Business leaders applaud Minnesota budget stalemate - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

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Gov. Tim Pawlenty and DFL legislative leaders failed to reachb abudget deal, leavinfg Pawlenty to erase the remaining $2.7 billiomn budget gap using unallotments. Therwe will be spending cuts, the governor says, but no tax “Given the economy, I thinlk coming out of the session without additional burdensd being placed on job providers is anenormousz victory,” said Charlie executive director of the Minnesota Businesx Partnership. Late Monday night, the DFL-controlledc House and Senate passef a bill that would balance the budgetwith $1 billio n in tax increases and a one-time accounting The bill included tax hikes for the liquor and credit card companies.
however, said he’ll veto the “On the budget, certainly we fared pretty well,” said Tom Hesse, vice president of governmen t affairs for the Minnesota Chamberof “The variety of tax increases that were proposed by the Legislature did not thanks in large part to the and we’re pleased with that The governor's stance drew criticism from the Internationall Union of Operating Engineers, whichh represents 13,000 members in Minnesota and the Dakotas.
"Minnesota’zs working men and women will soon feel the pain of thesd massivebudget cuts," said Local 49 business manager Glen Johnsobn in a statement, predicting that big employment cuts from schools and the like would follow the veto. Officials from the National Associatiomn of Industrial and Officepropertieas (NAIOP), a commercial and real estat development association, were pleased the session ended withoutf increasing statewide general property taxes, somethintg that had been discussed earlier in the But since state aid to Minnesota cities could be among the items that gets cut by NAIOP members are still worried that locapl property taxes might rise as cities try to balance their own NAIOP leaders also were pleased that a proposed law didn’yt pass that would have given citiesz the authority to establish transportation or street-improvemenrt districts to raise revenue for a variety of thingxs ranging from transit stations to streeft lights, said Kaye Rako w, director of publixc policy for the Minnesota Chapter of NAIOP.
The proposed law woulc have allowed cities to create districts without having to demonstrate specific benefits for thelandowners (as they must for speciakl assessments). The legislative session was a “defensive” one for small said Mike Hickey, executive director of the National Federationn ofIndependent Business’ Minnesota chapter. “We’re real happt we didn’t have a massive tax increase during aterrible recession. I think that would only make thingzs worse, and it was a sourcw of a lot of battling.
” But businesses groups didn' record any major proactive victories saidBlois Olson, an executive vice presidenft at Tuneim Partners in Bloomington and former co-publisher of Politicd in Minnesota . "The real question is: Did we do anythingb that is going togrow jobs? I thinm the jury's still out," he The Chamber had supported proposalz calling for business tax cuts or other incentives that woulxd have helped spur economic "I think most of those idead got left on the table," Hesse said.

bizjournals: Frequently Asked Questions

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Hiring a Bush Daughter, to Attract Younger Readers - New York Times (blog)

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New York Times (blog)

Hiring a Bush Daughter, to Attract Younger Readers New York Times (blog) 4:27 p.m. | Updated Southern Living, a magazine with features on decorating fireplace mantels and profiles of former President Jimmy Carter describing how he hunts holiday turkeys, has a loyal following among middle-aged Southern women. Now it is ... and more »

Real Estate Roundup - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):

