Richmond Times-Dispatch (Richmond, VA) articles from December 2005

Richmond Times-Dispatch (Richmond, VA) archives from December 2005

Proper afterlife for electronics.
December 31, 2005... Byline: Jeffrey Kelley Dec. 31--Chicken bones belong in the trash; an old computer does not. And if people destroy important papers in a shredder, Bill Breckenridge asks, how can they guarantee a useless computer is wiped clean of...

After unwrapping, there's the recycling -- tons and tons of it.
December 31, 2005... Byline: Julian Benbow Dec. 31--The drivers at TFC Recycling circled around their lounge/conference room/office yesterday at an hour when even the sun was too lazy to get up. Ahead of them, they had work by the tons. It's that...

Tax-law changes possible.
December 31, 2005... Byline: John Reid Blackwell Dec. 31--A legislative subcommittee appears likely to propose some tax-reform measures during the upcoming General Assembly session aimed at benefiting manufacturing companies in Virginia. At least one of...

Airlines cut Richmond, Va., flights.
December 30, 2005... Byline: Chip Jones Dec. 30--Northwest Airlines is trimming three flights a day from Richmond as part of its strategy to emerge from bankruptcy protection. On Tuesday, Northwest will cut the airport's only direct flights to...

Jobless rate up slightly in Virginia.
December 30, 2005... Byline: John Reid Blackwell Dec. 30--Virginia's unemployment rate rose slightly from October to November as thousands of people went looking for extra holiday-season jobs. The unemployment rate was 3.3 percent in November, up from...

January's coming; so are tax forms.
December 30, 2005... Byline: Julian Benbow Dec. 30--Enjoy the weekend and that government holiday on Monday, too, because when the mail comes next week you can start expecting a little something from the IRS. Federal income tax forms and information...

Capital One loses key leader.
December 29, 2005... Byline: Carol Hazard Dec. 29--Marge Connelly, a high-ranking executive at Capital One Financial Corp., is leaving the company to pursue other opportunities. "I am incredibly fortunate to be in a position to have options," said...

Short-term bond rates unnerving for investors.
December 29, 2005... Byline: Bob Rayner Dec. 29--The bond market has been scaring the stock market. Stock investors worry that an unusual switch in interest rates for U.S. Treasury securities could forecast slower economic growth or a recession. ...

FHA loan limits approved.
December 29, 2005... Byline: Carol Hazard Dec. 29--The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has approved a 10.9 percent increase in the maximum mortgage that can be insured by the Federal Housing Administration in the Richmond-Petersburg...

Helping Hispanics plan retirement.
December 29, 2005... Byline: Juan Antonio Lizama Dec. 29--Making more money and eventually buying a home are staples of the American dream for most Hispanics. Their plans, however, often do not include retirement planning or life insurance, said Javier...

More jobs expected in Richmond, Va., area.
December 28, 2005... Byline: Julian Benbow Dec. 28--Manpower Inc. and the Virginia Employment Commission both say the Richmond area will add jobs at a reasonable pace next year. They just don't agree on the details. In its survey of 16,000 U.S....

Tobacco payments coming.
December 28, 2005... Byline: John Reid Blackwell Dec. 28--Tobacco growers in Virginia should receive another round of tobacco-settlement payments in early January. The board that oversees the so-called Phase II payments in Virginia said it will...

A framework for automation.
December 25, 2005... Byline: Jeffrey Kelley Dec. 25--To keep 13,000 acres of a sprawling resort and gardens in Georgia running smoothly takes not only a devoted staff but some complex technology made in Henrico County. At Callaway Gardens in Pine...

Fibers firm weaves right mix.(Company Profile)
December 24, 2005... Byline: John Reid Blackwell Dec. 24--The managers and employees of Performance Fibers Inc. are ending 2005 with fewer uncertainties and more confidence than they began the year. A little more than a year ago, the Colonial...

