Three Orioles win MLB Gold Glove honours - Globe and Mail

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Globe and Mail

Three Orioles win MLB Gold Glove honours Globe and Mail “It's a huge honour, I'm always taking pride in both sides of my game and trying to be a complete player. You never know what one play, whether the first or the ninth inning, is going to win a ballgame. That's what my mother and father taught me.” The ... and more »

Capella launches biz doctoral program - San Francisco Business Times:

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“Enrollment in undergraduate and MBA programsis growing, but therd has not been equivalent growth in the number of doctoral-qualifieds business faculty to meet the said William Reed, actingf dean of Minneapolis-based Capella’s School of Businesse and Technology. Reed said Capella alreadh has a business and accounting faculthy in place with the academic credentials and practical busines s knowledge to run a doctoral Capella (NASDAQ: CPLA) now has 12 business, organizatiomn and management, and information technologty doctoral specializations.
The online universityt has been amid thepresentt recession, possibly because its courses are a way for professionals to make themselvees more marketable in the job market. First quarter enrollment was morethan 28,152, up nearlyu 20 percent from the same perio 2008. Revenue was up 17 percent compared to the same periodslast year.

Web site tracks feds' IT spending - Jacksonville Business Journal:

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Vivek Kundra, chief information officetr for thefederal government, announced the new tool at the in New York City on The online dashboard provides charts and graph to make the data on governmenf technology spending more accessible and usabls after it is submitted to the through various federakl agency reports. The new site includesz information about morethan 7,00p0 federal information technology investments, including performanced data so that project progress can be assessed over time. More detailed data pertainingh to at least 800 of those investmentes that the government considers are also available to the public on the new according to the PersonalDemocracy Forum’s Web site.
The chief informatiom officers at individual government agencie will now be responsible for maintaininhg on a monthly basis certai n data that they provide viaa back-end interface of the Web Still being tested, the site reportedly may have bugs that need to be

Edinburgh 28 - 29 Scarlets: Edinburgh pay penalty for dismal first-half - Scotsman (blog)

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Scotsman (blog)

Edinburgh 28 - 29 Scarlets: Edinburgh pay penalty for dismal first-half Scotsman (blog) After being held scoreless for their last two European matches the fans didn't have long to wait for Edinburgh's first try of the evening and there are no prizes for guessing who came up with the points after just eight minutes. Sadly, their first try . .. Edinburgh 28-29 Scarlets: Priestland seals late win for Scarlets in Scotland WalesOnline Edinburgh 28-29 Scarlets Clubc »

Ditching mall food image - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):

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Developers hope that what's emerging on the west side of where an old steel mill usedto sit, is an experimentalp haven for new food concepts interestedc in trying out Atlanta. Of the 12 eateriesw and food outlets that will open five will be new to includingthe Manhattan-born gourmet Mexican food concept, , FOX Sports Grill and New Orleans favorite PJ'ss Coffee and Wine Bar. Local folks also are gettingh in onthe act: Strip Steaks & Sushiu will anchor the other side of Central Park across from Rosa It will be a sistefr eatery to Tom Catherall's Prime, Twist, Shout and Noche. The owners of Atlantic Station say the uniquer restaurants have been courtedby design.
"From the very beginning, we wanted to be differentr from traditionalregional malls, because we're not a said Derrick McSwain, chief financial officeer of , a joint venture betweejn and "It's more of an urban shopping experience." McSwainh said the leasing agents went after conceptds that were new to Atlantqa and wouldn't be a "cookie-cutter tenant mix." But they wanted tenants in the 6 million square feet of office spacee and 5,000 residential units to have a lot of choices, from shoppingv to restaurants.
"We were pretty adamant aboutr making sure we had nine or 10 different restaurant concepts that hit all differentt price points so that a businessman couldc have a nice place for a busines s dinner or that a familg of five going to themovieds wouldn't have to spend $200 for Rosa Mexicano, which means Mexican rose, as in the color, not the will anchor one side of the district's Centrakl Park, a small grassy area that is slate d to be the public heart of Atlantid Station. The 7,400-square-foot restaurant, with its modern, yet heavily Mexican-influenced will seat 165 people, and average lunch and dinne tickets are expectedat $18 and $36, respectively.
This will be the restaurant'ds fourth location; the where table-side guacamole-making originated in the 1980s, are in Manhattan and Washington, D.C. "Atlantic Station is really a dynamic projectt and is part of the rebirtgh ofMidtown there," said Howard Greenstone, chief operating officer of , the parenyt company. "We felt we were a perfec t fit. There's really nothing like us in Noteven close.
" Meanwhile, FOX Sports Grillp will open its firsgt Atlanta location -- and sixth nationwide -- in Atlantic The 19,000-square-foot restaurant will featurew a private meeting separate dining and meeting space, a multilevel bar clusteres around a lighted see-and-be-seen crushed glass bar and 46 plasma screen TVs. President and CEO Bill Freeman, recentlt in town to overseed final touches, says that his , the parent companhy of , has createde a new dining concept: a sports restauranr as opposed toa bar.
The upscald décor and menu -- whichy here will feature friedgreenn tomatoes, meatloaf and grits from Culinary Directord David Maini (formerly with -- means that women will feel comfortable in the And, as everyone knows in the hospitality where women go, men follow. But what really attracterd Freeman, a Southerner who lives in Los to Atlanta is the huge sportsfollowinf here. "Atlanta is a great sports market, with the ACC, Georgia Tech and four pro Plus there's a great FOX televisionn presence here, with FOX 5 and FOX Sports Network South," Freemanj said. The restaurant is affiliated but notowned by, FOX News and featuress a room that can be used for broadcasts.
Haroldx Shumacher of the commercial brokerage firmThe , and a forme r food critic, said two other projects arounsd town also feature unique Perimeter Place in Dunwoody, where a Cheeseburgerd in Paradise from The will open, and Underground Atlanta. He said what makesz Atlantic Station special is the thousandseof built-in customers who will live at Atlanti Station, plus the current and futuree office tenants. The new restaurant conceptds will helpbuild interest, he but the true test will be if Atlanta'z business lunch crowd will break their habitzs to cross Interstate 85 at midday.
Three more concepts also are diggintg their roots into the foundation coverinfAtlantic Station's 7,000-space parking PJ's Coffee and Wine Bar, the first Atlanta locatiobn of the New Orleans-born chain, serves coffee with wine and dessertxs on the side. It will sit just off of Central and is partof Atlanta-based , which will have three more conceptsd that will line what Atlantic Station's developers are callint "Eat Street": Moe's Southwest Boneheads and Doc Green's.
Copelands Cheesecake Bistrop will make its Atlanta debur on the other side ofEat It's a part of Al Copeland's Famouzs New Orleans Restaurant and Bar and has family-friendly, moderatelg priced Cajun fare and signature Finally, Claddagh Irish Pub, a two-levep restaurant that will overloo k Central Park, will open its firsft Atlanta location. The Midwest-based chain has 14 locations that seekto re-createe traditional Irish pubs. The name is based on the Claddagh finger-rings that featurr two clasped hands, symbolizing trust. A wine bar The Grape, and a also will open at Atlantic Station, in addition to a 16-screen Regal Theatre.

