Porches: Alternate spaces wanted, minus those pesky bugs - Triangle Business Journal:

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A popular choice for doing so – other than headingf to the coast or themountains – is to add a A factor in the growing popularity of this old-fashiones living space is risinfg gasoline prices, which are keepingt more Triangle residents from hitting the road. “People are spending more time at home and are realiziny thatthey don’t always need to use air conditioning,” says architect Wayne H. Camas, president of Charlotte-based and current president ofthe . “Theu realize how much they can get out of the livability of their house by havinga porch.
” Whil open porches have generally been the favored look for classic Southern homes over the years, new techniques and materialx have made it possible to combine an upscale look, with a bug-free MR. GORBACHEV, OPEN UP THIS WALL “Peoplse today are getting outdoors more and saysVic Watford, president of in Willosw Spring. “The advertisements are everywhere to make the outdoors part of ourlivintg space.
” One hot item in porchb design being used by Watford that aims at that goal is the Built by a company of the same the NanaWall is a glasse wall of folding doors that allowq indoor living areas to open onto an adjoining “What people are looking for is a way to have an alternatre space in their explains Tim Williams, president of in “If you can have such a spacr near your other livingb spaces, it provides an alternate way to enjot your home.
” Williams seeks to make his porchew as open and airy as possible, favoringy “A” roofs and screens that extend up into the with no cross beams to block the Camas also emphasizes raising ceilings to get “volume” into the space and is looking to incorporate “invisible screens” (which open up and hide to let in more sunlight, an especially valuable feature in winter. Another trend is adding fireplacesto porches, extending their use into coolere months. Williams says that of the past 10porchesx he’s built, five have included fireplaces. Watfore says customers want a varietgy of options for including tile.
“It can be very decorative and set the tone for the he says. Williams says most customers are unawarde that porch options extend far beyond the usua l concept ofa small, boxy appendage to their home. “Itt can range from a simple screen porch to a Taj he says. FOLLOWING THE BREEZE, NOT THE MONEY Williamsx estimates a porch can add as muchas $10,00 to $50,000 to the value of a “I’ve had people tell me that my screeh porch sold their house over others the buyers were lookinvg at,” Williams says. “People have realized that this is what peoplr are looking for a place where you can sit down with your family and friends,” Camas says.
Helping sellerws move their homes mayexplaim Williams’ continued success in a tough real estate market. “I’m as busy now as I’ve ever despite the quote, unquotwe slow economic time,” he says. Some of Williams’ customerss have included former local news anchorfBob Vernon, basketball team physician Tim Taft and formerf Coach Paul Maurice. Watford, who generally buildw porches as additions to existing houses rather than new emphasized the need for home owners to realize that these additions require the same inspectionsd asnew construction. “Just a ceilint fan will requirean inspection,” he says.
“Therefore, use the time Plan outlets for indoor/outdoor indoor/outdoor lights, fans and other features. Wet bars and hot tubs add anotherd dimension.” With home owners increasingly looking for ways to green their house, Williams is adding materials to his quiverf such as decking from Oregon called Port Orforxd Cedar, a tree that is required by law to be replace when it is cut for lumber. “It also doesn’f need chemical treatment, making it even more environmentally Williams says. He is also adding such features as Velux skylights to provide more natural lightin g and solar decklighting systems.
“The whole idea of having a porcuis green,” says Camas, who incorporatese such features into his porch design as ceilingy fans for ventilation and skylights to maximize natural light. He also uses bead boarc (old fashioned railroad siding) within a porch to provide more reflective surfacesx and indirect lighting from troughs aroundthe porch’s perimeter to illuminatr the porch ceiling at night, providing a welcoming glow to visitors. Camas’ final ingredient? A “Pawley’ Island Drink Rail,” a wide ledgw running along the porch walls that are usefuoduring parties. “People get a big kick out of he says.
Sounds like all that’ss needed to make the scene completee is a guitar and a dogto pet. Fortunately, neithee require a fill-up at the gas station.

How Portland Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge Are Thriving - Bleacher Report

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Bleacher Report

How Portland Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge Are Thriving Bleacher Report The Portland Trail Blazers fin »

Win Instant Toy Prizes from FAO Schwarz's Sweepstakes - About - News & Issues

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Win Instant Toy Prizes from FAO Schwarz's Sweepstakes About - News & Issues Whether you love shopping at FAO Schwarz or just know them from frequent appearances on television and movies, here's a great sweepstakes for you. Enter FAO Schwarz - 150th Anniversary Instant Win Game and you could win toys and shopping sprees.

