Workers at two MillerCoors plants ratify new deals - Denver Business Journal:

burwellmitubaes1369.blogspot.com
and Fort Worth, Texas, have ratified new, three-year contracts. The agreements cover more than 900 employeesw at the two breweries and provide wage and pension increaseds over the course ofthe contracts. “Our memberse overwhelmingly ratified these contracts at MillerCoore because they provide stability fortheir families,” said Jack director of the Teamsters Brewery and Soft Drink Workersa Conference, which represents workers at the breweries. “Forr the next three years, our members at MillerCoors know that theirf wages and pension benefits will which is saying a lotin today’s economy.
” The contracta call for no health care cost increases for workerw in the first year of the contract and only minore increases for the second and thir d years, according to the union. The new deal also guaranteex that employees who have retired or who will retire during the course ofthe three-year contractws won’t be required to pay health care “We value all generations of our members, so we made sure that there were improvements for both active members at MillerCoors and the retiree who had paved the way before with their long yeare of service,” Cipriani The Teamsters union represents 1,200 MillerCoors workersa nationwide.
The union also represents workers at the MillerCoors breweruin Irwindale, Calif. Negotiationz for a new contract covering employees at the planf areunder way. MillerCoors is a jointf venture between MillerBrewing Co., Milwaukee, and Coorsw Brewing Co., Golden, Colo., that launched in July 2008. MillerCoorsd operates a major brewery and regional officeon Milwaukee’s west side. Workers at the Milwauker brewery are represented by Brewerhy Workers Local 9 of the United AutoWorkersa union.

Two more leave BofA board - Dallas Business Journal:

xeconatyxex.blogspot.com
According to a filing with the Securities andExchange Commission, Pruehedr and Frank didn’t resighn because of any disagreement with the company. Jackie Ward and Patrici Mitchell resigned earlythis month. Mitchelo is a former New York televisionb executive and currently serves as chief executive of the Paleyh Centerfor Media, a New York nonprofit. Ward is the retireed chief executiveof Atlanta-based Computer Generationm Inc., a software company. Robertt Tillman, a former Lowe’s Cos. Inc. chief executive, resigned from the BofA boardx effectiveMay 29. And on May 29, the bank announcer former lead independentdirector O.
Temple Sloan had left the BofA didn’t disclose Sloan’s reason for resignation. Sloan had been a BofA directo r for13 years. In earlyy June, four outside directors were electedto BofA’e board. They are former Federal Reserve GovernorSusam Bies, former Compass Bancshares Inc. chief executive and chairmah D. Paul Jones, former Federal Deposit Insurancw Corp. chairman Donald Powell and retired Bank One and VisaInternational Inc. executiver William Boardman. BofA’s board has been undere intense scrutiny in recent months as the bank suffered throughn asharp stock-price decline after acquiring Merrill Lynch Co.
The Charlotte-based bank also has received $45 billionn in taxpayer aid. At the bank’e annual meeting in late April, shareholderzs voted to strip Chief Executive Kenneth Lewis of his position asboardr chairman. Walter Massey was installef as the new chairman and has indicater the board needs tobe re-evaluated. Lewis remaind the bank’s CEO and president.

bizjournals: Methodology

budimirukaovyril.blogspot.com
Bizjournals rated the qualitt of life inevery U.S. micropolitan area, base d on 12 indicators. Here are the Goal: The study

Arizona dumps defending champ - Centre Daily Times

fusajacuxejilyp.blogspot.com

USA Today

Arizona dumps defending champ Centre Daily Times Derrick Williams scored a career-high 32 points and his Arizona teammates showed they're not just a one-man team, upsetting defending national champion Duke 93-77 Thursday night to reach the final eight for the first time since 2005. ... Arizona upsets defending champion Duke 93-77 Tucson Citizen Williams' career-high 32 points leads Arizona past defending champion Duke AHN |  »

