Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News articles from February 4 2005, page 7

Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News archives from February 4 2005

SBA deadline at end of month.
February 4, 2005... By Dan Mearns, The Sun, Port Charlotte, Fla. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--People who suffered physical damage to their property due to the summer's hurricanes have until Feb. 28 to apply for low interest disaster loans...

N.J. targets some of the top wasters for an efficiency regime.
February 4, 2005... By Tom Avril, The Philadelphia Inquirer Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--With an array of soft drinks, milk and juice stored in six glass-fronted refrigerators, Vinu Patel has the goods to quench your thirst. ...

This commercial ship captain charted her own course.
February 4, 2005... By Rita Giordano, The Philadelphia Inquirer Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--This week, Malgorzata Kowalczyk visited Philadelphia. Staying across the river on business, the native of Poland came by boat. "I took some...

With permits secured, bridge bidding can begin.
February 4, 2005... By Rob Margetta, The Providence Journal, R.I. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--SWANSEA -- After months of delays due to permitting issues, the state is ready to open bidding on the project to replace the Bungtown Bridge,...

Neighbors speak out against proposed condo complex.
February 4, 2005... By Alice Gomstyn, The Providence Journal, R.I. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--COVENTRY -- Dozens of residents of Wood Estates, a tight-knit neighborhood of about 370 single-family homes, attended a Zoning Board hearing on...

Desalination plant byproduct impact concerns state board.
February 4, 2005... By Rob Margetta, The Providence Journal, R.I. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--SWANSEA -- After reviewing a draft report of Swansea's plan to create a desalinization plant, the state Executive Office of Environmental Affairs...

Planning Board backs corporate development proposal.
February 4, 2005... By John Hill, The Providence Journal, R.I. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--NORTH SMITHFIELD -- A plan for small corporate park-style development in the town's industrial park was endorsed by the Planning Board last night....

Royal Mills developer may reactivate hydro system.
February 4, 2005... By Zachary R. Mider, The Providence Journal, R.I. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--WEST WARWICK -- The developer renovating the Royal Mills complex is studying the feasibility of generating electricity there from the Pawtuxet...

Park expansion to get under way, say officials of Providence, R.I.-area town.
February 4, 2005... By Thomas J. Morgan, The Providence Journal, R.I. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--SMITHFIELD -- A long-awaited expansion of Deerfield Park is expected to get under way soon, according to town officials. Phase II, as the...

City eyes pay plan to boost recycling.
February 4, 2005... By Cynthia Needham, The Providence Journal, R.I. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--WOONSOCKET -- When Governor Carcieri last week announced his proposal to increase trash fees for dozens of communities that don't recycle...

IBM has fewer people on payroll.
February 4, 2005... By Bob Freund, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--IBM Corp.'s staff in Rochester shrank by about 100 workers during 2004, continuing a five-year trend. The local complex employed 4,400...

No thanks, we're not buying.
February 4, 2005... By Melissa Allison, The Seattle Times Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--When Joan Enticknap wants to remember life as a mergers-and-acquisitions specialist, she peers down at her 18-karat-gold Rolex. It was a corporate...

Gregoire wants ethics law relaxed to boost biotechs.
February 4, 2005... By Luke Timmerman, The Seattle Times Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--OLYMPIA--Gov. Christine Gregoire is proposing changes to relax the state ethics law, as part of an effort to encourage closer ties between researchers at...

More Vulcan office, housing plans for S. Lake Union.
February 4, 2005... By J. Martin McOmber, The Seattle Times Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--Vulcan revealed the latest piece in its extreme makeover of the South Lake Union area yesterday: a two-tower office, residential and retail project at...

$152 million refund likely after high court tosses state's estate tax.
February 4, 2005... By Andrew Garber, The Seattle Times Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--OLYMPIA -- The Washington Supreme Court yesterday abolished an estate tax collected by the state, apparently wiping out an estimated $431 million that...

Asbestos victims reach $30 million settlement.
February 4, 2005... By Maureen O'Hagan, The Seattle Times Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--The Halliburton Co. settled legal claims with about 120 families of asbestos victims in the Pacific Northwest this week, agreeing to pay out $30 million...