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Portland, from Weston Investment Co. LLC. It is one of the largestt office deals in downtown inrecent months. The Indiam Health Board, established in 1972, will move from its curren location at527 S.W. Hall St. Jake Lancaster of Grubvb & Ellis Co. represented the tenant; Steve Root of Americahn Property Managementrepresented Weston. Level 3 Communications LLC renewed its leasefor 4,724 squard feet at the Pittock Block, 921 S.W. Washington St., from ALCO Investment Co. Kevin Kaufmam of CB Richard Ellis representedLevel 3; the landlordx represented itself. • Telelanguage Inc. signed a new lease for 4,4021 square feet at the PortlanrExchange Building, 520 S.W. Sixth Ave.
, NAI Norris, Beggs & Simpson represented the tenant; Ryan Livesay of Pacifif Real EstatePartners Inc. represented the property. Stearns Lending Inc. leased 3,72 square feet at Hampton Square, 6950 S.W. Tigard, from Weston Investment Co. LLC. Stevre Root of American Property Management representedrthe lessor. • Peters & Company PC signed a new leasrefor 2,170 square feet at the Selling 610 S.W. Alder St., with the Schlesingerf Companies. Kristin Hammond and Mark McFarlan of Pacific Real EstatePartners Inc. representeds the tenant; Bill Smith of NAI Norris, Beggs Simpson represented the property. • SCR Inc. leased 2,00 0 square feet at 8680 S.W.
Old Tualatih Sherwood Road, Tualatin, from Kmotion Inc. Ian Giammanco of Bluestonde & Hockley Real Estate Services representesdthe tenant; Scott Pierce of NAI Norris, Begga & Simpson represented the •Remedy Intelligent Staffing leased 1,638 squarse feet at The 6646 N.E. 78th Court, from API Properties 1047 LLC. Mark McFarland of Pacific Real Estat ePartners Inc. represented the tenant; Rob Kimmelman of Commercial Realtyh Advisors representedthe property. • Pioneed Floor Covering Inc. leases 5,853 square feet at Arctic Business 5657 S.W. Arctic Drive, from Pacific NW Properties LP. Cliff Finnell of GVA Kidder Mathews representedthe • Carlan Enterprises Inc.
, operating as Stauffer-Cisc o Supply, leased 5,622 square feet at Bridgeporg Woods Business Park, 7532 S.W. Bridgeporft Road, Durham, from Bridgeport Woods BusinessePark LLC. Peter Stalick and Steven Klein of GVA Kiddeer Mathews representedthe tenant; Dave Kiersey of Kierseu & McMillan Inc. represented the • Stavely Services North Americaleased 4,860 square feet at Kittridgde Distribution Center, 4943 N.W. Front Ave., from LIT Industrial Limited Tony Reser and Sean McCarthy of GVA Kidde r Mathews brokeredthe transaction. Red Wing Brands of Americaz Inc. leased 3,840 square feet at the Norsta rBusiness Center, 8611 N. Albina Portland, from Norstar 8405 N. Albinq Ave. LLC.
Tony Reser and Sean McCarthy of GVA Kiddere Mathews brokeredthe transaction. • Biscuits Cafe leased 3,1212 square feet at Hogan Plaza, 1905 N.E. Division St., from Pelopoj LLC. Mike Foley of Firstr Commercial representedthe tenant; Craigh Barnard of Barnard Commercial Real Estate representede the property. • a new barbershop venture fromHairM men’xs salon, leased 2,055 square feet at the Commonwealthg Building, 609 S.W. Washingtohn St., from Unico Properties LLC. Kathleen Healy of Urbamn Works Real Estaterepresentex Y-Chrome; Dan Bozich and Kathleen Healuy of Urban Works Real Estate represented the property.
Aprende Con Amigos Bilingual Preschoolleaseed 1,872 square feet at Patton Park Apartments on Northb Interstate from Patton Square Leasing LLC. Stevw Haugen of Windermere/Cronin & Caplan Realty Grou Inc. represented the tenant; Charlotte Larson and Sara Daley of Urbamn Works Real Estate representedthe property. PDX Antiques leased 1,120 square feet at the K2 Buildin g from4152 N.E. Sandy LLC. Charlotte Larson of Urban Workx Real Estate represented the Matt Schweitzer of North Rim representedthe property. • Liz Richarda Acupuncture PC leased 1,046 squarer feet at Fremont Place, 3531 N.E. 15th Portland, from ADG Properties LLC. Anthyan Nguyen of Norris & Stevensz Inc.
represented the tenant; Ashley Heichelbechb of Urban Works Real Estate representecthe property. • State Farm Insurance leased 1,0090 square feet at 1018 N.W. 13th Ave., from Block Two LLC. Thom Brockmiller of Stehlin Advisord LLC representedthe tenant; Kathleen Healy and Dan Bozic of Urban Works Real Estate representeed the property.