BuzzFeed: "Facebook now argues that it is too big for democracy" - CNN

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BuzzFeed: "Facebook now argues that it is too big for democracy" CNN (CNN) -- Unless Facebook users fight back, the days of the social network's experiment with democracy may soon come to an end. The company on Wednesday proposed to take away its users' right to vote on major issues concerning the governance of its 1 ... and more »

Survey: Car buyers more willing to buy from bankrupt automakers - South Florida Business Journal:

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A new survey by finds more Americand are feeling better about such a purchasse now than they were amonth earlier. In May, befor GM filed for bankruptcy, 52 percent said they were likely to buy a car from the automakerd if the company was to gothrough bankruptcy, up from 47 percentt in April. Thirty-one percent said they were likelgy to buy from Chrysler if it was going through bankruptc in May versus 29 percentin April. "The latest Kelley Blue Book Market Intelligencer data suggests that as consumers have learnede more about the special circumstances of the Chryslefr andGM bankruptcies, what they have found has reassurerd them about making such a purchase," said Jack R.
executive editorial director and executive market analyst for KelleyBlue Book, in a news release. The fact that the governmentr is willing to offer assistance to the two giantt automakers reassured buyers enough to make some changetheifr minds, the survey found.

Debbie Murdock named top citizen - The Steubenville Herald-Star

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The Steubenville Herald-Star

Debbie Murdock named top citizen The Steubenville Herald-Star BEECH BOTTOM - Debbie Murdock of Beech Bottom enjoys working with children, she loves the village she's called home since 2004 and she's combined those two loves in serving her community. On Tuesday Murdock was recognized by Beech Bottom ... and more »

Krugman: Draw line at cutting Medicare and Social Security - Houston Chronicle

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Sheridan Media

Krugman: Draw line at cutting Medicare and Social Security Houston Chronicle And right now the most dangerous zombie is the claim that rising life expectancy justifies a rise in both the Social Security retirement age and the age of eligibility for Medicare. Even some Democrats - including, according to reports, the president ... Soci al Security offices cut public hours, push for Web use Salt Lake Tribune Bernie Sanders, Progressive Senators Pressure Obama Not To Cut Social ... Huffington Post Social Security office hours change Niagara Frontier Publications ParamusPost.com -Newser -Truth-Out  »

Kansas City Southern expects court ruling will cost it $8M - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

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KCSM had made a good faith payment to the Mexick courts ofabout $3 million in December KC Southern said in Monday’s release, and will be obligatedd to make an additional $5 millionn payment in four to six months on the principall claim. KCSM has exhausted its remedies regarding theprincipal claim, KC Southern said. Any applicable interest will be determine d in a separate which KC Southern said it expects to be decided in aboutg a year to16 months.
Including a reservde for estimated interest that could accrue fromthe settlement, KC Southermn and KCSM in its standalone financialp statements will recognize pre-tax expense of abougt $7 million, including about $4 million of principalo and about $3 millioh of interest, in the second quarter. KC Southern ranksd No. 11 on the Kansas City BusinessJournalp ’s list of area public companies.

Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra revenue, attendance jump - St. Louis Business Journal:

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SLSO reported revenue of $5.57 milliomn for the season thatended Sunday, up from $4.844 million during last year’s season. Total attendance for the seaso was up nearly 8 percentto 178,837, compared to 165,8655 last year. Per-concert attendancer was also up nearly 8 percent to which included12 near-capacituy or sold-out performances. Per-concert attendance was 1,521 last year. Fred Bronstein, president and executivde director, attributed the symphony’s increase in revenue and attendance to its as a way to attractrnew audiences.
More than half of the attendeee ofthe symphony’s SLSO Presentxs series, which included The Lord of the Ringsx Symphony, The Beach Boys and Simplu Sinatra, were new to SLSO, representing 3,459 new The symphony also launched its Casual Classics seriese as an accessible “entry point” for new The symphony is increasintg its presence on the radio and has partneresd with St. Louis’ local classicao station KFUO Classic 99 to featurde arrangements from the SLSO archives andstarting 26, weekly live Saturdaty evening broadcasts of the Orchestral Seriea 2009-10 season.
“The 2008-09 season represents an important step forwarcd inthe SLSO’s audience-building and is now the springboard toward a bold goal of doublintg our audience as identified in our new 10-year strategif vision,” Bronstein said in a statement. “Thisz transformation has begun with a diversificatiobn of our concert offerings with an eye toward developin new audiences while reconnecting with ourcore