Richmond, Va.-area stores see surge of shoppers.
December 24, 2005... Byline: Bob Rayner Dec. 24--Some local retailers are sensing a late surge in holiday shoppers. Chris DeCapri, owner of Capri Jewelers, said the Christmas season started out slow at his two stores in the Richmond area, but the pace...

OPINION: The holiday hustle.
December 24, 2005... Byline: Gregory J. Gilligan Dec. 24--Her two magical words startled me. "Bless you," the woman whispered. Her kind comment came just at the right time -- in the middle my fast-paced, hectic stint as a sales clerk at the Hecht's...

FightSMA co-founders create guide to aid parents of sick children.
December 24, 2005... Byline: Bob Rayner Dec. 24--Cindy Maynard loves watching her son. "We feel so blessed just to see him running and playing and acting like a goofy little boy." Jake, a first-grader at Collegiate School who will celebrate his seventh...

Airline travelers unfazed by new rules.
December 23, 2005... Byline: Chip Jones Dec. 23--Dave and Juanita Campbell had just flown home to Richmond after a trip to China. They passed through three U.S. airports yesterday, including their final stop at Richmond International, but noticed nothing...

Toxic substance forces Diamond pet food recall.
December 23, 2005... Byline: Greg Edwards Dec. 23--Dog and cat owners who have bought Diamond Pet Food or other Diamond brands -- Country Value and Professional -- should check the date on the food immediately. Diamond has discovered aflatoxin in a...

Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va., business briefs column.
December 23, 2005... Dec. 23--Stihl Inc. will invest $78.4 million to expand its Virginia Beach factory and create 150 -- jobs, Gov. Mark R. Warner announced this week. Stihl is a manufacturer of chain saws and other outdoor, hand-held power equipment for...

Short scissors, tools now meet screeners' test.
December 22, 2005... Byline: Chip Jones Dec. 22--It's a new day for air travelers, especially artsy-crafty types. New federal rules that take effect today ease restrictions on some small items allowed to be carried on commercial airliners. The...

CarMax plans 11 new stores.
December 22, 2005... Byline: John Reid Blackwell Dec. 22--CarMax Inc. made it official yesterday: The company expects to open two new locations in Virginia by February 2007. The Glen Allen-based automotive retailer announced in its quarterly...

Virginia farm businesses sign $16 million in contract on Cuba trade mission.
December 22, 2005... Dec. 22--Virginia farmers and agriculture businesses signed $16 million in contracts during a recent trade mission to Cuba, according to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The contracts cover soybeans, soybean...

Richmond, Va.-based investment company initiates stock buyback.
December 22, 2005... Dec. 22--The board of directors of Genworth Financial Inc. has approved the repurchase of up to $750 million of common stock in the next 18 months. The Richmond insurance and investment products company expects the purchases to be made...

Last-minute meal orders cause delay.
December 21, 2005... Byline: Gregory J. Gilligan Dec. 21--Customers have had to wait a tad longer than usual at Ukrop's -- to order those holiday meals and other special foods. The popularity of the meals has inundated the area's leading grocery chain...

Some choosing air over roads.
December 21, 2005... Byline: Julian Benbow Dec. 21--Compared with Thanksgiving, Grant Hewitt's Christmas travel plans shouldn't be as much of a struggle. Last month, he drove 20 hours from Richmond to Dallas with girlfriend Melissa Harris to visit his...

From one frontier to another.
December 20, 2005... Byline: Carol Hazard Dec. 20--One month in Nigeria was enough. Dr. William G. Harrington came home to Richmond with the resolve that being a missionary doctor in some far-off place was "definitely" not for him. "We worked long...

Ad agency pokes fun at Merry Christmas debate.
December 20, 2005... Byline: David Ranii Dec. 20--Cary advertising agency R+M has taken a satirical swipe at the -- "Merry Christmas" vs. "Happy Holidays" debate. The agency's Web site features -- a video supposedly from the Non-Discriminatory...

