Valley life briefs - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:

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, producer of the free concert seriexs in its21st season, put the call out for singers to participat e in San Jose’s Got Talent. “We know ther is a lot of hidden talent inSan Jose’es amateur singers,” said Eric Sahn, SJDA president. The grande prize winner will receive prizes includingg cash and an opportunity to sing the nationakl anthem at a San JoseEarthquakee game. A panel of local judgesd will select a winner each The competition will feature18 singers, and first roundws occur July 2, July 9, July 16, July 23, July 30 and Aug. 6. The six preliminary-rounr winners will square off ina semi-final round Aug. 13 and Aug. 20. The finalsx will be Aug. 27.
has entered into a partnership with Menloo Park to help buy andrefurbish bank-ownex homes to provide new affordable homeownership opportunities for local workinhg families. Menlo Park is investing $500,000 in the program, bringing a total initial investmentof $1 million. Habitag plans to acquire and rehabilitats fivevacant bank-owned properties in the Belle Havem neighborhood of Menlo Park, with a possible program expansion following the initial pilot phase.
San Mateo County was ineligiblee for federal neighborhoodstabilization funds, leavingg communities such as Menlo Park that are facing growinbg instability in their housing markets to come up with workablre solutions without federal assistance. “The Neighborhoode Revitalization Program represents aunique public/private initiativde drawing support from many sectors of the communithy to help revitalize local neighborhoods destabilizedr by the crisis,” a Habitat spokesperson said. Familiesz selected for the new prograjm will help with the reconstructionj and refurbishment of the homes as part of thestandardx “sweat equity” requirement of the Habitat program.
They will also have accesa to the same termsof Habitat’s homeownershil program, including no down paymentt and a zero-interest mortgage. will host a forunm June 2-8 on the issue of an quality preschool system and what it meansx to the work force inSilicon Valley. Panelists will include Carl president and CEO of the Silicob ValleyLeadership Group; Jim Wunderman, president and CEO of the Bay Area Catherine Atkin, president of Preschool California; Ken Wilcox, presidenf of SVB Financial; Ned Barnhol of KLA Tencor; and Charles the Santa Clara County superintendent of schools.
The event is sponsorer by Silicon ValleyEducation Foundation, Fremontg Chamber of Commerce, San Jose/Silicoj Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Palo Alto Chambedr of Commerce. The cost is $35, and breakfast is To register goto

Biz Digest - Orlando Business Journal:

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students are studying Destiny, a proposed eco-friendly developmeng in southeastern ruralOsceola County, as their project in the MIT Laboratory for Sustainabler Business. The students are studying the gatewayg area, a 35-acre parcel that will be the development’sx first project. Scheduled to beginn work in 2012, the 41,300-acre development is workinbg with a variety of renewable energy and clean technologyh companies to create jobs forthe area. was named the fastest-growingh wired communications semiconductor firm among the top 25 supplierws for 2008by , which providez new market-share data for more than 20 categoriezs of wired communications semiconductors.
The Orlando-based companh is the global sales leadert inproducing HomePlug-compatible powerline communications integrated which are used in home networking, networked entertainmen and Internet Protocol television, among othe applications. was recognized by the Floridz Chapter of the American Societ y of Landscape Architects for its work on BaiDat Do, an eco-tourismk resort in Vietnam, and World Villagex of Grapevine, a mixed-use development near Dallas.

Roddey-formed firm won't take license - Pittsburgh Business Times:

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The awarding of distributor licensesto so-calleed "middleman" companies has come under fire from some statee legislators, including Sen. Jane Orie, a McCandless whose bill to eliminate the "middleman" did not make it through the state House. In a George Miles, chairman of New Centuryh and presidentof , said New Century decided to reject the licensw because, "we have becomes (increasingly) uncomfortable with the licensing process.
While we had hopefd to operate a business dedicated to giving back to the it has become more and more apparent that the stated purposw of gaming in Pennsylvania has taken a backseat to The gaming board has approved 14othet distributors/suppliers for operation in Each must pay the board a $25,000 licensing fee. When the state Legislature in 2004 approved the law creating 14 casinoe inthe state, it included a requirement that they buy equipmeny from these middleman firms called distributors.

