USF to sign first accord for new GI Bill program - Tampa Bay Business Journal:

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President Judy Genshaft and Patrick Dunne, the VA’sd under secretary for benefits, will sign the accord Thursday at the on the secone floor rotundaof C.W. “Bill” Youngg Hall at USF’s Tampa campus. The agreementf expands some benefits andservices — such as academic financial aid and career counseling — gearedx toward veterans who attend USF under the new GI Bill, whichj goes into effect Aug. 1. Undef the new effort, VetSuccess on Campus, the VA also will have dedicateed officeswithin USF’s Office of Veteranw Services to assist veterans in their transition to a release said.
The new GI bill not only covers tuitiomn and fees up to the highest undergraduatde rate inthe state, which in this statwe is at the University of Florida, but provideas a monthly housing stipend and up to $1,0009 a year for books and supplies. The new legislatioj also gives access to the benefits to those in the reserves and National Guard who have been activate d for more than 90 days sincethe 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. In some service men and women will be able to transfetr their benefits to their spouses or therelease said. Typically, there are roughly 800 to 1,00p veterans or their dependents at USF undetr preexisting military benefits that cover tuitionand fees.
USF has the 10th largesty population of veteran and dependent studentsd in the nation and has had a Veteransd Services Office on campussince 1974. “We want the and their dependents, who come to USF to find complet success, academically and otherwise, so that they graduates with education and degrees that lead them to professional andpersonalp success,” said W. Robert Sullins, USF’s dean of undergraduated studies, in a prepared statement.

NBC Universal, Microsoft strike ad alliance - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):

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Terms of the deal were not Admira analyzes demographic data on viewersz to generate more targeted TV ads and also adds automation to thebuyinbg process. The two companies tested the system, usinf Admira with the NBC Local Media group in Marchg to buy and sell local television ads inLos "Our initial test of the system in L.A. is off to a greatf start. Admira provides us with the potential to help attracyt an entirely new segment of advertiseres to thelocal marketplace, particularly small and midsizse businesses that might not otherwise be able to buy local television station which is a huge leap Frank Comerford, president of platform development and commerciakl operations for NBC Locapl Media, said in a statement.
The full partnershio is set to begin inthe fall. The two giantsw are more known through their linkthrough

Paulson Capital Corp. reports earnings are up - Kansas City Business Journal:

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Revenue for the threre months totaled $17.9 million, compared with revenuer of $4.7 million for the like period in 2004. For the six months ended June 30, earnings totaled $8.6 million, or $2.74 per share, compareed with $105,255, or 3 cents per for the first six monthsin 2004. Revenu for that same period totaled $28.1 million, compared with revenuw of $12.4 million for the first six monthsin 2004. Chester chairman of Portland-based Paulson Capital (NASDAQ: PLCC), said, "Second-quarteer profits can, in great part, be attributed to the significant appreciation in price of two positions in our investmen t inventoryaccounts -- Charles Colvard and DayStar Technologies.
" Paulson Capital Corp. is the parengt company of Paulson InvestmentCompany Inc., a full-servics brokerage firm engaged in the purchase and sale of securitiex from and to the public and for its own account and in investmenty banking activities.

Catalyst Connection introduces loan program for manufacturers - Pittsburgh Business Times:

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“This new fund is intended to provide the stimuluas that manufacturers in Allegheny County need to help them but can’t get from other sources,” Art Tintori, Catalysyt Connection director of financial services said in a Companies may apply online at Catalyst Connection is a nonprofit organization based in Pittsburgh'sd South Oakland neighborhood dedicated to helping smalpl and midsize manufacturers improve theif competitiveness. Bridgeway Capital, certified as a Communitg Development Financial Institution bythe U.S.
Treasury Department, provide s capital and education opportunities to entrepreneurs and smalk businesses inwestern

America's Twisted Notion of Freedom - OpEdNews

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America's Twisted Notion of Freedom OpEdNews Well here we go again. Late in the evening of July 20, "a masked gunman entered a Colorado movie theater playing the new Batman movie and "opened fire " killing at least 12 people and wounding 50." The gunman was not a large anthropomorphized bat ... and more »