'Imported from Toledo,' nixed by Auburn Hills - FOX Toledo Online

Amana PBE12

Truth About Cars (blog)

'Imported from Toledo,' nixed by Auburn Hills FOX Toledo Online (WUPW) - Chrysler is telling a Toledo area Jeep dealer it cannot use a localized version of its "Imported from Detroit" slogan. The Monroe Superstore planned to sell a t-shirt proclaiming "Imported from Toledo" to celebrate Jeep's 70th anniversary and ... Chrysler squashes Jeep dealers' 'Imported from Toledo' slogan USA Today Chrysler reminds dealerships the slogan is 'Imported from Detroit,' not ... CanadianBusiness.com (blog) Report: Chrysler puts the kybosh on Jeep dealer's 'Imported from Toledo' schtick Autoblog (blog) Monroe Evening News -Toledo Blade  »

FP&L rate hike request called

Mitsubishi MS12TN
Representatives from those agenciesblasted FP&L’s rate increase at a public hearing Thursday morninv in Fort Lauderdale. In the first hour and a half of the only oppositionwas expressed. “W e believe the amount they’re asking for is It’s just too much to ask for in today’s economic said J.R. Kelly, public counsel with the Florid a Office ofPublic Counsel. The Juno Beach-basedx utility is struggling to make the case that it is alreadyy the most efficient utility in the and it would use additional fundiny to reinvest ingreater efficiency.
It has askex for approval of an increasw to its base rate that would raise the averages residentialbill – 1,000 kilowatt hours – by $12 per month. FP&pL projects that lower fuel coste – mostly natural gas and coal – will lower the averag e residential bill next yearby $17, so its request actuall won’t raise anyone’s bill. FPL has argued that its if approved bythe , will decreasee the typical bill by $5 monthly or 4 percent startinf on January 2010. But Kelly and others said Thursdagy morning that fuel prices arenot predictable. Kelly arguea the rate increase would guarantee a return on investmentof 12.
5 percen for the utility, and that every one percen represents $130 million. “That is just too much Maybe five years in the futur we will have aflourishing economy,” Kelly said, adding that his officd supports a return of 9.5 or 10 According to Kelly, FP&L has alreadyg acknowledged they over-collected $1.25 billion from rate-payerd for depreciation. In opening remarks, Marlene Santos, the utility’ss vice president of customer service/sales and said customers benefit fromthe utility’s strongt financial position. “When we save on financing, our customerss save on our bills,” she said.
But speakefr after speaker said the grimeconomy – unemployment and dropping home values made this the wrong time for rate increasexs designed to enhance the utility’s financial position. “Wed doubt they need any increaser at allto own, operate and maintain their said Robert Sheffel Wright, an attorney with Tallahassee-basede Young van Assenderp, who was speaking on behalf of the Floridsa Retail Federation. The Public Service Commission, which regulates state utilities, will decide in mid-Novembee whether to grant FPL's request. The PSC will hold hearingsa again Friday, 10:30 a.m. at the North Dade Regiona l Libraryin Miami; and 6 p.m.
at the Plantatioj City Council Chambers.

Portland Center Stage $10M short of goal - Portland Business Journal:

Air Purifiers Shreveport
The professional theater company, whicgh will put on seven shows this relocated to the in the PearlDistrict Sept. 5. It must still raise about $10 millionb to cover its portion ofthe $36.1q million public-private redevelopment project. The theate is the city's first new major performancw venue in almosttwo decades. Despite the financiak risk, theater leaders say the move will permit the organization to capturer new sourcesof revenue. "We are much more in charge of our own saidEdith Love, managing director of Portland Center The group will have to pay its own bills, but the move will allosw it to collect moneuy from tickets that once went to its former home, downtown's .
It shared space and expenses with 20otherd groups, including the , and the . The theate group is banking on higher ticket sales at the newfacility -- a 20 perceny increase in the 2006-2007 season for a totap of 91,550 tickets sold -- to help coveer expenses. To bring in new dollars, it will also offeer theater courses for the community and rent out the venus for visiting theater companies and for civic andbusiness events, and Ticket sales have been volatile in recen t years, and a sustained increase in tickert sales may be difficult to achieve. The theater has been in the blackm for seven of the pasteighg years, but its budget surpluses have shrunk during the past threse seasons.
PCS will put on one extra show inthe 2006-20067 season to boost ticket sales. In it had a budgetf surplus of $213,253. In 2004, that sum plunged to It had a $12,312 surplus on expensed of $4.8 million in 2005, and expectds to post another small surplusin 2006. "Thia was a bold move, but also a calculated one in terms ofhelping [Portland Cente Stage] as an organization," said Christine executive director of the and Oregon Cultural Trust, which work to nurture support for the D'Arcy said Oregon rankxs low nationwide for governmen support for the arts, forcing groups like Portlanfd Center Stage to rely more on individuap donors than similar groups in othet states.
New tax incentives have been implementedf to lurearts donors, she The Gerding has two theaters -- one with 599 seatzs and another theater with 200 spaces. To help raisre money, the group will sell naming rights to Portland Center Stage is also hostinga late-September fund-raiser to bring in an expected In order to balance the fund-raising demandw of a costly capital project and day-to-dat operating expenses, Portland Centetr Stage created a separate nonprofift called the Armory Theater Fund to raise Love is counting on the opening of the new buildinf to fuel new donations. the Armory was projectecd to cost $28 millionm but several factors drove upthe price.
Buildersz decided to pursue a PlatinunLEED status, meaning the building will be one of the most sustainables in Portland. A small park was also along with features to make the lobby more Increases in steel and concrete prices also factoredc into thehigher cost. The Armoryt Annex project relied heavily on federal garnering $16.9 million in federal new market tax a $150,000 economic development grant from the Department of Housingg and Urban Development and a $500,00p federal energy conservation grant. Portland Center Stage, which spun off from the Orego n Shakespeare Festival 18years ago, has alreadh raised $8.6 million in private funds to remodell the 114-year-old building.
The theater was namec for Bob andDiana Gerding. Bob Gerding serves as vice chaid of PortlandCenter Stage's Board of and helped put together the Armory deal. His , crafted the project. The first show at the new theatere willbe "West Side Story," openingb Oct. 3.

Stimulus funds lag health woes - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

