Xcel seeks 7.8% summer rate hike to cover higher costs - Triangle Business Journal:

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percent temporary rate hike for small businesses and homezs to cover higher energy pricesthis summer. The power utility’as so-called “electric commodity adjustment” is intended to coverd an expected $54.8 million in higher fuel and purchased-energy pricesd for the third quartertof 2009. Xcel said that a typical small-business custome using 1,025 kilowatt-hours a month woul d see current bills increaseby $7.48 a month, to $101.83. A typicakl residential customer using625 kilowatt-hours a month would see a $4.5 increase, to $63.05. If approved by the , the rate hike would take effect July 1 and continue forthrees months.
Under utility rules, Xcel passes along energhy cost increases or decreases to customers ona dollar-for-dollar basizs through the quarterly electric commodity The new request is separate from a $112.2 million Xcel electric-rate hike already approvesd by the PUC that also takes effect July 1. That rate increase is to helpthe Minneapolis-based utilitgy (NYSE: XEL) recoup some $1.7 billion it’s spendiny on generation, transmission and distribution upgrades for

Pulte Homes picks LandArc to manage Carolina Preserve at Amberly - Triangle Business Journal:

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Financial terms of the agreement were not Del Webb specializes in building communities for people age 55 and Carolina Preserve comprises morethan 1,200 homes and a 34,000-square-foot Auburn Hills, Mich.-based LandArc is a Detroit-area neighborr of Pulte Homes and has workedx on Del Webb communities in other partd of the country. “LandArc was selected to manages our Del Webb communityu because of their commitment to the successz of activelifestyle communities,” said Stevde Schlageter, president of Pulte’s Raleigh division. “LandArc understands that delivering excelleng service and lifestyle advantages to our customers is a high priorityt forDel Webb.
” Pulte PHM) that it would buy rival CTX) in a $3.1 billion deal that woul d create the nation’s largest home builder and combine two of the threde most prolific builders in the Raleigh-Durham

Podiatrist gets 5 months, $25,000 fine - St. Louis Business Journal:

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Dr. Bic Chau Stafford, who practicecd at the in Maryland Heights, as well as assorted assistec living facilitiesin St. Louis City and St. Louis in April to one felony count of obstruction of afederall audit. Stafford, 59, also executed a civikl settlement agreement with the United Stated requiring her to pay the Medicareprogram $425,000. Staffordf billed Medicare for numerous comple foot surgery procedures provided to 39 local Medicares beneficiaries when she was reallhy providing these patients with only routine foot such as toenail clipping, prosecutorzs said.
When she was audited by the Medicare prograjmin 2007, Medicare deniedc her claims for reimbursement regarding these 39 beneficiariesx and requested that she repay $6,84 for non-covered services that had been previouslu paid to her. Stafford challenged this and as part of her effortx to avoid payingthe overpayment, Staffored created new treatment records for those 39 patients in 2007, back-dating them to using fraudulent treatment information and claiming that she had providerd these patients with podiatric surgical prosecutors said.

Credit still tight even for large corporations - Washington Business Journal: Washington Bureau

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Most chief financial officers said their accessto short-time credit has not changed much sincse the beginning of this according to AFP. Nearly 30 percent said credig isless available, while only 14 percentf said access to credit has improved. About 70 percenr have reduced capital spending and reduced or frozen hirin g since credit markets frozelast September. Nearly 60 percent have considere d orimplemented layoffs. The good news is that 74 percengt believe credit markets will begi to ease by the end ofthe year.
"Despits unprecedented government action, the lack of any significantr thawin short-term credit access is extremely and many companies are reacting by stockpilingv cash," said AFP Presideny and CEO Jim Kaitz. "While many organizationas with their strong cash positions willbe well-positione once the economy begins to improve, overall economic conditiona will not improve until organizations can begin using theitr cash in activities that foster For more information, see

The Week Ahead: Joe Biden tries to button up a bipartisan budget deal - Houston Chronicle (blog)

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Houston Chronicle (blog)

The Week Ahead: Joe Biden tries to button up a bipartisan budget deal Houston Chronicle (blog) Welcome to Texas on the Potomac's “The Week Ahead,” a preview of events to come on Capitol Hill and at the White House this week. The bicameral bipartisan group meeting with Vice President Joe Biden on a deficit reduction deal met three times last week ... and more »

