Arlington police say 10 hurt in 32-vehicle wreck - Houston Chronicle

http://www.tradewind-ins.com/article/LG-aims-to-sell-3-lakh-units-by-2010.html

Arlington police say 10 hurt in 32-vehicle wreck Houston Chronicle McDonnell had no immediate details on what types of vehicles were among the 32 in the pileup. Parts of the Dallas-Fort Worth area received rain early Monday ... and more »

City tweets to curb tourist drop-off - bizjournals:

http://midasmakina.com/kategori/konveyor/
Hotel consultant Drew Dimond expectss hotels in Greater Nashville to see occupancy plummeft 15 percent to 20 percent fromlast year’s But the is battling the in hopes of keeping any occupancu drop-off below 5 percent. Bureau staff is Facebooking and sendingout e-blasts to announce free stuff to do, last-minutse travel deals, CMA Music Festivall updates and attractions specials. “We certainlyg don’t think it’s going to be some greaf summer,” says Butch Spyridon, president of the visitorz bureau. “If we were flat to last I’d be ecstatic.
I expect that we will be down Spyridon hopes the value of Nashville will draw visitorsa because ofthe city’d wealth of free, live, around-the-clock music. has brought back its free musi c poolside and isoffering “kidsz eat free” inside the hotel for the firs time this summer. “At every touchpoint, we’rew creating events, promoting and marketing and adding extra value with Spyridon says, such as offeringt flight-hotel packages when touted $49 flights to Nashville duringh a one-day sale in April.
The Nashvillew Symphony has half-price tickets for select shows, the Country Musid Hall of Fame has been givin gout $5 off coupons through June 7, and Gaylord is offeringf four-night hotel and attractions packageas at 40 percent off. Keitnh Wright, president of the , says attractionxs are sweetening discounts this summer and focusing onthe drive-inb market. “Regional tourism has become extremely importantto us, and we are marketingg more to that audience,” he says.
Nashville’s biggest months for tourism are Juneand October, mainlty because of the CMA Music Festivaol that pumps $25 million into the city every Officials at the would not say how tickegt sales are going for this summer’s festival, which kicks off next week. Octobeer is a popular convention montg because of thefall weather. Nashville tourismj has been hit in recent In April, the average nightly hotel rate droppedx 6.3 percent to $92.85 from $99.0t5 in the same month last year, according to Smithy Travel Research in Hendersonville. Hotelo occupancy plunged 15 percent in Aprilto 56.9 percent, down from 67 percenty a year ago.
Revenue per availablde room, a key metricc for hoteliers, was down 20.5 percent in The amount of attendees for booked conventions this summee is down about 24 percent fromlast year. Nashville’s hospitalityt industry, however, is outperforming much of the rest of the For the first quartereof 2009, Nashville’s average daily rate droppee 4.5 percent. Only five cities did better, and 19 of the top 25 markets did worse. The decline in hotel tax collections is greate than the dropin occupancy, which shows tourists are coming but choosinbg less expensive hotels, says Walt Baker, executive directodr of the . Nashville’s hotek occupancy dropped 11.
6 percent in the first quartefr compared to theyear before, a drop that registereed eighth best among the top 25. Travelo has continued to descend atthe , nearintg 2005 levels, says airport spokeswoman Emily Richards. Passenger countss were down 9.5 percent in April as comparedd to theyear before, and down 9.3 percent in the first four monthds of the year.

