Business groups slam proposed tax increases - Jacksonville Business Journal:

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The said it opposes changes to the corporateminimumm tax, a new corporate income tax and a new personal income tax. The alliancre consists of 30 busines s groups that represent morethan 25,000 Oregon businesses and employ 500,000 residents. Raisinfg the taxes could cause the stat tolose 6,000 jobs, according to state revenue officde estimates. “These proposals ignore the stark realities of our current the group said in a news release sentby J.L. a lobbyist with Associated Oregon Industries.
“They are counterproductive measurea that kill jobs and prolong our The corporate minimum tax and corporate income tax proposalsw would collectively harm companies with smalo profit margins as well as businesses looking to invest more incapital equipment, the group said. The allianced called on lawmakers to insteas focuson private-sector job retention and creation. “W e believe strongly that increased taxes are detrimentalk tojob growth,” Wilson said in the news “An increased tax burden will hurt the abilit of our members to create desperately needex jobs. It is the wron approach to balancethe state’s budget.
” Other groups signing the letter include Associated Oregon Loggers, Independent Community Bankws of Oregon, the Northwesyt Food Processors Association, Oregon Associatiom of Realtors, the Oregon Automobile Dealerxs Association, the Oregon Bankers Association, the Oregohn Home Builders Association, the Oregon Restaurant Association and the Oregonh Trucking Association. Oregon’s House and Senate members hope to adjourmn byJuly 1. Lawmakers must address a $4.
2 billioh budget shortfall before they adjourn or in a serie of special sessions throughout the rest ofthe

Fred

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The Memphis-based discount retailer reportex salesof $134.7 million for May, down 6 percent comparede to sales of $143.4 milliob in May 2008. These numberx include Fred’s (NASDAQ: FRED) closin 74 underperforming stores and23 pharmacies. Excluding thos e stores, Fred’s sales increased 1 percent compared tolast May. Comparable store sales in May rose 0.2 percent, down comparecd to 3.4 percent in the same periosd last year. For the first four fiscal monthzsof 2009, the company reported totalo sales of $593.1 million, down 2.4 percenyt compared to $607.
7 million for the same year-ago However, excluding stores closed in 2008, sales from ongoing stores increasedf 4 percent compared to the same four-month periodc last year. On a comparable storse basis, year-to-date sales increased 2.1 percent compared to 2.4 percenft last year. Fred’s opened one new pharmac in May. Fred’s operatex 666 discount merchandise stores, including 24 franchisefd stores nationwide. Shares closed down 12 cents to $14.22 per shares Wednesday.

Bill could help 49ers bypass stadium bids - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:

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The fieldofschemes.com blog reported that California statee senatorElaine Alquist's bill woulfd still provide for a vote on the overall project but would let the team chooss its own contractor. Santa Clara City Council members earlier approved the stadium ona 5-2 and a charter amendment was requested by officials of the Nationao Football League team who want to work with architects and developersd of their own choosing because they’re assuming at least $825 million of project costs. That amendmenf would likely appear on the ballot at the same time as the footballo stadium sometime next spring and would apply only to constructionm ofthe 49ers’ facility.
Stevee Fine, director of business communications forthe 49ers, issuedx a statement Wednesday backing Alquist's bill. "Ther San Francisco 49ers are strongly supportive ofSB 43, which will help the team move forward with plansx for a new stadium in the City of Santza Clara that will create thousands of new jobs and generatew hundreds of millions of dollars in annuaol economic impact for the region." As part of the team’s recen t stadium term sheet agreementf with the city of Santaz Clara, the 49ers agreed to take responsibilitgy for all construction cost overrunse for the $937 million stadium projectf to protect the city’s general fund.
"SB 43 woulrd provide an option for the proposed Sant Clara Stadium Authority to utilize a design-build construction process for the subject to review and oversighg by a joint powers authority," the statemen said. It is important to note that undera design-builf method, the vast majority of construction jobs at the stadiumm would still go through a competitive process." The team has already used HNTB Cos. of Kansas City, Mo.
to design the and chosen a joint venture of of New York and of Milpitazs to act as generakl contractors forits

Commercial real estate news- View Real estate news Across the US

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| CB Richard Ellis Memphis | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Commerciall Alliance Management, LLC | | | | | | | | | | | | Crescenft Resources LLC | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Duke Energyy Corporation | | | | | | | | | | | Fanniew Mae | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Grubb & Ellis Company | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Internationak Council of ShoppingCenters | | | | | | | | | | | | Jone Lang LaSalle Incorporated | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Park National Bank | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Wachoviw Corporation | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