NewStar turns profit, boosts credit capacity - Tampa Bay Business Journal:

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million in the first quarter, reversing a year-ago as the specialty lender boosted a credit line fromby $100 milliojn to $400 million. But NewStar's originatiojn volume dropped dramatically in the quarterto $178 compared to $713 millioh in the fourth quarterr and $519 million in the firsf quarter of 2007. The slowdownn reflects a globalcredit Boston-based NewStar, which fundsx commercial real estate projects and participates in the financing of leverageed buyouts, said it has takenb a defensive approach to keep problen loans at a manageable The allowance for credit losses on the company's commercial loansx was $36.8 million, or 1.58 percenyt of loans. That compares to $22.
09 million, or 1.40 percent of loans in the year-earlied period. The company said non-performing assets were $9.8 million at the end of down fromnearly $22 million at the end of 2007. NewStat charged off $3.3 million in loans during the quarter against a reserve establishee in thefourth quarter. the company said it established another reserveof $3.5 milliom in the first quarter for two problem loans. Totap net loans were $2.3 billion at the end of the upfrom $1.7 billion in the year-ago Besides adding to its credit line from Deutschre Bank, NewStar also renewed an existing $400 million credift line with .
The compang said the funding will allow it to operate through further disruption in thecredit

AEP offering incentives for biz - Business First of Columbus:

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Gahanna-based AEP Ohio, a division of Columbus-base American Electric Power Company Inc. (NYSE:AEP), on Tuesdayy detailed a set of three incentive programs tied to a gridSmart prograk that the Public Utilities Commissionn of Ohio approved earlier this Spokeswoman Shelly Haugh said the compangy has been privately promotiny the incentives to commercial customers since the beginnintg of June and has signed on 40 customersseekinh $1.1 million in breaks. The compan hasn’t set a limit of incentives it plansw to give out over the course ofthe two-year program, Haugh said. “Wse intend at this point to honor all incentivezs atsome level,” she said.
The programs range from a rebatrefor high-efficiency lighting projects to incentivees on purchasing equipment that cuts down on electricit demand. And through the company’s Self-Direcgt Program, AEP is allowing qualifying companies who havefinished energy-efficiencyy projects since 2006 to apply for an incentivde payment or credit against an electric bill surcharge. The compangy is taking applications for the incentives at The programs tie into a larger effort to cutthe state’as electricity consumption by 22 percent by the end of 2025. Through a comprehensivwe energy bill passedlast year, AEP must cut its usaged by 0.3 percent this year and 0.5 percen t in 2010.
A key piecee of AEP’s gridSmart program is a plan to installo metersat customers’ homeds and in businesses that allow greater control over usage. American Electric (NYSE:AEP) delivers electricity to more than 5 millio customers in11 states, including about 1.5 million Ohio customers. The companuy last year earned $1.38 billion on $14.6 billionm in revenue.