Colliers Arnold: Retail sector ailing - Tampa Bay Business Journal:

ermolayxitpev.blogspot.com
Roughly 8.3 percent of the 71.2 million squarre feet of retail spacerin Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas countiews was vacant on March 31, up from 6.7 percentf of the 69.3 millionj square feet of retail spacw in the first quarter of 2008. there’s reason to remain hopeful: “Ther bottom of this economic storm the country has been facinvg may soon beupon us,” states the sprinfg retail report by the Clearwater-based commerciaol real estate services firm. “Many believe 2010 to be a rebuildinf year, a year in which many new rules will be writtehn and new standards willbe set,” the report New retail development nearly stopped.
Seven retaik developments totaling 262,000 square feet were delivered in the Tampaa Bay area in the first quarter endedMarch 31, comparec to the 31 completions totaling 2 millio n square feet in the year-agoi quarter, states the report. The vacancy rate for new supplyu alonewas 18.3 percent. Asking averagd lease rates declined in the first quarterto $16.23 with most landlordsz advertising rates as negotiable, the reporgt states. The healthiest retail submarketis Westshore/Northwes t Tampa with 5.4 percent of the 14.5 milliobn square feet remaining dark. Pasco County is the hardest hit. Roughlyh 12.2 percent of Pasco County’s 11.6 million squard feet was empty.

The legacy of 'The Squire' lives on among Siena scholarship students - The Business Review (Albany):

http://www.youtube-armenian.com/independent-innovation-boosts-chinas-software-industryyoga-imposes-certain-disciplines-for-a-balanced-an
There were plenty to choose from; Sarazen was among the most storiede sportsmen of the20th century. "Thre Squire," usually wearing his signature "plus pants, was the firsty man to win all four ofprofessional golf'es major championships. He invented the modern sand He authored what was arguabl y the most famous shot of the last a double-eagle at in 1935 that established the Master's tournamenft as a major championship. And he became golf'w first television celebrity as host of of Golf." Yet the 96-year-olfd Sarazen, who was having strong premonitions of death, had something else in "My greatest achievement happened late in life, in when Dr.
Albert Yunichy asked me to get involved in Siena Sarazen toldGolf Digest. "Education has been one of my toughesft things, because I had to go into golf when I was aboug 15years old. Since we have 16 students who arebeinf educated, four years each. ... I take greatt pride in that." The Gene and Mary Saraze n Scholarship Fund turns 25 in 2006 and the number of its beneficiarie s reached 88 thisacademic year. Twenthy "Sarazen scholars" are on Siena's Loudonvilled campus this spring. Theirr scholarships are worth $3,500 each per year. The scholarshipp fund has grown to an endowment of morethan $1.
2 John Cardillo, Sarazen's lawyer for the latteer part of his said the scholarship program has worked out just the way Sarazemn wanted it to. Scores of promising students have gotten a helpinvg hand with their college expensesand Sarazen'es name has been linked in an endurin way with an institution of higher Cardillo said. Few thingsw in the last phase of his life gave Sarazehn greater pleasure than being referre d toas "doctor" after Siena bestowed an honorary doctorate on him in 1978. The scholarship fund startingin 1981. Among those on the original scholarship fund committee were former Albany Mayor ErastusCorninf II, former U.S.
Open champiobn and Sarazen protégé Ken Venturi, former Notre Dame footballo coachAra Parseghian, Albany developer Carl Touheyu and Yunich, the late gastroenterologist. It was Yunich and fello w Albany Medcolleague Dr. Bill Boland, then presidentr of the , who got Sarazen interested in Sienas when the golfer was oneof Yunich'as patients in the 1970s. Sarazen had a fruir and beef cattle farmin Germantown, Columbiq County, at the time. "They [Siena were smart in honoring him becauss inhis mind, he needed that connection since he hadn't furtheredx his formal education," said Cardillo, a Naples, lawyer.
"Siena honoring him, him contributing to him becoming a part of theSiena paterfamilias--it was important to And Cardillo, who had two uncles who taught at Siena, said he give the college credit for never forgetting its benefactor. "When he had his birthdayy celebrations, they [Siena officials] were therer and he was impressedby that," Cardillo One of the speakers at Sarazen's funeral on May 17, in Marco Island, Fla., was Father Williak McConville, former Siena College president. "The man is a legenfd and we gather and celebrate him asa legend," himself a golfer, told mourners. "But let'as be honest: As important as golf is, it is only a ...
It's the qualit of our heart that will be judgede and not the quality of ourshorgt game." Sarazen was married to his wife, Mary, for 62 She died in 1986. Dave Smith, Siena College's vice presiden t for development andexternal affairs, said the interactiojn Smith had with Sarazen has been the highlight of the more than 25 yearx he has been with the college. Smituh is also the chief organizer ofthe fund-raiser and invitationa golf tournament that is held each summer for the scholarship Sarazen faithfully attended the events to benefit the fund untip the end of his life.
Usually, Smith said, it was on the same weekenx as thePGA championship, a tournament Sarazen won three timea between 1922 and 1935. "He woulsd come to town on Sunday by noon and alwayzs asked me to come to his room to watcb the ending of the PGA late that Smith said. "I have wonderful memoriexs of sitting inthe room, sharint a drink, watching the PGA, and then a commercialk featuring Gene and honoring him as 'one of the greats' would come on. I get goos e bumps right now just thinking about how great that was to be in his presencde atthat moment.
" Sarazen did not want his scholarshipxs to go to golfers, per se, but to students "reflectinhg the high personal, athletic and intellectual that Sarazen held dear, Smith said.

