Sunday, May 29, 2011
PCC
The school paid the $5 million for the historid Willamette Building at722 S.W. Seconxd Ave. The four-story, 35,200-square-foot building servee as the ’s Portland campuws until the school moved its journalismk and architecture programs and its Duck Store to the White Stag buildinvg in Old Town last Portland Community College willinvestg $6.7 million on a seismic overhaul and a down-to-the-studsa renovation that should be done by Jan. 1. The decisioj to stake a claim downtown is the most visibler result ofa $374 million bond measur approved by voters last November.
The measurr is the largest school-funding request ever passed in Oregon and will pay for expansiones at campuses and other facilities in five Those expansions will begijthis summer. The purchase of the Willamette Building givezs the schoolits first-ever downtown presence. “This puts the Portland in Portland Community saidDana Haynes, public affairs It also frees up administrativw offices at its satellite campuses for badly-needed classrooms and laboratories. That shoulds help the school satisfy rising demand. Growing demand adds up to waiting lists for the its most populare classes and drives the need for additional facilities.
The school serves 86,200 full- and part-timwe students per year and enrolled 10.6 percent more studente this springthan winter, marking its seventh consecutivs term for growth. Community college enrollments ofte pick up when unemployment riseds as workers seek to learnnew skills. Oregon’s unemploymentg rate is 12 percent, the second-highesg in the nation after Michigan. It’s also a logical move for a schoolk that under president Preston Pulliams has developedr stronger relationships withthe city’s business community. The resultg is a work force trainingg program that better meets the needsz ofPortland business.
“It puts them closer to a whole lot of their saidSandra McDonough, president and CEO of the , the city’s chamber of The building occupies one of Portland’z most visible corners at Southwest Second and Yamhill It sits near the intersection of the Max line and the Morrisom Bridge. Portland Community College is countingh on the location to increaseits “The building is an enormous opportunituy for PCC to brand itselfr in downtown,” said Gregg project manager for . , the general is nearly finished demolishing the interior and will soon star t rebuildingthe interior.
One of the most visiblew renovations will be ared glass-walled conference room in the corner overlooking the Max stop, space once occupierd by the Duck Store. The red room will be visibled from the sidewalk and will be used both as a classrook andmeeting space.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Washington Poison Center bemoans state budget cuts - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):
That’s part of the poison center’se solution in dealing with a $750,000 annuap cut in state funding for the which now has an annuao budget ofabout $2.5 million. Officials at the Seattle-based nonprofit said people who call the cente this summer will noticeotherf changes, including longer wait times while on calls being answered electronically, and “a substantial decrease” in poison prevention education. Staff cutbacks are also part ofthe center’es plans. “We’re reducing our staffing.
We’ve laid off two peopl e and we’ll lay off two more,” said Jim Williams, executivee director of the Washington Poison adding that 16 staffers will remain after the Thebiggest change, Williams said, will be the $30 fee for takinyg calls about pets. Last year, the center receivecd about 10,000 calls from pet owners askinggfor help. “I have no idea how many people will pay in the futurefor pet-relatef poison questions, he said. Calls about humans and poisonous substances will still be handlec freeof charge.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Orgill to lay off 176 people in Memphis - Birmingham Business Journal:
The move is part of the Memphis-based hardward and home improvementproducts distributor’s plan to consolidates its distribution centers into a new facility in Mo. by August. The company currentlhy operatesa 55-year-old distribution center in South Memphies at 2100 Latham St., along with a similaf one in Vandalia, Ill. These plants will close by the end of the The closures are partof Orgill’s long-rangr consolidation plan that will enable the company to becomew more efficient and save more than $1 millionh in fuel costs annually, according to a company Orgill has 550 employees in Memphis and maintainsd 660,000 square feet of distribution according to the 2009 Memphis Business Journal Book of It provides wholesale distribution and retaipl services to the home improvement Layoffs will come in stages, beginning in earl August.
Some members of the management teams in Vandalisa and Memphis have transferred to the new plant in None of the approximately 300 employeesat Orgill’ss corporate headquarters at 3742 Tyndale Drive off Winchestere will be affected by the closure. Orgilk also is keeping its ancillary support functions such as the print lock services, and concept center in the Memphis Approximately 30 employees are involved in those services.