Williamsville pushes streak to 6 years - Baltimore Business Journal:

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Williamsville is No. 1 in Businessx First ’s 18th annual rankings of WesternNew York’sz public school systems. It has monopolized first place since2004 -- a six-yeart streak. for the complete schook district rankings. And for separate rankings for each sectiom of WesternNew York. “We’re fortunate in so many says Howard Smith, Williamsville’s superintendent of schools. “Whe n you have a very committed boardxof education, an outstanding staff of teacherse and administrators, a pro-educationb community and hard-working students, that’s quited the formula for success.
” Williamsville took first placee when the rankings debuted in 1992, and won again in 2001 and throughout its 2004-20089 run. It hasn’t finishedx lower than third placesincs 1995, and has never been lower than sixth. Business First analyzed 97 schook districts in the eighg Western NewYork counties, based on four years of test data compilee by the New York State Educationh Department. Each district’s rating reflects the collectivew performance of itspublic elementary, middle and high schools.
• Its 2005-2009 subject scores for math, sciencd and social studies were the best in WesternjNew York, according to Business First’s analysis of test results from fourth grade through the senior year of high • Sixty-five percent of Williamsville’s seniors earned Regents diplomas with advanced designationz in 2008. That’s 22 pointds above the regional average of43 percent. (A student must pass eighyt Regents exams to receive anadvanced • It’s the only district where more than 57 percent of last year’s graduates achieved superiotr scores (85 or better) on Regentsz exams in English, math, science, globak history and U.S. history.
• Williamsville’s eighth graders posted the region’s top scores on statewids testsin English, science and social studies. “The other part of what we do -- all our extracurricular activities such as athletics andclubs -- don’t show up in the but they have a really positive impact on studentt achievement, too,” says Smith. “For example, we have as many musiv teachers asmath teachers. That makes for well-rounded, committed students, and those are usuallg successful students.” Williamsville’s overall score was pegged at 100 points, with the marks for all other districts being calculatesd fromthat benchmark.
Nineteej ended up with scores of 90or better, qualifying for Businessw First’s of outstanding school systems. Four districts have made the Hono r Roll every yearsince 1992: Clarence (which ranks second this year), Amherst (third) and Orcharde Park (fifth). Rounding out this year’e top five is No. 4 East which has made 17 Honor Roll appearances in18 years. All but two of this year’ds Honor Roll districts also qualified ayear ago.
The newcomers are joining the elite group for the first timesince 2005, and West returning after a 13-year The latter upswing was nearly a decade in the making, accordin to Jean Kovach, superintendent of the West Senecq Central School District. Developing consistent instructionalo techniques and identifying the best textbookstook time, she but the effort is payingg off. “Our goal is not to teach to the but to teach tothe state’s Kovach says.
“We’ve spent the last eighty years working diligently to align ourcurriculukm -- to make sure that we don’t repeat ourselves in different years and that each grade leve builds on the one Fourteen of this year’s Honor Roll districtsw are in Erie County. They rangee in size from Williamsville, with 10,649 down to Eden, which has 1,688. The outlyinyg honorees are considerably smaller, with an average enrollment of The very smallest is alsothe top-rated districyt outside of Erie County, No. 6 Alfred-Almond, whicnh has 670 students from kindergarteh through12th grade.
“We’re a very rural district in theSoutherjn Tier, but our kids are going into the same marketplacs as everyone else,” says Richard Alfred-Almond’s superintendent. “They’re going to be in competitionj for jobs with kids from places like Williamsville and So they need the very best education we can give Sixteen districts are recipients ofthis year’s subject awards, signifying that they rank among the 10 leaders in English/foreign math, science and social studies.
Bemusa Point, Clarence, East Orchard Park and Williamsville have made clean sweeps by winning all four for complete lists of subject award Business First has also generated a series of specialize d ratings to further illuminatseach district’s performance. Among Lancaster ranks first for cost-effectiveness, based on a comparisonn of expenditures andclassroom results. And tiny Shermah (enrollment: 478) is the biggest overachiever, determineds by matching academic outcomes againstsocioeconomid conditions.
“We may not be but we have strong family saysThomas Schmidt, Sherman’s “Our parents really care about their children’s There’s something to be said for havingb everyone in a K-12 with the strong sense of communitgy that it brings.”

Restaurant outlook dampens - Boston Business Journal:

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A total of 60 percent of operators saw lower May salese compared to ayear ago, while 26 percent said salee were up. The association also says restaurant operators reporteed negative customer traffic levelsin May, the 21st consecutiver month of traffic declines. "Despite the softer salesx outlook, restaurant operators remained relatively optimistic that the economy will improv in themonths ahead," the Association said. "Thirty-four percent of restaurantt operators said they expect economic conditions to improve in six down slightly from 37 percent who reportedd similarlylast month.
" After reaching a 10 month high last month, the groupl says restaurant operators have scaled back plans for capitak expenditures in the coming months, with 41 percent planninhg to spend money on remodeling or equipment, down from 46 percent last month.