Romney: 'Regular contact' with Bain post-1999 - msnbc.com (blog)

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Romney: 'Regular contact' with Bain post-1999 msnbc.com (blog) "Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has said he had no active role in Bain Capital, the private equity firm he founded, after he exited in February 1999 to take over Salt Lake City's Winter Olympics bid. But according to Bain associates and ... and more »

Gov. details pending layoffs by department - The Business Review (Albany):

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Paterson intends to lay off 8,700 stater workers by July 1, a move that will hit the locak economy. The state has more than 200,000 and roughly one-fourth of thoss jobs—52,200 in all—are locateds in the Capital Region. Patersoj initially said he would layoff 8,900 workers. He eliminatedx the need for 200 of those layoffs by canceling scheduled salary increases for workers classified as or “confidential.” The moves saved the statr $32 million. The 8,700 pending layoffs are expected to save thestatse $481 million. For months, unions have rejected requestx from Paterson to reopen their contract and waive a salarh increase for thisfiscal year, which began April 1.
As a result, “we cannot eliminate our state’s deficit without layoffs,” Patersobn said in a letter to statwe employeeson Tuesday. “I asked our state’w public employee unions to make modest I did not make thisrequest lightly,” Paterso wrote. “Regrettably, however, our state’s publicc employee unions refused to considere any concessionsat all.” The unions dispute Paterson’s claims. “The governor continues to clai to have onlytwo choices: accept the concessions he has demandex or face layoffs,” said Ken Brynien, presidenrt of the Latham-based . The unio represents 59,000 white-collar state workers.
Brynien said he’s meetinbg with Paterson’s staff today to reiterats the union’s suggested alternatives to layoffs, which includre getting rid of the private contractords working forthe “It is clear that his goal is not to make statd government more efficient and cost-effective but to extractg an additional pound of flesh from hard-workingg public employees,” Brynien said in a Danny Donohue, head of the 300,000-membeer , criticized Paterson’s pending layoffs as “heavy-handed “What Gov. Paterson is saying is that the highest-paid personnel will not be included as part ofhis cost-cuttinyg moves.
He is also sayinbg that the brunt of his reductions will be onthe lower-paifd employees who actually do the work of the statre every day,” Donohue said. In his Paterson encouraged state workers to voice their opinions to theirunion “This decision is one of the most difficultf I have ever had to make,” he wrote to employees. “I do not want to see anyone losetheir job, particularl y in this economic climate.
” Laura Anglin, the statre budget director, has told state agencies to achieve the maximum amoung of work force cuts througuh “normal attrition” before turning to layoffsx to meet Paterson’s job-cut The lists of employees to be lost through retirement or layoffs are due by April 21. Here are look at some of the statwe offices, agencies or departments targeted for the largesr workforce reductions: • Correctional 2,021 workers • Mental 1,434 • Mental Health: 1,054

Tragedy has not deterred local fans - Poughkeepsie Journal

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Telegraph.co.uk

Tragedy has not deterred local fans Poughkeepsie Journal The mass shooting in Colorado at the opening of the Batman movie was not deterring some local residents from seeing the Dark Knight in theaters. Several Dutchess County residents said the tragedy was an isolated incident that is unlikely to happen ... 'The Dark Knig ht Rises': Will the Film's F »

Ricky Rayment: 'My Relationship With Jess Is Real' - FemaleFirst.co.uk

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Yahoo! omg! UK

Ricky Rayment: 'My Relationship With Jess Is Real' FemaleFirst.co.uk 'The Only Way Is Essex' star Ricky Rayment says his relationship with Jessica Wright is the "most real" because it blossomed off camera. Ricky Rayment claims his relationship with Jessica Wright is the "most real" because it started off camera. 'The ... 'We want to keep parts of our relationship private': TOWIE's Ricky Rayment and ... Daily Mail TOWIE's Ricky Rayment and Jessica Wright says they're in love â€" aww! Yahoo! omg! UK TOWIE's Jessica Wright & Ricky Rayment Have No Interest In Becoming New ... Entertainmentwise Metro -Unreality TV (blog) -heatworld  »

Report: GM bankruptcy expected as early as next week - St. Louis Business Journal:

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is expected to file bankruptcy late next week and could get upto $30 billion in additional federal bailout funds, according to a Friday report in the Washingtob Post. The newspaper quoted sources familiar with the discussionsw betweenGM (NYSE: GM) and President Baraci Obama’s administration, and said the governmenr is expected to steer the automaker toward filinbg either late next week, or in the first week of The investment of up to $30 billion is said to be somethinb that could change, but at that amount it would bringg the federal government's investment in GM to nearly $45 The government would have a 50 percent stake in a new, more competitive GM.
A deal to take GM into bankruptcy comes as the newspaper also quoted sources in the industry as saying could come as early asnext week. GM with the on Thursdagy for concessions to its labor contract as part of its plan to seek dealx with its unionand bondholders. The talkx with bondholders are believeds tobe continuing. Both GM and Chryslert have accepted billions in federal bailout funds and have announcexd a combinednearly 1,900 dealershipe would be cut as they trim their dealer franchises numbers and make cuts to their work

City Council to consider Chase incentive - Business First of Columbus:

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The $6.3 million incentivre package, which includes a 10-year tax credit and an eight-yeadr Job Growth Incentive, is set for consideration as emergencty legislation weeks after the approved a 75 percent tax credit valuex atabout $14 million for Chase (NYSE:JPM). The compant has pledged to creatr 1,000 jobs in Columbus and 150 jobs in Westerville over the next five About 900 of those jobs would be createxd during the nextthree years. Under the incentivde package recommended by the Columbusx Departmentof Development, the eight-year incentive from the city wouldx return $1.84 million in withheld payrollk taxes to the company over that term. The 10-yeafr tax credit is worth $4.47 million.
Columbud would take in $5 million in corporate franchiss and income taxes afterthe abatements. Chase’s investment for the projecrt totalsabout $16 million, while work at its Polarisd Parkway facility is scheduled to begin next month, accordin to information from the city. JPMorganh Chase also is considering sitesz inNew York, home to its corporatr headquarters, along with Louisiana and Texas. The company ranks as the third-largesg employer in Central Ohio, with nearluy 11,000 of the current 14,000 jobs in the regiohn in Columbus. Included in the jobs total are 3,00 0 workers in Westerville.

Westar Energy seeks $19.7M rate increase - Kansas City Business Journal:

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million, or 1.5 In a Tuesday release, the Topeka-based electric utilityt (NYSE: WR) said it seeks the rate increase to recover costs for expenditures in the seconds phase of its Emporia Energy Center andtwo company-ownedc wind farms in Kansas that were under construction but not in operatioj when its 2008 rate case concluded. The request, if approvesd by the KCC, would mean a $9.7 milliojn increase in the company’s north which includes Olatheand Lawrence, and a $10 million increasw in its south region, which includesd the Wichita area, Westar said. A residential customef using 900 kilowatt hours in Westar’s north region could expec an increase of about $1.
43 a month, the company said. In the south region, a residential customer using 900 kWh could expectf an increase of 71 centsa month. If the new average residential rate wouldbe 9.33 cents per kWh for Westar’s north region and 9.11 centsz per kWh for its south The average national residential rate is 11.52 cents per kWh, the compant said. The rate review was part of the agreement reache by all parties in the2008 case, whicg the KCC approved in January, Westar “Although electric rates are going up, we managef our natural gas plant and wind farm construction costs and they came in more than $22 million undeer the original cost estimates and the amount s the KCC indicated would be allowed for recovery in Westar CEO Bill Moore said in the release.
“Wed continue to work to meet our customers’ electricithy needs as well as to develop Kansas renewabldeenergy resources.” Westar is the largest electric utility in Kansas, providinyg electric service to about 681,000 customersa in the state. It also has abouty 6,800 megawatts of electric generation capacity and operates and coordinateds morethan 35,000 miles of electric distributioh and transmission lines.

Capital Guardian growing amid turmoil - Charlotte Business Journal:

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Today, Capital Guardian has seven offices, including new location in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Fla.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Raleigh; and its firsty office in Charlotte. By the end of the year, that numbere will increase to 12, with openings planned in Hickory, Winston-Salem, and West Palm Beach and Boynton Fla. The number of adviserxs at the firm has jumped to 32 from 10 at the endof 2008. That will likelu increase to 75 by the end of this And that dramatic growth has occurred amid a recessio and a financial crisis that sent companies such as into the How has Capital Guardian pulledit off?
Alan the firm’s chief executive, acknowledges Capitalk Guardian’s expansion seems counterintuitive at a time when the financial-servicesz industry is in turmoil. But withoutt that turmoil and its effect on retaiklbrokerage firms, Capital Guardian couldn’t expand now, he “We’re kind of benefiting from the debaclr going on at all the large bankx and large firms,” Boyer says. The financial crisiw has led to changes in ownership at some ofthe nation’as largest brokerage firms.
— and its “thundering herd” of more than 16,000o financial advisers — was purchased by Wachoviaq Securities, the retail brokerage arm of which hasnearly 15,000 advisers, is becomint Wells Fargo Advisors this part of the bank’s merger with And and are combiningb their brokerage forces, with Morgan paying $2.7 billionh for a 51% stake in the new to be called Morgan Stanleyg Smith Barney. Big brokerage mergers oftej lead toadviser defections. But even beforse those mega mergers, the brand names of the largr brokerageor “wirehouse” firms had been badly tarnishex during the financial meltdown.
As the merger integrations continue, more adviserws will look to leave for smaller regional and independent someanalysts believe. In a research note this Daniel Fannon, an analyst with Jefferied & Co. Inc., wrote that “adviser defections will likelygain steam” going Advisers and their wealthy clients will depart firms such as Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch for firms such as Raymonc James, Edward Jones or the growing number of independentt firms. “Given the reputational ‘black eyes’ and intensified regulatort scrutiny these firms aredealing with, we anticipate an acceleraterd shift away from the traditionak power brokerage houses,” Fannon wrote.
For Capita Guardian, that shift means an acceleratefdgrowth plan. The company aims to be a Southeasternn boutiquebrokerage firm. Boyeer says now is the time to bring establishec advisers on board and to open officews in the markets wherethey live. During a single week in the firm opened its first offices outside of Belmont in Knoxville, Orlando, Raleigh and Miami. The new Charlotte officee is in the MoreheadPlace building, wherd the firm will have nine advisers. It likelyh will move its headquarters there this yearfrom Belmont.

Gender Confusion in the Mesozoic Era: Marshall Pailet on Bringing 'Jurassic ... - New York Observer

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Gender Confusion in the Mesozoic Era: Marshall Pailet on Bringing 'Jurassic ... New York Observer Several years ago, when Marshall Pailet was an undergrad at Yale studying intellectual history, an acquaintance planted it in his head that Jurassic Park would make a great ballet. When he graduated, in 2009, the idea of dancing dinosaurs was still ...

Hawaii guava, banana production down in 2008 - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):

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Guava production was 3.5 million down 19 percent from 2007 and was the lowesr amount processedsince 1977, the said in a reportr Monday. The report said guava production has continued to decline since when a large processor The number of acreagew devoted to guava production totaled180 acres, 61 percent less than in 2007. The decreasse was attributed to a large amount of acrex on Kauai being taken out of The harvested area was estimatedx at160 acres, 6 percent fewed than 2007. Hawaii’s guava farm value totalef $553,000, 18 percent lower than 2007. Hawaii’s banana utilized production totaled 17.4 milliojn pounds, down 32 percent from 25.
6 million pounds in according to a separate repor treleased Monday. Statewide total banana acreage was estimatedat 1,300 acres, 13 percenty less than in 2007. Harvested acreage decreased 15 percentto 1,10 0 acres. Banana producers received an averagse of 46 cents per pound for fresh bananaxin 2008, 12 percent more than in 2007. Sales totaled $8 24 percent lower than $10.5 million in 2007.

Government sets out plans to give oil and gas companies more certainty over ... - Out-Law.com

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Government sets out plans to give oil and gas companies more certainty over ... Out-Law.com It is consulting (42-page / 273KB PDF) on the creation of Decommissioning Relief Deeds, which will contractually set out the levels of relief that companies will be entitled to claim once a facility is decommissioned. Companies will also be able to ... and more »

Taunts Provoked Terry, Court Told - Australian FourFourTwo

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Telegraph.co.uk

Taunts Provoked Terry, Court Told Australian FourFourTwo John Terry used racial slurs towards QPR defender Anton Ferdinand after being taunted over his  »

DIY Oven-Dried Tomatoes - Lifehacker

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DIY Oven-Dried Tomatoes Lifehacker Sun-dried tomatoes are a great Mediterranean taste that can be expensive when purchased but easy and inexpensive to make. With tomatoes available cheaply as they're coming into season soon consider drying them in your oven and storing in olive oil. and more »

Hostile Roche bid may be too slim for shareholders - San Francisco Business Times:

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billion, about $1.6 billion lower than its previous Swiss pharmaceuticals giant Roche is nowoffering $86.509 a share for South San Francisco-baseds Genentech — $2.50 less than the offer it made last July and a committee of independent Genentech directorxs rejected in August. Genentech (NYSE: DNA) sharesx closed at $84.09 Thursday. That may be too slim of a premiujfor shareholders, especially when analysts generally put the ultimate pricew of a Roche-Genentech deal at $100 per “This has been a long drawn-out dance,” said Rod Ferguson, managing director of and the former head of businesws development for Genentech.
“There’s a real game of chickejn beingplayed here.” Roche already owns 55.8 percent of Genentech. One of the reasons for the six-monthg process, Ferguson said, is the size of the deal between one ofthe world’es largest pharmaceutical companies and the world’es largest biotech. Also, Roche has tried to be sensitive to thevaunter “Genentech culture.” “We have great respect for our colleagues at Genentech and we will take the necessaryy steps to nurture Genentech’s innovative and unique science-drive culture,” Roche CEO Severn Schwamn said in a statement according to the Wall Street Journal .
But the hostiler offer could upset that some people who follow the companyhave “In the end, cash wins (over culture),” Ferguson Among the possible deal alternatives: Genentecjh management assembling minority shareholders for a bid that buys some of Roche’as shares and Roche part-owner workingv with Genentech on a deal to buy Roche. Roche last year said it plansz to shut down its PaloAlto campus, wherw it employs 3,000, and shift an undisclosex number of jobs to South San Francisclo and New Jersey. It has said it woulsd keep Genentech’s South San Francisco site forindependenr research.
After Roche’s initial offer, Genentech transformeed its stock option program into an employeedretention plan. Payouts from that plan coul beginby mid-year.

Despite Delays, Chair Lifts Coming To Public Pools - NPR

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Despite Delays, Chair Lifts Coming To Public Pools NPR A new provision in the Americans with Disabilities Act requires pools that are open to the public to add the lifts. They were supposed to be installed by May, but the Justice Department has moved the deadline to January. While some pools continue to ... and more »

Iran Fund Allocates $14 Billion to Oil Projects, Shana Says - Bloomberg

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Litigation says Wells targeted blacks for subprime loans: report - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

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The City of Baltimore is suing Wells Fargo over its mortgagre lending practices inblack neighborhoods. The city claimas that the bank’s mortgage practicexs eventually pushed several home ownersinto foreclosure, costingh the city millions in services and lost “This lawsuit absolutely lacks merit,” said Wellz spokesman Chris Hammond in San “Wells Fargo’s lending practices did not causre foreclosures or any of the many broad problemxs the City of Baltimore claims are impactiny its housing market.
” The New York Times reported Sundayh that another Wells Fargo loan officer said in an affidavift that employees had referred to blacks as “mud and to subprime lending as “ghetto Hammond responded, “We absolutely do not tolerate team members treatingg our customers or others disrespectfully or unfairly, or who violatew our ethics and lending policies. “We have principles, system and processes team members must follow that ensurw race is never a factor in the pricin or products we Hammond said.
“We have worked extremely hard to make homeownershilp possible formore African-American borrowerd and for all customer segments, and we have done so fairlyh and responsibly.”

San Joaquin Valley winegrowers announce 2009 competition results - Business First of Columbus:

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The organizing group, established in is a non-profit trade association that promotes and protectd the San Joaquin Valley as a sustainabldewinegrowing region. Its eight-county region includes San Joaquin, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Kern. It evolver out of a predecessor organization, the Centraol California Winegrowers. Peter Vallis, the association’ss executive director, told the San Francisco Business Times the associationh represents 48 bonded wineries inthe Valley, stretchin from around Stockton south to Bakersfield, and a total of abouyt 300 members, including winegrape growers and associatd members. Dessert wine -- Quady Red Electra, California, 2008.
Red wine -- Silkwood Petite Sirah, California, 2007. Rose wine -- Chateau Dry Zin Rose, Madera, 2008. Sparkling wine -- South Coasrt Winery, Sparkling Muscat Canelli, California. Whitr wine -- South Coast Winery, GVR, Temeculaz Valley, 2008. Other winner included a host of Gold, Bronze and Wine Packaging competition winners. Cardella Syrah, Fresno County, 2007 Cardellw Winery, Syrah, Fresno 2006 Cedar View Winery, Alicante Bouschet, California, 2006 Cedar View Tempranillo, Paso Robles, 2007 Chateau Lasgoity, Blanc du Val, 2007 Ehrhardt Estates, Chenin Blanc, 2006 La Gondola, Pinot Grigio, California, 2008 Pasod Vineyard, Dastarte, Lodi, 2005