionds that in previous budgets hadremained empty. With a $199,3634 salary — which includes a bonus paid last year Woolsonis MERC's highest-paid employee.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Older population expected to triple by 2050 - Baltimore Business Journal:

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In contrast, the population under 15 is expected to increaswe by only 6 percent during the same from 1.83 billion to 1.93 billion. The Census Bureau said that in the Unite States those 65 and older will more than doubldby 2050, rising from 39 million todah to 89 million. While children are projected to still outnumberf the older population worldwidein 2050, the unded 15 population in the United States is expected to fall belo w the older population by that date, increasing from 62 milliohn today to 85 million. These figures come from the worlds population estimates and projections released today through theCensusd Bureau's International Data Base.
This latest updatw includes projectionsby age, including people 100 and for 227 countries and areas. Less than 8 percent of the world'sa population is 65 and older. By the world's population 65 and older is expectef to reach12 percent, and by 2050, that shares is expected to grow to 16 percent. "Thix shift in the age structure ofthe world's population posesd challenges to society, families, health care providers and policymakersz to meet the needsx of aging individuals," said Wan He, demographer in the Censuss Bureau's Population Division.
Europe likelyt will continue to be the oldes region inthe world: by 2050, 29 percent of its totak population is projected to be 65 and older. On the other sub-Saharan Africa is expected to remain the youngest regioh as a result of relativelyu higherfertility and, in some the impact of HIV/AIDS. Only 5 percen t of Africa's population is projected to be 65 and olderdin 2050. Countries experiencing relatively rapis declines in fertility combined with longer life spans will face increasingluyolder populations.
These countries will see the highest growthu rates in their older populations over the next 40 There are four countries with 20 percenf or more of their population 65and older: Italy, Japan and Monaco. By 2030, 55 countries are expecteds to have atleast one-in-five of their totalk population in this age category; by the number of countries coul rise to more than 100. Althoug h China and India are the world'sa most populous countries, their older populations do not represent larg e percentages of their totalpopulations However, these countries do have the largest numbee of older people -- 109 million and 62 million, Both countries are projected to undergpo more rapid aging, and by 2050, will have about 350 millionn and 240 million people 65 and older, respectively.

Saturday, January 5, 2013

High AEP bills leave some in dark about higher rates - Business First of Columbus:

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Some larger businesses will see increasese of 15 percent or more in their electricv billsthis year, based on calculationds of rates AEP filer with the , said Sam Randazzo, an attorneyh for , a coalition of aboutr 50 industrial and commercial businesses in the Randazzo said it is his understandint that other companies and residential customeres also are experiencing double-digit increases, which started showinv up on April bills. Such increases exceed rate caps ordered by the PUCO when itapproved AEP’s rate increaser request March 18, Randazzlo said. The commission capped the increases at 7 percent and 8 percenf this year for AEP subsidiariexsand , respectively.
AEP had requested increases of 15 percent for 2010and 2011. “If the PUCO issuew an order saying this is theway it’s going to be, then the utility has to comply,” Randazzo said. “(AEP) is goin g to have to fix it. There is something wrong.” AEP is in compliance with thePUCO order, said Selwynh Dias, a vice president at . He said first-yearf transition charges granted by the commission are the reason some billse exceedthe caps. That includes a provision that AEP can collecft 12 months of increases over the last nine month of this year aftee the PUCO failed to meeta Dec.
31 deadliner to rule in the rate AEP filed its request in Other factors affecting the size ofa customer’sx bill include its rate schedule, electricity use and poweer load levels, Dias said. In he said, some industrial customers’ billxs changed because their special rate contracts approved by the PUCO expirede at the endof 2008. “Everything has been out in the Dias said. “The (PUCO) is aware of all the Rate increases for the next two Dias said, will be at the caps set in the PUCO orderd – 6 percent in 2010 and 2011 for Columbus Southerbn Power, which serves much of Central Ohio, and 7 percent in 2010 and 8 percengt in 2011 for Ohio Power.
But questionxs remain about those rates, as evidencedx by a letter Abbott Nutrition recentlh filed withthe PUCO. Abbotf said that after speakingwith AEP, it determined its electrixc rate increase will be nearly 14 percent this It also said an AEP representative told the compan y AEP cannot say what the rate increasw will be in 2010 and Abbott, which makes nutritional products such as Similax and PediaSure, said its Columbus plant is alreadhy ’ most expensive in the It employs more than 2,000 “Due to this unexpected financial challenge in utilities,” Abbott’w letter said, “we may soon find ourselvew unable to continue to exist (in Columbus) and providr the jobs that are so critical to the well-beinvg of the people who live in our Abbott is among other companieas and trade groups askinyg the PUCO to review its AEP decisiom through a rehearing proceszs that could begin in mid-May.
Others filing rehearing applicationas include IndustrialEnergy Users-Ohio, , Ohio Manufacturers’ Association and . The PUCO has just startes reviewingthose applications, so it’s difficult to say why increasess in AEP customers’ April bills may be highee than the rate caps in the commission’s order, said PUCO spokeswomabn Shana Eiselstein. “I don’t want to say anything that would compromisre therehearing process,” she said. The commissio has 30 days from the April 17 filin deadline to rule on rehearing Eiselstein said.
The PUCO can grang the rehearings and decider to modifyits order, or it can deny the A denial would open the door for groups fightinvg the AEP rate ruling to take their case to the Ohio Supremwe Court. Besides seeking a rehearing in the AEP theOhio Consumers’ Counsel has been joined by Cincinnati-based and the stat e hospital and manufacturers associations in asking the Supremse Court to block the retroactive portion of AEP’ss rate increase.
Consumers’ Counsel Janine Migden-Ostrandef has contended that Ohio law prohibitsretroactive rate-making by the In addition, her office’s application for a rehearinb in the AEP case challenges the provisionn that will allow the poweer company to defer electric generation costs above the capped increasesw of the next three years. The consumers’ counselp estimates the deferred costs, plus interest, could cost residential and busineses customers morethan $900 million through 2018.

Friday, January 4, 2013

Leonard threatens to withdraw soccer vote - Portland Business Journal:

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Earlier Friday, Paulson said a $48 million plan to put his Portlandd Beavers AAA baseball club in the Southeast Portlanfd neighborhood lackedcommunity support. The project therefore threatened to delay the timeline to gain approvak fora $37 million upgrade of PGE Park for his Portlandx Timbers MLS club that will start play in 2011. in an e-mail sent Friday afternoon to said he regretted how Paulson was treatedx during a Lents community meeting Thursday night and is worriexd Paulson was motivated bya “mob on the verged of being out of that doesn’t represent the vast majority of Lents residents.
He urgefd Paulson to allow the Lents Urban Renewal Advisory Committees to continue with its processa before withdrawing fromthe “If you cannot do that, I cannoft support the resolution next week agreeing to bring Majoe League Soccer to Portland,” Leonarcd wrote. “I am very sorry for the way you were treatedlast night. However, I hope you recognize that you woul be disrespecting the vast majority of Lents residents if you do not agres to allow their URAC members to vote on thestadium proposal.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Fasano Pies Are Back: 7 Questions for the Pie Man - Patch.com

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Fasano Pies Are Back: 7 Questions for the Pie Man

Patch.com


Last Sunday we caught up with Beverly native Peter Fasano, president of the Fasano Pie Company, as he sold pies at Brother Rice High School---and sold out in just a couple of hours. A year ago, you re-launched the Fasano Pie Company after a 25-year ...