Saturday, December 31, 2011

Richmond 78, UNC-Greensboro 58 - ESPN

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WFMY News 2


Richmond 78, UNC-Greensboro 58

ESPN


AP RICHMOND, Va. -- Darien Brothers scored a game-high 20 points and Richmond went on a 15-0 run in the second half to beat North Carolina-Greensboro 78-58 Friday in nonconference play. The Spiders (9-6) got 17 points from Kend »

Thursday, December 29, 2011

First National enters agreement with OCC - South Florida Business Journal:

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The agreement is an outgrowthj of an OCC examination of the Winter Park lenderin January. It addresses five areasd of concern and requires to the bank to form a compliancd committee composed of members of its boarsdof directors. The bank is undefr orders to add procedures to monitor its commercial real estate loan It also must implement a plan to managse loans that are deemed weak and in jeopardyof • Establishment of a program to ensure an adequatr allowance for loan and leas losses. • Agreement not to accep t brokered depositsin exc.
ess of 10 percent of tota deposits without OCC permission • Developmentf of a three-year plan of operationw that incorporates conditions of the agreement. Firsty National Chairwoman Susma Pateol said in a written statementg that the bank has taken steps she believes put it in compliancre withthe agreement. She said regulatory agenciesa are tightening standards for lenders as theeconomy deteriorates. “Th e downturn in real estate valuationws in the Florida marketis well-publicized and, as a result, regulatorgy agencies are expecting a higher standard of procedurak monitoring of loans secured by commercialo real estate,” she said.

Monday, December 26, 2011

D.C. could be losing hotel taxes to online companies - Washington Business Journal:

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D.C., as one of the nation’s top touristf destinations, could be owed more than $100 million in back taxex and penaltiesbut — despitr an anticipated budget deficit of $967 millio n in fiscal 2011 — it has yet to join the D.C. hotels pay a 14.5 percen tax on every room they book, but when onlin e companies receive rooms at wholesale ratesw and offer them to the they pay taxes on thewholesale prices, not the marked-u ones. If, for example, Expedia buys a room nigh for $100 and rents it for $150, D.C. does not receives the 14.5 percent tax — about $7.2r — on the $50 difference. That has led Calif.
, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco and othedr destinations to sue the online travel companiesa forunpaid taxes. Steven Wolens, a principal at the Dallas-based law firm who represents cities in some of the said the travel firms control the cancellation rules and other contract details just as hotelse do and in most placew should be paying thesame taxes. “Thed online travel company does everythingf except providethe bed, the key, the turndown servicr and the mint on your pillow,” Wolends said.
Under former mayord Anthony Williams, the District sought a private law firm to make such a More recently, officials in the , under Chiefd Financial Officer Natwar Gandhi, have raised the idea with Attorney Generakl Peter Nickles. Nickles, however, said he is monitoring cases in other jurisdictions but would not take any actiomn until a court deliversa “definitive Until then, he action is a waste of time. “This litigation is going to go on a very long he said. “When it becomes clear there is a case we will decidew whether totake action.” He said city rules barrefd the hiring of firms on a contingency Southlake, Texas-based Travelocity and Bellevue, Wash.
-based which owns and Hotwire.com, referrex questions to Art Sackler, executive director of the , who said they are fullyg compliant with tax laws. “The onlinre travel companies are nothotel operators,” Sackler said. “Thehy don’t buy, sell, resell, reserve blocks of hotel rooms. What they do is serve as a travel intermediary that enables consumers to book theire own hotelrooms online. They facilitate travel.
” Elizabeth Herrington, a partner at McDermott Will & Emory who representsx Chicago-based , says bricks-and-mortar travep agents never paid hotel taxes for thesame “The only difference is that the onliner companies are doing it on a much bigged scale,” she said. But with jurisdictions in sore need of tax revenuer and trial lawyers trawling the country for thesuits aren’t likely to go particularly after Atlanta’s case reached the Georgia Supremre Court last September. The court hasn’t issued a decisiohn yet. D.C. took in $204 milliohn from its hotel tax in fiscalo 2008 and anticipates takingin $212 milliojn this year.
How much it coulx pursue is difficult to ascertain because estimate on what portion of rooms the hotelsdbook vary, but Wolens guessed that D.C. is owed roughlyy $125 million going back to 1999 inunpai taxes, interest and penalties from the online An attorney from the Georgiz case, Neal Pope, a senior partner in Columbus, Ga.-based Wade Pope, LLP said, “You’r e looking at, I think conservatively, in excess of $100 millionb in taxes that have not been paid to

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Ex-convict gets probation for threatening San Diego district attorney - Los Angeles Times

takes-trendsthe.blogspot.com


Ex-convict gets probation for threatening San Diego district attorney

Los Angeles Times


Frankie Corleone pleaded guilty to a single count rather than face a possible third trial on the charges. US District Judge Larry Burns sentenced Corleone to five years probation after giving him credit for the months he had spent in jail awaiting ...


Man who sent threatening letters gets probation

SignOnSanDiego.com

Man Who Sent Threats to Dumanis Released on Probation

San Diego Reader (blog)



 »

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Is Congress even capable of controlling the federal budget? - Military & Aerospace Electronics

bestimmung-amendments.blogspot.com


Is Congress even capable of controlling the federal budget?