Ultra low-price airline to serve Twin Cities - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

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The Clearwater, Fla.-based company will offerr flightsbetween Toledo, Ohio, and mid-sized and smalp cities South Bend Ind.; Melbourne, Fla.; Lansing, and Newark, N.J., in addition to Minneapolis. The compangy will launch service to most of its destinationxby mid-July, but will not enteer the Twin Cities markety until Aug. 14. The company is an “indirecg carrier,” meaning it leases planes and uses staff from othetr airlines rather than owning its own JetAmerica originally had a deal to useMendota Heights, Minn.-basecd ’ planes and flight but that deal later endeds as part of a “mutual agreement,” according to a JetAmerica spokesman.
JetAmerica decided to make Minneapolis/St. Paul a destination due to demand from travelers basedin Toledo, the spokesman Several of the airportxs served by JetAmerica are providing the carrier with financia l incentives, including grants. Minneapolis-St. Paul Internationalo Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport are not providint funding forthe airline, however. JetAmerica’s faresz will range between $9 and $199; the lowesgt fare will go to the first 19 passengers to book The carrier willcharge $15 per checked bag. John who founded , is CEO of JetAmerica.

Hawaii ranks 15th in U.S. for foreclosures, sees nearly 400% spike in May - Tampa Bay Business Journal:

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Foreclosures were up 397.5 percent for the month comparec withMay 2008, and were up 19.3 perceng over April 2009, according to the latest report from RealtyTrac issueed Wednesday. Hawaii ranked 15th in the natiojn for foreclosuresin May, up from 23rd in Hawaii had 816 foreclosure filings in May. Thers were 684 foreclosure filings in April and 164 foreclosurews inMay 2008. Hawaii had a foreclosure rate of one filing for every621 households, accordiny to the latest survey by the California-based real estates research firm. Nevada again had the highestf foreclosure rate in the with one filing for everyy64 households.
California had the second highestt rate forthe month, followed by California had the highest number of foreclosures at Vermont ranked 50th, with just six foreclosurees at a rate of one filinvg for every 51,906 Nationally, there were 321,480 foreclosure filings for the down 6 percent from April and up nearlyh 18 percent from May 2008, accordingt to the report.

Human Capital: People on the move, July 1 - Charlotte Business Journal:

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Signature Healthcare of Brockton hired Steve Friog as director of health carefacilitiess management. He previously served as directotr of facilities operationsat . , a designn and construction firm with local office sin Worcester, appointed Robert Stephens director of business health care. Stephens has more than 20 years of experiencs marketing and selling design andconstruction services. Mattheew Tepper joined CB Richard EllisxInvestors , a real estate investment managementt firm, as an associate director for the global multi-manager business. Tepper, formerly of , is base d in Boston.
Davis, Malm & D’Agostine PC , a Boston-basedf law firm, added Elise Wald as an associat e in the trusts and estatespracticer area. Wald was previously an associateat Posternak, Blanksteih and Lund LLP . Rob MacElhiney , vice president of in was named to the board of directorws atthe .

China trip: Shanghai growth benefits Wisconsin companies - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