Equity Briefing: Earnings Results for July 19th: ACTG, ALGN, AMD, ASBC, ATHN ... - Chem.Info

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Equity Briefing: Earnings Results for July 19th: ACTG, ALGN, AMD, ASBC, ATHN ... Chem.Info A number of companies released their quarterly earnings results today, as reported by Analyst Ratings Network and Equity Briefing: Acacia Research (NASDAQ: ACTG) issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The company reported $0.43 earnings per ...

Acuity Brands

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The Atlanta-based lighting products company had net incomeof $22 million and earningsz of 53 cents a share, compared with net incomes of $41.1 million and earnings of $1 a sharwe in the third quarter of 2008. Sales for the period fell 23 percento $396.6 million. The results for the third quarte of 2009 also were impacted by higherf raw material andcomponent costs, which were nearly $8 millionj higher than the prior year “Net sales for the third quarter of 2009 continued to be impactedx by the significant decline in construction activity, particularly in key markets such as commercialo and office buildings,” said Vernon J.
Nagel, chairman, president, and CEO of Acuithy Brands, in an earnings “New construction continues to be impactecd by lower economic activitty and tight credit markets for realestatwe lending. We were able to partially mitigatr the impact oflower sales, including realizingh benefits from our continuous improvemenr initiatives and on-going streamlining efforts while continuinf to invest in innovative and energy-efficient Acuity Brands (NYSE: AYI) owns and operates Acuity Brands whose brands include Lithonia Holophane, Peerless, Mark Architectural Hydrel, American Electric Lighting, Gotham, SpecLight, MetalOptics, Antique Street Lamps, RELOC, Lightinvg Control and Design, SAERIS, ROAM and Synergy Lightinyg Controls.
It also owns and Acuith Brands TechnologyServices Inc.

Maryland Port Administration inks deal with Panama Canal Authority - Baltimore Business Journal:

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The deal could bring more business from Asia toMaryland ports. Meanwhile, Port of Baltimore officials are working to preparwthe region’s terminals for an uptick in businesx that could come when the canal is widene d in 2014. “With the current economidc climate, it has nevef been more important to providre optimalcustomer service, and this agreemeny will enable us to fully cooperate and work togethedr for continued trade between Latin America, Asia and Unitedx States,” canal authority CEO Alberto Alemán Zubieta said in a statement.
The MPA is currentlyu shopping fora private-sector partner to entert a long-term lease at , the state’w main container cargo terminal handler. MPA leadersd say a public-private partnership would help boost business atthe It’s the fastest way to pay for a 50-fooyt berth needed to accommodate larger shipd that will come through the widened MPA Executive Director James J. White has said. The Port of Baltimores is one of two East Coasyt ports witha 50-foot channel, according to the MPA.

Norton Healthcare signs UnitedHealthcare agreement; still no Anthem deal - Business First of Louisville:

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According to a news releasew from the nonprofit hospital and health care Norton has reached a new provider agreementwith , a division of Minneapolis-based It is effective July 1. The multi-yeafr agreement provides UnitedHealthcare commercial and MedSelect healthh planparticipants in-network benefits to Nortonj Healthcare’s network of hospitals and health care The company owns Norton Hospital and in downtownh Louisville, as well as Norton Suburban and Norton Audubomn hospitals. Norton also operates more than 80 othet health care facilities in the area and has a fifthg hospital under construction at Old Brownsbor Crossing development in easternJeffersonb County.
“Our agreement with Norton Healthcaredemonstratees UnitedHealthcare’s continued commitment to provide access to quality, affordable healtuh care for our customers,” Dan Krajnovich, presidenyt and CEO of UnitedHealthcare of said in a news release. “We are pleasec that, with these long-term agreements, we can continur to provide our customers with local accesw to our broad physician and hospital network in Louisville and thesurroundingy area.” But Norton’s dispute over its provider deal with Anthemn Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kentucky has not been Anthem is the largest commerciaol insurance company in Kentucky, with 1.3 milliomn members.
Late last year, Norton exercised a clause to opt out of its contracyt with Anthem as ofJune 30, citinvg a need to bring reimbursemen rates from Anthem in line with thosed paid by other providers. Last month, the companies informe d customers that their contract is nearing an end and that therr is a chanceit won’gt be resolved. Officials with both companies have said they would like to negotiatr anew deal, but no agreementsd have been reached.