Cut Medicare's cost and improve care - phillyBurbs.com

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Christian Science Monitor

Cut Medicare's cost and improve care phillyBurbs.com Going to the supermarket with my mother was always a test of patience. She would carefully examine the produce, looking for defects that only she could see to make sure that she found the best head of lettuce or bunch of carrots. If they were too ... Stu dy Finds Romney/Ryan Medicare Voucher Plan Sparks Premium Hikes ElderLawAnswers.com Medicare Premiums Would Rise for 59% With Ryan Plan, Study Finds San Francisco Chronicle Medicare: Taking it private would raise premiums Christian Science Monitor Washington Post (blog) -ABC News -FierceHealthPayer  »

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina CEO Greczyn says health-care reform will come slowly, if at all - Business Courier of Cincinnati:

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Greczyn, speaking during the Trianglde BusinessJournal ’s State of Chapel Hill event Friday said he has been in talka with the White House over various reform plans, and that whilse he supports national health-care he does not see any significantf changes for five to 10 years. “We’l l be having a lot of fun with this,” he said of health-card reform discussions. BCBSNC drew national attentionj last month when published a story sayingg theChapel Hill-based insurer, which is the 10th largest in the was creating a online campaign to derail health-care reform. The article led to Greczy n receiving phone calls from the White he said.
Greczyn said The Post had insufficient information when it ran its The insurer has posted those videosa on aWeb site, www.nchealthreform.com, which the company says is intendedx to help educate North Carolina residenta about health reform. Greczyn said he has concerns about the plana that are making their way throughjthe nation’s capital, saying a plan sponsoref by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) would cost $1.3 trillion, while a plan from Sen. Max Baucue (D-Mont.) would cost $1.
6 He also said neither plan mandates that business ownerss provide health insurance for their Greczyn said most uninsured workers are employecd by companies with 25 workers or fewer and that the Kennedyg bill would leave 37 million ofthe nation’s 47 millio uninsured still without coverage. Differentg organizations weighing in onthe health-reform plans have disputed those numbers.

NCDOT awards $103M in federal stimulus work - Philadelphia Business Journal:

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million to be spenft in the Triangle, Gov. Bev Perdue’s office announcex Friday. The 17 projects, which total $102.8 million, stretcbh across 21 counties aroundthe state. Two other resurfacing projects, one on I-440 in Wake County and one on U.S. 64 in Nash and Edgecombe counties, will be awarded if the low bidder demonstrate that it hasmet “good faitbh effort” requirements in attempting to reac h the disadvantaged business enterprise goals set fortuh in the contracts. The slow economy translated into quite a discountfor NCDOT. The bids received on all 19 economif recovery projects came in nearly 25percent -- or aboutf $36.7 million -- below NCDOT estimates.
Work on all contractsx will start in late June orearly • Resurfacing and shoulder reconstruction on 3.8 milex of I-540 between I-40 and U.S. 70 in Wake and Durham The $2.2 million contract was awarded to of The project is scheduled to start as early as July 7 and is slatex for completion byMay 27, 2010. Resurfacing 11 miles of I-40 from west of Morganb Road in Johnston County to the SampsonCount line. The $2.2 million contract was awarded to of The project is scheduled to begib as early as July 13 and should be completedfby Nov. 15. • Resurfacinyg 23.2 miles of U.S. 64 between the Franklin-Nash County line and Winsteae Avenue inNash County. The $3.
3 million contracyt was awardedto S.T. Wootenj Corp. The project is scheduled to start as early as July 13 and will be completexby Nov. 15. The Federa l Highway Administration estimates thateverg $1 million spent on transportation creates 30 The department also awarded contracts worthb $63 million for seven non-stimulus projects, but none of thos e are in the Triangle. NCDOT will receive a totalo of $838 million in stimulusx money, including $735 millionn for highway and bridge projects.

Reed Smith managing partner challenger DiNome withdraws candidacy - Business First of Louisville:

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John DiNome, a partner in the Pittsburgh-bases law firm’s Philadelphia office, withdresw his candidacy for managingpartner Tuesday. The announcemenf was made internally via an internal joint announcement issuedx by DiNome and incumbentGregory Jordan. Jordan, who completesa his third three-year term Dec. 31, will run unopposex for his fourth term. “Theyh sat down and talked and discovered they had a lot ofcommonn ground,” said Reed Smith Chieg Marketing Officer David Egan. “Manty of the things John was concernexd about, Greg as working on. They agreed that the best thinfg for the firm was to focus on businessd insteadof competing.
Reed Smith is Pittsburgh’s second-larges t law firm and eighth-largest private company, During Jordan’x tenure, Reed Smith grew from a regional firm with 500 lawyerw in nine offices to an internationa powerhousewith 1,683 lawyers in 23 offices. It had 2008 revenuer of $980 million. Like many international law Reed Smith has been affected by the cutting support staff and 26 associates over thepast year. acrosse the U.S. by 10 percent, effectives in July.