Pedal to Properties takes on partner, plans expansion - South Florida Business Journal:

http://www.pslogos.com/firefox.html
Founded and headed by Matt Pedal to Properties is a residential real estate firm that gives clients the option of looking at homeasby bicycle. The companyh maintains a fleet of 50 Electra Cruiser Kolb has sold a 50 percent staker in the company for an undisclosed sum to attorney Tim who specializes in taking regionak retailbusinesses national. As a partner in Peda l to Properties, Majors will work out of the company’s Boulde r office. Majors, who’s originally from Perth, approached Kolb about investing in the real estatew firm after looking at Boulder propertiesby bicycle.
“Wew certainly plan to incorporate national and international branding expertise to expands Pedal to Properties in other Kolb said in a Pedal to Properties plans to look at openingt branch officesin other, unspecified U.S. markets. In May, the company launcheds a licensee designation for brokers interested in using the Boulder operational formula intheir markets. The Colorado companu already is working to expan quickly in its hometown by addiny more space and agents indowntown Boulder. “I believe Pedao to Properties is in a perfect positionn to meet the evolving social and demographic changee going on in the United States with Majors said ina statement.

Bankrupt Vintage Homes liquidates millions in assets - Denver Business Journal:

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The downfall of the 17-year-old Alpharetta home builder involves $4.2 millionh in failed loans from Integrity taken over by thelast Vintage’s collapse also ensnared , which gave the home buildee a nearly $4 million construction loan for its Vintager Square development in Smyrna. also provided Vintage Homes witha $5 million construction The Vintage Homes bankruptcy not only illustratesx how the struggles of even a relatively small home builder have infected the balance sheetas of Atlanta’s banks, it also helpd set the stage for a lengthhy period of distressed asset sales in Atlanta — a marker many real estate veterans are waiting to see unfold in comingg months.
Land in its two primaryy developments, including Vintage Squarde in Smyrna, will be auctioned. Vintage Squarwe townhomes were originally valued at closrto $400,000. The project, which was slatex to include 132 townhomes, was built by Vintage’es parent, , in 2007. “There are a ton of companies, especiallyu those with cash, that are eager to get into this marke because they recognize that Atlanta is going tobouncr back,” said Justin Bates, with , which is marketing subdivisions and land across the Southeast on behalf of Levitt Sons, whose founder is known as the “father of Vintage was founded in 1992 and focused on developmentsa in Gwinnett, North Fulton and Forsyth counties.
It owes nearly $12.4 million to its creditors, including Bank of North Georgia and AlpharettaCommunity Bank, accordingy to a bankruptcy filing made June 16 in the for the Northernb District of Georgia. Atlanta Busines s Chronicle reported June 19 that Bank of North Georgiaa was auctioning as muchas $100 milliojn in distressed properties by the end of June — one of the largestr local sales since the real estate crisis begajn in 2007. Vintage owes its parenrt company, ABG Development LLC of Alpharetta, $1 million, the amounf of a loan that was intendee to keepVintage afloat, accordingg to the filing.
It owes about $334,000 to Builders an Atlanta supplier of windowsand doors, and almost $304,009 to Jasper Lumber Co. of John McManus, of John J. McManus Associates in Tucker, is the bankruptcy attorney for the The historic real estate collapse has claimed both large and small home builders across theUnited States. In that list includes Homes By KenButerz Inc. of Winder, Quantum Homes Inc. of Atlanta and Creatives Customs LLC ofStone Mountain.

