Thursday, September 30, 2010

Macedonian commission confirms Constitutional Court chief was informant - Southeast European Times

http://icao-legalseminar.org/page/Questions-To-Ask-At-A-Job-Interview--What-To-Ask-A.html


Macedonian commission confirms Constitutional Court chief was informant

Southeast European Times


SKOPJE, Macedonia -- The Lustration Commission confirmed on Wednesday (September 29th) that Constitutional Court President Trendafil Ivanovski collaborated ...



and more »

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Developer scraps S.F. Whole Foods project because of city fees - San Francisco Business Times:

http://www.mingzhao.net/article/New-Imaging-Technique--Toward-Spinal-Cord-Regeneration-.html
Project manager Mark Brennan said the family developmentf business would have had to paybetweenn $5 million and $6 million in city fees just to pull permitsw on the development, which was to include 62 apartmentd and a 34,000 square foot Whole The development fees cover everything from an affordable housing to San Franciscio Unified School District to the Publivc Utilities Commission. “It’s prohibitive,” said Brennan. "W e just took a look at the markey and our own budget and every time we came up with a the feeswere prohibitive.
” Brennan blamec the city's rigorous 32-month entitlement procesw that started in February of 2006, when the economgy was roaring, and did not end until October 2008, when the globapl financial crisis was in full swing. “This project shoulrd have started ayear ago. It’s he said “If this had started when it was supposec to start we would have already turnedf the shell over toWhole Foods. We wouldf be fine. But the financing will be difficult toget now.
” Brennan said his family is in talks with Whole Foods about possibly building out a smaller specialty grocery store in the existing 23,600 square foot but that no deal has been The building was home to Cala Foodd until the store closed in May of 2006.

Monday, September 27, 2010

BlueHarbor Bank will grow with new branch in Huntersville - Business First of Louisville:

http://zoloto-rus.de/conditions.php
And the company hopes to breai ground on its permanent headquartersd earlynext year. BlueHarbor opene d in January after raising morethan $20 million in startup capital. The bank, headed by Chieg Executive Jim Marshall, is targeting small-business and retail customers in the LakeNorman area. Marshall hopes to open the bank's second locatiohn in a branch building formerly occupiedby "We thinko it's a great opportunity for says Marshall, who previousl y was CEO of and spent 15 years with First Citizensw Bancshares. "We're pleased with wherw we are in our younglife cycle.
" BlueHarbofr plans to build its permanent headquartersa on the same lot where its temporart building is located in the Morrison Plantation development. At the end of the first quarter, BlueHarbor had $26 millionj in assets and reported a lossof $1.3 Startup banks typically don't turn a profit in their firsyt two years of business as they build up loans to generate interest income. Marshall says the bank is makinhg a fair number of loans tosmall businesses, but it'ss doing relatively few construction and developmentr deals due to the real estates slowdown.
The bank has hired a branch managere for its newlocation -- a formed employee of the former , whicg was recently acquired by Cincinnati-based . Marshall says a few Firstf Charter customers have visited BlueHarbor expressingg interest in movingtheit accounts, which he says is standar when a local bank disappears because of merger. "Fifth Thirdc can do everything but there's just a certain amountg of people that want to remain with a locall bank," he says. Much of BlueHarbor's business modeo is based on the approachof Ore.-based . The company favors stylish "stores" that offer free wireless Internet access andthe bank's own brane of coffee.
BlueHarbor is already offering itsown coffee, a Costas Rican blend made for the bank by Dilworth "We recognize we're in the marketing business -- we're just marketing bank productss and services and giving them a retail spin that most banksd don't employ," Marshall says. When Fifth Third Bancorp's acquisition of Charlotte-based First Charter closed this month, the majorityy of the company's more than 35 million sharese were exchanged for FifthThird stock. As part of its Fifth Third agreed to pay cash for upto 30% of Firsf Charter's total shares. After last some of those new Fifth Third shareholders may be wishing they had been part ofthat 30% group.
Last shares of Fifth Third dropped morethan 10% as an analyst at projectecd the $111 billion-asset bank will have to cut its dividendx and raise new capital due to anticipatef loan losses in its mortgage portfolio. About a third of the bank'se loan portfolio is in Floridaand Michigan, two states hit hard by the housing The stock price dropped an additional 14% Wednesday after Fifth Third said it would slasuh its second-quarter dividend to 15 centsw per share from the 44 centsd it paid in the first Also, the company confirmes it is launching a stock offering in an efforf to shore up its capital In addition, the Cincinnati-based bank plans to sell severapl noncore businesses.
It didn't identify which businesses it will Bynoon Wednesday, Fifth Thir shares had dropped to $10.89 from Tuesday's closing price of Fifth Third paid $31 for each sharse of First Charter, or aboutg $1.1 billion for the $4.8 billion-asset bank. The deal has given it 57 branchesd in North Carolina and two insuburba Atlanta. The bank converted First Charter's computefr systems and branches on June 9 and unveiled new signa thesame day. Bob formerly chief executive of First is president ofFifth Third'xs North Carolina affiliate.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Medtronic paid Army doctor $850k - Triangle Business Journal:

http://newsnoir.com/Edit_Stream_Workshop.htm
Fridley-based Medtronic (NYSE: MDT) it paid Dr. Timothh Kuklo for giving speechesa and training other doctors for the but did not at that time announce the amounts ofthosw payments. "We are making Dr. Timothy Kuklo's compensatiom information public ona one-time basis in the interesrt of transparency in this uniqu e case," Medtronic spokeswoman Marybetjh Thorsgaard said. Medtronic released the information in response to a requestffrom Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, a voca l critic of pharmaceuticaland medical-technology firms making paymentsx to doctors.
Kuklo worked as a staff physician at Walter Reed Army Medical Centert between 2000and 2006, and during a portiobn of that time, he was paid by Medtronic to provide training and education. After leaving Walter Reed, Kuklo signedc a general consulting agreement with Medtronicc inAugust 2006. He was placed on inactivde statuslast month. The Army has accusex Kuklo of falsifying research about aMedtronix bone-growth product called Infuse during the time Kuklop worked at Walter Reed in D.C. Medtronic did not pay for or participate in that Thorsgaard said.

Friday, September 24, 2010

The impact of Yao's minute limitations - CBSSports.com (blog)

http://eltoroairport.org/issues/CSUF-070803.html


CBSSports.com (blog)


The impact of Yao's minute limitations

CBSSports.com (blog)


Walking's going to put stress on it. Any weight on it, that's stress. But that's a bit different from jumping up and down constantly battling Andrew Bynum ...



and more »

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Debbie's Deals: Museum Day Saturday Means Free Admission - KMGH Denver

glafirarynyxu.blogspot.com


Debbie's Deals: Museum Day Saturday Means Free Admission

KMGH Denver


DENVER -- Saturday, Sept. 25 is the 6th Annual Smithsonian Magazine museum day. Museum Day is an annual event hosted by Smithsonian Media in which ...



and more »

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

13 QUESTIONS: Humane Society President Paula Hutchinson - SuburbanJournals

http://www.conducteurs-malus.com/article/Interest-rates-may-not-rise-sharply--Rangarajan.html


Sandusky Register


13 QUESTIONS: Humane Society President Paula Hutchinson

SuburbanJournals


About nine years ago, my mother worked at Waterloo Animal Hospital and would come home and tell me how most of the animals taken into Monroe County Animal ...


Mixer benefits local animals who need medical care

Battle Creek Enquirer


More than 100 dogs taken from Missouri kennel

Kansas City Star


135 dogs rescued from Missouri breeding facilities

KSDK


PR Newswire (press release) -Utica Observer Dispatch -Great F »

Monday, September 20, 2010

Community Challenge | Help kids deal with learning differences - Louisville Courier-Journal

http://sochi-wg.com/index.php?pn=34


Community Challenge | Help kids deal with learning differences

Louisville Courier-Journal


Educators estimate that 15 percent of school-aged children battle a learning difference. Despite possessing average to above-average intelligence, ...



and more »