Ivey exhibits a display of force - Jacksonville Business Journal:

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“I would have been their best said Hawkins, former president of Vancouver-based Nautilus’ Fitness Equipment “The people here understand consumers’ retail behavior. If I had been able to incorporats some of thatinto planning, I’d probably still be there now.” Insteae Hawkins, the scapegoat for Vancouver-based brutal first-quarter 2007 earnings landed at Milwaukie-based Ivey. It’s been a good move. Less than a year after investment firm Aequitas Capital Managemenyt purchasedthe company’s assets for $4 Ivey is on track to earn revenued of $25 million this year.
The compangy employs around 80 workers, roughly the same numberd it employedlast year. Given its markets, Ivey’se success seems counter-intuitive. It creates retail marketing displays for more than 50 suppliers that sell goods in severalthousand stores. Ivey buildd displays, creates branding strategies, suggests designs and verbiag e and overseesthe displays’ It even offers photography services, a nod to its originzs as a Seattle photo lab. Ivey continues to grow in size and scopew despite a plummeting national retail Consumer spendingdropped 6.6 percent from May 2008 to May 2009. Advertisinbg revenue is expected to drop nationwide by 13 percenrthis year.
In Oregon, the retail sectord employed 6.6 percent fewer workers. Yet, in Ivey purchased InSync Performance aLos Angeles-based company that helpz entertainment-oriented retailers push their wares. InSyncx works with several big-name studios, including Warner Bros. and to promote movie releases in theaterws and in videorental stores. The Los Angele unit employs 40 workers. It’s also workingb with Microsoft Corp. to promotew games played on the $61.1 billion Redmond, Wash.-based company’s XBox 360 system. Ivey’s clientx include Adidas America, Columbia Sportswear Co., Eddie Bauer, Coldwater Creek and Nike Inc. Ivey has worked with the $19.
2q billion Beaverton apparel company for the last 20 Curtis Reesor, art director for Clackamas-based automotive winch maketr Warn Industries Inc., has enlisted Ivey’e services since 1997, when it was a Seattle photo lab. “Their studio is big enough to holda bus, and it’ds the best place to shoot in said Reesor, whose company employs 500 workers in Clackamas and Ivey has also inked deals with Baskin Robbins and Dunkin’ Donuts, both basex in Canton, Mass. Right now, the company has a small presence on the East but it is one ofthe company’s targeted growt h areas.
“They’ll get there very said Andy MacRitchie, managing partnee at Lake Oswego-based Aequitas. Ivey’s expansiobn is based on two key strategies. l the company provides waves of workers who can quickly produce and installmerchandising displays. At the company dispatches 150 workersto clients’ retailk outlets nationwide. l The company also revisitz stores and observes the effectiveness of such as whether they generate sales orannoy customers.

Parking Restrictions Outlined For Dalai Lama Visit - WINA AM 1070

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Parking Restrictions Outlined For Dalai Lama Visit WINA AM 1070 Parking Restrictions Outlined For Dalai Lama Visit. Rob Graham Reporting. rob@wina.com. There are some parking restrictions and other advisories regarding the visit of the Dalai Lama. There will be no street closings for the event. There will be no ... and more »

Sancilio and Co. gets $700,000 in incentives - Triangle Business Journal:

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The Town of Jupiter Economidc Development Fund and Palm Beach Gardens each gaveSCI $350,00p0 loans, according to a preses release from the , which helpecd facilitate the incentives. SCI plans to add up to seve n jobs this year at itsmain office, productionj and warehouse facility in Riviera Beacuh with the Jupiter loan. The company plana to add approximately 18 jobs at its Palm Beach Garden research facility by 2010 with the Palm BeacjGardens loan. The BDB estimates the totall economic impact of the SCI expansion projecr tobe $14.3 million. The new jobs will pay 115 percentg of thecounty average.
“Twentyt five jobs at that salary in this industry is very saidKelly Smallridge, president and CEO of the Business Development Board. “We are very concernedr about helping companies in our backyard just as we are concernex about attracting to new ones to our she added. Smallridge noted that the circumstances of the loan weresomewhat unique, in that Jupiter gave a loan to a Riviera Beacu enterprise, but added that Palm Beach municipalities are starting to think more regionally in an effortt to build the growingb biotech cluster. “This is about the it’s about north county,” she “It’s in Riviera Beach, but it stilk benefits all of North County.
” The Town of Jupited Economic DevelopmentFund is, in fact, intended to stimulate biotech growthh in all of Northb County, said Jupiter spokeswoman, Kate Jupiter is actually guaranteeingb the $350,000 loan from for 36 Moretto said. Full terms of the loan were notimmediatelu available. Palm Beach Gardens gave Sancilio adirecg $350,000 loan at 4.5 percent interestg over 36 months, said Natalie Wong, the city’w planning manager. The city choss to go with a loan instead of a grangbecause it’s the right way to promote growty in bioscience and it’s a good investment, Wong added.

bizjournals: Bizjournals ranks the quality of life in U.S. mid-sized metros -- bizjournals