Danby DPAC12010H
That’s the view of the eight-member panel of industry and medical experts who were invited by the Southy Florida Business Journal to share their views of whatthe $787 billioj federal stimulus package means to the healthh care sector. What emerged was a broas discussion of how stimuluss legislation is just one pieced of change needed in an industry that has run financiallg amok due to an overrelianceon specialists, shortfalls in informatiob technology and patients who are undereducated. The Congressionao Budget Office has projecterd that total national spending on health care could hit 48 percenf of gross domestic product by 2050 ifleft unchecked.
To solvw this problem will takemore money, though, in the short term. The Obama administration’s $59 billiohn for health care stimulus spendingincludes $19 billion for electronic healtbh care records. Starting in doctors who can show meaningful use of electronicv medical records will get incentives and thosewho don’t will get declinintg Medicare payments. But, the old-fashioned general practitionef may also have abig role.
Linda Quick, president of the , said healty care reform legislation that coincides with the stimulusw calls for individuals to have a home locatiomn or a primary care She said that allow sfor “a community location close to home and gettinvg more done in a non-institutional, actuallhy high clinical technology setting.” That, in turn, will also translatde into a less costly the panelists said.
Rachel Sapoznik, CEO of , “The reason I believe in the last 25 years of seeing health care costs rise dramatically is we have moved away from the primaryh care physician knowing the patient to Patients go from specialist to specialist to get eachailmenrt treated, but an overviewa of their condition and family historyt is lacking. George Foyo, executive VP and chief administrativer officerat , “Piggybacking on primary care is absolutely All these specialties are adding thousands and thousanda of dollars.” One problem is that specialists tend to overdok tests because they are so worries about legal liability issues, he said. Dr.
Tony a family practitioner and president of the Broward CounttyMedical Association, said reimbursement issueas for tests done in his office also frustrate him. A hospitall might get $2,000 for a test from but he can onlyget “I don’t think it’s anythin g that’s going to work unless we use some commonb sense,” he said. Foyo said primary care physicianw historically put an emphasis on healtprevention efforts, but the lack of it thesde days is contributing to an epidemic of diabeteds and heart issues. Baptist Health, which is well knowjn for hospitals in Kendall and is pushing forward with outpatient centers and even venturing intoBrowardx County.
One reason is emergency rooms are and providing care there is more costlyu than at anoutpatient “Rather than have patients come to us, the hospitalds are going out to Foyo said. Florida’s 51 nonprofit community healtbh centers aregetting $28 million in competitivwe grants under the stimulus legislation, which will also keep patients out of expensivs hospital settings for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi highlighted that during an Apripl visit to a community health centerd in Hollywood that will get $1.5 million to open a satellitde health center in West Park.
One of the advantages for these typesa of centers is that they are funded with the assumption that theifr doors will be open to all who which is important because of the numbedr of uninsuredSouth Floridians, including undocumented Quick said. Dr. Welby, meet Bill Gates Mark administrative partner at the law firm of in said electronic medicalrecords (EMR) fall under the category of projects in the world of stimulus – meaning the technologyt exists and can be adopted rapidly to put monet in the economy.

First green project in foreclosure - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

Carrier YCE273D
million construction mortgage. The 33,000-square-foot Vive Verde, also known as is the first South Florida project seekinh Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification fromthe U.S. Green Building Council to face foreclosure. In an interview, Romano said the extra cost ofthe building’s green featurea is not the reason it fell into “The fact that the building is a green buildinbg is not why the buildinbg financially is in trouble,” Romano “It has to do with a failure to properly and adequately financially plan the building in the and I blame myself for Despite a cost-conscious office-leasing the concept of green office buildings is here to according to Christian Lee, vice chairman of in and Vive Verde’s foreclosurw is just one entry on a long list of commerciapl foreclosures that will happen regardlessa of whether a building is green.
He noted that the more important factorfor Romano’s building will be officed demand in Lake Worth. “Buildinfg green adds to the cost [of a building], but in the long run, any greemn building will be more attractivde to an investorbecause it’s alreaduy green,” he said. new investors would be figuring in the cost to make it because all commercial buildingss aregoing green.
” Rob Hink, a LEED-accredited consultant with the Weston-based , “I don’t think this one foreclosuree on a green building is any comment on the LEED systej or green buildings, I think it’s just the economy,” he “I’m surprised because it’s a leased-up building.” He added that Romano’s large inner courtyard could have been downsized to fit more rental space in the building, and yet stillo have retained many of the environmental On May 26, Fort Lee, N.J.
-basefd filed the foreclosure action agains Vive Verde North, managing member Romano and other partiezs associated with the project, accordinv to Palm Beach County Circuit Court records. The four-story building, at 1005 Lake in Lake Worth, was completed in August. Its offics space is about 70 percent leased, and it has two emptty retail spaces, Romano said. The green features of the building work exactlhy ashe hoped, he said. A rooftop garden catches rainwater, while condensation is collected from the air conditioner for waterinhg plants and ponds andflushing toilets. Grey wate r is recycled in the wate r features ofthe atrium.
The use of skylights and windowas cuts down on electricity Many fixtures were made withrecycled materials. A sign outside advertises it asa “living building.” Inside, goldfish swim throughb a pond and a statue of a Native Americaj bathes in the sunlight in the Despite the energy and water savings, Vive Verde Northb has not made any payments on the $6.9 millio mortgage this year, said John Hart, an attorneyt with Carlton Fields in West Palm Beachh who represents Meecorp in the lawsuit. “Mhy client would like to get but ifthat doesn’t come to pass, they are preparesd to take title to the property and prepare to get paid that way, too,” Hart said.
Vive Verdd North has a $4 million second mortgage with N.Y.-based , which is nameed in Meecorp’s complaint. Romano said his companty got behind on mortgage paymentsd because it ran out of money and couldf not get the loan refinance d by atraditional “It is making me physically ill that this is he said. “I will continue to work night and day to make this all work These days, I’m losing a lot of sleep over He said his plan for the buildinfg was flawed from the beginninh because he wrote an incorrect financial plan. He said the constructionb for his first development project came in on budget and its utilitieesoperate efficiently.
Romano said the greenn features of Vive Verde attracte dsome tenants, although several of them wouled have signed leases in the building withouty them. He is confident the building will earn LEED but said that not opening with that designatiojn has not hurt the Romano was aimingfor gold-level certification from the U.S. Greebn Building Council.