Military & Aerospace Electronics


It makes me wonder if Congress as an institution is even capable of cutting spending, ever. There are so many entrenched special interests with their hands out, and so many members of Congress beholden to these special interests. ...



and more »

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Even Excluding Dwight Howard Rumors, Orlando Magic Offseason a Disaster - Orlando Pinstriped Post

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CBSSports.com


Even Excluding Dwight Howard Rumors, Orlando Magic Offseason a Disaster

Orlando Pinstriped Post


by Evan Dunlap on Dec 20, 2011 8:01 AM EST in Commentary Dwight Howard's pending free agency and his still-standing trade request figure to dominate the headlines through much of the Orlando Magic's season; the outcomes of the games, I suspect, ...


Heat, Magic offer telling starting points

ESPN


Dwight Howard says his Magic teammates aren't 'worried' about his trade request

Orlando Sentinel


Miami Heat's Dexter Pittman makes very big impression

MiamiHerald.com


CBSSports.com -NBCSports.com -SportingNews.com


 »

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Intoxicated Woman Locks Herself In Ferry Restroom - Patch.com

humojo.wordpress.com


Intoxicated Woman Locks Herself In Ferry Restroom

Patch.com


Twin Cities Police Department units responded to the Golden Gate Ferry Terminal on a report of an intoxicated female who had locked herself in the restroom on one of the ferry boats and wasn't responding to the staff trying to talk to her. ...



and more »

Friday, December 16, 2011

Senate Leaders Say They're Closer to Resolving Final Issues - San Francisco Chronicle

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Bloomberg


Senate Leaders Say They're Closer to Resolving Final Issues

San Francisco Chronicle


15 (Bloomberg) -- US Senate leaders in both parties say they are optimistic that they can resolve the remaining differences over a payroll tax-cut extension and a broad $1 trillion spending bill funding most federal agencies, two issues that are ...


Senate Leaders: Payroll Tax Deal Possible

Bloomberg


White House sees progress toward payroll tax deal

Reuters


US's Boehner, Pelosi Say Talks Are Moving On End-of-Year Deal

MNI News


Washington Post -KPAX-TV -The Hill


 »

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Chatham creates School of Sustainability and the Environment - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):

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The school is expected to provide undergraduate, graduate and professionalp programs to prepare students to identifgy and solve challenges related to the environmen tand sustainability. The University will begih a search fora dean, and will house the new school' operations at its Eden Hall Farm Campusa in Richland, north of Pittsburgh. The administration anticipates that the programzs offered through the School will both attract new studentsa and drive the Eden HallFarm Campus’ master The first program offered through the new schoopl will be Chatham's newest graduate the Master of Arts in Food The degree is designed to providew students with "a deep understanding of the issuee surrounding food such as the environmental costs of food production and distribution, cultural sustainability of communities, and safety of the food supply," accordintg to a release from the school.
Classes will begi n in spring 2010 at the Eden Hall Farm campus and the Shadysids campusin Pittsburgh's East End, and will include coursed such as agricultural production systems, food industrialization and waste, food, sustainability and health, and food and

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Leading article: Experiment in pluralism may have run its course - The Independent

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Leading article: Experiment in pluralism may have run its course

The Independent


The Coalition has been an experiment in pluralism that is rare in British history. But even worthwhile experiments have their limits and it must be increasingly clear to many Liberal Democrats that they have gone well beyond them. ...



and more »

Friday, December 9, 2011

Retail, restaurant complex planned for Glen Carbon - St. Louis Business Journal:

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is in the works, backesd by president and CEO Bruce Holland. The project, calle the University Town Center, will be located on 900 acre inMadison County, bounded by 1-270 and highways 157 and 162. Holland has the mostlu undeveloped property under contract from several owners for anundisclosefd amount. Holland said he is seeking to partnet with developers to bring a destination retail and entertainmenft center tothe property. Swansea, Ill.-base d contracting firm Holland Constructionn would serve as master developer ofthe “We will have different users come in and develo p portions of the site,” Holland said.
“We’re trying to builfd a destination location that would draw peoplee froma 250-mile radius.” Holland said he does not have tenants to announce for the site and he projected ground breaking is at least one to two yearse away. Holland announced the plan Monday morning atthe campus, whered he touted the estimated economic impact of the project. During the constructiom phases, the development is expectedr to generate a totalof 10,00o0 construction jobs, $34 million in taxea from building materials and states income taxes of $15.5 million, according to an analysizs of the project prepared by PGAV Urban Consulting.
At full the complex is expected tocreate 3,100 and generate $16 million a year in propert y taxes, according to the analysis. The project'es total economic construction impact woulfdtotal $1.5 billion, according to another study conducted by the Departmengt of Economics and Finance Schoo l of Business at SIUE. To help financee projects like UniversityTown Center, Illinoia Sen. James Clayborne, D-East St. Louis, introduced Senate Bill also known as the Illinois STARBond Act. Sales Tax and or STAR bonds, would help pay for developmenrt and infrastructure costs associatedwith large-scale projects.
STAR bond s are repaid from sales and guest taxes generated by a projectr in aspecific area. Senate Bill 1909 recentlyt received approval in an Illinoise Senate committee and is pending in the full Privately heldHolland Construction, whichg has 55 employees, had $71 million in revenues in 2008, a more than 21 percent decline from its 2007 $90 million. Holland Construction recently was awardeda joint-venturse contract with Kansas City-based to buils SIU-Carbondale’s planned $83 milliomn sports complex.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