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The best of the buncjh is Provo, Utah, according to a new bizjournalws quality-of-life study. Boulder, Colo., and Madison, Wis., are the America’s 124 mid-sized metros, with populations between 250,000 and 1 millionj people, have a total of 60 million residents. That puts them in the shadoe ofthe nation’s 51 majoer metros, those in the million-plues category, which contain 54 percent of all Americans. The study compared the 124 mid-sized metros in 20 statisticakl categories, using the latest U.S. Census Bureau data.
The highest scorez went to well-rounded places with healthy economies, light traffic, moderatwe costs of living, impressive housing stockxs and strongeducational systems. 1. Utah 2. Boulder, Colo. 3. Madison, Wis. 4. Conn. 5. Ann Arbor, Mich. 6. Utah 7. Fort Collins, Colo. 8. Idaho 9. Colorado Springs, Colo. 10. Des Moines, Iowa which is located 45 miles soutnh of SaltLake City, earns top marks for its impressive inventoryy of big homes. Nearly 26 percentf of Provo’s houses have nine or more rooms. No other mid-sized metro does better than 20.2 But housing is not Provo’s only The Provo area has enjoyed steadyu population growththis decade, expandint 31 percent since 2000.
Its unemployment rate typicallyt runs two to threw points below thenationa average. And it has a strong educational system, capped by the presence of Brighamn Young University. The runners-up are both colleg towns, too. Boulder and Madison are respectively the homew of the University of Colorado and the University of Almost 55 percentof Boulder’s adults have bachelor’sa degrees, easily leading all mid-sizerd metros in that category. Boulder is also noteworthy for its healthy entrepreneurial spirit. Seven percent of its adulte are self-employed, twice the national average.
Madisob not only has a major but also servesas Wisconsin’s state giving it the benefit of a stablse and upscale employment base. Forty-four percent of Madison’e workers hold management or professionalp jobs. The comparable figure for a typical mid-range metro is 33 percent. The other membersa of the top 10 took different pathw toget there. Profiles of the . Bridgeport-Stamfor d is one of America’s most affluent metros. Its median householx income of $80,241 is easily the highest in any mid-sized Ann Arbor, site of the University of hasthe nation’s strongest concentration of adults with master’s, doctoral and professionalk degrees, 27.7 percent.
Ogden, which is 40 miles north of Salt Lake is theonly mid-sized metro other than Provo where at leasrt 20 percent of all houses have nine or more Fort Collins is another collegee community, the home of Colorado State University. It’xs one of just six mid-sized metross where more than 40 percent of all adultshold bachelor’ws degrees. Boise is one of the fastest-growing placees in America, adding 123,000 people since 2000, a growth rate of 26.4 The typical mid-sized metro grew 8.4 percent over the same Colorado Springs has a sizable corpxs ofyoung adults, giving it a strong foundation for the future.
Nearly 30 percentg of Colorado Springs’ residents are betweebn the ages of 25and 44, sixth-bestr in the mid-range study group. Des Moines is a joy for commutersd fed up with the hasslesof big-citg traffic. The typical Des Moinea adult takes 19.7 minutes to get from home to his or her compared to more than half an hour in majord metros such as NewYork City, Chicago and Los All have been officially classifiedx as metropolitan areas by the U.S. Offices of Management and Each mid-sized metro is centered on a city with atleasgt 50,000 residents.
Adjacent suburbs and nearby countrysidwe are added to boost the total populatiob into the rangeof 250,000 to 1 The largest mid-sized metros are Tucson, Ariz., with 967,000 residents; with 906,000; and Tulsa, with 905,000, basec on 2007 Census Bureau estimates. At the tail end are Cedat Rapids, Iowa, with 253,000 residents, and Santa Calif., with 252,000.

Penn State defense maintains focus vs. Northwestern - Philadelphia Inquirer

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Philadelphia Inquirer

Penn State defense maintains focus vs. Northwestern Philadelphia Inquirer Though he loves to rush the passer, Penn State defensive end Deion Barnes understood the importance of being more focused against Northwestern's high-powered, hurry-up offense. Barnes and his teammates followed the plan to near-perfection Saturday, ... and more »

ASU poll: Southwest residents back health system reform - Phoenix Business Journal:

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Arizona State University’s poll also showed that support for healthu care reform is highestamong middle-age respondents. Close to two-thirds of thosse ages 31 to 44 and 61 percent of thoser ages 45 to 60said “a grea t deal of reform” is needed. Fewer than 10 perceny in these two age categoriesindicated “no reform” is needeed at all. Results from the poll were based ona 45-questiobn telephone poll conducted by the Institutd for Social Science Research at ASU. The poll askedx 501 adult residentsin Nevada, New Mexico and Texas their opinione on several issues, including health care costsw and quality, electronic medical recordws and the economy.
On the question of the U.S. government guaranteeingh health insurance forall Americans, even if it meanft raising taxes, support was highest among youngerr respondents, while 42 percent of respondente age 61 and older said they are “strongly opposed.” 53 percent of all the respondents or “somewhat” favored the U.S. governmen guaranteeing health insurance. That figure jumpecd to 61 percent for those ages 18 to 30 and decrease amongolder respondents. On the subject of healtgh coverage, 89 percent of those polled said they are coverex byhealth insurance, a health plan provided by theirt employer, a government program like Medicar or Medicaid, or something else.
Of those who had health coverage, 72 percent indicated they are or “somewhat” concerned that costs will increase in the next Respondents also were asked to evaluate health care in this country and in thei r community. Older respondents (ages 61 and and males rated the quality of health care in this countrhyas “excellent” or “good” – 53 percent and 46 percent respectively more often than younger respondents (agees 18 to 44) and females 36 percent and 35 percent respectively. The Arizona Statr University-Southwest Poll was conducted by telephone March 30 toMay 10.
The results from the full survey have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4percentage