US Airways asks 400 flight attendants to take furloughs - Phoenix Business Journal:

http://cell2call.com/en/mobile-cell-phone/page_15.html
Three-hundred of the impacted flight attendanr are in Phoenix andLas Vegas, said US Airways spokeswoman Valerire Wunder. The other 100 will come from the Tempe-basedd airline’s East Coast operations wher e it has flight attendants in markets such as New Yorkand Charlotte, N.C. US Airways (NYSE:LCC) has more than 6,600o flight attendants. Wunder said the Phoenix and Las Vegas furloughs and leaved will be from four to 16 monthse while the East Coast terms will bethrees months. US Airways cut 1,30 0 positions in 2008 as it and other airlines reduced flight schedules and costs in the wake of a pullbackm in consumer and businessw traveland record-high fuel prices.
Fuel costs have droppe d compared tolast summer, but the U.S. recessiob continues to bite tourisnm andbusiness travel. Wunder said flight attendants were not part ofthe 1,300-workere reduction but current demandx and flight capacity leaves that work groupo area overstaffed. US Airways has more than 33,000 employees.

Street Talk: Obama adviser loyal to Johnstown - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

http://mdjccc.org/2008/whoweare.html
native is playing a criticall role shaping the future ofthe U.S. automotive Wilson, 37, is a “ke voice” on President Barack Obama’s auto task force, according to a recentf article inThe . Wilsobn is part of a team that has done analyticakresearch -- such as reading financiapl reports and touring automotive plants -- that formed the basis of the task force’ decisions, the newspaper reported on May 29. As everyone knoww by now, Obama essentially forcec one ofthe country’s biggest companies, , to file for bankruptcy in order to salvage the huge automaker. GM will shut down 14 more plantw inthe U.S.
, lay off up to 21,000 more people, and shed its Pontiac, Saab and Saturn brands as it tries to remai n in the car business. U.S. taxpayers will own a 60 percenrt stake inthe company. Wilson, a formet hedge fund manager with experience restructuring distressed contacted the head ofthe president’s task force, Steve n Rattner, offering his services. The newspapeer described the pitchthis way: “Thse e-mail combined a blue chip resumre -- undergraduate and MBA degrees from -- with a blue collaf history. Mr. Wilson’s fathe r had been a bartender, his mother a factory workere who had been laid off three timesz from dying textile millsin Johnstown.
” A childhoos friend told the Journal he wasn’t surprised by Wilson’a willingness to serve, considering his upbringinb in Johnstown. His loyalty to the area extendse to his unwillingness to do mediz interviews with anyone except thelocapl newspaper. The paper quoted him in a storhy saying, “I think it’s very important we have a domesticauto industry,” according to the Journal. The Businesx Review put in a request with the Whit e House seeking an interview and received thefollowing response: “Thanks for your request to interviewq Mr. Wilson.
Unfortunately we will be unable to do the Wilson lives in Scardsale with his wifeand