Kannapolis honored for economic strategy - Business First of Columbus:

http://smaak.org/page/5-Tips-to-Beat-the-Afternoon-Slump.html
The city received the award in the categorgy of Excellence in EconomicDiversificationh Strategies, which recognizes responses to plant closures and other economicv dislocations, that promote economic diversification. The competition is open to nonprofits; local, statee and regional governments; and universities and Cabarrus and Rowan countieslost 4,300 manufacturing jobs when textilr manufacturer Kannapolis-basedPillowtex Corp. closed in July 2003. Two yearzs later, California billionaire David Murdock announced plans forthe N.C. Researcgh Campus at the 350-acre forme r Pillowtex headquarters andmanufacturinv site.
The life-sciences hub includess the participation ofDuke University, the UNC System, the N.C. Communitgy College System, other educational institutions andbusiness partners. The totapl investment is expected toreach $1.8 Residential and commercial developments are rising arounr the campus with hopes of turning a former textile town, into a biotech

Police ask for help identifying man who allegedly burglarized 3 Toms River ... - Asbury Park Press

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Police ask for help identifying man who allegedly burglarized 3 Toms River ... Asbury Park Press Burglary at Geno D's (6/15/11): Surveillance video shows a man who pryed open the back door and entered Geno D's on Route 70 in Toms River early Sunday morning. VIDEO COURTESY OF THE TOMS RIVER POLICE DEPARTMENT TOMS RIVER â€" Police are hoping a ... and more »

Chase commits to Central Ohio expansion - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):

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The New York company, Central Ohio’s second-largesyt bank and third-largest employer, said it planxs to add several hundred jobs atits 8,000-employer McCoy Center operation at Polaris while severaol hundred jobs will be added to a lending facility near Eastomn Town Center. About 150 jobs will be added atthe company’s Cleveland Avenue operations in Westerville. Chasde (NYSE:JPM) said it’s boostinvg employment in the region to handls additional support functions needed after buyingy Washington Mutuallast September. The move comexs after state and localk officials extended a round of incentive packageds valued atabout $20 million.
That includezs a more than $6 million package from Columbuws anda 15-year, 75 percent tax credi valued at about $14 million from the Gov. Ted Strickland in a statemen called Chase’s announcement “a tremendous boosgt to our economy and very welcome newsfor

Green Township OKs Mercy hospital plan - Tampa Bay Business Journal:

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The plan passed 3-0. “We’re very pleasedr to get to this stage and excitecd to take thenext step,” said Pete spokesman for Mercy. “We realiz there is still a lot of work to do and we look forwar to continuing to work with the residentsx and the township leaders to develop a hospital everyonse can beproud of.” The project will now be submitted to the Hamilton County Regional Commission for consideration, probably next Gemmer said. The planned hospital and parking areas woul cover about 40 acres and sit near toInterstate 74. The to cost $200 million, could open in early 2014. The proposefd site is 60 acres.
Mercyu has said it will close itstwo West-Side Mercy Hospital Western Hills and Mercy Hospitalo Mount Airy. The new hospital, with 200 to 250 will be a replacementfor them. Some residents in the area had expressedf concerns about increased traffic as a result ofthe hospital, whoses main access road would be from North Bend Road, at roughlu the midway point between Kleeman and Gemmer said a traffic impact study through the Hamiltonh County Engineer’s Office is nearly complete.

Budget raid could shut down nursing homes - bizjournals:

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“The state is moving federal funds allocated for the Arizona Healtnh Care Cost Containment System and Medicaide to the general said KathleenCollins Pagels, executive director of the . “Theree is a loophole in the federapl stimulus legislation that does not require states to use Medicaid funding forMedicaid purposes.” That loopholer will put the state’s most frail elderly residents at as nursing homes already are hurting from low Medicaid she said. Arizona’s legislators are consideringh cutting payments by 5 percent to healtgh plans that contractwith AHCCCS, the state’ s Medicaid program, which generally pays less than privat insurers. Gov.
Jan Brewer’s budget proposal doesn’t includw any cuts to insurance providers; instead, it calls for sales and propert tax increases togenerate revenue. When nursing homes receiver less reimbursement from it impacts their ability to providse quality care to patients and maintain a skilledwork force, she Jay Shetler, president and CEO of , said the majority of the Glendale senior living campus’ws funding comes from AHCCCS’ long-term care insurance “We’ve been told by AHCCCS officialsz that if their agency is cut by 5 percent, we as providers of actual services to seniors in nursinfg homes and assisted-living settings — can expect a 10 percenrt decrease in reimbursement,” Shetler said.
That wouldx mean a $900,000 hit to Glencroft’s bottok line. “It would force us to do layoffs,” he adding he will know within a week exactlyy how many employees his facilitywould Meanwhile, he has mobilized about 400 employees and nursing home residentzs to write letters to theifr legislators, including Arizona Rep. John Nelson, R-Glendale, to plead for no cuts in “We’re not sure we can make that kind ofdrasticx across-the-board cuts and still serve at the same leve l of care,” he Arizona Rep. Nancy Barto, chairwoman of the House Health and HumajServices Committee, does not supportf the proposal to cut AHCCCw payments.
“This gives me heartburn in our she said. “I support directing as many federa l stimulus dollars where they will do the most That means not diverting them froma three-to-ones match, which is what we’re talking about here.” For every dollae the state contributes to AHCCCS, the federal government pitches in $3. If the state opts to divert stimuluz funds from AHCCCS to thegeneral fund, the matcj becomes less. Cuts to AHCCCS insurance providers have a domino effect on passing on a hidden tax to employers and Barto said. “It’s a stealth tax on privates insurers,” she said.
“If we’re goinyg to do that, we might as well be up frontg andsay we’re going to raised taxes.” Here’s another domino effect: When AHCCCS funding is cut, insurance companiee pass higher premiums on to employers, who then pass alongv those increased costs to employees, she said. “Ww need to take advantage of the federa l dollars where they will do the most Barto said. Arizona Sen. Ken Cheuv­ront, D-Phoenix, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, said he would not supporyt Republican-backed budget cuts to AHCCCS.

Two MERC commissioners resign - Birmingham Business Journal:

http://www.tankwilliams.com/page.php?5
The resignations of Gary Reynolds and Janices Marquis come about two weeks before councilorzfor Metro, of which MERC is a plan to vote on a measure that would give the councill more control over MERC’s general The move could ostensibly lead to the firinhg of MERC General Manager David who’s under fire from President David Reynolds and Marquis both oppose the Reynolds, president of the Portlande accounting firm Perkins & Co., mentionerd the building problems between Metro and MERC in his resignation “During the economic times, my attention needas to be focused on our clients at Perkins & Co.
,” Reynoldds wrote in his letter to “That said, I am disappointed in the recent breakdowm in the working relationship between the Metro Councipl and the , and believee it could have been handled differently.” Marquis, a commercialp real estate broker and the commission’z vice chair, didn’t mention the upcoming proposal in her lettedr to Bragdon, but resigned two years befor her term was set to end. In a letter to Portland city commissioners earlierthis month, Marquisd and commission member Ray Leary urged the council to help delah Metro’s vote on the MERC oversighy matter.
Leary, Marquis, Reynolds and three of the other four remaininfg MERC commissions also sent Bragdon a letter backing The letter came after Bragdom questioned the leadership of MERC General ManagefrDavid Woolson. The other commission Don Trotter, resigned last month and will leave the boarrJune 30. Reynolds’ resignation takex effect June 30. Marquis’ takesa effect July 15. The terms of Trotter and Reynold would have expired at the end of 2009 while term was to expire at the endof 2010. The Metr o Council plans to vote on the MERCmeasuree — which would give Metro the authoritty to hire and fire the MERC generalk manager — at its July 9 meeting.
It was introducec by councilors Rod Park and Rex who also have concernsabout Woolson’s performance. MERC oversees the Oregon Convention the Portland Center for the Performing Arts and the Portlancd MetropolitanExposition Center. Metro’s councilors are mullinyg a $457 million budget for fiscal year 2009-2010. The regional government serves 1.4 millionm people in the metropolitan area’s 25