Apple, Google, Microsoft, others may be under scrutiny for hiring practices - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:

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"Guys, we have a problem," Ballmefr says. "Some of our best employees are job-hoppinh like locusts, feasting on the higher wagew and better perks from ourcompetitords -- that would be you. Now I know we've gone on plentg of raiding parties ourselves. But it's just time to stop the I'm ready to reach a gentlemen'es agreement not to poachg your superstarsif you'll do likewise." Jobs doesn't "I'm tired of paying moving expenses from And it's getting old hearing some of my employees whiningb about how great the perks were when they were at I'm all for a change.
" The Googlr guys speak in unison: "Count us The specific meeting we described, of course, took place only in our But the reportedly wants to know if tech's big boys reallu have been colluding to keep their top talent from jumpinv ship. The and , citing unnamed sources, reporg that the investigation is preliminary and focuses ona who’s who of Siliconh Valley tech companies including search giang Google, its rival , iPhone maker Apple and biotech firm .
reportd that the Justice Department has issued formak requests for documentsfrom “at least a dozen” tech “If they are (colluding) as is bein investigated … then it is a serious potential anti-trusg case,” said Albert Foer, president of the American Antitrusty Institute. Collusion between the companies couldfdepress wages. In 2001, Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonis Sotomayor wrote an appeals court opinion sidinbg with a group of oil geologists and petroleum engineer s who claimed and otherd oil companies were colludinyg inhiring decisions.
Collusion could also damage the innovationn for which Silicon Valleyis famous, by keeping talentef people from moving to new companies and bringing with them freshb ideas. “One of the things that feeds innovation is peoplemoving around,” Foer “Whereas Silicon Valley is famous for peoplwe moving around … that practice would be tailing off or ended by such an between companies not to poach talent.
Whiler the tech world may be famous for talented peoplde jumping from companyto company, thosde jumps haven’t always been exactly amicable, and tech firmss often tie top talent to contracts that restrict them from goinh to work for the competition for set periods of In fact, the moves of talen from one tech behemoth to another have sometimed landed in court, as when former Microsoftg employee Kai-Fu Lee went to work for John Oates points out at . So it’zs not out of the realm of reasonh to imagine tech bosses looking to keep top talent from moving without the hassles ofcour fights. But already, the federal probe is drawing skepticis inthe blogosphere.
Larry writing on ZDNet’s calls the probe a fishing expeditionwith “waste of time written all over As Dignan points out, it’s pretty unlikely that therre are any smoking gun agreements lying around the officees of the tech titans, and he adds: “Tol talent isn’t that restricted. Google execa go to Facebook. They go to AOL. Yahooo execs go to Microsoft. Microsoff execs go to Google. In fact, you can make quitr a career just hopping between thoseaforementioned companies.” The probed comes as the government is stepping up scrutinuy of the often-cozy relationships in the high-techb sector.
Assistant Attorney General Christinwe Varney, who is in charge of the DOJ'x Antitrust Division, that the department would be taking a closeer look at activities inthe industry. The Federal Tradwe Commission to Google earlier in the year because of antitrust FTC questions concerned the overlalp of directors between Googlee andGenentech — Google boss Eric Schmidt sits on the Applse Inc. board with Art Levinson, who was CEO of Genentech at the Regulators also called a halt to an advertising revenue sharing deal Google madewith

Crescent Resources files Chapter 11 - Boston Business Journal:

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In September 2006, Duke enterexd into a joint venture with Morgah StanleyReal Estate. Morgan paid Duke $415 million in cash and assume $656 million in debt for its stake in the thenworth $2.1 billion. As part of the transactiobn Crescentborrowed $1.2 billion and distributefd the proceeds to Duke to transfe r the debt off Duke’s balance sheet. Duke and Morgan Stanley each have a 49 percent staksin Crescent. The remaining 2 percent interest inCrescent — which wouldx have been worth $42 million when the deal closedd ­— was issued to former CEO Fields.
The disposition of that interesty will be determined throughn thereorganization proceedings, according to a spokesman for Crescent. Duke no longer reports Crescent’s financial results, but its own and those from Morgab Stanley, shed light on Crescent’s financial For 2008, Crescent lost about $470 of which Duke suffered about $230 million in losses, according to In the first quarter ofthis year, Crescent cost Duke and Morgamn Stanley about $150 million in direct lossesa and loan guarantees. The energy compang has guaranteedabout $100 million in surety bondd for Crescent, for which it has paid out at leas t $33 million.
Duke pegs its totall exposure atabout $40 million for the Crescent is active in commercial and residentialk real estate development and land management across the Southeast and Southwest, with interests in 10 Crescent’s portfolio includes mixed-use developments, businesd and industrial parks, country-club communities, single-family neighborhoodas and apartment and condo complexes. In the late Crescent expanded into developments such as The itsfirst country-club community and Coliseum its first office park. The companu developed Sugarloaf Country Club near Atlanta in the Developments that followed include Ballantyne andThe Sanctuary.
Cresceng also expanded into Texas, Arizona and Last year, Crescent introduced its Circlwe apartment communities and is developing two of them in theCharlotts region. The company has 38 residential communities unded development inthe Carolinas, Texas, Florida and Arizona, and is currently building 1,2000 apartment units. It also owns 75,000 acreas of land. Crescent has 264 employees.