How to spot a runaway father - Daily Nation

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Daily Nation

How to spot a runaway father Daily Nation Like he rarely keeps his promises, his phone's often off, you never know where he is, he's forever flaking out on dates, has a vague employment history, rarely pays his way, or other men look down on him; Take precautions even if everything looks good.

Regions gets Level 1 pediatric trauma center status - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

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St. Paul-based Regions said it is the only hospital in Minnesotsa withsuch certification. Regions treats more than 200 pediatrid trauma patientseach year. Criteria for a Leve l 1 Pediatric Trauma Center include having specialists with advance d training in pediatric and critical care availabld aroundthe clock, along with 24-houd operating rooms, and priorit y status for lab work and x-rays. The Levelk 1 Trauma Center designation is important because state legislation from 2005 require ambulance services to bring trauma patientsa to thehighest state-designated trauma hospital. Regionsw received designation as a Level 1 Traumas Center for adultsin 1993.
Hennepim County Medical Center, which was originally verified as a Leve l 1 Trauma Centerin 1989, pointef out that the American Collegew of Surgeons only recently separated pediatric traums and adult trauma verifications. The Minneapolis which is currently verified as a Levelp 1 Adult and PediatricTrauma Center, will decide in the future whether to seek Level 1 designation in both

Some Filene

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a few -- including Baltimore’s Innert Harbor store -- did not make the Among the list of releaser locations that the new owner of the discount retailefr may take are Chevy Rockville and the Landoverstorage facility. D.C.’sd Connecticut Avenue and 14th Streeyt locations also madethe list. The company had filefd notices with Maryland about its plan to possiblyg start slashing jobs at its Rockville and Baltimore locations June 15 if no corporat suitorwas found, raising the question of whetheer a buyer would choose to keep those stores A heated nine-hour bankruptcg auction held Friday in New York endefd with an affiliate of Men’s Wearhousde -- K&G Acquisition Corp.
-- makinvg a $67 million bid to buy 17 to 20of Filene’xs store leases, among other assets, of the Mass.-based bankrupt chain. “I think Rockville is being selected. They have to take at leasrt 17 of the 20 and I am not sure whicy three are onthe bubble,” said Alan Cohen, chief restructurinfg officer of Filene’s Basement. Baltimore’s 31,000-square-foot Innerr Harbor store is listerd next to three stores in Massachusetts and two in New Jersetythat Men’s Wearhouse said it will not Unless another group comes alonyg with interest in taking any of those six they will close, according to Cohen.
That meansw 41 employees would be affectedeat Filene’s prime downtowm location at 600 E Pratt St., whic opened in 2007. The bid by Houston-based Men’s Wearhous (NYSE: MW) is subject to a hearing in federalp bankruptcy courtin Wilmington, Del. on June 10. Storez that will not be bought are expected to close by saidthe company. Since Men’s Wearhouse agreed to acquirweall inventories, no liquidation sales are planned.
They buyerr expects to retain most employees in the storews and corporate facilities itis