Circuit City CEO retiring.
December 20, 2005... Byline: Gregory J. Gilligan Dec. 20--W. Alan McCollough is unplugging himself from Circuit City Stores Inc. The chief executive officer at the Richmond-based consumer electronics retailer yesterday announced plans to retire from the...

Dominion unit plans return to New Orleans.
December 20, 2005... Byline: Greg Edwards Dec. 20--Dominion Exploration and Production will begin returning its offshore business to New Orleans as employees want to help rebuild the city, the company said yesterday. The oil-and-gas exploration and...

Company to take Google to court.
December 20, 2005... Byline: Anne Krishnan Dec. 20--A North Carolina Web-hosting company wants to take Wall Street's Internet darling to court. AIT of Fayetteville has asked to become the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit against search engine Google. The...

Southerners' heating bills are among cheapest in country.
December 20, 2005... Byline: John Murawski Dec. 20--As you're paying your first heating bills of the winter, take solace in this: Living in the South means you're paying among the nation's lowest electricity rates. For a typical December's worth of...

Postal workers brace for holiday blizzard.
December 20, 2005... Byline: Julian Benbow Dec. 20--You know what's bad? Showing up for work early on the busiest day of the year. The Brook Road post office was expecting, oh, about a million more packages, cards and letters than usual, and Lornell...

Mystery shoppers evaluate customer service on the sly.
December 20, 2005... Byline: Shade Elam Maret Dec. 20--Her job is to pass for a normal shopper, but she is no such thing. Like a private agent on a secret mission, Nancy notices everything. After ordering a meal at the drive-through window of a local...

Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va., Trade Names column.
December 19, 2005... Byline: Jeffrey Kelley Dec. 19--Jim Eyre is in the business of selling forklifts. One might even call him a forklift man. What the vice president and chief operating officer of Richmond-based VBS Inc. Material Handling Equipment...

Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va., Biz Buzz column.
December 19, 2005... Byline: Gregory J. Gilligan Dec. 19--ENTREPRENEURS SET OUT TO BUILD BETTER MOUSE PAD: Decorative painter Sunny Goode had been on a trip to Europe when she saw a computer mouse pad made of paper. She liked the idea having a mouse pad...

Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va., Company News column.
December 19, 2005... Dec. 19--NAME CHANGE: Stephen V. Somas has joined Airfield, Morton, Watson & Adams as a principal. The firm is now Airfield, Morton, Watson, Adams & Somas. AWARDS: The United Network for Organ Sharing received two Platinums, two Golds...

Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va., executive profile column.
December 19, 2005... Dec. 19--BARBARA "BRAD" KALLUS --New position: senior vice president and chief financial officer, Virginia Business Bank --Old position: vice president, Tyringham Holdings Inc. --Birthplace: Dayton, Ohio --Education:...

Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va., Business Honors column.
December 19, 2005... Dec. 19--NEW OFFICERS for the Public Relations Society of America, Richmond Chapter, are: president, Ken Storey, with Storey Line Inc.; president elect, Jill Vaughan with the Virginia Lottery; first vice president, Gretchen Reid-Brooks with...

Drugstores are becoming pricier real estate.
December 19, 2005... Byline: Jack Hagel Dec. 19--ZEBULON -- With its pale exterior, striped awnings and easy parking, the Kerr Drug on North Arendell Avenue doesn't look too different from other free-standing drugstores in the region. But the...

Progress Energy to give $1 million to develop fuel cells.
December 19, 2005... Byline: Anne Krishnan Dec. 19--The Triangle's largest energy company is investing in one of the smallest. Electric utility Progress Energy announced Monday that it will commit $1 million to Microcell, a Raleigh-based company with 17...

Grand Am racing looks to grab high-end market.
December 18, 2005... Byline: Bob Rayner Dec. 18--The white-columned Country Club of Virginia radiates genteel wealth and Southern manners. About two dozen businessmen (and a couple of women) gathered there Thursday under a high ceiling to munch chicken...