Nissan prices the 2013 Versa, Cube and Armada - Autoblog (blog)

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Nissan prices the 2013 Versa, Cube and Armada Autoblog (blog) The base, five-speed manual Versa S rings up at $11,990 before the $790 destination and handling charge. Even at that price, the Versa remains the least expensive new car in America to buy. A 1.6 S AT with a four-speed automatic joins the lineup on top ... and more »

Report: D.C.-area home prices to keep falling - Memphis Business Journal:

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California-based PMI (NYSE: PMI) reaches that conclusion in its Secon d Quarter 2009 Economic and Real Estate Trends andits U.S. Market Risk The report says approximately 85 percentr ofthe nation's 381 metropolitan statistical areax (MSAs) are now facing increased risk of lowee home prices in 2011. Florida, California, Nevadaq and Arizona continue to have the highest risk scores but an increased risk of lowert future prices is now spreading across all regions of the natiob because of the significant increaseds in unemployment andforeclosure rates.
The Washington area which includesthe District, Northern Virginia, Marylandf and parts of West Virginia showed a 92 percent chance of lowet prices. Baltimore has a 90 percent chancw of homeprices dropping, according to the report. "Rapidlty rising foreclosure andunemployment rates, continuintg declines in house prices, and weakening consumed demand all worked to increase risk in the generakl economy, and the housing markeyt specifically," said David PMI's chief economist and strategist.
"As a resultr of the continued weaknessin prices, and the relativelty low level of interest rates, improvements in affordabilitty across the nation's MSAs will continue to incentivize repeat and first-time homebuyers back into the The areas with the least chancr of lower prices, each with less than a 6 percentt probability, include Cleveland; Pittsburgh; Columbus, San Antonio; Houston; Dallas and Fort Texas, according to PMI. The risk of prices dropping runsat 99.9 percent in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonvilled in Florida; Riverside, Los Angeles, Sants Ana, Sacramento and San Diegk in California; Las Vegas; Phoenix; R.I.; and Detroit.

Charles B. Lebovitz Executive Profile

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About Charles B. Lebovitz Charles B. Lebovit has served as Chairman of the Board and Chiegf Executive Officer of the Company since the completion of its initiapl public offering in November 1993 and is also Chairman of the Executivee Committee of the Boardof Directors. Mr. Lebovitsz also served as President of the Company untilFebruarhy 1999. Prior to the Company's he served in a similar capacitywith CBL

Academic Team honoree: David Ban - Business First of Buffalo:

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Accomplishments: National Merit Scholarship Class valedictorian. SAT score of 1,530. Scores of 98-10p on three Regents AP ScholarAward (with Distinction). Harvard Book Captain of ScienceOlympiad team. President of Math Club. Editor of school newspaper. Full David Min Hyeon Ban. Born: November 8, Columbus, Ohio. Parents: Ban Ban Changill. Residence: Williamsville. Favoritwe class: Linear algebra (taught by Joaquin “It showed me how to expanfd my mind whenapproaching math. Afteer taking this class, I am able to look at math in a much moreabstracr sense.” College and likely major: , biology.
Hope to be doingy 10 years from now: “I hope that I will be doinh my residency atJohns Hopkins.” If could meet anyone from history: Aristotle. “I woul like to discuss philosophy and learn from one of the greatestr thinkers ofall time.” If coulfd have dinner with anyone now alive: Barack “I would ask him how he learned to give such inspirational speeches.” to proceed to the next First Team honoree: Nick Brown.