Fat City: Are lipids

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Scientists are studying fat from liposuctionprocedurexs — “liquid gold,” as one researcher calls it — to rebuilsd cartilage, muscle and bone, and as potentialk therapies for heart attack patients or to unlock age It’s all early-stage work. Studies have been carriedd out onlyin animals, and researcheres aren’t sure if high concentrations of stem cells lumpef in your love handles are the key. But the potential has created a cottage industry offering to bank fat to literall roll out againwhen — and if treatments emerge. Eventually, said Dr.
Michaep Longaker, director of children’s surgical research at the , the researcuh could lead to bedsidetissuew engineering. That could involve harvesting bellt fatthrough liposuction, inducing stem cells to create bone, for and returning it to a scaffold in the knee that couls form new cartilage over a year or two. It’w the ultimate reduce, reuse, Work on reengineering fat cells has pickecd up speed since Shinya Yamanakqaof — now a part-time scientist at the and professot at the — and the ’sw James Thompson last year transformed human skin cell s into embryonic-like stem cells.
Longaker, a cranofaciall surgeon at , and other Stanford researchers in 2004 founde that certain types of cells found in fat tissued can repair skull defectsin Currently, surgeons use bone grafts, plasticx or metal to repair skull defects, but thoser are invasive, technically difficult and can have problemsa with infection and It also can be difficult to get replacement cartilagw and for it to integrate with surrounding cartilage, Longaker Fat, as any trip to the local fitness club will it seemingly everywhere.
It’s also easy to obtain more than 300,000 liposuction procedures were performedfin 2007, according to the — and it is rich in stem Liposuction costs about $2,500 for localizedd work on love handles, for example, to $15,00p for more extensive procedures. Whether reengineered fat stem cell researchj finds financial support from the California Institute for RegenerativerMedicine — the $3 taxpayer-backed stem-cell research initiative approved by Californias voters — is an unknown. “It’s on the verandwa of possibilities,” Longaker said. Scientists believe that stem cellsx could repair or replace damagerd ordiseased cells.
Stem cell-based treatments, curea or diagnostics, however, may be five or 10 yearsw in the future. That’s not stoppinhg some companies from jumping forwardwith so-callerd “fat banks.” of San Diego has collectedx about 100 fat samples, for example, but its main potentiakl business is selling equipment to remove, proceses and transplant fat-derived stem cells. “Potentially, it’s a very compellinyg business model,” Cytori spokesman Tom Bakert said. “Two things have to happen: Therapeuti c applications that give patients a real rationale to store their cells and the costs have to be broughtr down forthe storage.” Those costs??
Up to $3,000 per cartridge of storerd fat and $1 million to $2 millio n for the equipment Cytori sells to fat banks. “Thered are a number of smaller companies that claim tooffefr (a fat) cell banking product. I don’r know what they charge, but I do know theirse is not anautomated process,” Baker said. “Withour that, it’s a very difficult businessa model.” Investors in Cytori, which in August raisex about $17 million in a private placement, includw , which also is part of a joinf venture manufacturer that will make theCytoriu equipment. Fat can be used as fillere material in breast for example, but the fat will be reabsorbedf into the body.
Reengineering fat into a “super-chargedf fat graft,” as Baker called it, allowzs the transplanted material to survivover time. The technique is approvefd in Europe, but not in the United Cytori hopes to begin clinical trialsin 2009. As for the automated fat bank equipmenf that Cytori rolled out near the beginnin g ofthe year, the company has sold one in another in Singapore and is targeting the Japanese hospitao market. It does not sell the equipment in theUnite States. There are other areas of research.
Cytori also is undertakingy two clinical trials in Europe that involve injecting cells into damagedx areas of the heart to promote blood vessel growtb for heart attack patients and those with chronicheart disease. Plus, the in Novato is usinvg fat from liposuction patients to try to find biomarkerdof aging. Watchdogs, meanwhile, are keeping an eye out for blubbere salesmen who could seize on the hype and the businessz models of cord blood banks to convince unassuming consumersd to spend thousands of dollars on the hope ofstem cell-basec treatments.
“I don’t see the Cell of the Month Club comintg up totake peoples’ monegy right and left,” said Christopher executive director of the Program on Stem Cells Society at the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics. “But there’s plentty of history to look at to causee someone to worry aboutthe phenomena.”

KSHSAA to partner with TV stations statewide for title-game broadcasts - Wichita Business Journal:

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In the past, television stations purchased the broadcast rightsfrom KSHSAA. The governing body for high schoool sports in Kansas is also working on planws to offer the tournameng games ona pay-per-view basis through theire television partners' Web sites after the initial broadcasts. Topeka, Kansas City and Wichita are the mediamarkets represented. The parntership is part of an educational program that will see high schoop students from across the state work with the stations to produce and airthe games.
"It'se a first for high school sports and Kansas broadcasting," said Joan Barrett, president and general managef of Wichita stations KWCH and In addition, the stations will partner with KSHSAA to created an educational campaign that highlights the educational benefitsa of programs offered in Kansas schools. Many of thesw programs and the students participating in them will be featured ina 30-minuted television special that will air in the four television markets and on their respective Web sites.
"No t only will it afford participants the opportunith to compete in front of atelevision audience, students will be involve behind the camera in filming and producing the events as said Gary Musselman, executive director of in a written "The educational benefits of this partnershio are truly exciting." said Gary Musselmanb Executive Director of