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Sterling loses $356M in Q4; execs won

zuloraxelewo.blogspot.com
million, or a loss of $6.87 per share, whichb compares with net earningsof $16.9 million, or 33 centzs per share a year earlier. For fiscal the company reported a lossof $336.87 million, or a loss of $6.51 per which compares with net earnings of $93.43 million, or $1.86 per share in fiscap 2007. Based on the results, the Spokane bank holdingg company (NASDAQ: STSA) said it won’t pay cash bonusew to its executivemanagement team. Resultzs for the latest quarter include a noncasu chargeof $223.8 million related to the impairment of goodwill, includinh the sustained drop in its stocl price and market and a provision for credit losses of $228.
5 related to “worsening economic conditions (and) the continuedr stress on real estate “During the fourth quarter of we witnessed acceleration in the slowdown of the which caused higher levels of credit stress among our borrowers and an elevatio n in the level of both our nonperforminfg and classified assets. We, therefore, modified our approacg in determining the fair market value of loans identified as saidHarold Gilkey, chairman and CEO, in a

Friday, September 17, 2010

LexisNexis data breach linked to New York mob family - Kansas City Business Journal:

awipekyhila.blogspot.com
The New York-based company — which has 3,00 0 employees in the Dayton area — has sent 13,00 letters to former customers whose personal data may beat risk, the compangy said in a statement. The breach involved a formetr customer for a companycalled , whic LexisNexis bought in 2004, and was announcer by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Floridain May, according to a LexisNexids spokesperson. “(The) customer involves in this matter should have provided notice to potentialltyaffected individuals,” LexisNexis said in a statement. because the customer is no longer in business we providesdthe notice.
” According to the — which includes CIO magazinse and PC World — the New Hampshired Department of Justice posted a document Fridahy on its Web site to inform consumera about the breach. By Monday however, the link had been removed. The document reportedly tied aFlorida man, with mob connections to the Bonannoi crime family, with accessing LexisNexiws data. New Hampshire officials could notbe reached. In May, LexisNexids announced it is part of a separate investigation into allegerd creditcard fraud, perpetrated by formetr customers of the company, according to a compangy statement. That fraud occurred from June 2004 to October 2007. The U.S.
Postal Inspectio n Service released a statement thatsaid 40,000 letters will be sent to consumeras and 300 victims have been identified in an investigation concerning the breach. The company was part of a similaf incident in 2005 and sent lettersd thento 280,000 customeras who may have been victims of identity LexisNexis U.S. is a unit of plc RUK), the Anglo-Dutch publishing conglomerate. The company is an online informatioj services and publishing companywith 13,000 peoplew worldwide.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Birmingham Hotels - View Hotels in Birmingham

Air Purifiers - Efficient Cleansing of Home Environments
Birmingham, AL 35203 205-322-2100 This nearly 100-year-oldf downtown hotel recently underwenta $9.2 millio n renovation that included new interiors, finishes and such as 32-inch LCD flat-panel televisions and DVD But the hotel maintains its historic charm, with individuallhy shaped rooms and large windowss that offer views of the Birmingham skyline and nearby Linn The hotel

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Treasury limits bonuses at TARP recipients - Business First of Columbus:

polinaagyvtiwu.blogspot.com
The new rules encourage thes e companies to award executives stock that must be held for a long timeand can’ t be entirely converted to cash until the TARP moneh is repaid to the government. This, the department will align “executives’ incentives with those of shareholders and Kenneth Feinberg, a mediator who led the , will review payments and compensation plans at companies that have receivedc “exceptional assistance,” including (NYSE: AIG), (NYSE: C), (NYSE: BAC), , (NYSE: GM), and .
TARP recipients also must alloww shareholders to vote on executive compensation and the companies must disclosde any perks worth morethan $25,000 made to highl compensated employees and justify the benefit. The rules prohibit companies fromprovidingt “gross-up” payments to senior executives to cover taxes due on perks. Treasurgy Secretary Tim Geithner said the Obama administrationm also supports legislation that would requirew all public companies to give shareholders a nonbinding vote on executivrecompensation packages.
Congress also should give the Securities and Exchanged Commission the power to make compensation committees more similar to standards in placre for audit committees established bythe Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Geithner blame executive compensation practices asa “contributing for the financial crisis. “Incentives for short-term gainse overwhelmed the checks and balances meant to mitigate against the risk ofexcess leverage,” he said. But, he the government isn’t capping pay. “We are not setting fortg precise prescriptions for how companies should set which can oftenbe counterproductive,” Geithner said.
“Instead, we will continure to work to develop standards that reward innovatiobn andprudent risk-taking, without creating misalignedd incentives.” Kansas City-area banks that have accepted TARP monet include: , holding company for ; ; , pareng of ; , parent of ; , parengt of & Trust; BVBC), parent of ; , parent of ; , parenyt of ; , parent of ; Bank of Americas (NYSE: BAC); (NYSE: USB); (NYSE: MI), parengt of ; and (Nasdaq: parent of .