FCStone posts third-quarter loss, lower revenue - Kansas City Business Journal:

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In a Thursday release, the Kansas City-basesd commodity risk-management firm (Nasdaq: FCSX) reported a loss of $8.1 or 29 cents a share, for the quartert that ended May 31. This compares with profit of $8 million, or 28 centd a share, last year. Revenue for the quarterd was $57.5 million, down from $83. million last year. The company said in the releasdthat exchange-traded and over-the-counte r contract trading volumes decreased significantly from last year, mainly from customerss in the agricultural, financial and energy markets. • A final bad debt provisiohn of $3.
5 million, or 13 cents a share, related to a previously reported energuy trading customer account that had experiencedsignificant losses. The company said Marcn 12 that it transferred to a thirsd party substantially all of the positions and remaining obligations related tothe • Higher professional fees and expensess of $1.3 million, or 5 centsz a share, related to the disposition of the energuy trading account and the review of equity alternatives for the • Severance charges of $1.3 million, or 5 centw a share, related to a separationh agreement with a former executive • A loss of $2.
4 million, or 9 centds a share, from the company’s minority investmenft in grain merchandiser , which resulted from the settlement in June by FGDI of a contractualp dispute through litigation. FCStone said it has no operational control of FGDI and had no direcy involvement in the disputed commodityh contracts orthe settlement, which eliminates any furthefr potential exposure to the commodity contracts. FCStone said it is exploring a possible sale of its remaininf 25 percent investment in FGDI and has signed a nonbinding letter of intent to sell the investment to themajority owner. Excluding these items, FCStone said third-quarteer earnings would have been $500,000, or 2 centz a share.
FCStone with (Nasdaq: through a stock swap, which woulf create a combined entity with a market capitalization ofabout $260 million that would server more than 10,000 customers and have an employer base of 650 people, annuao revenue of about $411 million and combinedx assets of $2.3 billion.

Cardinals gain as Suns, Coyotes, D-backs slide in rankings - Phoenix Business Journal:

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The Cardinals ranked 33rd on this year’sz list of U.S. sports franchises from ESPN The Magazine. The Cardsw ranked 84th in the same survetyin 2008, their 2009 Super Bowl run and fans approvap of head coach Ken Whisenhunt boosting theirr standing. The list is based on a surveh of 50,000 fans nationwide and their impression s of pro sportsteams management, players, affordability, stadium experience and performance.
The D-backs, who are in last placer in the National League West this season pretty much out of the pennant race, still rank highest among Phoenix sports teams but dropped from 10th placd last year to 30th this year, according to The D-backs ranked seconcd in the fan surveyu in terms of pricing of tickets and concessions. The team has been promotinvg discountfood items, souvenirs and economical ticket plans.
the Cards and D-backs ranked better than the Chicagol Cubs, New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboyzs and Los Angeles Lakers on the The Los Angeles Angels owned by Phoenix businessman ArtieMoreno — came in firsty while the NBA’s Los Angelees Clippers were last among the 122 major pro sports franchises in the according to ESPN. The Phoenix Suns went from 26th placee last year to 86th onthis year’ss survey. Suns owner Robert Sarver and General Manager Stevd Kerr were criticized forthe team’ss absence in the NBA playoffs this season and trading centetr Shaquille O’Neal to Cleveland for financial benefits.
The Phoeniz Coyotes hockey team dropped 50 spots from 2008 to 2009 cominb inat No. 88. The Coyotes are in Chapte r 11 bankruptcy reorganization and ranked dead last in the ESPN survegyfor fans’ view of team ownership. Coyotes owner Jerrhy Moyes wants to sell the team to Canadiah billionaire Jim Balsillie who plans a move to The National Hockey League and cityof Glendale, whers the Coyotes play, want the team sold to Chicago Bullds and White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf, who said he would keep it in

Enterprise Florida seeks input on economic roadmap - Business First of Columbus:

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The open meeting, held at the Manufacturing Center, is the fiftj in a series of forums across the state that begamn June 3 in Gainesville and ends July 30 in The half-day workshops serve as the venude for discussion, viewpoints and a release from the statewid business development, retention and expansion organizationj said. Among those invited to the event were representatives ofindustry associations, transportation experts, cultural arts smart growth advocates, elected officials and economic development The feedback will help the organization focuws on Florida’s most important economix development needs and set the righrt goals for making the stats more competitive and economically healthier, executivezs said.
Topics were slated to run the gamutfrom retaining, creating and attracting high-wage jobs to cultivatinfg a talented and highly skilled future work force and from upgradingv infrastructure to increasing Florida’s global competitiveness. Beyond the regionap workshops, other opportunities are available for public contributions to the development ofthe “Roadmap.” An Enterprisr Florida now allows for feedback throughb several interactive features includin a Roadmap survey and discussiobn board. Additionally, the site provides the current Roadmap, related progrese reports and “save the date” announcement for each regional forum, the releasse said.
Enterprise Florida’s board is charged with developing the plan and submitting it to the governor andlegislatived leaders. Every three years, the Roadmap to Florida’s Future the state’s blueprint for economic development — is updated following competitivenesse analysis and feedback from a broafd base of community representatives in the is a partnershipbetween Florida's business and governmengt leaders and is headquartered in Its mission is “to diversify Florida’s economy and create better-payiny jobs for its citizens by supporting, attracting and helpinv to create businesses in innovative, high-growth

Free Chick-fil-A meal on July 10 - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

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The giveaway is part of the Atlanta-based chain’s fifth-annual Cow Appreciatiohn Day, which honors its "Eagt Mor Chikin" Cows. In a related parents can enter photos oftheir cow-clad childrenm as part of a "Show Us the online photo contest, for a chance to win a $1,000 U.S. Savings Bond. Between now and Aug. 31, children ages 10 and youngedr are encouraged to work with an adult to submitt creative photos of themselves dressedas cows. The contest Web site, www.CowAppreciationDay.com, has details about uploading photos for the Once the picturesare uploaded, the publicv can vote for their favorite photo through Aug. 31.
The 20 photographss that get the most Internet votes will bename semifinalists. From the semifinalists, Chick-fil-A will selectf five finalists and one grand prize winner based onoveralpl quality, appearance, originality, creativity and The entrant's age will be taken into account for Chick-fil-A said. The grand prize winner will receiva U.S. Series EE Savings Bond with a maturity value of a catered party fortheir classroom, free Chick-fil-A Kid'as Meals for a year and a digitaol camera, among other gifts. Also each Kid's Meal from June 22 to July 25 will includ e miniatureCow figurines, while supplies last.
One out of everty 100 of the cows will have gold spotd instead of the traditional black spotes and will be packaged with a card redeemablee for a freeIce

Obama picks venture capitalist to head SBA Advocacy Office - bizjournals:

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Winslow Sargeant, a managing directotr in the technology practiceof Madison, Wis.-baseed Venture Investors, is Obama’s choice. The Advocacy Office is an independenyt entity inside the SBA that ensures federal agenciesx consider the impact of theifr regulations onsmall businesses. The offic also conducts researchon small-business issues. Sargeant, who earnex a Ph.D. in electrical engineering at the University of Wisconsihnat Madison, worked as a senior engineer at severakl large corporations before co-founding a fabless semiconductor company that later was acquired by PMC-Sierra.
From 2001 to he served as program manager for the Smal l Business Innovation Research program at the National Science Foundation’s engineering directorate. He is the seconc venture capitalist to be selected for a top SBA Karen Mills worked as a principal at privat equity and venture capitao firms for 26 years beforew she became the SBA administratorin Sargeant’s lack of legapl training means he will have to rely heavilyy on the attorneys at the Office of Much of the office’s work involve analyzing whether government agencies follow federal laws that required them to analyze the potential economid impact of proposed rules on small businesses.
The officed also makes sure regulators hearsmall businesses’ opinions about regulations. In fiscal 2008, this input saved small businessesabour $11 billion in possible regulatory costs, accordinhg to the office. The office’s acting Shawne Carter McGibbon, joined the office in during the BillClinton administration. She previously worked for a Democratic member of Congress and has been an attornehy for20 years.
An unnamed Obama administratiobn official characterized McGibbon to reportere asa “Bush holdover” during a controversy over an interagency reviee of the Environmental Protection Agency’s findiny that greenhouse gas emissions pose a public health The Office of Advocacy concluded that regulating carbon dioxide undef the Clean Air Act likely wouled have “serious economic consequences” on smalpl businesses and other regulated entities.
Several press accountzs quoted anonymous administration officials who said theAdvocachy Office’s criticism of the EPA finding came from an officde “still stocked with Bush appointees,” in the wordws of the Los Angeles Times. This dismissal of the office’xs opinion upset Rep. Darrell Issa of the ranking Republican on the HouseOversight & Governmentg Reform Committee. “There are hundreds of civill servants serving in a simila r capacity throughout the federal government who coul d also be characterizedas ‘Bush Issa wrote in a May 14 letter to “I sincerely hope that their professionapl advice and decisions will not be discountex merely because they also worked for the federapl government under President George W.
Bush.” For more: . Microloanzs up, big loans down for smallo businesses this year Lending data collected bythe SBA’d Office of Advocacy confirms the importance of business credit cards to small companies. A new report found that the total valueof small-business loans outstanding increasedr by 4 percent in the 12 monthsa that ended in June 2008, down from the previous year’s increasd of 8 percent. These numbers are for all small-businessa loans, not just SBA loans. The number of business loans of lessthan $100,00o jumped by nearly 16 percent as large lenders concentrated on credit cards, accordinv to the study.
In contrast, the number of businesd loans inthe $100,000 to $1 million rang fell by more than 23 percent. The report used call reportzs submitted by banks as well as Community ReinvestmenrAct data. Business loans of less than $1 million were considerec to be small-business loans. Based on call report data, the top five small-busineses lenders in June 2008 were American Capital One, Regions Financial Corp., Synovus Financial Corp. and First Citizen Bancshares Inc. The reportf also lists the mostactive small-business lenders in each state.
“In the currenty financial climate, it’s especially critical for small firms to know whichn banks and financial institutionxs have been the most likely to make smalp andmicrobusiness loans,” said economist Victoria Williams, a co-author of the For more: .

WJC ANALYSIS - After Obama's re-election, what's next for the Palestinians? - World Jewish Congress

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World Jewish Congress

WJC ANALYSIS - After Obama's re-election, what's next for the Palestinians? World Jewish Congress By Pinhas Inbari. The re-election of Barack Obama begs the question whether, as he had done in his first term, the US president would focus his attention on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While the resolution of the conflict was high on the ... and more »

Republicans defend Jase Bolger's suitability to remain Michigan House speaker ... - MLive.com

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MLive.com

Republicans defend Jase Bolger's suitability to remain Michigan House speaker ... MLive.com LANSING, MI â€" Members of the Michigan House are expected to pick their political party caucus leaders for the 2013-14 legislative session Thursday, and Speaker Jase Bolger's status appears safe among his Republican colleagues despite an ongoing ... Jase Bolger will repeat at Speaker of the House despite "Bolgergate" scandal WKZO House Speaker Jase Bolger claims victory in re-election bid against Bill Farmer Kalamazoo Gazette - MLive.com Bolger survives re-election as GOP retains hold on Michigan House The Detroit News Battle Creek Enquirer -San Francisco Chronicle -Detroit Free Press  »

Keller Williams office closes, lawsuit filed - Dayton Business Journal:

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The Realty in Washington Township, which had 110 agentas listed last summer, shut down in the last week or so. Roughl 30 agents from the firm have joined the nearby office onParagon Road, said Kali Spirtos, a former shareholderd in the Keller Williamx office. has filed a lawsuit against Spirtos, her son Nicholas Spirtos, the Resultsw First franchise and Real alleging the defendants orchestrated a takeover ofthe franchise's businesws in order to move it to anotherr company. The suit, filed Jan. 18 in Montgomery County CommonnPleas Court, said the Spirtos' called an emergency shareholdersa meeting Jan.
16 followed by a mandatory agente meeting where about 100 agents were introduced to representatives from Real Amongthe allegations, the Spirtos' and representativez from Real Living were said to advise the agent s and shareholders that Kelletr Williams had abandoned the franchise agreemenft and advised them to transfer their real estate and other licenses to Real Living. The suit alleges Nicholaxs Spirtos breached his licensing agreement by soliciting agents and competing directly against Keller Williams while maintaining ownershil inthe company.
The suit also said armed guards were used to secures the office during the takeover meeting and that a computerd firm was used to take information and trade secretsz from KellerWilliams software. John Cloud, Nicholas Spirtos' declined to comment. Cloud said he hasn'tg had a chance to answer the complaint. Kali Spirtos said "there was so much more to the than what was contained in the lawsuiyt and referred any other comment to her John Ruffolo, who also declined to comment. Harleh Rouda Jr., chief executive officetr and managing partnerof Columbus-basec Real Living, was surprised by the suit. "We're not sure what meetinhg they're referring to.
There's been no meetinyg we've been involved in where therw were armed guardsthat we're aware Rouda said. "There's no basis for this suit other than they are upse tthat they've lost some agents." Calla to Real Living's Paragon Road office were not The Spirtos' began operating the Keller Williamss Results First Realty franchise in October 2002 with Nicholazs Spirtos acting as the operating principal, according to the With the franchise agreement set to expirde in October 2007, the two sidez began negotiations to extend the deal. But Kelled Williams alleges in the suit that Nicholaas Spirtos breachedthe agreement, so they sent a default lettet Dec. 10.
The court issued a temporary restrainingh order coveringKeller Williams' intellectual property and severaol other items, which lasts until a preliminary injunctionb hearing Feb. 19, according to Marc Kessler, a lawyef for the Columbus law office of Loeserand Parks, which represents Kellere Williams. While Nicholas Spirtos was still the primary ownet after thedefault letter, Keller Williams had appointed an interim operating principal -- someone who was contemplatingv buying the franchise, Kessledr said. The suit alleges the takeover meeting was held when that person was out of Kessler expects the case to take a year to be but declined tocomment further.
Among other things, Kelled Williams is asking for unspecified punitiver and other damages along with legak expenses and the return of confidential andproprietaryu information. The Keller Williamss Results First Realty officehandled 1,309 transactionws in 2006, ranking it as the fourth-largest residentialp real estate firm in the Dayton area, accordinfg to research.

West Penn assisted living site has month to fix violations - Pittsburgh Business Times:

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, a 77-bed facility locatedc on Fifth Avenuein Oakland, received its second provisional license after inspectors found numeroue violations, including inadequate fire evacuatiomn plans, medication record problems and failure to perform an annua l assessment for one according to the center’s licensing history. Facilities can receive a maximumn of four provisional licensesbeforer revocation. Four of the problems cited during the May including evacuationplan deficiencies, were repeat violations from earlier The Residence on Fifth is operatexd by Wexford-based IntegraCare Corp.
, which also manages assisted living facilitie in Butler, Greensburg, Mount Lebanon and Kennedy Township for and othef groups. All of those facilities have full licenses. Neithef Rick Irwin, founding partner and CEO, nor COO Loriann Putzier were availabled to comment on thelicensing problems. But in a preparede statement, Putzier wrote: “The mission of The Residence on Fifthn is to enhance the quality of life for our their families andour employees.
Proactively adjusting some of our processes and the receny installation of additional fire dooras to meet current DPW requirements and the changingb needsof today’s elderly are consistent with that Irwin and Putzier, former members of senior management at Nationap Health Management Inc., formed IntegraCarde in 1999. IntegraCare grew 33 percent last recently adding 145 units at The Woods at Cedare Run in Camp The company also runs the Magnolias of Chambersburh and the Magnoliasof Lancaster, both assister living facilities, and Rexford an assisted living facility in Md.
State inspectors have not returnefd to The Residence on Fifthsince May, but they will be there before the facility’s license expires on Sept. 13, according to DPW spokeswoman Stacey The problems at The Residence on Fifth come at a time when DPW is preparingf to fine home operators who have repeat according toDaneen Reese, executive director of the , a Scranton-basexd trade group. Operators will be notifie d about the fine schedule in the next few but an implementationdate wasn’t Fines will range up to $20 a day per resident, dependinb on the seriousness of the Reese said. The most serious problems will have to be correctedd withina day.
“What they’rd trying to do is increase the quality of care and decreasee the number of violations by imposingha penalty,” Reese said. “Ifc you have a they’re willing to work with you for an effectiver planof correction. “If you’re a repeat at some point they haveto say,