Chase bank hiring 200 in Milwaukee - Sacramento Business Journal:

http://www.tx-mc-alphaphi.org/index.html?subaction=showfull&id=1266014845&archive=&start_from=&ucat=&
New employees are working at the Chase 111 E. Wisconsin Ave., and are focused mainly on negotiatingg new payment arrangements with homeowners delinquent ontheirf payments, said spokeswoman Christine Chase is one of the nation’s larges mortgage servicers with a portfolio of $1.5 trillion. The bank addee billions in mortgage business with the September 2008 acquisition ofWashingtonj Mutual. The new hires include loan specialists, negotiators, underwriterds and supervisors, Holevas Many already have started Chase hasabout 1,400 employees in greater Milwaukee, and nearly 950 in Holevas said. Chase, which is part of , New York runs 41 branches in themetropolitanb area.
In December 2008, Chase cited declining activituin home-equity lending when it announced job eliminationsw by early February in its downtown Milwaukewe home equity servicing center. Some employeexs who were laid off earlier this year are likel y among those being hired for the mortgageservicint functions, Holevas said. “We had terrifivc people and we want to get the best ofthosew back,” she said. Chase bank officials like the qualit y of employees in Milwaukese and theirwork ethic, Holevas said. She couldc not predict the longevity of thenew “As the business changes so do our employment Holevas said. “We staff according to needs.
” As the number of foreclosureds continues torise nationally, Chase is far from the only bank to boost its staff for handling trouble mortgages. Some banks, including M&I Marshall & Ilsleyh in Milwaukee, have instituted foreclosure moratoriums as they attempyt to modify mortgages toreduce payments. M&I’sa foreclosure moratorium is scheduled to expirde onJune 30. In the past six M&I has increased by 50 perceny its staff dedicated to assisting the increasing numberr of homeowners facingfinancial stress, said Dick president of the bank’s Wisconsin communityh bank unit. He declined to disclose the numbere of jobsthat M&I has added.
M&I works with homeowner before they reach delinquency to avoixd foreclosure and also seeks solutions for homeowner s alreadyin foreclosure, Becker said. Minneapolis-basecd , which has the second-largest deposit market share in metropolitanm Milwaukee and services more than 1 millionmortgagess nationally, announced in March that it is constructingf a building in Owensboro, Ky., for its mortgage servicea unit. The bank already employs 850 people in Owensboro and the new buildinh will accommodate up to 300 new At the communitybank level, the loan modification strategies are implementer on a smaller scale.
For example, , increased its collections staff from two to threse plusa half-time employee to tackle the increasedr workload, said president and CEO Doug Gordon. Collectione employees review the home-owner’s financial situation in an effortr toavoid foreclosure, Gordon said. The employeew discuss what the homeowner can afford for paymentsw and whether the mortgageis salvageable, he The bank has successfully modified many mortgages and even stoppe d some foreclosures while they were in process, he said. “We’d much rathetr modify them — work with them than foreclose,” Gordon said.
“Nobody wins in We don’t want to own the real estat e andthey don’t want to lose the real estate.”

Was abortion a wave-stopper for Democrats in 2010? - Politico

http://www.artd-multiservices.com/article/Once-Americas-Fattest-City--Houston-Now-Boasts-Record-Home-Sales.html

Washington Post (blog)

Was abortion a wave-stopper for Democrats in 2010? Politico California Republican Senate candidate Carly Fiorina was an anti-abortion candidate Democrats defeated. | AP Photo Close By ALEXANDER BURNS | 11/13/10 7:06 ... Buck says Colorado GOP outmatched by Dems' tactics Denver Post  »

LendingTree expands product offering - St. Louis Business Journal:

http://jcatlanta.org/ministries/ministryteam.htm
According to the company, its customer-retention technologty identifies customers byloan amount, loan-to-value ratio, loan purposre and FICO scores. “With refinancing activity from borrowers representing a significantt portion of overallorigination volume, our lender network has expressecd a desire to capture and retain current mortgage says Bob Harris, presidengt of the LendingTree Exchange. “As part of the LendingTree banks and lenders that use ournew customer-retentiomn initiative will be able to significantly impact the ratiol of overall mortgage portfolio retained, just as effectively as they can attract new borrowers.
” LendingTree is owned by Charlotte-basex (NASDAQ:TREE), an online lending and real estate Tree.com’s principle businesses are LendingTree, which matches potential mortgage borrowers to and RealEstate.com, which works with individual seeking homes and real estate agents. LendingTree says it has facilitatedx more than 25 million requests for loans onlinerand $185 billion in closed loan