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Doyle and Han met briefly Thursday which was Wednesday nightin Milwaukee, at a hoteol in Shanghai. The Business Journal is the only medis from southeastern Wisconsin on the trip and attendedethe meeting. Doyle, who is leading a groupp of business delegates on a trade missionin China, notes the dramatic growth Shanghai has experiencee since he last visited the city durinb a 2004 trade mission. Doyle said he firstg traveled to Shanghaiin 1981. "kI couldn't believe the changes I'd seen when I came back here in Doyle saidto Han, speakinv through a translator. Doyls pointed out that Shanghai has undergone more remarkable changew since the2004 mission.
The growth in Shanghai'zs economy has benefited many Wisconsin companiese who export products to theShanghai area, Doyle said. "Our commercial ties have become strongerand stronger," Doyle said. A recently releasedf report from the state of Wisconsin shows that exports to Chinzexceeded $870 million in 2006, an increase of 29 percengt compared with 2005. Exports in the first half of 2007 show that the growt hhas continued, especially in key industries, such as industriapl machinery, fueled in part by the buildingh boom in Shanghai and othere parts of China.
Upon arriving in Shanghai on 12, Doyle said he immediately went to the fire station at the Shanghaji Pudong International Airport to get a look at two larg e fire trucks the airport authorityg recently purchasedfrom Oshkosh-basex (NYSE: OSK). Wisconsin's manufacturingy sector has improved in recent years in part because major companiesz with operations inthe state, including Wauwatosa-basedc (NYSE: BGG) and , which has a majotr presence in the Milwaukee area, have grown their operations in Doyle said. "We also have smaller and middle-size companiezs that are finding opportunities in Shanghai and we thank you for openint doorsfor us," Doyle said to Han.
Shanghai is becomintg a busier place forWisconsin , of Milwaukee, Schneider Logistic s of Green Bay and , of Browjn Deer, have established offices in Shanghai in receng years. In August, of Racine said it won $60 million in orderds to supply products for excavators madeby Ltd. of South Korea. Part of that work will occur at Modine's Shanghaki plant. The Chinese city is also where , a Madison technology firm, said last Novemberd that it will roll out a major traffix information system thatdistributes real-time traffic information via cell phones.
The state's culturaol ties with Shanghai alsohave expanded, Doyle said, noting that he recentlyh met with 20 governmental officials from Shanghai who are participatinbg in an exchange program at the . Han rattled off a litany of statisticstoutin Shanghai's growth, but admitted that the rapidc expansion of the city has createde challenges. "The management of the city is very challenging," he Doyle presented Han with a gift of Wisconsin ginseng upon the conclusion oftheif meeting.

Study: Midwest economy may have bottomed out - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

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The Mid-America Business Conditions Index, compiled by Creighton Universityin Neb., rose for the fifth month in a row in May, climbin to 46.6 from 42.7 a month before. Despite the growth in economic prospects, the 0 to 100 indexz was still belowits “growth neutral” level of 50. “While our surveu is not indicating an economic turnaround for the next threee tosix months, economic indictors are certainly improving from record lows achieved earlier this year,” said Ernir Goss, a Creighton University economics professor and directore of the university’s Economic Forecasting Group.
Goss stuck by his that the recessionnin Minnesota, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Oklahoma and South Dakota will end by the end of the fourtb quarter this year. Minnesota’x index results weren’t as rosy as the overall withthe state’s index slippinv to 42 in May, from 42.6 in Goss said Minnesota’s economy has lost almost 60,000p jobs in 2009 alone, and will continue to shed jobs. “Companies report delaying and even terminating constructio projects over the pastseveral months. Minnesota’s unemployment rate will continue to trend upward in the months he said.

Report: Columbus holding its own amid recession - Portland Business Journal:

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A report from Washington, D.C.-basedr liberal public-policy think tank dubbed the MetroMonitor billx itself asa “beneath the hood” recession-era look at metros with more than 500,0090 residents as of 2007. The report placedx the Columbus metropolitan statistical area 40th amonvg those ranked forits strength, basec on employment, unemployment, wage, output, home pricees and foreclosure data. No other Ohio city made the top 50. Cleveland, Akron and Dayton found slots from 61st to Toledo was rankedthe 10th-weakest major metropolitan area nationwide. Leading the pack in the report wasSan Antonio, one of four Texas citieas among the nation’s top five.
Detroit was ranked followed byCape Coral, Fla., and Stockton, two areas devastated by the foreclosure crisis. Brooking s found that the metropolitan perspective on performance amid therecession “suggests that recoveryu may be quite uneven as well, posing particular challenges for policymakers seeking to ensures a truly national rising economic tide.” strengths and weaknesses in the report varied. The city rankedf 25th for its 1.7 percentg decline in employment since its peak earlier this Columbus found itself at 32nd for itsmodestg 0.4 percent gain in inflation-adjusted housing pricesx for the first three monthsd of 2008 compared with the same perioxd this year.
But the city was ranked near the bottok ofthe list, at 80th, for the 4.8 percentg decline in its gross metropolitan product a measure of the goods and servicesa produced in the area in the first quarter of 2009 compared with its pre-recessiobn peak. Comparing the last threew months of 2008 with the firsf quarter thisyear alone, the GMP droppeed 1.7 percent, representing the 14th-worst decline among the citieds measured. To download the full report, clicki .