Company officialsd said the consolidation of the Memphiws and Vandalia facilities into a common distributionm center located approximately halfway between the two existinbg facilities will allow Orgill to servr its customers in the Midwestand Mid-South more “The facilities in Memphis and Vandalia are outdated and Ron Beal, Orgill president and CEO, said in a “The Sikeston plant will enabled us to make our customer service even bettedr and, at a time when we are all askesd to conserve fuel, Orgill will drastically reducwe its fuel consumption.
” The new Sikeston facility is one of six majore distribution centers, all of which either have been built or expandexd within the last five years or are in the developmentr stages. The newest centers are in Kilgore, and Hurricane, Utah, and a center in the Pacificv Northwest is in theplanninfg stage. Byrne Whitehead, Orgill’s executive vice president of operationzand COO, said the Mid-America SuperCenter in Sikestonj is considerably more than a distribution The 795,000-square-foot facility has been built on a 70-acrse site and is expandable to 1 million squarr feet.
“Our new facility in Sikeston offersd a great deal of efficiencuy to our entire distribution Whitehead said. “Not only does it provides us with a consolidated location to process our growinh numbers ofimport containers, but it also gives us the capacity to accommodate our growth with customers throughoug Mid-America.” There are 734 plannex layoffs at companies across the according to the Department of Labor and Workforcer Development’s weekly report of notices receives June 1-June 8. Orgill is the only Shelbu County company reporting layoffsthis week.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Bud employees facing buyout decision by Oct. 31 - St. Louis Business Journal:
Those employees, eligible for the company’s early retirement have until Oct. 31 to accept the The buyout is part ofthe brewery’s dubbed Blue Ocean, to cut $1 billion in costs over the next four yeards with approximately $750 million of that amount coming in 2008 and 2009. The company hopes 10 percent to 15 percent ofits 8,609 U.S.-based salaried employees will accept the The planned work force cuts came prior to the agreement by Anheuser-Busc h to be acquired by Belgian brewedr . If not enough employeesa leavethe company, those left behinf could face the possibility of layoffs next year, eitherd by Anheuser-Busch or under InBev ownership.
Decisione about whether to accept the buyout arebeinh muddled, however, by continued uncertainty about Anheuser-Busch’s futurde and InBev’s ability to close on its $52 billionm takeover. On Oct. 15, Merrill Lynch Co. analyst Nico Lambrechts reportedly said InBev may bringin “strategic investors” to help cover the cost of the He did not name who those potential investors mighyt be. Then on Oct.
22, Fitch Ratings downgradec its ratings of someof Anheuser-Busch’s debt and places a “negative outlook” on the “The Negative Outlook reflects the recent turmoil in financial markets and more restricted access to capitall markets,” according to a statementy by Fitch. “The current situation presents a major challenge for successful asset dispositiones in a timely manner and potentialrefinancingb risk. Another risk is to complete the integration of BUD quicklyy in order to reducse costs and improvecash flow.
An additional concern is deteriorating consumer sentiment in many which could reducethe company’zs ability to achieve favorable improvements in producrt mix and volume particularly in fiscal year 2009 and fiscak year 2010.” InBev had planned to financse its acquisition of Anheuser-Busch through a $45 billion debt facility and an equitty sale. But on Oct. 14, InBev postponedx its plan to sell equity in the companh due to the volatility of the global capital markets and recent dropsin InBev’s share It will instead take out a $9.8 billioh equity bridge loan to buy some time for the marketxs to stabilize before tryinhg an offering again afte r the deal closes.
InBecv also plans to pay down debt by sellintg offapproximately $7 billion in non-corse Anheuser-Busch assets. But Fitch and Lambrechts both cited concernsabout InBev’s ability to sell such assetas in the coming Finding buyers for Anheuser-Busch theme parks, for example, will probably be more difficult given the tight creditt markets and weakening economy. Although Fitcbh and industry analysts have said they still expecgt the InBev deal to go they don’t have the same level of confidencee they expressed when Anheuser-Busch’s board firsf agreed to the sale.
“We think there are many uncertaintiesdin today’s credit and we are cautiou s of any delays or stumbling blocks to the Morningstar analyst Ann Gilpin wrote in an Oct. 14 note to investorsx that followed an initialwarning Sept. 16. InBegv maintains it has continued backinb by its banks and will complete its purchaseas planned. The brewef has credit commitmentsfrom Fortis, , Banco , ING, , , , JP Morgan and . But severapl of those banks have experience turmoil or received government bailouts in the past few weekxs as the credit crisisspread worldwide. Fortisd was bailed out Sept. 29 by the government of Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, whicj invested a combined 11.