Icos says Cialis marketing should pay off in '05 sales.
February 4, 2005... By Luke Timmerman, The Seattle Times Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--Icos said yesterday it expects worldwide sales of Cialis to climb between 40 percent and 54 percent this year, even as doubts are rising about the...

"Sea Fighter" catamaran alters look of Navy.
February 4, 2005... By Sandi Doughton, The Seattle Times Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--The future of the Navy is sitting in a Whidbey Island shipyard, and Lt. Cmdr. Brandon Bryan can't wait to take her for a spin. "It's the Navy's...

Nursing-home residents fuming over smoking rules.
February 4, 2005... By Marsha King, The Seattle Times Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--Longtime smoker Sherwin Williams wants to keep his cigarettes in his Auburn nursing-home room and light up anytime in a place that's safe and poses no danger...

Microsoft alums run new Sony game unit.
February 4, 2005... By Kim Peterson, The Seattle Times Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--Sony's online-games division said yesterday that it has opened a development arm in Bellevue, hiring a group of ex-Microsoft game creators to run the...

Sandwich crew makes do as shop owner takes off.
February 4, 2005... By Shirleen Holt, The Seattle Times Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--It was a scene right out of "Home Alone," but the locale was a Quiznos Sub shop in North Seattle, where the franchise owner was absent for weeks and the...

Lawmakers revive bid to revise I-200.
February 4, 2005... By Sharon Pian Chan, The Seattle Times Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--The state Legislature is again considering a major change to Initiative 200 that would allow public colleges to consider race as a factor in admissions....

Change in wetlands rules will clear path for trails.
February 4, 2005... By Sonia Krishnan, The Seattle Times Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--The Sammamish City Council has closed a gap in the city's code to allow trails to cross wetland buffers and sensitive areas. The new language clears...

Tiny bucolic town tries to fends off gravel pit.
February 4, 2005... By Thaai Walker, San Jose Mercury News, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--Never mind that Pat Stillman is 75. Or that she suffered a heart attack last spring. Or that she needs a bit of help now to get from here to...

Group buys land by park.
February 4, 2005... By Hongdao Nguyen, San Jose Mercury News, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--In a $5.3 million deal announced Thursday, the Nature Conservancy will buy 1,967 acres of private ranch land adjacent to the Pinnacles National...

San Jose Mercury News, Calif., real estate column.
February 4, 2005... By Steve Johnson, San Jose Mercury News, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--RETAIL PROJECTS LIKELY TO STAY HOT THIS YEAR: Retail, the Bay Area's hottest commercial real estate commodity, shows no signs of cooling off...

$10 million grant going to Texas libraries.
February 4, 2005... By Vincent T. Davis, San Antonio Express-News Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--Texas libraries will receive more than $10 million thanks to a national grant announced this week by the Institute of Museum and Library...

Tax cut in school bill, but funding plan isn't.
February 4, 2005... By Jeanne Russell, San Antonio Express-News Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--AUSTIN -- Without specifying how they'll pay for it, Texas House leaders unveiled a plan to revamp the state's education system Thursday that would...

Aquifer funds all dried up.
February 4, 2005... By Christopher Anderson, San Antonio Express-News Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--The city is effectively tapped out when it comes to purchasing land to protect its primary supply of drinking water -- but help could be on...

Cautious response greets antidepressant warning.
February 4, 2005... By Judy Peres, Chicago Tribune Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--Doctors reacted with caution Thursday to a new study suggesting that pregnant women who take common antidepressants might cause their newborn babies to have...

Governor pushes 3rd airport.
February 4, 2005... Chicago Tribune Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--SPRINGFIELD -- Avoiding mention of the latest deficit crisis to confront his administration, Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Thursday vowed to push for a new Peotone airport in a State...

Iraqi Kurd voters flex political muscle.
February 4, 2005... By Colin McMahon, Chicago Tribune Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--IRBIL, Iraq -- At an hour when in Baghdad the streets are deserted and police turn their backs on cars rather than risk confronting insurgents, the Kurdish...

Grayslake Marine killed.
February 4, 2005... By Jodi S. Cohen, Chicago Tribune Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--Soon after enlisting in the Marines, Sean Maher bought his parents a flagpole and American, Marine and Navy flags to fly in their front yard. On...