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Westminster Mall buys its Mervyn's - Austin Business Journal:

hibleyytogoja1273.blogspot.com
million square feet, has bought the mall’es vacant Mervyn’s building for $3.3 million, according to real estate records. The purchase may be a step toward putting the outdated which isonly half-occupied, under single ownership in anticipationj of its redevelopment as an urban-oriented, mixed-use Major mall tenants, including Mervyn’s, usuall own their buildings. Mall owner MD Managemeny Inc. of Kansas City also no longer is workinh with local LLC on redeveloping Westminster Mall and upgrading two of its KansassCity malls, according to Alberta spokeswoman Meganb Campbell.
An MD principalk said as recentlyas January, according to The Denver Post, that he was happy to be workinyg with Alberta on a plan to redevelo p Westminster Mall. Progress on updating MD'sz hometown malls -- Metro North and Metcalf Soutj -- slowed in the last few supposedly because of theeconomic downturn, accordinhg to the Kansas City Business Journal. MD Westminster Parcel LLC, an MD Management entity, closed on the purchase of the Mervyn’sd store from Chicago-based Klaff Realthy LP in mid-May, according to Jefferson County realestatde records. “We sold our fee interest to an entituy controlled by themall landlord,” said Keith executive vice president at Klaff.
With the recent Colorado’s 11 Mervyn’s storea all have been sold or leasecd to retailers such as Burlington Coat Factory and Sports exceptfor 15,000 square feet of the Pueblo Brown said. Englewood-based Sports Authoritty leases most of the space in theformer Mervyn’s in Pueblol Mall. The Mervyn’s store at Westminster Mall closes inearly 2006, one of 10 Coloradol stores in the department store chaihn to shut down at that time. Surviviny anchors at the mall include Sears, JC Penney’se and Dillard’s. Completed in Westminster Mall is locatexd at5433 W. 88th Ave., just off U.S. Highwayy 36.
Westminster Mall’s longtime manager, Kenton Anderson, said he had no informatiomn regardingthe Mervyn’s buildintg sale. Tom Morgan, a principal at MD Management, didn’yt return a call for comment. Westminster Mall’ds redevelopment is in the beginning stages, accordinyg to the city of Westminster, which has pushedc for an updating of the propertyfor “We look at the propert as the existing but also as 100 acres in the middle of the U.S. 36 one of the most vibrant corridor s in themetro area,” said Susan economic development manager for the city of Westminster.
“There’e loads of opportunity there … to do something more urbabn because of thetransportation access.” The redevelopmentg is in the “very early conceptual design phase,” accordiny to a summary of an April Westminster city councik meeting. The concept includess retail, office and residentiak space, as well as the realignmenr of nearby 88th Avenue andSheridan Boulevard. Another componenf of the redevelopment is the nearby Regional Transportation Districtbus park-n-ride, at U.S. Highway 36 and West 88th which may getlight rail.
The councipl adopted a resolution on Apri l 13 forthe city’s development authority to work with MD Management and potentialo developers “to create a vision and assemble properties to make redevelopmenyt of Westminster Mall a reality,” the summar y said. Klaff and partners acquired the Mervyn’as department store chain in 2004for $1.6 5 billion. The joint venture that owns the stores filed for Chaptere 11 bankruptcy reorganization inJuly 2008, and converted to Chapter 7 liquidation in October.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Yearlong drug probe results in 4 arrests - The News Journal

http://www.linknut.info/index.php?s=D&c=489


Yearlong drug probe results in 4 arrests

The News Journal


Four Magnolia-area residents were arrested Thursday after a yearlong investigation into drug ...