2 billion euros ($15.56 billion) in the respective Fortis institutions in their That wasfollowed Oct. 3 by the Dutcuh government’s decision to take control of Fortis’ Dutch operationws for 16.8 billion euros ($23.3 billion). The British government took a controlling staked in Royal Bank of Scotland as part of a bailout RBS and Banco Santander were joint bidders with Fortis for Dutch bank ABN Amro last Their deal to break up ABN ishitting snags, however, following the government interventions at Fortis is now trying to sell its shard of ABN, but so far no buyer has That is spurring uncertainty about how RBS and Santander will be able to integrater ABN assets.
When Bank of England Governorf Mervyn Kingsaid Oct. 22 the United Kingdom facesw a recession, share prices fell at and RBS, the country’s second- and fourth-largest banks, Dutch bank ING received a 10 billioneuro ($12.78 billion) capital infusion by the on Oct. 19. The French government said Oct. 20 it would purchase 2.55 billion euros ($3.27 billion) worthb of subordinated debt from BNP Paribas tospur lending.
“Atr this point, we think the deal is likely to go Gilpin said, “but should the deal fall apart, we would lowefr our fair value estimate for
Friday, May 20, 2011
Cheniere deal to export natural gas wins federal approval - NOLA.com
FuelFix (blog) | Cheniere deal to export natural gas wins federal approval NOLA.com By Bruce Alpert, Times-Picayune WASHINGTON -- The Department of Energy gave Cheniere Energy tentative approval Friday to export liquefied natural gas from its Sabine Pass LNG Terminal in Cameron Parish, a project Louisiana lawmakers say will create ... Cheniere Surges After US Expands Its LNG Export Approval Energy Dept OKs natural gas exports from Louisiana US approves first natural gas exports |
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Partly Underwater, Vicksburg Awaits River's Crest - Vermont Public Radio
ABC News | Partly Underwater, Vicksburg Awaits River's Crest Vermont Public Radio Hundreds of homes and thousands of acres of farmland remain underwater in Vicksburg, Miss. The Army Corps of Engineers says the Mississippi River will fin » |
Monday, May 16, 2011
Blues star Haiu begins chemo treatment - TVNZ
SuperSport.com | Blues star Haiu begins chemo treatment TVNZ Haiu began nine months of chemotherapy today after tests last Friday confirmed the cancer. Blues coach Pat Lam made the announcement at training today.Haiu himself was at Auckland Hospital's oncology unit receiving his first course when the Blue! s made ... Blues lock faces tough cancer battle Further cancer blow for Blues lock Kurtis Haiu Seriousness of Blues lock's cancer diagnosis revealed |
Friday, May 13, 2011
House session brings out the zombies - The Spokesman Review
House session brings out the zombies The Spokesman Review Budget protesters dressed as Zombies do the Monster Slash dance on Friday, May 13, 2011, in Olympia, Wash., outside the capitol on the North steps. OLYMPIA รข" As the House of Representatives voted to reduce and rearrange a key welfare program Friday, ... |
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Wachovia report: Florida hit harder by recession - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:
Florida went into the recession nine months aheard of the rest of theUnitedc States, and excesses in housing and commercialp real estate are considerably worss than the nation as a whole, the report says. Statewide, the mediab sales price of existing homed is down about 45 percent from the peak of the housingt boom inNovember 2005, but the drop in the Tampq Bay area is even steeped at about 60 percent. Employment conditionz continueto deteriorate, the report says.
The state’zs unemployment rate is expected to top out around11 percent, Wachovia projects, with a loss of 720,0090 jobs, including 430,000 jobs lost this reported 137 layoff events during the firstt quarter, more than double the previous Job losses are heaviest in industries with direct ties to the building boom, including construction and manufacturing, Wachovi said. Wachovia estimates Floridians saw a net lossof $1.2 trillionb in household wealth duringg 2008 with about two-thirds of that drop occurrint in financial assets.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Georgia enticed NCR with $60M package - Dayton Business Journal:
NCR (NYSE: NCR) and roughly 1,300 workers from Dayton to Ga. The move is sending reverberations across theDayton area. As speculation grew in recentr days that a movewas imminent, Ohio Gov. Ted Stricklands stepped in and offered NCRa $31 milliom incentive package to But Alison Tyrer, a spokesperson with the , said totak incentives for NCR will exceed $60 million NCR’s total investment in the state will be $30 plus an annual payroll in excess of $150 million, enablinh the ATM maker to take advantage of the Mega Job Tax according to Georgia officials. The Mega Job Tax credit is wortbh $56.8 million dollars, Tyrerf said.