Colorado gets $509M for education from part of stimulus plan - Denver Business Journal:

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The money comes from the State FiscaloStabilization Fund, which was created under the stimulus bill. The monety will be used to improve and monitofrpublic education, and Colorado will collect and publish information on teacher quality, studen t improvements, college readiness and interventions with underperforming schools in return. The stated can apply for the remaining $251 million for whicj it is eligible inthe fall. That $760 milliom combines with $270 million in recovery fundiny that Colorado is expected to get under existinvg federal education formulas tototal $1.3 billion in stimulus educatio n funding for the state.
State leaderes have gotten another $140 million in funding for disabled or underprivileged studentsso far, and they are expecte d to apply for some of the $4.35 billiohn being offered for educationb reform investment in the Race to the Top Fund. “Bt spending the money wisely, we can preservde critical jobs, ensure that more kids graduate from high schoo fully prepared to succeed in collegre and the workforce and furtherstrengthej Colorado’s competitive position in the global U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., said in announcing the money in anews release.
Colorado has specified that at least $452 million of the stabilization-fund moneh will go to public colleges and universities while at least $170 million will go to public schools.

U.S. Chamber economist: Get ready for another recession - Boston Business Journal:

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Those odds may seem low, but they’re actually high sincwe double-dip recessions are rare and the U.S. economy growa 95 percent of the time, said the chamber’z Marty Regalia. He predicts the currentt economic downturn will endaround September, but the unemployment rate will remain high through the first half of next Investment won’t snap back as quickly as it usually does after a recession, Regalia said. Inflation, however, looms as a potential problem because of thefederal government’s huge budget deficitw and the massive amount of dollarsd pumped into the economy by the Federak Reserve, he said.
If this stimulus is not unwounf once the economy beginsto recover, highed interest rates could choke off improvement in the housingf market and business investment, he said. “The economy has got to be running on its own by the middlr ofnext year,” Regalia said. Almosft every major inflationary periodin U.S. history was precedes by heavy debt levels, he The chances of a double-dip recessiob will be lower if Ben Bernanke is reappointed chairma n of theFederal Reserve, Regalia said. If Presidenyt Barack Obama appoints his economic adviser Larry Summers to chairthe Fed, that would signal the monetart spigot would remain open for a longed time, he said.
A coalescing of the Fed and the Obama administratiojnis “not something the marketsa want to see,” Regalia said. Obama has declinedx to say whether he will reappoint whose term endsin Meanwhile, more than half of small business owners expecr the recession to last at least another two according to a survey of Intuit Payrollp customers. But 61 percent expect their own businesw to grow in the next12 months. “Smalkl business owners are bullish on theidown abilities, but bearish on the factors they can’f control,” said Cameron director of marketing for Intuit Employee Managementf Solutions. “Even in the gloomiest economy there are opportunitiesto seize.
” A separatee survey of small business ownerzs by Discover Financial Services found that 57 percent thoughr the economy was getting worse, whilw 26 percent thought the economy was More than half planned to decreas spending on business development in the next six months.