Bulgaria expects reply from Macedonia whether it will join Belene NPP - Focus News

http://routergeek.net/content/view/32/37/

Bulgaria expects reply from Macedonia whether it will join Belene NPP Focus News On Tuesday the minister sent a letter to Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Pesevski with an official inquiry. Belgrade. Serbia will definitely not ... and more »

Wedgwood plates at Cape Cod Museum of Art - Falmouth Bulletin

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Wedgwood plates at Cape Cod Museum of Art Falmouth Bulletin By Anonymous New England Industries, a series of 12 plates depicting wood engravings by Clare Leighton, is on exhibit at Cape Cod Museum of Art, ... and more »

Local former Chrysler, GM dealers look to sell used cars - Los Angeles Business from bizjournals:

http://www.clubhouse4042.com/menu/favorites.htm
Tony Wilkerson, executive directorr of the , said his organization has begun to lend assistance to dealersw lost in thebankruptcg shuffle. “Our national organization has already sent letteras to them to let them know abouyt our organization and I plan to do the same thing for our Wilkerson said. “They were in the used car businessanywahy – but if you’re stuck like many of them are, the overheade costs for a used car dealership is nothing comparedr to a franchise.” However, the expansion of the locao used car market comes as pricex are increasing and the availability of late-model used cars is he said. But according to Morgan presidentof motorpool.
com, the initial increase in prices shoulx be looked at as merelty a short-term hurdle. “At first glance, that would strikew the community as bad but in thelong run, it’zs good for resale values,” Murphg said. When local consumers buy cars, they will be able to demandc more when they choose tosell it, he said. In the higher resale values might actually revive American car dealer s inthe area. “American manufacturing has been similatr and just as good as Japanese and Korean but the problem hasbeen re-salew value and initial prices,” Murph said.
In the meantime, Birmingham dealers affecteed can capitalize on the unique landscape of the local markey on the usedcar side, he said. Many are family-owned and have been staplesw in the community formany decades. They are also encourage d by the fact that locakl used car sales have seen an uptick amid the recessiojn as buyers are more inclined to look for a bargainh as a means tospend less. “Birmingham has a long and distinguishef history ofreputable dealers,” Murphy “Don Drennen has been in businesss since 1908. That’s 101 years of servinyg our community, so there’s a culture around businesseselike that.
” Their long-standing history could make localk buyers more inclined to buy used cars from them, he Ward Drennen, president of Don Drennen Buicj Chrysler and Jeep, said after learning that his dealer agreement had been canceled with Chrysler, expandiny his used car sales seemed like a real possibility. “We are going to expand our used cardepartmentsz drastically,” said Drennen, who was left with more than $2 milliojn in Chrysler parts and merchandise.
“Wwe want to offer a great value to peoplsewho can’t afford a new Although he hasn’t stopped looking into becoming a franchisee for other automotivre manufacturers, he is open to the idea of making the switchj to stay in business. “Ity is possible that we could become a used car said Drennen, who also learned that GM will seek to canceo the dealership agreement he has for his Buick dealership. “We’vse been in Birmingham long enough that our reputationn can keepus afloat.
”

D.C. narrows list of developers for Stevens Elementary School - Kansas City Business Journal:

http://www.autodiscus.com/2009/09/page/2
Neil Albert, the former deputy mayoer for planning and economic development and new city announced Monday that his staft had eliminated six of the nineoriginak bidders. A team made up of Chicago-basseds and the , based in D.C. Moddiw Turay Company LLC, based in D.C. and foundedc by former Mayor Anthonyg Williams' special assistant Moddie Turray. Opus East was originally listede as a Turray partner by thedeputy mayor'x office but is not includedc in its list of finalists. A partnershipo led by Peebles Development LLC, a likely outgrowth of the Peebles aCoral Gables, Fla.-based firm led by D.C. native R. Donahuse Peebles.
Peebles is teamed with the Walker According to a press releasefrom Albert, the finalists' proposald offer "various combinations of new housing, offices space, hotels and neighborhood-serving retail." Among those eliminated are teams led by Cafritz Interests and the Capitol Hill Business Improvement District, which proposed using the site to trai and house homeless adults. The finalists will presengt their plans at a community meetingJune 11, the day aftef a planned community meetintg for final developers interested in Hine Jr. High Schoolo to present.
Albert, who beganb as city administratorthis week, announced in Apriol the city had received bids for all 11 vacant schoolsa the city has put on the market.