Brushing up on your policy.
December 17, 2005... Byline: Julian Benbow Dec. 17--About five or six years ago, Matthew Greer was working as a claims adjuster for State Farm Insurance. He remembers one call in particular. "Hello... Yeah, I've got a problem... There's a liver in my...

Ayers to retire as head of Virginia bankers group.
December 17, 2005... Byline: Carol Hazard Dec. 17--Walter Ayers, president and chief executive officer of the Virginia Bankers Association, will retire at the end of 2006. Upon his retirement, Ayers will have served as the association's chief for 23...

Consumers, government still waiting for promise of falling electric rates.
December 17, 2005... Byline: Greg Edwards Dec. 17--Congress' Government Accountability Office is the latest to ask the persistent question: How can deregulation of the electric power industry be fixed? As the past few years have demonstrated, giving...

Insurers' sales of drug benefits draws warning.
December 17, 2005... Byline: Betty Booker Dec. 17--The State Corporation Commission has issued a sharp warning to insurers to not use tactics that prey on the elderly when selling the new Medicare drug benefit. Door-to-door sales of Medicare drug plans...

Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va., Tech Notes column.
December 17, 2005... Byline: Jeffrey Kelley Dec. 17--NO IPODS ALLOWED ON THESE WISH LISTS: Yes, we know, you want a new iPod for Christmas. We all do. Everyone's getting them. Even my dog is giving an iPod to his chew toy. So when we asked a few...

Dominion CEO will step down at month's end.
December 17, 2005... Byline: Bob Rayner Dec. 17--Thomas E. Capps made it official yesterday. After 15 years at the helm of Dominion Resources Inc., Capps will step down as chief executive Dec. 31. Thomas F. Farrell II, president and chief operating...

American Funds will open customer-service center in Chesapeake, Va.
December 16, 2005... Dec. 16--Gov. Mark R. Warner announced yesterday that American Funds Service Co. will open a $13.7 million customer-service center in Chesapeake with 250 jobs. American Funds Service is one of The Capital Group companies that manages...

Wachovia Securities names new president of Private Client Group.
December 16, 2005... Byline: Bob Rayner Dec. 16--James E. Hays has joined Richmond-based Wachovia Securities and will be named president of the firm's Private Client Group in mid January. He will succeed James T. Donley, who is retiring. Hays had...

Richmond, Va., airport will add part-time screeners.
December 16, 2005... Byline: Chip Jones Dec. 16--Richmond International Airport will be a testing ground for part-time federal security screeners early next year. The program, announced yesterday by Rep. Eric I. Cantor, R-7th, is meant to help the...

Partners pay $185 million for James Center complex.
December 16, 2005... Byline: Gregory J. Gilligan Dec. 16--A prominent Washington developer has made a significant mark again on Richmond's downtown building scene. This time, Douglas Jemal, along with a partner from New York City, has bought the...

Energy policy support is sought.
December 16, 2005... Byline: Greg Edwards Dec. 16--A proposed state energy policy that encourages offshore energy projects and quick siting for windmills, nuclear plants and other low-emission energy moved forward yesterday. A special legislative group,...

Board approves projects for Virginia rails.
December 16, 2005... Byline: Chip Jones Dec. 16--Planned improvements of the state's rail system moved ahead yesterday, along with a related rail project rolled in by Gov. Mark R. Warner. The Commonwealth Transportation Board unanimously approved a...

Alltel's wireless network debuts in area.
December 15, 2005... Byline: Jeffrey Kelley Dec. 15--Just so he does not tie up the company's private network, Bryan Vay has been using a new wireless card from Alltel Corp. for a couple of months to stream Internet video to his laptop computer. After...

Delinquent mortgages edge up.
December 15, 2005... Byline: Carol Hazard Dec. 15--Delinquencies on home mortgage loans are rising. Blame it on Hurricane Katrina, according to a report released yesterday by the Mortgage Bankers Association. The percentage of people who are at least 30...