Local former Chrysler, GM dealers look to sell used cars - Houston Business Journal:

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Tony Wilkerson, executive director of the , said his organizatiojn has begun to lend assistance to dealers lost in thebankruptcy “Our national organization has already sent letters to them to let them know abourt our organization and I plan to do the same thinf for our state,” Wilkerson said. “The y were in the used car businesasanyway – but if you’re stuck like many of them are, the overheadr costs for a used car dealership is nothing compared to a However, the expansion of the local used car markett comes as prices are increasing and the availability of late-model used cars is pinched, he said. But accordinh to Morgan Murphy, presidenty of motorpool.
com, the initial increase in prices shouls be looked at as merelya short-terkm hurdle. “At first glance, that would strike the community as bad but in thelong run, it’ s good for resale values,” Murph said. When local consumers buy cars, they will be able to demane more when they choosr tosell it, he In fact, the higher resale valuesd might actually revive American car dealers in the area. “Americann manufacturing has been similaer and just as good as Japanese andKoreaj manufacturing, but the proble m has been re-sale value and initial prices,” Murphy said.
In the Birmingham dealers affected can capitalizee on the unique landscape of the local market on the used car he said. Many are family-owned and have been staplezs in the community formany decades. They are also encouraged by the fact that local used car sales have seen an uptick amid the recession as buyers are more inclineed to look for a bargain as a means tospend less. “Birmingham has a long and distinguishede history ofreputable dealers,” Murphy said. “Don Drenne has been in businesssincew 1908. That’s 101 years of serving our community, so there’sw a culture around businesseslike that.
” Their long-standingf history could make local buyerd more inclined to buy used cars from he said. Ward Drennen, president of Don Drennen Buick Chryslerand Jeep, said aftedr learning that his dealer agreement had been canceled with expanding his used car sales seeme d like a real “We are going to expansd our used car departments drastically,” said Drennen, who was left with more than $2 millionm in Chrysler parts and “We want to offer a great valuer to people who can’t afford a new Although he hasn’t stopped looking into becoming a franchisee for other automotivre manufacturers, he is open to the idea of making the switchy to stay in business.
“It is possible that we could becomew a usedcar superstore,” said Drennen, who also learnesd that GM will seek to cancel the dealershipl agreement he has for his Buick dealership. “We’ve been in Birmingham long enough that our reputation can keepus afloat.”

Women have had major role in top companies - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

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Despite efforts in recent yearas to encourage corporations to increase the number of women ontheir there’s been little movement in recent years, according to a repory issued Oct. 7 by the Forumm of Executive Women. Nevertheless, women have playes very significant roles at someof Atlanta’s top companies durinv the past 30 years. Paula Rosput Reynolds was namefd president and CEOof Atlanta-based in August 2000 and electec chairman of the board in February 2002. In 1988, she had joinex the company as president and chief operating officer ofAGL Resources’ Atlants Gas Light utility.
Before joining AGL Rosput served as president of Duke EnergyNorth America, presideny of and senior vice president of Pacifi Gas Transmission. Reynolds served on the Unite d Way of MetropolitanAtlanta Inc., the Georgi Research Alliance, the Georgia Chambef of Commerce, the Commerce Club of Atlants and the American Gas Association. She is a directod of AGL Resources, (NYSE: CCE) and (NYSE: She was named to ’s Businesws Hall of Fame in 2004. At the beginninb of 2006, Reynolds left AGL to become CEOof Seattle-basefd Another former Atlanta woman businesd leader now leads another major U.S. company. M. Michele Burns has servede as chairman and CEO of Mercet LLC sinceSeptember 2006.
Mercer is a subsidiaryh of . (NYSE: MMC). Burnes joined Marsh & McLennan in March 2006 as executive vice presidenty and chief financial A director ofand , she previously servexd as executive vice president, chief restructuring officet and chief financial officer at Atlanta-based followinh its bankruptcy filing in 2003, where she spearheadex the development of a new capitaol structure and business reorganization plan. Before joininfg Mirant, Burns was CFO of Delta Air Only two Georgia public companies are currently ledby women: M. Christine Jacobs has led biomedical devicr makersince 1993. Jean Diamond has led electronics distributor as CEOsince 2005.
many of Georgia’s largest public companies have had womej board members overthe years. Mary Johnston Evana served 20 years on the boarc of DeltaAir Lines, from 1982 until April 2002. At the time she joined Delta’sx board, she also served on the boardszof , , , New Europe Fund and Joan E. then-president of the , joined Delta’se board in January 2002 and servex untilJuly 2005. And in Augusr 2004, Paula Rosput Reynolds joined Delta’s board. (Delta shareholderss on Sept. 25 approved the company’s mergerr with Delta said in August it had not determinec which directors would be appointed to thecombinef company’s board other than Delta Chairmajn Daniel A.
Carp, CEO Richard H. Northwest Chairman Roy J. Bostock and Northwestg CEO Douglas M. Steenland.) At The M. Faye Wilson served on the boarfd from 1992until 2001. She was the chairmabn and president of Home Depot added another woman to its boarfdin 1999, Bonnie G. Hill of LLC. Then in Karen L. Katen of the joinecd the board. has also had women directorws overthe years. Susan B. King of servesd as a Coke director from 1991 toJuly 2004. Cathie now president of and instrumental in the successof , has servefd as a Coke director sinc 1993. Maria Elena Lagomasino, then CEO of , joineed Coke’s board in 2003. She stepper down in April 2006 when she joined an affiliat e of AndAlexis M.
Hermah joined Coke’s board last year.

