Items of interest. (Impromptu).(Brief Article)

States Ranked on Entrepreneurship Policies

The Small Business Survival Committee (SBSC) has released its sixth annual state rankings according to its respective policy climates for small business and entrepreneurship in the Small Business Survival Index 2001.

The Index 2001 often a gauge by which to measure and compare how government in the states treat small businesses and entrepreneuers. Seventeen major government-imposed or government-related costs impacting small business and entrepreneurs across a broad spectrum of industries and business types are tied together to obtain the results. The Index captures much of the governmental burdens impacting critical economic decisions, particularly affecting investment and entrepreneurship, state by state.

The top four states with the best policy environments include: 1) Nevada, 2) South Dakota, 3) Washington, 4) Wyoming. The states ranking the lowest include: 48) Maine, 49) Hawaii, 50) Rhode Island, 51) District of Columbia.

For the complete list of states and additional information on the Small Business Survival Committee, log on to www.sbsc.org.

7th Annual Oberlin Piano Competition Winners

Pianist Darrett Zusko, 16, of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, won first prize in the Seventh Annual Oberlin International Piano Competition and Festival. As the first-prize winner, he was awarded a $4,000 cash prize. A student at the University of Western Ontario, Zusko is a past winner of the Bartok-Kabalevsky-Prokofiev International Piano Competition.