Renter wages fall short.
December 15, 2005... Byline: Carol Hazard Dec. 15--Looking for a place to rent? You would need to earn at least $14.56 an hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment and utilities in the Richmond area, according to a report released this week by the National...

Health-insurance help for small businesses.
December 15, 2005... Byline: John Reid Blackwell Dec. 15--Providing health insurance for 50 employees is a major concern for Ken Ampy, chief executive officer of Astyra Corp., a Richmond-based technology-consulting firm. "The high cost of health care is...

JetBlue will fly out of Richmond, Va., airport.
December 14, 2005... Byline: Chip Jones Dec. 14--JetBlue Airways is now a tenant of Richmond International Airport. The Capital Region Airport Commission yesterday unanimously approved a lease that charges the New York-based airline about $600,000 a...

Miller will retire from SCC.
December 14, 2005... Byline: Greg Edwards Dec. 14--Two years ago, when one of his colleagues on the State Corporation Commission retired, Judge Clinton Miller said he would likely follow the same path in a couple of years. True to his prediction, Miller...

Universal to close plant in Danville.
December 14, 2005... Byline: John Reid Blackwell Dec. 14--Southside Virginia's tobacco economy took another hit yesterday when Richmond-based Universal Corp. said it will close its Danville tobacco processing plant by the end of the year. About 77...

Richmond, Va., airport prepares for winter.
December 13, 2005... Byline: Chip Jones Dec. 13--Last week's deadly accident at Chicago's Midway Airport was a reminder of the importance of preparing for the worst kinds of winter weather at Richmond International Airport. "I'd never say it could never...

Philip Morris branches out.
December 13, 2005... Byline: John Reid Blackwell Dec. 13--The nation's largest cigarette company is getting into the business of treating lung disorders. Richmond-based Philip Morris USA said yesterday that a research-focused division of the company,...

Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va., associations column.
December 12, 2005... Dec. 12--LISA C. GERMANO has been elected to the board of directors of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. She is president and general counsel of Actuarial Benefits & Design Co. NEW OFFICERS for the Virginia...

Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va., executive profile column.
December 12, 2005... Dec. 12--CHRISTINE "CHRIS" BADURA --New position: senior vice president, finance, East West Partners --Old position: vice president, finance, East West Partners --Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Pa. --Education: bachelor's degree in...

Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va., Chip Jones column.
December 12, 2005... Byline: Chip Jones Dec. 12--This was a year motorists felt pain at the gas pump but saw relief in another travel sector: the cost of flying from Richmond International Airport. After more than a decade of recruiting, the airport,...

Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va., Consumer Watch column.
December 11, 2005... Byline: Iris Taylor Dec. 11--DON'T GIVE BANK NUMBER TO SOLICITORS: Virginia consumers have flooded the Better Business Bureau with complaints about a California company that promises a big shopping spree in return for a little bank...

Battling for shopping dollars.
December 11, 2005... Byline: Gregory J. Gilligan Dec. 11--The holiday selling season could be a critical test in the performance of the area's 2-year-old malls. Although shoppers throng the centers now, that apparently wasn't the case at Stony Point...

Regency Square's sales take a hit.
December 11, 2005... Byline: Gregory J. Gilligan Dec. 11--Competition from Short Pump Town Center and Stony Point Fashion Park is taking a toll on Regency Square. Regency, once the area's leading mall in terms of sales and caliber of stores, suffered a...

BlackBerry users hope for a speedy resolution.
December 10, 2005... Byline: Jeffrey Kelley Dec. 10--Michael Stephens holds U.S. patent No. 5,181,716 -- more commonly known as a bumper-bowling system -- and he wants a BlackBerry handheld device for Christmas. As a holder of several other patents and...