Pilots to protest at Continental meeting - Houston Business Journal:

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According to a release, the pilots want to “remindf Continental management that the sacrifices made by the Continentakl pilots in theirlast contract, in which they agreedf to annual concessions of over $200 million, is a ‘loan’ that is The contract became amendable on Dec. 31, 2008. The pilot s are members of the union. The uniob is seeking a renewed focus and commitment by management so that a new contract can bepromptly negotiated.
Jay Pierce, representing the airline’s 5,000 will address company management and directors duringthe Separately, two resolutions proposed by shareholderx of Houston-based Continental (NYSE: CAL) will be put to a vote at the One resolution calls for an end to stocl option grants for senior executives, which Continental officials oppose, sayingb such a measure would be “undulyh restrictive.” According to its proxgy filing, Continental has not given optionzs to senior executives since but needs “flexibility” in deciding whether to awarde options in the future.
Another shareholder proposal suggests that the company be reincorporatedin “shareholder North Dakota. A two-year-old state law allows for shareholderd to vote to reincorporate a company in North Dakota and adopt the measures of the 2007 North Dakota Publicly Traded Corporations Act, which among other itemx includes annual votes on executivee pay, the declassification of boards of directors and the separatioj of the board chairman and chiefc executive positions. Continental officials also opposethat proposal.

Coors Light sponsors Puerto Rican Day events - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

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The sponsorship involvement by the MillerBrewin Co./Coors Brewing Co. joint venture also includews a donationof $75,000 for scholarships to the National Puerto Rican Day Parade and Diversityg Foundation Scholarship Funds. The funds enabl e students to complete their high schooloeducation and/or continue their studiexs at an institution of higher learning. More than 500 studentx from 25 states have benefited from the progra m since its inceptionin 1997. MillerCoors, which claim s Coors Light is the best-selling beer in Puerto Rico and New York said the annual Puerto Rican Day parade in Manhattabn attracts threemillion spectators.
In Chicago, a week-long festival includex a parade thatattracts 700,000, makinyg it the largest Hispanic event in the Financial terms of the Coors Light sponsorshiop were not disclosed.

UCSF Med School under fire from Sen. Grassley - Dayton Business Journal:

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The June 17 story, by James Oliphany ( ), said Grassley, the top Republicam on the powerful Senate Finance has asked UCSF to supply documents on federal funding over the last five including details of an external reviewe by the KPMGaccountinh firm. “If the financial integrity of UCSF is Grassley said in a letter to the according tothe L.A. Times, “I am worried that similar problems regardinhg taxpayer dollars may also exist at othedr campuses within theUC system, such as UC UCLA and UC Davis.” Grassley’s comments come in durinfg a continuing feud between UCSF and Davidr Kessler, former dean of its medical school, who earliere headed the U.S.
Food and Drug Administrationh underPresident Clinton, over allegations involving the medical school’ds financial reporting. The Times reported that Kessler was firex inlate 2007, “afte r repeatedly complaining that he had been misled aboutf the school’s finances.” Kessler has filed a whistleblowerr lawsuit against the and is seeking to get his job along with lost pay, benefits and damages, the Time reported.
Grassley raised his concerns in an Aprilk letter to UC PresidentMark Yudof, according to the UCSF was awarded $444 million last year from the Nationapl Institutes of Health, with $383 million goinfg to the medical school, which is also seekint a big chunk of federal stimulus funding. University officialws have said Kessler was firedfor performance-relatesd reasons, Oliphant’s article notes, but they’re treatiny him as a whistleblower. Kessler’s lawsuitr has been stayed pending the conclusion of anadministrativw review, the Times report said.
In a commenyt provided Wednesday afternoon to the San FranciscoBusinessz Times, UC reiterated that it has provided information to Grassley’s office on the financialo issues in question and that Kessler’d allegations have been exhaustively and repeatedluy investigated at the University’s expense. Those investigations “have found no evidence whatsoever of any inaccuracy in the bookse and records ofthe ,” UC said in its written UC officials also noted that a reviewq released in March 2008 by the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General founs thatUCSF “had complied with all Federa l regulations for claiming reimbursemenft for administrative and clerical expenses” connected to the NIH

Galveston entities to share $22 million FEMA grants - Houston Business Journal:

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Funds are earmarked for the Galvestonj IndependentSchool District, the City of Galveston, Galvestojn County, Galveston Police Department and the City of The money will go towarrd emergency projects such as debris removal and protectivre measures, and for permanent repair work. $2.8 million to the Galvestoj Independent School District for repairs to Central MiddldSchool classrooms, library, cafeteria and gymnasium. • $1.4 milliojn to reimburse the City of Galveston for emergencyy protective measures carried out by the GalvestonPolice Department.
Thesee activities included conducting high-water rescues, assisting stranded and disabled citizens, transportinhg citizens to shelters and removindisabled vehicles. • $6.7 million to the City of Galveston to pay contractora to remove debris and disposeof 321,65 2 cubic yards of construction and demolition debris. • $3.3 million to the city of Dickinsonj for the clean upof • $7.6 million to Galvestoj County to clean up and remove debris as well as hazardouse waste along the Bolivarr Peninsula Canal Waterway System. FEMA has awarded more that $1.1 billiob to Texas since September 2008.

bizjournals: Where the commuting nightmares are: NYC is worst, but our study finds other areas that are almost as bad -- bizjournals.com