Pace reverses ridership decline; CTA integration is partly credited.
February 4, 2005... By Virginia Groark, Chicago Tribune Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--After watching its ridership decline for four consecutive years, Pace saw a nearly 2 percent increase last year, partly because the agency is now accepting...

Colombian community laments getting less bang for their buck.
February 4, 2005... Tampa Tribune, Fla. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--TAMPA -- Six days a week, music store owner Fabiola Carvajal helps dejected customers at La Explosion Musical on North Armenia Avenue. Their low spirits have nothing to...

State to examine Dillard's for possible violations.
February 4, 2005... By David Sommer, Tampa Tribune, Fla. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--CLEARWATER -- State regulators are investigating whether Dillard's Inc. broke administrative rules in a bid to avoid repairing or replacing a...

Property Insurance Rate Hikes Put On Hold.
February 4, 2005... Tampa Tribune, Fla. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--Florida's top financial officer on Thursday called for a moratorium on further property insurance rate increases until state legislators can address rising property...

Financial problems threaten museum.
February 4, 2005... By Andy Reid, Tampa Tribune, Fla. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--TAMPA -- Another delay could be the end of the $72 million plan to build a new Tampa Museum of Art downtown -- and the beginning of a scaled-down version....

Central east texas BBB presents its first torch awards.
February 4, 2005... By Greg Junek, Tyler Morning Telegraph, Texas Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--Five East Texas businesses received Torch Awards for Marketplace Ethics from the Better Business Bureau of Central East Texas Thursday. ...

Adelphia offering hard-core movies Films available in on-demand format.
February 4, 2005... By Allison Bruce, Ventura County Star, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--You won't see any advertising to promote the programs but, beginning today, some Adelphia Communications Corp. cable subscribers will be able to...

Plan to buy homes near Oceana air base is off the table.
February 4, 2005... By Jon W. Glass, The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Va. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--VIRGINIA BEACH -- Residents who live in potential crash zones around Oceana Naval Air Station have told City Hall loud and clear: Leave our...

Legislators enjoy freebie frenzy.
February 4, 2005... The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Va. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--RICHMOND -- In their spare time, some state legislators attend seminars on welfare and health-care issues. Others stalk caribou near the Arctic Circle....

Commercial real estate Deal of the Year Awards presented.
February 4, 2005... The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Va. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--NORFOLK -- The second annual Deal of the Year Awards in area commercial real estate were presented Thursday during a breakfast at the Hilton Norfolk Airport....

Study links bankruptcies, medical costs.
February 4, 2005... By Toby Coleman, The Charleston Gazette, W.Va. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--Droves of West Virginians are going bankrupt because of big medical bills, according to state bankruptcy lawyers. "This is not just the...

Deceased woman named in file-sharing suit.
February 4, 2005... By Toby Coleman, The Charleston Gazette, W.Va. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--Gertrude Walton of Fayette County hated computers, her daughter said. That did not stop the recording industry from accusing the now...

Stadium naming rights up for bid.
February 4, 2005... By Mandy Rorrer, The Charleston Gazette, W.Va. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--The owners of the West Virginia Power are negotiating with three companies who want to buy the right to name the team's new East End stadium,...

For one child-care center, time is almost up.
February 4, 2005... By Stephen Wall, San Bernardino County Sun, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--COLTON -- As preschool opportunities for the state's children continue to dwindle, the only city-funded day care center in San Bernardino...

Conservation group promises to spend Calimesa fees locally.
February 4, 2005... By Evan Lagasse, San Bernardino County Sun, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--CALIMESA -- Mountain yellow-legged frogs can breathe a collective sigh of relief. An agreement was reached late last week between...

Chamber celebrates new chairperson, Diamond and Platinum memberships.
February 4, 2005... By Raed G. Battah, The Daily News, Bowling Green, Ky. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--The Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce welcomed its first legacy chairperson Thursday evening at its annual dinner at the Sloan...

Unemployment rates down in majority of region counties.
February 4, 2005... By Raed G. Battah, The Daily News, Bowling Green, Ky. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--Unemployment rates dropped in eight of 10 counties in the Barren River Area Development District from December 2003 to December 2004. ...