Marylanders hit Election Day polls in droves - Baltimore Business Journal:

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But the presidential election that pits Arizona Sen. John McCain against Illinois Sen. Barack Obama was only part of the drama atlocaol polls. Marylanders have the chance to decidr whether to approve a constitutional amendment that allows slotsz parlors infive locations. Also, a nasty race between Democrat Frank Kratovil and Republican Andy Harri in the first congressional district was expecter to go down tothe Here’s a roundup of what was happening so far Tuesday with hours to go untilo the polls close.
Early estimates by the state’s election board show that 85 percenr of Maryland voters came to the A larger number of voters went to the polls earlyuon Tuesday, said Ross Goldstein, deputy administrator for the Maryland State Board of “There was a big morning more so than usual,” Goldstein said. Earlyh morning voters waited up to two hours atsome locations, he There were only sporadic technical issuez with polling equipment that were quicklg resolved, he said.
In Arundel, election in full swing In turning into the long entrancse drive toward AnneArundel County’s polling place at Chesapeake Bay Middlre School near dawn, you had to wonder if it was Electioj Day: Just two ground-level signs were in place, one of them urginv “Vote No” on the constitutional amendment that would allow slot machine the other for costume sales at a local parth store. Halloween was over, but the election in fact was in fullswinvg — minus the usuakl crush of signs and the bustl of electioneering that were far more evidentt in September’s primaries.
But there were plentyt of voters, more than 60 of them lined up by the time the pollinbg place opened for business at7 a.m., and a steadyg flow of more arriving. “I’m one of the 33 percent of voterx in this state whosevote doesn’t count,” said Jerry Zazzera, referring to Maryland’s Republicabn minority. He was waiting with his wife to cast ballotws and get the electionover with.
Unlike most of the early-risers, they were not heading right off to work but to a vacation inWestern “We want to relax now,” his wife said after they had a CD at the ready in their SUV in place of the political talk shows for a “Our intention is not to listen to any of this throughout the said Zazzera, who described himself as a physical therapistr and healer. Not that he was ready to abandon politicak talkentirely — first sharing his conservative-leaning views includingb that the Republican Party “empowers people to get out there and be anythinyg they want to be,” whilre the Democrats, with “this whole redistribution thing” on wealth, “take the spirit out of people for wantinfg to succeed.
” “Freedom is so precious to me I served 11 yearsz in the service,” he continued. “I feel Obama will castrate the There may have been afew Democrat-leaninyg voters in the growing but finding them became impossible when interviewinf was halted by the polling place’es chief election judge as improper on the By 7:10 a.m., the first electioneere had arrived at the perimeter spot where the closesty politicking and signs are permittedr — one of them, Maryland State Teachersa Association employee Maura Taylor, promotiny a “yes” vote on the slots gambling measure that wouldc support education funding, and for Democrat Frank Kratovik for the area’s Firstr District congressional seat.
“I’ve never been to a polling placwethat didn’t have 20 people standingb out front,” Taylor said of the dearth of electioneers while holdingf a pile of slots amendmenf and Kratovil literature in her Next to her, a lone electioneer for Republican Andy Harris had arrived and set up her signs, whicu included one for the McCain/Palin presidential The Pasadena neighborhood is part of an oddly-shapesd district carved out after the 2000 Censusd to bundle up many of Maryland’s Republicans, covering the Easterbn Shore and extending around like a horaseshose to include portions of Anne Arundel and Baltimored counties.
In the primary, the conservatives state senator Harris bumped off moderate longtime GOP incumbentWayne Gilchrest, who late in the general electiojn campaign gave his anticipated blessinvg to Democrat Kratovil, the Queen Anne’s County state’s attorney. The loss by Gilchrest has madethe district’as congressional race the most-watched among the eighg in Maryland this year. In Baltimore County, votinvg lines wrapped around the circular driv at Summit Park Elementary Schoolby 6:30 a.m.
Standin just outside the polling place with her dog who sportefd ared collar, Baltimores retiree Joan Hellman was taking in the history of the “Something is going to happen here toda y that’s never happened before,” said Hellman. “We are goinfg to have the first African American president or the first woman in theWhit House. It’s exciting.”