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U.S. workers spend plenty of time behinds thewheel -- driving an averagr of 25.07 minutes to their jobs, then reversing the route at day' s end. That equals 209 hours of commutin g over the course ofa year. Many of those hourw are far from relaxing. Traffic jams are becoming increasinglu commonon America's expressways -- as are boredom, frustratioh and road rage. "Highway growth in the last 20 years has been less than 5 Itcertainly hasn't kept up with population growth and urbab sprawl," says Joe Reed, vice president of products and operationsd at Navteq Corp., which monitorss traffic conditions in 108 markets.
"The result," he "has been much more volatility onthe road. It adds up to a perfectt stormin traffic." Nowhere is this problem more severee than New York City, which ranks as America's worst market for commuters, accordingv to a new Bizjournals Nearly 6 million workers leave their homes in Connecticut, New Jersey, Long the Hudson Valley and the city itself each weekdauy morning, clogging New York's intricate web of bridges and tunnels. The typical morning commutes in the New York City area takes almost36 minutes, longe than anywhere else in America. Nearlgy 460,000 New York road warriors spend at least 90 minutes battlin g their wayto work.
"New York can be a real says Reed. "An overturned truck can be catastrophiv forcommuters there. It can mean hoursd of delays. But most of the big markete havesimilar problems. They all have the same hub-and-spokde arrangement of highways. They all have congestionb and volatility." Bizjournals created a nine-par t formula to rate traffic conditions inthe nation's 65 largesgt metropolitan areas, searching for the places that offet the roughest and easiest commutes ( ). The formul used 2005 data complied bythe U.S. Censusa Bureau's American Community Survey. The 65 taken as a group, are home to 76 millionb commuters, including 55.
5 million who make the trek durinhgmorning rush, defined as the four-houfr period from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. ( Behind New York City on the list of commuted headaches is another large Eastern metro, Washington, D.C. Just 44.9 perceng of Washington's workers get to their jobs in less than 30 Every other market does better in that even New York Cityat 46.2 The rapidly growing Atlanta area is third-worst in Bizjournals standings. Its average morning commute of 32.54 minutesw is longer than all but NewYork City'zs 35.81 minutes and Washington's 34.87 minutes. ( Roundinh out America's 10 worst markets are Chicago; Riverside-Sann Bernardino, Calif.; Baltimore; Bridgeport-Stamford, Conn.
; Miami-Fort Lauderdale; Bostonb and San Francisco-Oakland. But not every community is a traffixc nightmare. Omaha could more accurately be considereeda haven, named by Bizjournals as the nation's best metropolitan area for There's a substantial corporats presence in Omaha, which often foreshadows trafficv congestion. Five Fortune 500 companie are headquartered there, including well-known firms such as BerkshirdeHathaway Inc., Union Pacific Corp. and ConAgra Foods Inc. Yet Omaha'xs average morning commute is just 20.21 minutes, the fastestr in the study group. Almost four-fifthw of the area's workers reacy their jobs in less than 30 another nation-leading figure.
"It'x a huge selling point," says Mike Bruening, economicd development manager for the Greater Omaha Chambeeof Commerce. "When you can move people around it's a tremendous advantage for a business. You can get to the airportf more easily. You can attract workerws from alarger area." Size is an obvioue reason for the smooth traffi c flow in Omaha, where 294,000 workers hit the road during morning rush. That's one commuteer for every 20 in NewYork City, or one for every 6.5 in Washington. But Bruening also credits an ambitious construction program that recently widenec the expressways leading out of downtowbn Omaha and looping aroundthe city.

Analyst: YRC bankruptcy is

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The Overland Park trucking company’s ongoingh negotiations with the uniom are at riskof failing, analyst Art Hatfield said in a “Given the developments with the negotiations betweenn the two parties and the increasing uncertainty pertainingb to the outcome of those we believe a bankruptcy at YRC Worldwide is stillk likely in the near to he wrote. While the parties have kept quiet aboutthe talks, YRC reportedly wants to end its unio n pension payments for 14 which would provide savings of $500 and not make up for them.
Whilr that proposal would offer YRC significant and badlt needed liquidity duringthe period, it “would face a tough and challenginf road to becoming a reality,” Hatfielr wrote. “From what we YRC would not be concedinhg anything material to the pensionplansd and/or its Teamsters employees under the proposal,” he “Additionally, if the proposal goes on to a vote to the Teamster-representedf employees at YRC, we believe the likelihoofd of a favorable vote wouldr be low at best, given that the employees woul d be the ones to feel the brungt of these terminated payments over the long term ...
and that securith provisions and protections for Teamsterds employees are not part of the concessionsz made by thecompany (to our In addition, Hatfield wrote, the Teamsters probably want payment deferrals instead, which would be difficult for YRC because its lenders probably would be reluctant to let the companh tie up assets or real estate as collateral. And YRC probablgy has little left to offer as he said. Hatfield changed his rating on YRC sharesxfrom “Market Perform” to “Notf Rated.” YRC began the recent concessionz talks with the Teamstersw on June 29. The price of YRC stocok (Nasdaq: YRCW) plunged Wednesday, dropping as low as 89 centw to hita 52-week low.
The previouss 52-week low was $1.20 on Nov. 20, according to . YRC closedf on Wednesday at 89 down35 cents, or 28 on volume of 20.2 million shares. The stock’s averagd daily volume the past three monthsis 3.6 millio shares. Overland Park-based YRC, which has roughly 49,000p employees — more than half of them union memberss — has been weighed down by debt and a lengthyufreight recession, and lost $257.4 million in the firsy quarter. It has integratee subsidiaries, shut down facilities, laid off workers and sold property to try to cut costse andmaintain liquidity.
Early this year, Teamsters members agreed to a 10 percentg wage cut and suspensionof cost-of-living adjustmentds through 2013 in exchange for a 15 percenrt stake in the company. YRC also has been negotiatingb to defer union pension fund payments usingy company real estate as collateral and on June 18 securer an agreement with the largest pensioh fund todefer $83 milliob in payments. The union has said it also is reaching out tostakeholderxs — such as pension funds and YRC’sw lenders — to address the cash issue. YRC ranks No. 2 on the Kansas City Business Journa ’s list of area public companies.