United Way building sold.
December 10, 2005... Dec. 10--Douglas Jemal, a prominent Washington developer, bought the United Way building on East Broad Street in downtown Richmond. He paid $1.5 million for the building, records show. Jemal, who was indicted this fall by federal...

Capital One revises policy on directors.
December 10, 2005... Byline: Carol Hazard Dec. 10--Capital One Financial Corp.'s board of directors has revised the corporate governance policy to adopt a majority voting standard for the election of directors. Under the revised policy, a director...

RIC flight forced to return because of passenger.
December 10, 2005... Byline: Chip Jones Dec. 10--A Continental Express jet flying from Richmond to Newark, N.J., returned here Thursday after a passenger became disruptive, said, Richmond International Airport spokesman Troy Bell. "I do not believe the...

Chief of Atlanta-based energy firm moves to head Seattle-based insurer.
December 10, 2005... Dec. 10--Paula R. Reynolds, chairwoman, president and CEO of Atlanta-based AGL Resources Inc. is leaving the company to become president and CEO of Safeco, a Seattle-based insurance company. AGL Resources is the parent company of...

Universal Fiber to expand plant, create 82 jobs.
December 10, 2005... Byline: John Reid Blackwell Dec. 10--A fiber and yarn company is expanding its factory in Washington County, creating 82 jobs. Universal Fiber Systems LLC, which makes fibers and yarns for carpet, upholstery and industrial and...

Chemical plant in Petersburg, Va., plans addition.
December 9, 2005... Byline: John Reid Blackwell Dec. 9--Boehringer Ingelheim Chemicals Inc. is preparing for another phase in an ongoing expansion of its Petersburg plant. The company said yesterday that it will begin work next year on a $135 million...

Cool it at the work party.
December 9, 2005... Byline: Bob Rayner Dec. 9--Attention party animals! Please refrain from pigging out at the buffet table. Don't drink much. Dress sensibly. Avoid controversial conversations. Stick to small talk. And it might be a good idea...

Expect to pay more cold cash for gas, heat.
December 9, 2005... Byline: Greg Edwards Dec. 9--You guessed it: That funny feeling is cold weather sending shivers through your pocketbook. Sharply rising natural-gas and crude-oil prices have accompanied the arrival of severe weather across much of...

Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va., business briefs column.
December 8, 2005... Dec. 8--United Dominion Realty Trust Inc. has bought three apartment complexes and sold two complexes in the fourth quarter. The Richmond-based real estate investment trust, the nation's fourth-largest REIT, said it bought two complexes...

Pipe distributor Frischkorn votes to approve merger.
December 8, 2005... Byline: John Reid Blackwell Dec. 8--John H. Frischkorn Jr. Inc., a Richmond-based distributor of pipes, valves and fittings, is merging with a Newport News company. Members of Frischkorn's employee stock-ownership plan voted to...

U.S. defends quota buyout.
December 8, 2005... Byline: John Reid Blackwell Dec. 8--The U.S. Department of Agriculture is denying the allegations of two Virginia farmers who sued the agency over the disbursement of money from a $10 billion buyout of the federal tobacco-quota system....

Rivals take dispute over drug to court.
December 8, 2005... Byline: Jeffrey Kelley Dec. 8--The rival of local biotechnology company Insmed Inc. threw another stack of legal papers at the firm this week, days before federal regulators could complete a review of its core drug. Brisbane,...

A new phase for Tridium.(Company Profile)
December 7, 2005... Byline: Jeffrey Kelley Dec. 7--Fast-growing local company Tridium Inc. can expand its business now that it has been acquired by Honeywell International Inc. The Henrico County-based software development firm's core product is called...

Snow highlights tree-pruning.
December 7, 2005... Byline: Greg Edwards Dec. 7--A utility worker jabbed a spike into Dave Smith's big pin-oak tree, and then another, and another... and another. Smith was fighting-mad. An employee of Penn Line Service Inc., a Dominion Virginia Power...