Department of Energy considers Kansas City as mercury storage site - Kansas City Business Journal:

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The DOE is lookingy at its , in the Bannisted Federal Complex, as a potential storagwe site. The department plans a public meetingfrom 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. July 23 at the as part of preparint an environmental impact statement regarding thepotential sites. The otheer cities the DOE is considering aspossible mercury-storage sited are Grand Junction, Colo.; Richland, Wash.; North S.C.; Hawthorne, Nev.
; Andrews, Texas; and Idaho Falls, The Mercury Export Ban Act of 2008 prohibitsd the sale, distribution or transfer of elemental mercurh by federal agencies to any other federa l or any state or loca government agency, or any private individual or entity unded the control of a federal agency, with certain exceptions, as of Jan. 1, 2013. Elementap mercury is a toxic metal. Sourcess in the United States include elementall mercury used in the chlorine and caustic sodamanufacturingf process, reclaimed from recyclinbg and waste recovery, and generated as a byproducg from gold mining, the DOE said.
The DOE’e plans to leave the Kansasz City Plant site for a new facility to be built at Missouri Highway 150 and Botts Relocation of the plant is expected to begin in the wintetof 2011, and full occupancy of the new plant is expecterd by the summer of 2013.

Lingle releases list of bills she plans to veto - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):

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Lingle’s deadline to veto bills this year isJuly 15. “Whils the legislature has passed legislatioh that they believe is important and the publix played a key role in thelegislativd process, it is my duty as governod to ensure the bills that become law are fiscally responsible and in the state’ and the public’s long-term interest,” Lingle said in a Legislature passed 251 bills this year, 163 of which have become law. Four bills were vetoed whilew the Legislature was still in the bills werelater overridden. HB31: Restricts employers from inquiring intoan individual’ds credit history for employment purposes.
• Transfers the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism’sw tourism and research statistics function to the Hawaii Tourism The bill would also remov the directors of the Department of Land and Natural Resourcesx and the Department of Transportation from theHTA • HB952: The so-called “card-check bill” removes the right of workera to vote by a secret ballot regarding whether or not they want to join a • HB1271: The “barrel tax” wouled increase the tax imposed on the sale of a barrep of oil from 5 cents to The bill would impact residents by $31 The increase would be passed on to consumers through higher gas prices, utility costs, airfare and the cost of all goodas and services.
• HB1405: Targets Hawaii-based Web sitesx that make commissions on salez by providing links to Mainland On Tuesday, Amazon cut ties with local Web sites that link to unless Lingle vetoes the bill. • SB199: Suspends the capitakl goods excise tax credit for 2009 and scaleas back the Act 221 high technology business investmeng tax credit by capping the credit at 80 percenttof investments. Lingle previously has said the high-tech credit shouldf be tightened up. • DB387: Transfers various programs from DBEDT toother departments. Linglew said the transfers would disrupt operations and have an adverser impact on both the programs and thedepartmente affected.
• SB603: Removes much of the Publidc Utility Commission’s oversight over Hawaiian Telcom’s services, includingg the PUC’s ability to control the prices chargex for basictelephone service. Lingle said enacting this bill could result in an increase in the pricre ofphone services. The Legislaturse can call a special sessiom to consider overridingthe governor's vetoes.

Humana loses $21.8B military bid; could protest UnitedHealth contract - Business First of Louisville:

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million U.S. soldiers and theier families underthe U.S. ’ws TRICARE program. However, officials with the company said they mighg protest the award of the contractto , a divisionj of Minnetonka, Minn.-based (NYSE: UNH). Humana's shars closed at $28.28, down $2.31, or 7.55 percent, from Monday's closing price. The five-year South region contract is valuedat $21.83w billion. It consists of a 10 montnh transition period, which begins on Sept. 1, and one-year options.
Louisville-based Humana Military Healthcarw Services bid tomanage TRICARE’s South which comprises Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, partsa of Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennesse and Texas (excluding Westerhn Texas). The current contract, whicnh was awarded in 2003, is set to expire on Marcnh 31, 2010. In 2008, Humana reported $28.95 billion in totaol revenue, including more than $3.2 billion from its military-servicese unit. In a news release, Dave president and CEO of Humana Military, said he expecte to learn more about theDefense Department’s decision and determine how it will affectg the company.
Officials with the compangy could not be reached for commenton Wednesday. “Humanqa Military is disappointed with the decision by the Departmentf of Defense and looka forward to obtaining further claritu via a debriefing on the bidding Baker said in anews release. “Our companh will evaluate its strategic options with respect tothe government’s decision, includinvg protesting the award, and will act expeditiously to best positionh Humana for continued success.” The companyg did not offer update earnings or profitg guidance.
Goldman Sachs analyst Matthew Borsch estimatef in a report Tuesday that the TRICARE contracyt accounts for 7 percentof Humana’s estimated 2009 earnings. He loweres his estimate on 2009 earnings per share forecast by 30 centsto $5.79 per share and 2010 forecast by 40 centse to $5.10 per share. A reporty published today by Matt Perry, a senior analysrt with Wells FargoSecurities LLC, says TRICARE contributedd only a small portion of Humana’s overalll earnings, and “the switchb in TRICARE vendors does not changew our investment thesis for any of the companies.
” “Ww still prefer Humana shares (to otheras in the health benefits market) because of the company’a concentration in Medicare, which has less exposurw to health care reform risks, and its attractive tangible book value,” the report says. Wells Fargk adjusted its 2010 earnings per share estimatse for Humanato $5.62 per share from $5.8 1 per share. These numbers could change if the begimn date of the contract is delayed beyondApril 1, 2010, the report says. The report also says the changw in vendorswas unexpected. Humana has participatede in the TRICARE program sinceJuly 1, according to the report. The annual 2010 earning s per share impact, in terms of revenue, is $3.
7 billion for according to the report. In separats announcements, the military awarded a $16.7 billion contracgt to , based in Conn., to manage its North regiojn anda $17 billion contract to , based in Phoenix, to manage its West Region.

5-star hotel planned on Pike - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):

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The new development, which also will featurd about 10,000 square feet of retail space, comes as a slew of new hotel-condos are cropping up in Seattle and the Greg Smith, a principal at Urban said the firm has hiref Seattle architects to design the building. Smith expects a finalk design to be finished withinn60 days. In the meantime, Urban Visions is talking to potentiaplhotel operators, and Smith said he is confident he will sign one that has achievec the Mobil Travel Guide five-star rating in the Brett Matteson, chief operating officer at Seattle-based , said there are only a handful of five-stae operators.
"When you talk about five he said, "you're talking abouyt Ritz Carlton, Mandarin Oriental, St. Four Seasons and Peninsula." Mobil Travel Guide'e five-star rating system is one of two that dominate thehotelk market, the other being AAA's five-diamond ratings. Seattle doesn't have any five-star hotels. However, the in Seattle has a five-diamonfd rating. Landing a five-stafr operator would bring instant cachert tothe city, accordingf to Columbia Hospitality's Matteson. "Ig helps to improve the perception that there aremultiple five-star options in the he said. "It helps the city comparwe itself to places likeSan Francisco, Chicagio and Dallas.
" Hotel-condo development has reaches a fever pitch in Seattle. Opened last year were the Hotekl 1000, which has 47 condo and the hotel, which has 261 Soon to come are the Hyatt atOliv 8, which has 231 condl units and is set to open in August and the Four Seasons Seattle, which has 36 condows and is set to open in the fall of 2008. Urbanm Vision's Smith acknowledged the increasinglycrowded "Oversupply is always a concern with any Smith said. "We'll be cautious." Mattesojn said the Seattle hotel-condo market is now at the pointof "There's a lot of hotel-condp projects in the he said.
"There's been a few that have already The ones that will be successfukl will be able to differentiatd themselves through service brand affiliatio nand location." Matteson said the southeast corner of Second Avenue and Pike Street is a prim e location for Urban Vision's new "That actually is a good location," he "It's close to the (Pike Place) Market, closs to shopping, and that wholde First Avenue and Second Avenue from Madison Streety to Pine Street is developinv nicely.
"

Canadian Solar Achieves OHSAS 18001 Certification - MarketWatch (press release)

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PV-Tech

Canadian Solar Achieves OHSAS 18001 Certification MarketWatch (press release) ONTARIO, Canada, April 23, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Canadian Solar Inc. (the "Company", or "Canadian Solar") (NASDAQ:CSIQ) , one of the world's largest solar companies, today announced that it has passed the OHSAS 18001 international standards ... TÃœV Rheinland grants health and safety certification to Canadian Solar PV-Tech  »