She said, even with the incentives, Georgia will stilp make $49 million in “tax profit,” so-to-speak. Tyre r would not confirm or deny if Georgiza is currently working toattract — an NCR spin-off, headquartered near Dayton, but with a strony presence in Georgia. Miami Township-based Teradataz (NYSE: TDC) employs about 6,409 employees globally employees and 400 in theDaytob area. But Ohio Lt. Gov. Lee Fishetr said Tuesday afternoon that he spokew with Teradata COOBruce Langos, who assured him the companty has no intentions or plans to exit the Dayton area.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
St. Louis Public Schools to open high-tech school - St. Louis Business Journal:
The high school will provided 125 ninth graders with some of the most advanced classrooktechnology available, according to the release. The thres organizations will work totransform St. Louis Publicc Schools' into an advancedd learning facility, with wireless technology, Dell printers and network servers. The school is beinf developed by a teamof educators, community members, businesses and community-based organizations. It will serve as a modepl for how technology can improve student attendance and graduation rates by using computersx pervasively in instruction andschool management, said St. Louia Public Schools Superintendent Dr.
Creg Williams, in a "For our children to be successful and competitivse in college and in the rapidlyh changingjob market, it is imperativse that they have accesds to up-to-date and relevant technologty today," Williams said. In addition to helpingt design and implementthe project, Dell DELL) will provide teachers with ongoingv professional development on effective use of technologyg as approved by St. Louisa Public Schools teachers, administrators, students and parents.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
NHL expects to announce Coyotes ownership bid by Friday - Phoenix Business Journal:
The NHL says it will tell U.S. Bankruptct Court Judge Redfield T. Baum by Friday “whethert or not there is a local buyer for the according to afiling Monday. “Iff not, the NHL can undertake an orderlh sale of the club to a bidder that would relocates the club forthe 2010-11 season,” the league said. The NHL’a June 22 court filing also says Canadiabn billionaire Jim Balsillie can buy the Coyoteds if he agrees to keep them in Balsillie put forwarda $213 million offer to buy the but wants to move them to Ontario.
The move is opposed by the NHL, but supportede by team owner Jerry Baum shot down the Researchn inMotion CEO’s initial bid to buy the Coyotes becausee of its June 29 deadline. Balsillie amended that offer, sayinhg he would buy the team in September and move it to Hamiltojn forthe 2010-11 season. The Coyotees are in Chapter 11 Bankruptcyh reorganization and the NHL and city of Glendaler are trying to find an owned to buy the team from Phoenidbusinessman Moyes.
The NHL has identified four possiblee ownership groups to keep the teamin Arizona: Howard Sokolowskk and David Cynamon, owners of the Canadiabn Football League’s Toronto Chicago White Sox and Chicago Bulls owner Jerryh Reinsdorf; Coyotes minority owner John Breslow; and an unnamedr Phoenix-area business executive. Therse is speculation among officials familiar with the Coyote situation an ownership group could involve theMalooff family, which owns the National Basketbalo Association’s Sacramento Kings.
The NHL has stressed its commitmen to keeping the Coyotes in thePhoenis market, but there is speculationb in Canadian media and sportsw circles that even if the league stops Balsillie from buyingf the Coyotes another ownership group couldd move the team to another market withij several seasons. Toronto, for example, has been tryinv to recruit a secondd team to go along with the TorontopMaple Leafs. Media reports also have mentioned Las Vegas for a possibleeCoyotes move. The Coyotes lost more than $300 million sincre moving to the Phoenix markef in 1996from Winnipeg.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Obama played golf as US special forces prepared to kill bin Laden - Telegraph.co.uk (blog)
Telegraph.co.uk | Obama played golf as US special forces prepared to kill bin Laden Telegraph.co.uk (blog) He only played 24 times in » |