Icahn ups Lions Gate stake to 16.87 percent - Dayton Business Journal:

http://aimpublications.com/aim-cw.html
Many of Icahn's variousd investment entities acquiredabout 1.5 million shares LGF) in the latest purchase, saying in statementr that "the common shares of Lions Gate were undervalued." Icahbn now controls about 19.8 million and in a statement said that the investment entitiesx might acquire more shares. The statement also hintefd at a possible shakeupl of the Lions Gate board of directors at the nextshareholde meeting.
"The Icahn Affiliates may seek to add nominees designatedc by the Icahn Affiliates toLions Gate's boar of directors, which couldd include expanding the size of the boar of directors of Lions Gate and/or removing individuals from the board of directorss of Lions Gate," the statemen said. Santa Monica-based Lions Gate's largest shareholder is still Mark a formerIcahn advisor. Rachesky'z stake is just under 20 Rumors have persisted as to whetherIcahj . He has been critical of the studio'z expenses and expenditures, especially .

CoBank earnings up 48 percent - Denver Business Journal:

fresno-kentdeputy.blogspot.com
Denver-based CoBank is a cooperative bank serving agribusinessesw and rural utilities throughout the United It is a member ofthe U.S. Farm Credit During the first nine months of net interest income rose 42 percentto $672 from $474 million in the same period a year earlier, official said. Total loans and leases outstandingwere $43.1 billionb at Sept. 30, compared to $40.5 billion at year-endc 2007. The bank saw solid growth in loans to internationalk and corporate finance customers as well as to affiliated associationss and other strategic partners inside the FarmCrediy System.
Loan volume in the bank’s Communications Energy BankingGroup -— which serves communications and water service providers acrosz rural America — grew to $10.y6 billion, a 22 percenf increase since the beginning of the year. Growth in thesr areas was partially offset by a decline in loanas to commercialagribusiness customers. Commercial agribusiness lendinbg decreased 23 percentfrom Dec. 31, 2007, to $10.6 billion, due to typical seasonal declineas in demand as well as recent drops in commodit pricesfor grains.

Dayton employment to remain sluggish into third quarter - Jacksonville Business Journal:

http://tracyviselli.com/author/admin/
Tom Traynor, an economics professor at Wrightt State and author of the said unemployment increases will continue at their accelerated pace into the thirdx quarter ofthis year. The Dayton Metropolitab Statistical Area, which includes Montgomery, Greene, Miami and Prebler counties, is projected to lose 6,000 to 7,00p0 jobs in the third quarter. That woulsd drop employment to 373,900, down from 380,400 in the first quarter of the a 2percent decline. The hardest-hit area is one the Daytom area has longrelied on, manufacturing. “Manufacturing employment will fall Traynor said.
Forecasts from the reporyt show employment in the sector fallinghfrom 42,300 in the first quarted of this year to 36,100 by the third quarter, a nearlyg 15 percent drop. Durables goods manufacturing will be hit in Traynor said. “People aren’t They are waiting to buy a new car or that new he said. Retail and service employment are also expectedcto decrease. Retail employment is expected to dropto 39,100 by the third quarter, down from 40,000 in the first a 2 percent drop.
Service employment, which includes financial service, business service, utilities and leisure is projected to decreasweto 324,200 by the thir d quarter, down from 326,700 in the first a nearly 1 percent decline. “Ther next year to year and a half will be an unpleasantr time forthe region,” Traynor said. Constructiomn employment is expected to rise as a part ofseasonall employment, to 13,400 from 11,4090 in the first quarter, but that is 1,000 jobs fewer than the same time period last year. One area of employment that isn’t expected to be hit hard is healthh care.
In fact, Traynor said he expectss health care to add some jobs by thethirxd quarter, going up to 56,500 from 56,300 in the first He said the rate of decline in gross domestic product will but remain negative through the third quarter and maybe into the fourthy quarter of this year. Even when GDP does becomre positive again, it will take some time for employmentt to pick up because it is a lagging indicator ofeconomicx recovery. Traynor said ther e is a great deal of uncertainty stilkl on thenational level, as businesses try to determinee the impact of governmen t actions. Traynor said the problem of high unemployment is not gointg awayanytime soon.
“This is something we’re going to be living with for quitda while, well into next year,” he said.

AG files suit against loan modification firm - Philadelphia Business Journal:

http://thisyearsgirl.com/writing/atgg/atgg-c-1.html
The case filed Monday in Maricop a Superior Court alleges that LLC and its two Thomas J. Montoya and Robert Sanchez, advertiseds and promoted the firm as having an affiliatiobn withthe U.S. Department of Housing and Urbaj Development, which it does not, according to the But Montoya, in a phone conversation with the Phoenix Business Journal, said he was “takehn aback” by the charges. He would not elaborate on any ofthe however, and said he was talkinhg with the company’s attorneys. He said the company wouldd distribute a prepared statement after consultingwith attorneys. As part of the the AG alleges thatSantoya Financial, located at 2225 W.
Whispering Spring Drivr in Phoenix, charged fees for services that consumerx could access directlyfor free. “Thw defendants deceptively implied to consumers that any fees paid by consumers for loan modificatioj services with Santoya Financial are refundable because the modificationh program is backby HUD, without disclosing that Santoya Financial’s services are not in any way endorseed or approved by HUD and that consumers can obtainn assistance from HUD in applyingv for and obtaining loan modifications without paying any fee the lawsuit states.
The complaint requestd that the court enjoin Santoya Financiao from continuingits “unlawful order the company to pay back any monety received from those acts, and the defendantsw to pay civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation and costs of the investigation. Accordingg to court records, Santoya Financial begah advertising loan modification services in Marchh to consumers who were faciny foreclosure ontheir homes. Sanchez was featured on a Phoeni x television station in April and allegedly representeds that his firmwas “working with HUD whilre providing loan modification services to the lawsuit stated.
Santoya charged consumere $1,199 plus the equivalent of one month’ mortgage payment, the lawsuit Santoya also represented during phonwe solicitations that fees collected for loan modificationds would be donated to an organization named Partners in but “the fees consumerz pay for the loan modificationn services advertised by Santoya Financial do not go to Partneres in Charity or any other charitable the lawsuit further alleged. The lawsuift also claims that Santoya did not obtain the necessary suretgy bond required by the Arizona CreditServicese Act.

Experience alters sheriff's perspective on ski gates - Denver Post

wilhelminadora4287.blogspot.com

Experience alters sheriff's perspective on ski gates Denver Post Warn skiers and let them make their own decision is the primary component of today's access gate policies at ski areas. For San Miguel County Sheriff Bill Masters, that perspective didn't come easily. The sheriff spent several years of ... Search and Rescue plucks skiers from Bear Creek â€" twice The Daily Planet  »