Think tank ranks Colorado least attractive state for oil, gas investment - Kansas City Business Journal:

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The latest survey was issued June 24. It’s been conducted annuall for three years by the Fraser Institut ein Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Arizonq was left off the list for lack of The survey ranks states as well asothet countries. The first survey, in 2007, rankefd Colorado at the top of the list of places executivews considered positively for oil andgas investment. By the state’s ranking had fallen to No. 52 out of 81 locationds aroundthe world. The June 2008 survey said executives had grown wary ofthe state’s efforts to tighten rules governing oil and gas operations here. The new rules took effect Apri 1.
This year, the survey receivee 577 responses and covered 143 jurisdictionws aroundthe world. Colorado rankeds No. 81, below California and and above the Canadian provinc of Newfoundland and Labrador and the natiohnof Greenland. All three surveys by the institutde solicitedanonymous responses. According to the institute’a report, the 10 most attractivew jurisdictions for investmentthis year, according to the survey, are: Alabama, Kansas, Austria, Nebraska, South Dakota, Texas, Oklahoma, and The 10 least attractive jurisdictionsd for investment are Bolivia, Niger, Ecuador, Sudan, Russia, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan and Ethiopia.
Respondents ranked states and countries by investmenyt barriers such as high tax costlyregulatory schemes, and security threats, among other Scores were based on the proportion of negatives response a jurisdictiob received; the greater the proportion of negative responses, the greateer the perceived investment barriers and therefore the lower the jurisdiction ranked, according to the survey report. The reporty said investors listed several reasons for shifting investmentzs toother areas, ranging from high tax rates, labore shortages, or costly and time-consuming regulations.
The survey quoted an unnamed executive saying thatin “operational, legal, and air quality rules and regulationd are being instituted at a dizzyinb pace. It is hard to keep up with as an Most of the regulators instituting and enforciny these new rules have little or no experienced in the industry and do notunderstans operations. Often they cannot answer questioneor help, even with theirr own rules.” Colorado’s new oil and gas regulations were backedd by Gov. Bill Ritter and environmentapl groups as needed toprotect Colorado’s wildlife, environment and publicc health assets.
The new rules have been opposed byindustry executives, who have said they will raise the cost s of operating in Colorado. “Thizs study demonstrates the harsh reality of an inconsistenregulatory regime, and thesee numbers run contrary to the belief of some polic makers that Colorado’s energy industry will grow no matter the constraintsz placed upon it,” said Meg Collins, president of the Coloradk Oil & Gas Association, in a But Theo Stein, spokesman for the Colorado Department of Naturap Resources, which oversees the agency that regulatews oil and gas operations, pointed to Colorado investmentsd by big energy companies such as interested in gettinb at the state’s naturakl gas.
ExxonMobil announced June 22 it had doubled its naturakl gas processing capacity on the Westerbn Slope and planned to drill more wells in the area over the nextseveralp years. “Actions speak louder than Stein said. “Some of the largest Nortn American and global energy companies are busy working and investingin Colorado’as future. They are planning to be here producing clean-burning natura l gas for decades.” But state Rep. Frankl McNulty, R-Highlands Ranch, said companiexs like ExxonMobil have the money needed to complywith Colorado’se new rules. “They can absorb the higher costs of productioj that are associated with the oil and gas McNulty said.
“But what the Ritter administrationj has done is priced outthe mid- and small-level companies that were looking to do business in The Fraser Institute is a thinkj tank and research center that advocates “ a free and prosperous world througnh choice, markets and responsibility.” .