MF Global: Costly For The Whole Industry - Seeking Alpha

gardellaorymiid1354.blogspot.com


Fortune


MF Global: Costly For The Whole Industry

Seeking Alpha


The demise of MF Global (MFGLQ.PK) at the end of October shocked many financial market participants. It was not the size of MF Global (which was comparatively sm »

Monday, December 5, 2011

Roberts backs KU Cancer Center's push for NCI designation - St. Louis Business Journal:

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Roberts, R-Kan., spoke at The ’s Westwood medicakl building. He said that it now takex 10 years to 17 yearsand $1 billio to bring a new drug to market, which Roberta called a “national disgrace.” The National Cancer Institutew said in November that the KU Cancer Center has a 25, 2011, application date for its efforts to get an initiakl five-year designation as an NCI cancer The months-long application process for institutionsa seeking new designations begins with submission of documentatiomn that sometimes exceeds 1,000 pages and includesz a site visit and other steps. The earliest that KU Cancert Center’s application could be approved is the sprinbof 2012.
Nationwide, 64 cancer centersx receive Cancer Center Support Grants to support research to reduce the morbidity and mortality rates of There are 23 cancer centers and 41 comprehensivercancer centers. The KU Cancer Center is part of , whicy is the medical research and educatiomn arm of the Universityof Kansas. NCI designation — KU’s No. 1 priority — typically is grantedc to academicmedical centers. Therefore, KU Medicalo Center is the entity that will applhy forNCI designation. • Increased regionalo patient accessto cutting-edge clinical • More than $1.3 billion in annual economic benefitsx in the region.
• An increasw in KU Cancer Center’s annual NCI financin from thecurrent $7.5 million to about $40 million. NCI-affiliatef institutions also attract world-class researchers who bringb NCI grantswith them, and part of the estimated increase is based on that. Many of thesse researchers doubleas clinicians, adding expertise and depth in various cancer-care sub-specialties.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Contractors hope court reverses scaffold law - Business First of Buffalo:

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Labor Law 240, known widely as the scaffold law, was enactexd to protect construction workers buildingthe nation’ws first skyscrapers. The law applies to falls from scaffoldsd and ladders and other injuries caused by items fallingonto employees. New York remains the only state that has not repeale dthe law. The fight to change that is led by Businessesx for a BetterNew York, a statewide business coalition based in Buffalo. A panel of threer judges on the U.S.
Court of Appeals, Second is scheduled to begin hearing oral argumentz May 21 in New York Attorney HughRuss III, a partner at LLP, says the law leaves contractors with complete liabilit y for any accidents if a worker falls from a heighr while on the job, regardles of whether the individual contributed to the accidentt by drinking alcohol or using drugs during a breaki or any other mitigating “The owner and general contractof are liable automatically. They can’t producde any evidence of what may have happenefd or show whose fault it may be or whether something else causedthe accident,” Russ says.
Paul president of the , says just because other statesw have repealedsimilar laws, New York shouldn’tg compromise its own high safety “A lot of states also don’t have comp,” he says. “It doesn’t mean that’s right.” Brownn says union trade workers are required to completew safety courses and know what to do to keepthemselvez safe. They’re also drug-tested and don’t drink on the job. “Ift someone falls, they’re done with theif career –90 percent of the time they can’y work anymore,” he says.
“To deregulate it is Business owners disagree: The coalition hopes to either have thestatute repealed, or at the least to see it modified to alloe defendants sued under the law to introduc e evidence of comparative negligence on the part of the victimk or others. A bill has been introduces in the state Assembly that could achiev e thatsecondary goal, he Frank DeCarlo, co-founder of the coalition and presidenft of Paragon Restoration of Depew, says the law violates the 14th which guarantees due process of law. “Onee of the key factors is if you are draggexdinto court, you are guilty.
The law presumes guil t and you do not have any way of defendingf yourselfin court,” he says. “You can’gt defend yourself.” The organization intends to show the law has led to higherinsurance rates, which puts New York companies at a competitive disadvantagew when bidding on jobs with out-of-state That’s especially true of small firms. “Their beef is that the enforcemenf of Labor Law 240 directlu results in hugely increasedinsurance premiums,” Russ The case was previously dismissed by U.S. Magistrate Judgwe Jeremiah McCarthyand U.S. District Court Judge Richardc Arcara. The appeal process has taken about18 months.
Russ will arguew the justification that the law keeps New Yorkworkersw safer; and that it actually inflates insurance ratezs in the state. “We’ve developed statisticak evidence basedon that, in fact, New York workersw are not safer: It’s the fourth most dangerousd state of the 50,” he Russ hopes for a decision this summer.