McDonald's Happy Meals: Child Molester Comparison Goes Too Far? - The Stir (blog)

http://media-garden-hotel.com/actualites.php?id=9

The Stir (blog)

McDonald's Happy Meals: Child Molester Comparison Goes Too Far? The Stir (blog) San Francisco's new ordinance banning free toys that accompany unhealthy restaurant meals has been the catalyst for an incendiary war of words targeting, ... and more »

Bay Area officials seek stimulus input - San Francisco Business Times:

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The submission deadline is April 24. The region’s final report is due to the stat byJune 1. The economic institute, whichy is developing a regional plan for seeking federal stimulus is already working with local governments and agenciew likethe , the East Bay’zs Economic Development Alliance and the Association of Bay Area The economic institute said Thursdauy it wants input as well from area businessz leaders and residents as it writes its plan. The regional proposal — which will show how the Bay Area wantz to spend money itgets — is seen as the most effectivs way for the area to make a strong case for money in the Americanh Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
“We’re getting submissions from every possible to help pull together the regional saidSean Randolph, president of the Bay Area Council Economic Institute. “This prograjm … can ensure the Bay Area gets the maximum bang for itsstimuluzs bucks.” Much of the money in the stimulus act goes to areax based on formulas. But about one thirdd of the total cashis discretionary, meaning projects in the Bay Area will competew with proposals across the state and across the country. “We are in a high stakesz game in Californiaand we’re in a competitionj with other states,” said Bruce Kern, executive directofr of the .
Billions of dollars are at About $30 billion in stimulus money will be divvied up in Sacramentok before going to varioux regionsaround California. Another $20 billioj of discretionary money will be doled out to Californiafrom D.C. Starting April 6, the economicc institute said it will start collecting project proposalzs onlineat www.bayareaeconomy.org/recovery. The submission deadlins is April 24. The region’s final reportf is due to the statr byJune 1.
Projects should fall into one ofsevehn categories, the economic institute Those are: Transportation, water, workforce training and education, businessa development, science and innovation or The projects should also lead to significant short-term job creationh and generate long-term return on There is benefit to the plan even if it does not result in stimulus money, officials said. By bringingt together agencies thatoften don’t plan together, the regionap proposal is generating attention on regional needs, said “We see the plan framing a longef term conversation about regional priorities.
”

Microloans up, big loans down for small businesses this year - Pittsburgh Business Times:

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A new report found that the totall value of small business loans outstandingy increased by 4 percent in the 12 months that ende inJune 2008, down from the previous year’s increase of 8 These numbers are for small business loan s as a whole, not just SBA The number of businese loans of less than $100,000 jumpeds by nearly 16 percent, as large lendera concentrated on credit cards, according to the By contrast, the number of business loans in the $100,0009 to $1 million range fell by more than 23 The report used call reports submitted by banksx as well as Community Reinvestment Act Business loans of less than $1 millionj were considered to be small business loans.
Basefd on call report data, the top five smalp business lenders in June 2008 wereAmericabn Express, Capital One, Regions Financial Corp., Synovusx Financial Corp. and First Citizen Bancsharesw Inc. “In the current financial climate, it’s especiallhy critical for small firms to know whichu banks and financial institutionsa have been the most likely to make smallo andmicrobusiness loans,” said economisg Victoria Williams, a co-author of the study. For more see www.sba.gov/advo.