Diagnosis delivered for Uncle Mo - MiamiHerald.com

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Diagnosis delivered for Uncle Mo MiamiHerald.com By Sports Network A diagnosis has been determined for what's ailing Eclipse Award winner Uncle Mo. The colt's owner Mike Repole received the diagnosis of cholangiohepatitis Friday following seven weeks of tests. "Uncle Mo has been diagnosed with ... and more »

Nonprofits brace for budget emergency aftershocks, IOUs - Boston Business Journal:

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While service providers don’y yet know whether they’ll receive IOUs — or what the amounts will be Sparky Harlan, CEO of the in Santaa Clara, is prepared for the worst. “Wee receive about $400,000 in state funding,” Harlanh said. “We’re already accustomed to gettinvg money from the statelate — last year, for it took until Decemberr before we finally got paid.” For this year and last year the centerd has relied on a $150,000 line of credit throughb to cover the gap, along with $500,000 out of its reserv funds. The center’s operating budget is $10 milliob for fiscal 2009-10.
The money that may be on hold from thestated covers, in part, the center’s shelter and drop-in program, streetf outreach, and parenting classes. “The problem righr now is that we don’t know for certaih how much they’re going to hold back,” said who has been with the center for26 “But this is by far the worst I’vd ever seen.” In anticipation of the state’s budget 10 percent cuts have alreadyg been planned for foster-care payments. Locally there are 300 to 400 kids in foster care.
Foster care rates are the same acrossthe state, so familie s in high-cost areas such as the Bay Area get the same amounty of compensation as people in more affordable “We’re fronting half a million dollars already,” she said. It’se a layered problem for the center, since in addition to statew money some comes from the federal Housinh and UrbanDevelopment department. And Harlan said HUD is so slow it can take up to six monthzs for payments tobe received. “We’re hoping to get paid by she said. “Nonprofits are just getting slammed.
” Harlab said the Bill Wilson Center has close down two programs already and cut abouy 15 percent ofits staff, leavint about 110 employees. These are real she pointed out — not attrition or open jobs and “heartbreaking” to do. “We had to give one stafcf person a layoff notice and a week laterf his wife was laid off fromanothert nonprofit,” she said. in Campbell gets about $500,00o a year from the state for its AIDS CFO Ira Holtzman said the agency is large enough and financiallt stable enough that he would just book an IOU as accountzs receivable and hope the money came through TheHealth Trust’s budger for fiscal year 2010 is more than $16 Holtzman said.
Pam Brandin, executive director of and Visuallyu Impaired, which has offices in Palo Alto andSantw Cruz, said that even though her agency provides the kind of servicea that are especially at risk in State Controllerr John Chiang’s plan, the Vista Centee is relatively safe. “Wee receive money through Title 7 Chapter2 services,” Brandinh explained. “Since much of our fundinf is federalmoney we’re hopingh that it has to be released and passede on; the state won’t be alloweed to hold on to The Vista Center also has school contractes through special education funding.
“Lasy year when the state had similar budger issueswe didn’t receive any IOUs,” she “but that situation was resolve sooner than this appears to be. The agenciese that receive IOUsprobably won’t even know they’rse coming until they submit their She’s also banking on Vista Center’es status as a preferred vendor with the “so we’ll be paid in advance of othe vendors — if in fact the state is even writin g checks.” Lisa Hendrickson, presidenrt & CEO of Avenidaa Rose Kleiner Senior Day Health Center in Palo Alto, is also cautiouslyg optimistic.
“The only funds we receive from the stat e are MediCal payments for services provided at our aduldaycare center,” she said. “Our understanding is that thosew services are protected by the state constitutio n as well asfederal law. We do receivee funding indirectly through the butwe don’t expect that to be affected.” Tom Kinoshita, publi policy director of the , said people are on pins and “Everyone’s sitting around waiting, not knowingf what’s going to happen.
But even with the most optimisticoutcome it’s still going to be very He pointed out that the deficit last year for Santa Clara Countyh was more than $270 and many of the cuts were made in programsd around health, mental health, drugs and alcohol and social And there’s no relief on the horizon: For 2011 the countyu is looking at a deficit of about $250 million, he