Red flag warnings posted for mountain areas - fox5sandiego.com

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fox5sandiego.com

Red flag warnings posted for mountain areas fox5sandiego.com SAN DIEGO â€" Strong, gusty winds and very low humidity Sunday increased the risk for wildfires and caused Red Flag Warnings to be posted for the San Diego County mountain areas and a less-severe fire weather watch for inland v »

A new twist on a week of mergers - Phoenix Business Journal:

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I know it got real hot out therreal quick, but ... staying in Phoenix? I must be getting heat That's not normally the way it happensarounc here. , the nation's No. 2 garbagew hauler, is being acquired by a smaller competitor, , but the loss to Arizona will come in name The new company will call itself Republic, but will keep its headquartersw in Phoenix. The combined company will remaim No. 2 in the nation, closing the gap between it and WastdManagement Inc. It is expected to do more than $9 billio a year in revenue, with 36,000 employeese and 13 million customerzs in40 states.
Assumin g it clears all of the hurdles, Arizona will be left with an even strongert player on its rosterd of six Fortune500 heavyweights. And, given the momentuj of the green/sustainability movement, you can bet a company the size of Republic -- in an industry well-suited for environmental stewardship -- will be lookiny for ways to be a leade in that sector, which will only benefirt Arizona even more. Ah, but it' a dry heat.... ... HEAT IN THE , a locally grown pizza chain, is beingh acquired by an out-of-town company, too. The foundet and CEO says his operations won't changd even though it will be owned byof Florida, and that Oregano'ss will keep its headquarters in Scottsdale.
Wow, that'as two for two on the merge frontthis week, with both companies preserving their hometown ties. My only problemn with Oregano's reminds me of the Yogi Berra "No one goes there anymore, it'sa too crowded."... ... FOR A LOT OF no longer will bea family-owned business. It was boughtf this week, too, by out of Georgia. The pricre wasn't disclosed, but it likely was hefty. Holsum, one of Arizona's large r privately held businesses, also was one of its It's been in the Eisele family sinces 1884.... ... ON THE MOVE: Another headquarters move this week took a company outof Phoenix.
, whichy makes electronic payment systems, decided to relocate from its nortb Phoenix base all the way to its new addresein Scottsdale. Almost had you on that one, didn't I?... ... DON'T BE AFRAID TO LAUGH: What a week it was on the mergedr andmove front. As you wind throug another Arizona scorching summer in an economy that is leavinbg its share of burn remember to keep a sense of humor Perhaps it's worth remembering this last one from "It ain't the heat, it's the

Adjusting the recipe: River Oaks Restaurant adapts to flailing economy with strategic changes - Memphis Business Journal:

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And he’s not about to let his just die. But in the restaurant businessyou can’t change things with a ham-handec approach. And you can’t bring big change to a fine dininf restaurant withoutalerting (and possiblyt running off) the regulars. So the most receng thing Vaughn has changed arethe hours. Once only open for the East Memphis “bustling neighborhood bistro” is now open every day from 11 a.m.-11q p.m. “Houston’s is open at 11 a.m. and they’rr on wait until they Vaughn says. “That’s a pieces of our pie.
” The River Oaks menu will not changsefor lunch, will be the same until the doors close and is the same menu “outr regulars have come to The only difference is the lunch portion will be half of the dinner portion and cost half as much. Vaughn says the Memphis dinintg scene is inbad shape. The restauranr scene, he says, is holding its own with a firm foundatio laid years ago by pioneering chefse and new directions from chefszlike himself. But the recession has made customerasscale back. Some folks that used to go to Rivedr Oaks are now goingto . Thosse that went to Houston’s are going to or othe fast casual places.
Vaughn says he’s seen a 30% declin e in business over thepast year, whicy is a large chunk for a smalk restaurant that seats 85. But for the Riverd Oaks loyals, Vaughn isn’t about to changw their culinary refuge. “The goal for this restauranrt is to ride out the tough manage our costs and not allow it to reflect toour guests,” Vaughbn says. “We’re not going to cheapebn the place up.” For you’re not going to find two-for-one drinok specials every night. But on Mondays, you’ll find all wine labelas half off. Vaughn’s able to do that, he through a good relationship with hislocakl distributor.
The biggest change for River Oaks came abou two years ago when Vaughhn says he first sawbusiness decline. Back he was shipping ingredients to Memphis from all over the worlc via The hundreds of dollars in additional freight costsz began toadd up. “What I failedr to realize is that (local farmers) are in the same boat I’mm in,” Vaughn says. “We’re all struggling for a bigger piece ofthe So, Vaughn now chooses his ingrediente from more local farms. He gets as much as he can from Arkansasand Mississippi, but stretchess out to Florida, Louisiana and Alabama. The local food movemen is in full swing says editor and publisherMelisss Petersen.
When she and her husband arrived here two yeara ago there weretwo farmer’s markets. Now there are five in the Memphizs area. Her magazine’s food guide used to highlight locall restaurants that cooked with local ingredientsz and then listthoser ingredients. Frankly, she says, she’s run out of room in the printg edition. With local restaurants’ help, farmersz are slowly able to convert from a retai to a wholesalebusiness model, she “They are working with chefs and growing what they Petersen says. “The farmers are bringing freshj deliveries to chefs each day and the wholse thing produces a little cost savingsd forthe restaurants.
” Fresh ingredients means a fresh menu, Vaughn says, as he has to cook with the differeny growing seasons. This has produced a followinf that includes executives withFedExs Corp., and other businesses who go to Rivedr Oaks to see what Vaughn That free rein to do as he please s is one of the biggest business forcee that guides River Oaks. The restaurant is ownec by a groupof five, local investore who take their “silenft partner” titles very seriously and have put Vaughn’s name at stakee for the place.
The same investors are responsible for the renovatiom on the same lot as River In developingthe hotel, they couldn’t leave the former Cockeyesd Camel space vacant, so they invested $2.5 million in transforming the Camelo into River Oaks, named for the East Memphis Vaughn came to Memphisw in 2003 as a chef with Hiltom Hotels Corp. River Oaks opened in 2006 with another Vaughn was tapped after thatrelationship didn’t work out. “It takezs some people a lifetime and a fortunes to get to that place whers you have the ability to do what you how you want and whenyou want,” Vaughn says.
this has been an amazing experiencefor

Smithfield Foods: No swine flu found in our pigs - The Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area:

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Swine flu, a virus found in pigs that can be transmittedto humans, has already infected 1,000 people in Mexico, killing at leas 100, according to numerous news About 20 cases have also been reported in the New York, Texas, Ohio and Kansas, but none have resulted in death, according to the , or CDC. Smithfield Foodss (NYSE: SFD), based in Smithfield, Va., says it is cooperatinvg with Mexican officials to assist in the investigation of possible sources of the outbreak and will submit samples from its swinr herds to thefor testing.
The company also note d that it regularly vaccinates its swine herds against influenzqa and conducts monthly tests for the presence of swine flu its Mexican farms and processing According tothe CDC, people cannot get the flu from eating pork or pork Cases of swine flu commonlty occur in people with direct exposure to pigs. Human-to-human contact can also transmit the Shares of Smithfield and were down sharply on Monday amid concern abougtthe outbreak’s impact on pork China and Russia have already banned imports of U.S. pork from some statews that have human cases ofthe flu, according to Smithfield shares were tradin at $9.11 at mid-day -- down 11 percentg from the previous close.
Smithfield is the nation’s leadinb processor and marketer of fresbh pork and packaged and the biggest hog producer with salesof $12 The company owns 49 percent of Garned turkey processor LLC. It also operatesx the largest pig slaughterhouse in the world in Tar a town about 85 mileds southeastof Raleigh, with about 4,50o0 employees.