Year-long drug investigation in Magnolia leads to 4 arrests

WGMD Radio


Four face charges in Woodside drug investigation

Dover Post



 »

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Kotin's Verdict: Blagojevich trial showed judicial system works - Pioneer Press Online

http://www.fmoz.net/authors/author-2688.html


Kotin's Verdict: Blagojevich trial showed judicial system works

Pioneer Press Online


The recent federal corruption trial of ex-governor Rod Blagojevich lasted more than two months and was one of the most high-profile criminal trials in our ...



and more »

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Companies that adapt - bizjournals:

http://www.usafreewebdirectory.com/authors/author-851.html
The 40-employee company asked its employeees for input on the cuts and the overwhelming response was: We’d rather have pay cuts than The company decided to tier paycuts so managementt received 20 percent cuts and lower-leve employees would get less significanr cuts. Those making less than $60,000 a year took no cut. “Ww let the people who really need the monetykeep it. And top managemen t took the biggest hit,” said CEO Vito Palmieri. “Thag was really well The company, known by its acronyk EASi — also tied the pay cuts to revenure targets. After a dreadful October, the company made its fourth-quarter targetsz by a couple hundredf bucks at theeleventh hour.
“The first we made it and everybody cheered,” Palmierj said. The company wasn’t as lucky in the firsgt quarter of this year and had to ultimately implemeny thesalary cuts. But Palmieri said in workingt to minimize impacton employees, the company has earned goodwill. “We haven’t lost said Palmieri. “And in fact, it’s been a morale boostetr because everybody feelslike they’rs part of something.” Palmieri said takingv care of the company’s people is an important business strategy.
To that end, the company offerw 100 percent health care for its employees andtheir “It costs us 9 percenr of salary so it’s not but it’s unique today and sends a signal that we’lo do whatever we can to take care of Palmieri said. The company still faces Palmieri said EASi has had to work harder and take longer to close new But the company has managed raisinga $300,000 round of funding at the stary of the downturn from friends, family and employeesa to act as a cushion and directin g its sales force to focus on regional “Focusing on segments that can afforrd your product right now is very Palmieri said.
But the real key to managinfg throughthe recession, Palmieri said: “Keeping the moralee up. Keeping people motivated is very much partof it.”

Monday, September 6, 2010

Builders slowly regaining ground; more hiring expected - Business Courier of Cincinnati:

http://fashioneyelashes.com/tweezers-for-applying-false-lashes/
More than 2,000 heavy-construction workers have taken jobs out of according toMike Gibson, executivew director of the New Mexico Building Branch. The federalo government’s economic stimulus plan will help restore some constructio jobs to the Land of The $175 million trickling into the state as part of Presidenrt Barack Obama’s $750 billion stimulus package is expecteed to mean 4,000 to 6,000 construction jobs on stat highway and bridge projects. Among the Albuquerqud companies expected to be hiringare Kiewit, Mountain and .
in Silver City is also expected to be hirinfg road crews for highway projects later this once companies win bids andUncle Sam’s money flows into the There will be other construction jobs in the federally fundedx expansion of airports and improvements in energy efficiencyt in housing. School buildinbg continues in the especially in Las where wellabove $100 million is being spen on new schools. captured the contracr to builda $34 million middlew school in Las Cruces and is seeking to fill at leasty three management positions for some of its new according to Meranda Reid, marketing technician.
It is not hiring fielsd people as it reallocates its tradesme n to do some of the new which includesan $11 millionm addition to the Albuquerque International Sunport. At $175 the federal stimulus allocation was a major disappointment tothe state’es construction industry, which has seen 4,20 0 jobs evaporate since Januar 2008. The state had applied for $1.2 billiomn in construction stimulus funds, and the $175 million is not as the Federal Highway Administration has slowe d the allocation of fundint toNew Mexico’s Department of Transportation over technical evaluations. That slowdownb has affected bidding schedules.
Variousz highway projects around the state benefittinb from federal stimulus dollars will most likely start later this sprinvgor summer. They include the Paseo del Volcan/West Central Interchangr in Albuquerque. It will cost $34 Future road projects to be bid later this sprinh includea $70 million improvement of the busy I-25 corridof between Tramway and Bernalillo and a $50 million projecf to improve the stretch of I-10 between the I-25 interchangse and the Texas state line. Work on U.S. 64 betweeh Raton and Clayton is anothersignificant project, at $45 On May 4, the Associated General Contractors met with Gov.
Bill Richardso n hoping to get a reprieve from SenateBill 33, which forces contractorsw to pay their help union-scale wages. Gibson said the contractors are asking to exemp t the DOT contractors from paying thehighed wages. “This will hamstring us and will lead to 45 percenty fewernew jobs,” Gibson said. While the federapl stimulus jobs are problematic becaused of the heavybureaucracy attached, there is some new job creatioj from private industry. Arizona-based opened its new $1.5 millioh asphalt plant in Roswell on Apri l 30 and createdseven jobs.
Another 20 to 50 jobs are likelg to be created from the ripple effectof Western’as expansion, according to Wade Miller, directod of sales and marketing, who said, “These jobs coul d include boiler repair, rail car off-loadint and other skilled positions that will likely go to Home building jobs were practically wipecd out in the second half of when several builders closed and others downsized, but some rehiring has started as home buying is slowly “Home builders have branched out to do remodels and commercia buildings and are hiring back said Steve Nakamura, the 2009 Home Buildersw Association of Central New Mexico “I have rehired one person in my office and one fiel person.
” Nakamura operates Rachel Matthews Homes, a custom home Jerry Wade, president and founder of green home builder , has planss to hire 30 to 40 throughoutt the company’s regions, which include Albuquerque and the Four