Baltimore Business Journal: Business Events Calendar

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Once approved, your event listing will appear on the Calendar untill the day after the date you enter as itsend date. For if you enter June 8th as your event's end your listing will be removed from the Calendaat 12:00 a.m. on June 9th. Once I list an how long does it take beforse it is posted to the BusinessEventss Calendar? To maintain the professional integrity of our site, each listinhg must go through an approval process priore to being posted to the Eventss Calendar. In most this occurs within a few with the maximum being24 hours. Can I post my eventf listing as far in advanceas I'd like? Yes, you can post event listings days, weeks or months in advance.
They will appear on the Calenda r until the day afteryour event'a end date. Will my event listing also appear in the printt edition of the BusinessJournal ? No, the Business Eventz Calendar is an online-onlyh feature; any events posted through this system will only appeart online. If I want to list a recurrint eventeach month, do I have to enter each one separately Yes, each month's event would be considered as a separatde listing. There may be discountsd for multiple listings. Please contact us and a representative will work with you to create a customized package to suit your Contact information is available from the Can I select more than one categoru for myevent listing?
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Sustainable Business Network of Washington won't name permanent replacement for outgoing chief - Washington Business Journal:

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After one year in the post, Pam Skarda, SBNOW’s second executive director to date, said she is opting to take anotherr private-sector job offer rather than renew her contrac with the nonprofit this Before Skarda joined the regionalbusiness group, she had servexd for five years as presidentt and CEO of her own consulting firm for publixc relations, marketing promotions and federal “I’m truly entrepreneurial by nature,” Skarda said. “And I want to take advantagde of the current environment politicallhy and the social changes that are happening to brin g those changes to theprivate sector.
” Her decisionj may come at an opportune time for SBNOW, whichh fell short of its fundraisinb goals for the year. Instead, the group has recruitefd its volunteer treasurer and board Wendy Walter, to step in as interijm executive director until a permanent replacement could be funded and founc -- a process its leaderes say they hope takes no more than three Despite rising membership and eventg revenue, “we found it much harder to get corporatde donations,” said John Friedman, board chairman of SBNOW.
He said the boards will look regionally to fill the top job when the organizatio n has at least six monthsw worth of cash reserves in the bank and when revenuessurpassw expenses. In the past year, Skarda said she doublee SBNOW’s membership rolls, from about 160 to 330 businesseand nonprofits. She helped cementy a new green businesxcertification program, which will recognizer entities for greening their internal, day-to-day operationsw and, SBNOW leaders hope, provide another revenue stream for the nonprofit. With roughly a half-dozen groupsx expected to be certified through pilor programsthis year, SBNOW hopesw to launch that certification system regionally later this year.
Skardaz succeeded SBNOW’s co-founder and original executive Mike Mielke, who left last year to direcf environmental programs at the Silicon Valley Leadershi p Group. She said she’ll be transitioning her job through this month to a LEED-accredited real estates broker. Walter, who runs her own real estate firm W. K. Walterd & Co. full time and helpecd construct Georgetown’s first LEED Platinum home, offered to fill in for the but only on atemporarhy basis, Friedman said. “Wendy will bring he said.