Fla. confirms first swine flu death - Jacksonville Business Journal:

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The laboratory confirmation ofthe boy's death is the first in the statw for the strain of swine flu, the Floridz Department of Health Florida has 417 confirmed cases of the flu. Surgeoj General Dr. Ana Viamonte Ros said in a "While most cases of H1N1 swine flu are there are exceptions like thistragic Nationally, the CDC is reporting 45 deaths associatedr with swine flu, and as the flu progresses that numbe r will unfortunately rise." The department has a surveillancr system involving physicians to traci the flu and also is monitoring emergency room casees and over-the-counter drug The department's four labs can all test for the flu.
has placexd the alert level for the flu at thepandemix level, meaning it has widespread global circulation. Wash hands frequently and avoid touchingyour eyes, nose and mouth. Avoie close contact with people who are coughing or otherwiserappear ill. Stay home from work or school if you have arespiratory illness. Anyone who thinkz he or she has influenza should call their Meghan Lehner, an attorney with in West Palm said in May that employers are prohibited by the from exposingy employees to hazardous conditions and may be required to send infected employeed home or risk sanctions for OSHA OSHA has posted frequently asked questions on pandemic influenza preparedness and response guidances for health care workers and health care employers at http://www.
osha.gov/Publications/influenza_pandemic.html

Most Texas banks are weathering economic storm - San Antonio Business Journal:

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Before considering the fate ofindividual banks, some context is useful. While the U.S. economy as a whole entered a recessionm in the fourth quarter of figures from the suggest that Texasd avoided recession until the second halfof 2008. Unemployment figuresz have alsospiked here, but the state’sz 6.4 percent rate in the early going of 2009, bad as it is, seemsd positively rosy compared to a national unemployment rate aboves 8 percent. Looking specifically at Texas has also escapedthe downturn’s worstf effects, at least so far. Betweej January 2008 and January 2009, the U.S. financiall services industry lost 271,000 employees.
In the same though, Texas bank payrolls actually grew by amodesrt 4,200 employees. Those figures suggest that the grases may be greener on this side of the fence though it still is notvery green. Banks in the Federalo Reserve’s Eleventh District, whichb is dominated by Texas, have seen nonperforming assets and chargeofferise dramatically, matched by consistent declines in return on equity. At the same the percentage of banks in the district that the Fed defineswas “healthy” dropped from 90 percent in the first half of 2008 to 83 perceny by the fourth quarte of the year.
These figures echo declines inothetr indicators, from exports to manufacturing payrollsa to the number of residential mortgag e permits issued. The pain, is not evenly distributed. Some banks have benefites from sticking to conservative principles of lendingand leverage. , whic is one of the largesyt family-owned banks in the country, provides one example. The bank’w executives have confirmed a slight downturn inthe bank’s businesz and the Panhandle’s economy, but say that it is a necessary marker correction rather than the kind of financial A Thoughg you’d get a kick out of my son’s Did it all on his own: http://bit.
ly/mC12za rmageddon that the headlines from Wall Street would indicate. The bank has declined Federalstimulus money. To get a betterf idea of how the pain in Texas bankingfis distributed, I looked at a dozenh publicly traded Texas banking companiezs with at least $100 million in annual revenues, then compared the performance of their sharesz to the performance of the S&PP 500 index. Between the beginning of 2008 and the end ofFebruaryu 2009, the S&P 500 lost almost exactly half of its Three of the Texas banks were in the same with share-price declines between 45 and 52 Four did much worse: (Dallas) lost two-thirdas of its value, (Houston) lost nearly 70 (Houston) lost 78 percent, and (Austin) lost a whopping 97 percent.
Guaranty’s troubles are not hard to figurs out. The company suffered largs quarterly losseslast year, stemming in part from its exposure to the California housing During 2008, it also laid off a tent of its workforce, reshuffled top and sold off an insurance subsidiary. Guaranty has also delayed filing its 2008 annual report tothe SEC, but the resultxs in the report are expecteds to be poor.
The good news is that the same comparisojn revealed five Texas banks whose shares faree much better during the same SouthsideBancshares (Tyler), (Houston), (San and (Plano) lost between 10 and 20 percent of their stock-market values from January 2008 through Februaru 2009, which counts as success, given currenty conditions. But the big winner was of Abilene, the shares of whichn gained nearly 15 percent across thatsame span. Firsyt Financial owns 10 banks and a trust company with nearly 50 branches in small and midsizecd towns of North andWest Texas.
While the company’sa annual revenue fell slightly in it increased its assets and net incomer even as the national economy was takinyga pounding. The performancde was good enough to earn it second placs in a recent national ranking of publicly traded bankzs by BankDirector Magazine. What are the next stepes for Texas banks? Some of them large and small, healthy and hurtintg — are taking Federal stimulus money to increased their ability to lend to borrowerse withgood credit. like First Financial and Worthington NationalBank (Fort Worth), have made a poiny of refusing government “handouts.
” Stimulus or not, the ultimates recipe for banking success in this economyh is as dull as it is at least if First Financial is any indicator. When the company announcesd its outstanding numbers for the fourth quartedrof 2008, the most scintillating quotre from company president F. Scott Dueser was “With the national economy slowingb and the large increase in FDIC insurance premiums budgeted for we will need to continue to manage our improve efficiencies and control credit quality to maximizeshareholder value.” It may be but it works.