Sunday, September 5, 2010

GM enters bankruptcy filing - Business First of Buffalo:

http://rom-ukr.biz/en/component/content/article/47-top-10-sporting-romances.html
Monday’s Chapter 11 filingf by the 101-year-old automaker — once the world’s biggesy company and Western New York’s largest manufacturing employer fordecades — is among the largesgt in U.S. history and largest-ever U.S. manufacturing bankruptcy. Chapter 11, which allows the company to operate while protected fromits creditors, pushe s GM into a fast-track bankruptcy and provides $30 billion of additional taxpayer funds to restructurwe itself.
General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson said in a prepared statemenyt that GM was being reinventes and that the company is ready for the jobat "The economic crisis has caused enormous disruptioj in the auto but with it has come the opportunitt for us to reinvent our business. We are goingy to do it once and do it The court-supervised process we are pursuing providea us with powerful tools to accelerate and complete our reinvention, as well as strongf safeguards for our customerd and our business," he said. The GM plan as detailed by U.S. officialx would allow a much smaller GM to emergd from court protection within 60 to 90 GM also plans to close11 U.S.
facilitiesw and idle another three plants by the endof 2010. GM’zs Tonawanda engine plant, where 1,100 people work, will remain open. The automakert has not provided an updated target for job cuts but was lookinv toeliminate 21,000 U.S. factory jobs from the 54,00o union members it now employs. Also not immediately cleaf is what GM’s bankruptc filing will mean for ’s plants in Rochester and three General Motors plans to take back the facilitieds from the former partds subsidiary that it spun offin 1999, according to a tentative deal reached last week between GM and the UAW.
The factoriex in New York, Michigan and Indiana would operateunder Delphi’sw union rules, but be considered part of GM, once The Lockport plant — Delphi Thermal which has 2,100 employees — was founde as Harrison Radiator Co. in 1910 and becamse part of GMin 1918. For 81 yearsx it operated under General Motors ownership until the independentDelphi Corp. was Delphi itself is operatint under bankruptcy court supervision having filed for Chaptef 11 inOctober 2005. The Troy, Mich.-based company was ready to emerge from bankruptcy in April 2008 but those plans fell apart when a key investor dropped out ofa $2.
55 billion stock deal with the General Motors employs 92,000 in the United States and is indirectly responsible for 500,000 retirees. The U.S. government would hold a 60 percent financial interest in a reorganized GM and the UAW would takea 17.5 percent The governments of Canada and the province of Ontarip have agreed to a 12 percent ownership staked in exchange for financial aid. GM bondholders would get 10 percent.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Coyotes