APAC wins $15 million in state contracts.
February 4, 2005... Columbia Daily Tribune, Mo. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--APAC-Missouri Inc. of Columbia has won more than $15 million in state highway resurfacing contracts, including more than $10 million for work on Highway 63 south of...

Road panel scales back tax package.
February 4, 2005... By Chuck Adamson, Columbia Daily Tribune, Mo. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--The committee charged with giving the Columbia City Council new road tax proposals likely will back its plan to focus on the next 10 years rather...

Floyd directs campus heads to 'streamline'.
February 4, 2005... By Nate Carlisle, Columbia Daily Tribune, Mo. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--The University of Missouri Board of Curators approved fee increases this morning, and the university's president announced a review of...

Gringo's restaurant purchase brings owner back to his roots.
February 4, 2005... By Dave Dewitte, The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--The word "gringo" is sometimes used in Latin America in reference to English-speaking foreigners, but there's nothing foreign about the new...

Nuclear plant co-owners join sale.
February 4, 2005... By Dave Dewitte, The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--Two regional power distribution co-ops have decided to offer their minority stakes in the Duane Arnold Energy Center for sale, joining...

Growing number of restaurants ban smoking.
February 4, 2005... By Cindy Hadish, The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--The tiny neighborhood diner has seen changes in its 30-plus years: new owners, different names, menu changes, price increases. But what's...

Paving priorities under scrutiny.
February 4, 2005... By Gina Smith, The State, Columbia, S.C. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--Louis Harris and his extended family are patient. For more than 30 years, the 15 families have waited for the two dirt roads they live on to be paved....

Beer, wine issue tops early vote.
February 4, 2005... By Herb Booth, The Dallas Morning News Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--Saturday's referendum that would allow Lancaster stores to sell beer and wine garnered 1,345 early voters, far outnumbering the 591 Duncanville school...

Alcohol vote off to a robust start.
February 4, 2005... By Brandon Formby, The Dallas Morning News Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--Lewisville residents set a new record this week for early voter turnout: 3,956 people cast ballots in the city's alcohol election between Jan....

Key developer's backing boosts Arts District plans.
February 4, 2005... By Emily Ramshaw, The Dallas Morning News Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--A change of heart by one of Dallas' top developers could hold the key to the expansion of the downtown Arts District. Lucy Crow Billingsley,...

Voters 'awakened' to bond issue.
February 4, 2005... By Kathy A. Goolsby, The Dallas Morning News Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--If early voting is any indication, turnout for Saturday's Colleyville bond election will be higher than expected. City officials say 1,243...

Mayor backs 3 in City Council race.
February 4, 2005... By Ian McCann, The Dallas Morning News Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--Rowlett Mayor Shane Johnson, who has been on the losing end of several votes since last spring's City Council election, has formed a political action...

Grant-cut plan raises concern.
February 4, 2005... By Linda Stewart Ball, The Dallas Morning News Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--President Bush's plan to "Strengthen America's Communities" may have the opposite effect, say some advocates of a federal grant program that...

Officials lining up infrastructure improvement projects.
February 4, 2005... By Herb Booth, The Dallas Morning News Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--The DeSoto City Council approved a resolution Tuesday that would allow the issuance of $2.1 million in certificates of obligation. Mayor Michael...

Panel post lends voice on land use.
February 4, 2005... By Lakisha Ladson, The Dallas Morning News Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--Rockwall County Commissioner Bruce Beaty has been chosen chairman of a Texas Conference of Urban Counties subcommittee created to lobby legislators...

Ex-mayor switching law firms.
February 4, 2005... By Bob Moos, The Dallas Morning News Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--Former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk has joined Vinson & Elkins LLP as a partner, a spokesman for the law firm said Thursday. Mr. Kirk, 50, will practice in...

One-time charge: A bad sign?
February 4, 2005... By Bill Deener, The Dallas Morning News Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--One-time charges are making a comeback. Companies say they separate out those special items on their earnings statements -- such as write-offs for...