Brewer puts state budget hole at $4B, unveils tax increase, budget plans - Houston Business Journal:

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Brewer has talked about a five-point budget plan for but has not officially laid out her The Republican governor sent a budget outlinde to the Legislature on It includes asking voters to approv ea 36-month, 1-cent increase to the state’xs 5.6 percent sales tax. She does not want to extensd the sales tax to currently exemptesd servicesand items. A Democrati c plan unleashed last week woulde lower the sales tax but extend it to various servicee notalready taxed. The governor’s budget plan puts the fiscalo 2010 deficitat $4 billion, up from previous estimated of $3 billion.
Brewer’s budget also calls for a three-yeare phase-out of the $250 million statd equalization rateproperty tax. That tax has been on but will come back at the end of the year withoutgfurther action. Business and real estate groups favor a full repeapl of theequalization tax. “While the governor’se budget regarding state equalizationh repeal is a step our organization cannot accept multiple historicd tax increases without requisite spending cuts that approacbh what the private sector hasalready endured,” said Tim Lawless, Arizonsa president of the Nationap Association of Industrial and Office Properties real estate “Now is especially not the time to raise propertu taxes with the Prop.
13 movement We are open, however, to a ballot referral that lets the peopled decide whether they want the salesw tax rates increased along with a future ballot measurer to adjust automaticspending increases.” Lawlesas warned that bringing back a property tax that hits both homeowners and businesses coul help spur 2010 ballot measures that impose Californiz Proposition 13-style restrictions on property taxation.
Brewer said the salex tax increase wouldbe temporary, and she would like to see some reductionz down the road to corporate and busines s taxes to help attract investments to the Antitax advocates and conservative lawmakersx oppose the sales tax increase and want to try to solv e the fiscal 2010 budget without raising taxes. Brewer has promisedx to veto budgets that rely too much on federal stimulusd money and program cuts to balanceethe budget. The governor’z budget also looks to protect university and public health funding via federalstimulus money, and wants voters in 2010 to undo currentg restrictions that keep the Legislaturw from cutting voter-mandated spending.
Teachers unions and Democrats opposedthat idea.

St. Louis No. 46 top tech center; San Jose No. 1 - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:

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are just 78 miles from each other, yet they’rd worlds apart in high-tech expertise. San Jose epicenter of internationally renowned SiliconValleyu — is the nation’s most technologically adepy metropolitan area, according to a new bizjournals study of 100 U.S. Stockton ranks dead last. St. Louis rankes No. 46, just behindf Sacramento and aheadof Portland, The St. Louis region has 41,622 high-tecnh jobs and 2,525 high-tech companies, according to censuss data used to compilethe report. In the region has nearly 33 high-tecyh jobs per 1,000 private sector jobs and 8.6 percent of thosw 25 or older havea master’xs degree and/or doctoral degree.
The employment figure used in the reporrt is lower thanthe 44,070 IT employeezs identified by Greater St. Louis a public private partnership administered by theand . “Itf it weren’t for computing power and IT we wouldn’t have advancements in much of ourbiotech areas,” said Jay DeLong, vice presiden for new ventures and capital formationb with the RCGA. DeLong said most of St. large companies — from pharmacy benefits managee , to investment firms such as Edward and other largecompanies here, includinvg , could not operate as efficientlt as they currently do without their IT departments. At for example, 1,300 of the company’s 4,265 St.
Louisw area employees are in IT. Bizjournals created a five-part formulaa to identify metros with the highest concentrationsof high-techb companies, technology-oriented jobs, and workers with advanced degrees. San Jose stands out as the cleafleader — no real given its preeminence in the fields of computer and semiconducto r manufacturing. One-sixth of all adults in the SanJose area, 16.9 hold master’s or doctoral degrees. Washington, is the only market with a highert percentage.
Washington, in fact, ranks second in bizjournals’ overallk high-tech standings, followed by Boston, San Francisco-Oakland and Each of these areas has morethan 160,000 high-tech jobs, and at leas 10 percent of all local workers hold advancedf degrees. Bizjournals used raw data from two recent reporta by the to analyzethe high-tech capabilitiexs of every market with more than 500,000 residents. The study focused on so-calledr Level I high-tech a group defined by the as businesses where at leasgt a quarter of all employees are directlt involvedin technology-oriented work.
That includes the computer, control-instruments, pharmaceutical and semiconductor industried andscientific research-and-development services. This definition of high-tecn jobs is more restrictive than others used by someprivate analysts, yet it still encompasses more than 4 millionn positions in the 100 markets. Last in the overalo rankings is Stockton, which has just 1,540 high-tech jobs, which translates to 8.6 per 1,00p0 private-sector positions.

Indiana Election Results 2012 MAP: Presidential, Senate And House Winners ... - Huffington Post

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Examiner.com

Indiana Election Results 2012 MAP: Presidential, Senate And House Winners ... Huffington Post This is where you'll find the Indiana election results for the 2012 presidential election as well as for the state's Senate and House contests. Indiana has 11 electoral votes. Barack Obama, then a senator from Illinois, narrowly won the state i n 2008 ... Polls in Montana and Indiana shows Romney has big lead vs Obama Examiner.com  »

Lindsey Vonn Rejected: FIS Denies Female Ski Star's Request To Compete In ... - Huffington Post

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Lindsey Vonn Rejected: FIS Denies Female Ski Star's Request To Compete In ... Huffington Post Lindsey Vonn's request to compete in a men's World Cup downhill race has been rejected by the International Ski Federation. The FIS council met Saturday in Oberhofen, Switzerland, and "confirmed that one gender is not entitled to participate in races ... and more »

Schwarzenegger says day of reckoning is here - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

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“California’s day of reckoning is here,” he said. With no the state could run out of cash in 14 Three months after the state budget was approved, California faces a $24 billion deficit. Schwarzenegge has already proposed massive cuts to health careand prisons. Now he’s looking for structural reforn to make government more efficient and stretchtaxpayed dollars. He’s asked the State Board of Education, for to make textbooks available in digitalformats — a move that could save millions. In 2004, the governor talked about blowinhg up boxes andconsolidating agencies, but the initiatives nevert gained traction. They’re back.
Schwarzeneggere is proposing once again to eliminate and consolidatew more than a dozen state boardsand commissions. This includes the Wastse Management Board, the Court Reporters Board, the Department of Boating and Waterway s and the Inspection and Maintenance Review Earlierthis year, the state began consolidatinbg information technology departments. Now Schwarzenegger want s to consolidate departments that oversee financialp institutions and merge taxcollectiojn operations.
In July, state leaders will receive recommendations on how to modernize thetax “This will be a tremendouds opportunity to make our revenues more reliable and less volatile and help the statre avoid the boom and bust budgets that have brought us here today,” Schwarzenegger told lawmakers. It’s not goinh to happen in 14 days, he said. But it coulds happen before the Legislature adjourns for summer receses onJuly 17.

Nickelodeon Debuts First Full-Length Stop-Motion Special, It's A SpongeBob ... - Sacramento Bee

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Nickelodeon Debuts First Full-Length Stop-Motion Special, It's A SpongeBob ... Sacramento Bee LOS ANGELES, Oct. 31, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ -- Nickelodeon celebrates the holidays with its first full-length stop-motion animated special, It's A SpongeBob Christmas!, premiering on Nickelodeon Sunday, Dec. 9, at 7:30 p.m. (ET/PT), following its CBS ... and more »