http://besthomedecor.wordpress.com
Westgate is next to Jobing.comn Arena, where the Coyotes The National Hockey League wants to keep the team in but owner Jerry Moyes wants to sell itfor $213 millionb to a Canadian ownership group that would move the team to Ontario. The NHL and Moyes are battlingin U.S. Bankruptcgy Court after Moyes put the team into Chapteer 11 earlierthis month. Malcolm Walker, general managerd of Moe’s Southwest Grill at said the West Valley center would take a huge hit if theCoyotes “It would be reallgy hard,” said Walker. He said the 41 regular-season home games in Glendale draw fansto Westgate’s restaurants and bars, and that businesxs would be hard to replace.
The Coyotes drew 610,000 fans during the 2008-09 season, accordingf to ESPN. That averages out to abouty 14,900 fans per game, whicy ranked the team 28th for attendance amonvgthe NHL’s 30 franchises. The arenaw seats 17,800. The financially struggling Coyotezs have not reached the NHL playoffd since2002 — the year before the team movex its home ice from the US Airwayxs Center in downtown Phoenix to the city-owned arenas in Glendale. Still, the hockey team has been pulling diners and bar patrons into Westgate at a time when consumeer spendingis down. Walker said the Coyotes’ 41 home gamea at the arena help Westgate’s restaurants and bars duriny thedown economy.
One that didn’t make it was Fox Sportw Grill, which recently closed its Westgate location. Andrea a manager at at Westgate, said Coyotexs fans account for 30 percent to 40 percent of her business ongame nights. “We do get a lot of groupws of people,” Orozco She acknowledged thatthe Coyotes’ poor recordr diminished attendance toward the end of the regular season, reducing the number of hockey fans at her bar and The regular season ended April 11, with the Coyotes missing the NHL Some other restaurant and bar operators at Westgatd did not want to talk about the possibilityu of the Coyotes moving to Canadw and the impact on their An employee at the Yard House Restaurant at Westgate agreed that a Jobing.
con Arena without the Coyotes would take a huge bite out of customet traffic. “It would be bad,” he The city of Glendale built the arenausinb $180 million in bonds backed by projected salea tax revenue. Westgate spokeswoman Nicole Traynor would not say how much of theretai center’s business was dependent on the but she said having the team there is Traynor is hopeful the team will remain in Westgate is owned by former Coyotes owner Stevwe Ellman. He moved the team from downtown Phoenixz to Glendale after unsuccessfully trying to build an arenz inSouth Scottsdale. Ellman sold the team to Moyewsin 2006.
Westgate also is home to an AMCmovie theater, the ’ , and the Cabela’s sportin goods store, which attract fans and consumerss to the area. Amand Martin, manager of the at Westgate, said her store gets some Coyotes traffic, but probably gets more from theAMC Jobing.com Arena also hosts concerts, but Walker said the venue woulcd need to attract threew or four events a week to replace the draw if they skate to Canada.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

SWACO mulling new plan to close budget gap - Business First of Columbus:

http://excursionsin.com/en/exotic-excursions/page_41.html
SWACO, which manages the Franklij County landfill, is in talks with waste haulersa to modify terms of waivers that allow the companies to take some trashy they collect in the county to private Those changes, spokesman John Remy said, could lead to lowering how much trashg can leave the county and boost drop-offss at the sprawling landfill site near Grove A bigger change could be requiring that all trash generatefd in the county heads to SWACO’s landfill by not renewinhg the waivers when they expirw at the end of the year. The move comesa as SWACO faces a budget gap ofabouy $1.
5 million because of dwindling receipts from its landfill Remy said the landfill is expected to attract aboutr 60,000 tons below budgeted levels this year, worsee than earlier projections of a 26,000-ton The landfill typically take s in more than 800,000 tons of garbagee annually. SWACO’s most recent move to help plug the gap was to open up the landfill to haulers around the state at a costof $36.5p0 a ton, up $1 from the fee in-countg haulers pay. Despite efforts to bill the progra m as a way to cutcosts – some haulers travel upwarde of 60 miles to dispose of waste picked up in Frankli n County – and improve the environment, no takersx emerged, Remy said.
As it stands, haulerw are required under the waivers to dispose ofabout three-quarters of Franklin Count trash at the landfill, while the rest up to about 300,000 tons a year is permitted to head elsewhere. Remy said how much that coulds change depends on talks with haulerds in the coming but SWACO is looking foremost to closethe 60,000-to n waste gap. “That’s what we’re shootingy for right now,” he said. “We’rde not trying to get lots and What SWACO, a $32 million-a-year operation, hopese to avoid is another increase in the so-called tipping fee it chargesx to haulers who dump at the landfill. That fee rose $2 a ton to $35.50o this year.
But another hike, Remy said, would be too big a financiall blowto cash-strapped customers, including SWACO’s largest the city of Columbus. “We decidec that (another increase) is not a good possibility or somethiny we can do becausw ourcustomers can’t afford it right now,” Remy “I won’t say it’s off the but it’s one of thoss things we don’t want to