How Google Tries to Catch Scam Advertisers - Forbes

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Forbes

How Google Tries to Catch Scam Advertisers Forbes But many of its advertisers say that's nothing next to its AdWords search advertising system. Google has always been chintzy with the information it provides about AdWords. It doesn't want to provide an advantage to marketers trying to game the system, ... Behind The Scenes In Google's Battle Against Bad Ads Search Engine Land AdWords “Security Patdown” Got You Down? It Could Be Worse Traffick (blog)  »

Portfolio Recovery Stays Neutral - Zacks.com

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Portfolio Recovery Stays Neutral Zacks.com We reiterate our Neutral recommendation on Portfolio Recovery Associates Inc. (PRAA) as its operating efficiency, increased cash collections and benefits of diversification are offset by rising operating and interest expenses. and more »

Business working behind scenes to shape health care reform - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:

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President Obama has mobilized the grass-roots supporters that helpexd elect him to lobbuy for his vision of healthcare reform, which includese offering Americans a government-run health plan as an alternative to privatee insurance. A coalition of labor unions and progressivde organizations plans tospend $82 millionn on organizing efforts, advertising, researchb and lobbying to support the Obama Business groups, meanwhile, mostly are workinb behind the scenes to shape the Although they have seriouzs concerns about some of the proposalw — including the public plan option and a mandate for employere to provide insurance — few are tryin to block health care reform at this The cost of health insurance has become so burdensomed that something needs to be done, they “Nobody supports the status said James Gelfand, the ’a senior manager of health policy.
“Wde absolutely have to have reform.” For most business that means reining in health care costs and reforming insuranc e markets so that employers have more choices in the types ofplans available. To achieve those however, businesses might have to swallow somebitter medicine. An employer mandate tops the list of concernzs for manybusiness groups, just as it did when Bill Clintonh pushed his health care reform plan in the 1990s. The Senates bill might include a provision that would required employers to either provide health insurance to theif employees or pay a fee to thefederal government.
Some small-businessd owners don’t have a problem with that, includinv members of the MainStreet Alliance, which is part of the coalitio lobbying for the Obama plan. “The way our system works now, where responsiblw employers offer coverage andothers don’t, leave s us in a situation with an unleveo playing field,” 11 alliance members said in a statement submitte d to the Senate Finance Committee. “If we’re contributing but othet employers aren’t, that gives them a financial advantagedover us,” the statement said.
“Wee need to level the playing fieled through a system where everyonwe pitches in a reasonable But most business lobbyists contened that employers who can afford to provide healt h insurance do so already because it helpzs them attract and keep good Businessesthat don’t provide health insurance tend to be “marginall y profitable,” said Denny Dennis, senior research felloew at the NFIB Research Foundation. Imposing a insurance requirement on these businesses would cost the economh morethan 1.
6 million jobs, according to a Tax credits could offset some of the costs for providing this coverage, but Gelfand said the creditz that are under discussion are “extremely limited.” Congressx also could exempt some small businesses — such as firms with less than $500,000p in annual payroll — from the employeer mandate. But many business groupsd see this proposal as an attempt to split thebusiness community, not as meaningful “We oppose small-business carve-outs because they make it easierd for Congress to apply mandates against large r employers,” said Neil Trautwein, vice presidentf and employee benefits policy counsel of the Nationalo Retail Federation.
“It’s also easy for Congress to come back and try to applh the mandateagainst ever-smaller employers. “N matter how good the surrounding healt hcare reform, a bill containing an employeer mandate would be too high a pricde to pay for reform,” Trautwein Public plan or market reforms?

Former APG business park developer Opus East to liquidate under Ch. 7 - Business First of Louisville:

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Unable to refinance millions of dollars in the company plans to liquidate its portfolio of commercial propertiew throughoutthe region. It was uncleae how much Opus East expecte to fetch for its Parentcompany , of made the announcement in a news releasr and said another of its Phoenix, Ariz.-based Opus West, expects to seek Chapter 11 protectiomn in July. In its bankruptchy filing, the company listed assets of between $50 million and $100 milliom and liabilities ofbetween $100 milliomn and $500 million. “Declining real estate values and tighg credit markets continue to impede the refinancin g of assets and restructuring of lending Mark Rauenhort, CEO of Opus said in a statement.
In additionn to general market conditions, the company citedf $35 million in unpaid wages from the federal for a projecyt it was developing in College Park forthe , companyg spokeswoman Winston Hewett said in a telephone interview. The company had ceased building speculative office buildings more than ayear ago, and it trimmed its workforce from about 100 employees last year to about 16 employeeds as of June 15. The company did not include all of its subsidiarie s inthe filing.
It excluded, for example, Marylanc Enterprise LLC, which was developingv the propertyfor NOAA, and Nursery Cornefr LLC, which built a 160,000-square-footf office building in Linthicum Height for defense contractor Opus East has developer more than 13.3 million squarer feet of space since 1994. Opus West has developedf more than 52.7 million squars feet since 1979. These bankruptcies come on the heels of the Aprik 22 bankruptcy of Opus South an Opus affiliate basedin Atlanta. Opus has said it plansa to wind down its operations in that part of the countrytas well.
Opus has said it pland to continue to run its remainingoperating companies, Opus North based in Chicago, and Opus Northwest, based in Those units are actively pursuing projects. They also have been less affectee bythe recession, due to their mix of projecft types, healthy balance sheets and stronget markets, according to Opus' press Opus said its developmenft activity has fallen to just 4.8 million squarr feet in 2009, down from 34 million squar feet in 2007 and 35 milliomn square feet in 2008.

Boulders fall from Hawaii mountain and hit houses, no reports of injuries - Washington Post

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Daily Mail

Boulders f »

Ohio inches up in millionaire rankings - Business Courier of Cincinnati:

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In Ohio, 3.9 percent of the state’sw households had net worths of $1 milliomn or more, researchers found. With that Ohio ranked No. 31 on this year's up from No. 33 last Last year's millionaire rate, however, was slightluy higher, at 4.2 percent. Kentucky ranked No. 48 on the list agai this year, with 3.3 percent of the state's households with net worthws of $1 million or more. The rate was down from 3.7 percentt last year. The top four this year were: Maryland, New Jersey and Connecticut. Hawaiiu recorded a millionaire rateof 6.
4% Davied Thompson, managing director of the Phoenix Affluentf Market group, said in a prepared statement: “Overall, the markeyt downturn has taken its toll on the rankws of millionaires in most states.” Phoenix Marketing sees a 14 percengt decline in the number of U.S. millionaired over the last two The bottom three slots this year go to West Arkansasand Mississippi. In the last-placde state, Mississippi, 3.06 percent of householdw have net worthof $1 milliom or more.

Street Talk: Obama adviser loyal to Johnstown - Pittsburgh Business Times:

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native is playing a critica role shaping the future ofthe U.S. automotiv e industry. Wilson, 37, is a “key voice” on Presidentg Barack Obama’s auto task force, accordingy to a recent article inThe . Wilson is part of a team that has done analyticaolresearch -- such as readingf financial reports and touringv automotive plants -- that formed the basisd of the task force’s the newspaper reported on May 29. As everyone knows by now, Obamaw essentially forced one ofthe country’s biggesty companies, , to file for bankruptcy in ordet to salvage the huge automaker. GM will shut down 14 more plantz inthe U.S.
, lay off up to 21,000 more people, and shed its Pontiac, Saab and Saturn brands as it trieas to remain in the car business. U.S. taxpayers will own a 60 percent stake inthe Wilson, a former hedge fund manager with experience restructuring distresserd assets, contacted the head of the president’s task Steven Rattner, offering his services. The newspapeer described the pitchthis way: “The e-mail combined a blue chip resume -- undergraduate and MBA degreexs from -- with a blue collar Mr. Wilson’s father had been a bartender, his mothert a factory worker who had been laid off three timesw from dying textile millsin Johnstown.
” A childhood friend told the Journak he wasn’t surprised by Wilson’d willingness to serve, considering his upbringing in His loyalty to the area extends to his unwillingness to do medis interviews with anyone except the locao newspaper. The paper quoted him in a story saying, “I think it’as very important we have a domesticcauto industry,” according to the Journal. The Businessa Review put in a requesg with the White Houser seeking an interview and received thefollowing “Thanks for your request to interview Mr. Wilson. Unfortunately we will be unablw to dothe interview.
” Wilson lives in Scardsale with his wife and

Unfinished business '07 - Washington Business Journal:

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Two things in particular caused the Sallie Mae buyout to a credit crunch that brought debt markets to a halt over the and new federal legislation that cuts subsidies to studentg lenders such asSallie Mae. These two factors causede the buyout group to rethink its proposal for the company formallt known asIn October, the buyout grouo sent a revised offer to Sallie Mae'ss board, an offer that some analyste who cover Sallie Mae say amounte to an insult.
Sallie Mae wouldn't accepty the new offer, insisting that the original deal go Whenthat didn't Sallie Mae filed a lawsuit againsyt the buyout group, claimingf that a material adverse effect had not occurred, and that the Restobn company could terminate the transaction and collect damages of $900 A trial is set for July 2008. In Sallie Mae said that it had held discussions with representativesd of the buyout group to resolve the dispute betweemthe parties. Sallie Mae said that the buyougt group has indicated that it is unwilling to pursued submitting a new proposal to buy thestudentr lender.
Sallie Mae said that its board remains committed to protectintg the rights of its shareholders and will pursude allavailable recourse, including the company's existinfg lawsuit against the buyout group. Sallie Mae said that it has indications of interes t from 10 financial institutions for new secured fundinvg in excessof $30 billion. It'e not over, until ... $4 billiob Metrorail expansion was "It'a not over until it's under." Well, it's But it's still not a done deal.
Backers of the Metrorail project are stilpl waiting for approval from the Federal Transit Administratiobnfor $900 million in funds that will help pay for the In August, federal officials said cost overruns and delaysx were starting to hurt the project's feasibility, and they orderesd at least $250 million in cuts. Virginisa officials responded byidentifying $306 millioh in potential reductions to the Metrorail and federal transit representativeas spent the latter part of 2007 reviewing the If the FTA signs off on the ground could be brokeh in spring 2008. The project was originally scheduler to have the first phase through Tysons finishedrin 2012.
But that work probabl y won't wrap up until Marc 2014, according to new estimates. Out of tune? Much-touted XM, Sirius merger stilll under review One of themost talked-about potential deald of 2007 was the proposed merger of the nation'sw two satellite radio companies, D.C.-based and New York-basecd Technically, Sirius would acquire XM, though the companies all year long termed the transactiob a merger of equals. The companiews were hoping to seal their dealby year'x end, assuming approval from the Department of Justiced and the Federal Communications Commission.
The and some otherd groups vehemently opposedthe transaction, sayingh it would lead to a monopoly in the satellite radio industry. XM and Sirius were granted satellite radil licenses in 1997 fromthe FCC, on the conditio that they didn't combine But the communications sector has drasticallty changed in the past decade, and officialds with XM and Sirius argue ther is so much competition out there, from iPods to Interney radio, that a merger of the two companiez would not result in a monopoly.

Zimmerman's attorney: Client 'legally entitled' to defend himself - Chicago Tribune

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Globe and Mail

Zimmerman's attorney: Client 'leg »

Market takes another dive - Kansas City Business Journal:

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percent, and a numberd of Kansas City-area public companies’ stocks closedf lower. • (NYSE: S) closed at down 42 cents, or 7 percent. • EQ) closed at $38.81, down $2.82, or 7 • (NYSE: HRB) closed at down $1.73, or 7 percent. • YRCW) closed at $7.07, down 69 cents, or 9 percent. (Nasdaq: CERN) closed at down 95 cents, or 2 percent. • FCSX) closed at down $2.67, or 16 percent. • FGP) closed at down $2.33, or 13 percent. Inergy LP (Nasdaq: NRGY) closed at down $3.03, or 15 percent. • (NYSE: GXP) closed at down $1.39, or 6 percent. • (NYSE: WDR) close at $19.82, down $1.
70, or 8 • (Nasdaq: BCP) closed at 86 cents, down 44 or 34 percent. • BXXX) closed at 19 down 6 cents, or 24 The Dow Jones Industrial Average closesat 9,955.50, down 369.88, or 3.6 percent.

SportsBeat Oxford: Tweet Goes the Dynamite - Patch.com

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SportsBeat Oxford: Tweet Goes the Dynamite Patch.com By Paul Devlin [Note: Want your photos and/or write-ups from Oxford youth or recreational sports featured on Oxford Patch? Here's how!] The only thing more dangerous in the sports world than Plaxico Burress carrying a gun is an athlete with a Twitter ... and more »

Two-faced feline proves all animals deserve a chance - Chicago Daily Herald

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Two-faced feline proves all animals deserve a chance Chicago Daily Herald This two-faced feline does exist and has the distinction of being entered into the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest surviving two-faced cat at 12 years old, and his names are Frank and Louie. Two-faced cats are endearingly called Janus cats ...