Sabre ends '04 well but lowers estimate.
February 4, 2005... By Eric Torbenson, The Dallas Morning News Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--Sabre Holdings Corp. Thursday beat Wall Street expectations for the fourth quarter but warned that its current-quarter results would trail most...

Richland Hills tax break, Hurst charter issues on ballot.
February 4, 2005... By Debra Dennis, The Dallas Morning News Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--Richland Hills voters will consider whether disabled or elderly residents should receive a property tax break. And, in Hurst, voters will decide on...

Turnpike approval to help local economy.
February 4, 2005... By Ian McCann, The Dallas Morning News Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--With last week's federal approval of the project to extend the Bush Turnpike to Interstate 30, design work and final land acquisition should begin...

Clerk says she didn't violate meetings act.
February 4, 2005... By Teresa Mask, Detroit Free Press Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--Newly-elected Oakland County Clerk Ruth Johnson is under fire by school districts and taxpayers for allegedly violating the open meetings act while planning...

Superior coffeehouse hosts grand opening on Saturday.
February 4, 2005... By Betsy Malone, The Daily Telegram, Superior, Wis. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--Superior's newest coffeehouse, The Red Mug, will hold its grand opening celebration Saturday. The Red Mug, located in the lower level of...

Denver-area economic development group raises $12.5 million.
February 4, 2005... By Ross Wehner, The Denver Post Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--The Metro Denver Economic Development Corp. said Thursday that it nailed a goal to raise $12.5 million in cash. Now comes the hard part: achieving the goal...

Qwest CEO putting firm, position on line with MCI merger attempt.
February 4, 2005... By Greg Griffin, The Denver Post Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--If Qwest has much to gain in an acquisition of MCI and much to lose if it fails, the same can be said of Qwest's chief executive, Richard Notebaert. ...

Qwest, MCI in possible merger talks.
February 4, 2005... By Tom McGhee, The Denver Post Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--Denver-based Qwest reportedly is in talks to merge with long-distance company MCI, raising the prospects of another major deal in the rapidly consolidating...

Qwest's $6.3 billion bid for MCI is likely to be mostly stock.
February 4, 2005... By Aldo Svaldi, The Denver Post Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--In offering $6.3 billion for MCI, Qwest is paying a slight premium to the cash it could gain if its bid is successful. MCI was sitting on $5.6 billion in cash...

Reports of MCI merger talks surprise some Qwest employees.
February 4, 2005... By Kimberly S. Johnson, The Denver Post Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--News of the possible marriage of Qwest and MCI was water-cooler conversation at lunchtime Thursday for some employees but rumors to others. That...

Snowmass Village residents approve redevelopment project.
February 4, 2005... By Jason Blevins, The Denver Post Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--Snowmass Village voters late Thursday approved a controversial base village that developers promise will revive the aging resort town. In a 640-515 vote,...

ProLogis' net earnings drop to $262,000.
February 4, 2005... By Christine Tatum, The Denver Post Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--An unsuccessful stint in the business of providing temperature-controlled distribution facilities contributed significantly to the lackluster fourth-quarter...

Arts center seeks new director.
February 4, 2005... By Tanya Rodrigues, North County Times, Escondido, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--ESCONDIDO -- A regional search to replace the arts center's director of performing arts will take no less than six weeks and probably...

Vista leaders to offer state of community.
February 4, 2005... By Rob O'Dell, North County Times, Escondido, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--VISTA -- Affordable housing, the city's traffic problems and money for schools will be on the program Monday as Vista city and community...

Hard Rock to build casino in Pauma Valley.
February 4, 2005... By Erin Schultz, North County Times, Escondido, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--NORTH COUNTY -- A $300 million rock 'n' roll-themed casino is on its way to Pauma Valley, the founder of Hard Rock Hotel and Casino...

First step in Highway 76 widening to start.
February 4, 2005... By Mark Walker, North County Times, Escondido, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--SAN DIEGO -- Work to widen the intersection of Olive Hill Road and Highway 76 will get under way in earnest Monday, state Department of...

Surgeon lobbies Palomar to beef up OR staff.
February 4, 2005... By Andrea Moss, North County Times, Escondido, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 4--ESCONDIDO -- A local surgeon is lobbying Palomar Medical Center officials to increase the size of its operating-room staff, saying a...