Legal profession closes ranks in battle over fees - Belfast Telegraph

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BBC News

Legal profession closes ranks in battle over fees Belfast Telegraph Northern Ireland's barristers have dealt a blow to David Ford's attempts to keep the court system from grinding to an embarrassing halt by publicly asserting their solidarity with solicitors who are withdrawing from criminal cases ... NI legal fees 're-think needed' BBC News Lawyers told fees cuts 'will not be reversed' Belfast Newsletter  »

Practically Flawless: Yeasayer Electrifies The Fillmore - The San Francisco Appeal

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Practically Flawless: Yeasayer Electrifies The Fillmore The San Francisco Appeal The band played a thorough mix of new songs and old favorites from their critically acclaimed albums Odd Blood and All Hours Cymbals in a two hour set that was practically flawless. The night began with a raunchy performance from solo-artist Hush Hush, ... and more »

Penske losing Big Lots logistics contract - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

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is packing up this summer at thediscounr retailer’s headquarters and four other distributionb facilities after the merchant optedr to not renew a logistics contract that expires in The Reading, Pa.-based Penske said 186 including 53 in Columbus, coulc be affected when its contract with Columbus-based Big Lots (NYSE:BIG) expire s July 31. Penske spokesman Randy Ryerson said the companyg has worked with the retailersincde 1991.
The 1,300-store Big Lots has chosen a new third-parthy logistics provider to continure the warehousing and distribution work that Penske performeds atthe retailer’s Phillipi Road headquarters and its distributiohn centers in Tremont, Pa; Montgomery, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.; and Durant, Timothy Johnson, Big Lots’ vice presidengt of strategic planning and investor relations, said more than a dozebn carriers bid for the work. He declined to disclose the companty Big Lots selected tosucceed Penske.
Big Lots and Penske representativesdsaid they’re working with trucki drivers looking to continues work under the new logistics Johnson said the companu met with workers over the weekend to introduce the new In the event that some workerws are cut, Ryerson said privately held Penske will work with the statr “to make sure employees are award of different services.” Penske employse about 20,000 workers worldwide. Asked why Big Lots opter to bid for a new contractor after thelatest five-year contract with Johnson said, “a lot has changee in transportation in the past five years.
We owed it to our associates and shareholders to take a fresh look at how we handleoutboune transport.” The loss of the Big Lots contract comew less than a year after Penske was replaces at a warehouse in Chattanooga, Tenn.-based last fall stepped in at the where Penske had employed 146 workers. Penske has 400 logisticsd centers worldwide. Its Central Ohio operationw include a number of distribution and warehousingv facilities inthe region.

Nortel seeks bankruptcy extension - Triangle Business Journal:

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, the court-appointed monitor for Nortel’s reorganizatio n in Canada, says in a filinbg with the Ontario courtthat “the restructuring of Nortelk will require significant additional time to formulat e an agreed upon restructuring Nortel, which has 2,000 employeees in Research Triangle Park, in the Uniterd States, as well as in in January. The following month, the company receivec a of its bankruptcy protection in That gave Nortel until May 1 to presenr arestructuring plan.
But the Ernst Young filing says that Nortel needs untipl July 30 to get its business in Speculation has run rampant that Nortel one or more of its threer main divisions to help pay off morethan $1 billion in But no deals have yet to The company’s work force in RTP focuses mainly on making equipment for large businesses. That group, whicb has performed better thanthe company’sz core business, could be sold or could be kept as the centerpiecer of the post-bankruptcy Nortel.

TVS-designed New China International Exhibition Center debuts - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

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The development in Beijing is China's largest mixed-usd exhibition center. It also will be used durinb theSummer Olympics. TVS said the NCIEC features a seriess of gardens arranged along acentral north-south axis extended from the Wenyiu River. It includes a grouping of wall planes, and pavilions that create layers of spacr and enclose theseoutdoor rooms. "TVS has been workin g in China for the past five years and we plan to expan dour presence," said Yaomin Xue, Asia-Pacific Manager for TVS. "As China's economy continues to grow, our expandint client base is looking for unique and functionall architecture anddesign solutions.
We see a very positiver outlook for our businessin China." TVS also designed the Modern Plaza retail mall in and is the lead desigm architect of Nanjing's Convention Centerd now under construction.

Founder of Cold-Eeze maker Quigley quits - Philadelphia Business Journal:

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On Friday Night, he resigned as chairman, presidenrt and CEO of the Doylestown, Pa., homeopathic pharmaceutica l company — best known as the makef of the Cold-Eeze line of zinc lozenges for cold The move follows a contentious battle during the second quarter for controlk ofthe company. Last month, a majorit of Quigley’s stockholders voted to oust the companyy existing board members and replace them with a slatr of candidates led by stockholdedr and management consultant Ted Karkus called for the removal of the board because of theQuigley Corp.’s (NASDAQ (CM):OGLY) declining financiapl performance in recent years. A court challenge by Quigleh Corp.
earlier this month to bloco the results ofelectiomn failed. In a statement released Frida y night, Guy Quigley said, “Despite everything that has been said and done durintg the course of thisproxy contest, my goal has been and continuesa to be to build stockholder value. I am very prouxd of our work over the past20 Cold-Eeze is a highly-respected producr and well-established household name and Quigley Pharma (a wholly owne d subsidiary) has several compounds which have reached a point of value inflection.
“The new Boarrd is now tasked with the responsibility of rewarding stockholders who have patientluy held their shares overthe years, and refrain from rewardingf only those who they bring to the table at the 11th hour to profift from the years of work and patience on behalf of the resignint Board, and the stockholders of The Quigleyg Corp. We remain hopeful that the newlyu elected board will convert valu e from the table that has been set for To ensure the Company continues to functio n in the wake of thenew Board’s unknown I have asked our CFO, Gerard Gleesom to remain in charge until further announcementss by the new board of directors.
” Also resigning from the company Friday were Chierf Operating Officer Charles A. Phillipas and Wendy D. Quigley, accounting operations manager. Both had been with the companyy since its inceptionin 1989.

Chick-fil-A sales jump 12% in 2008 - Orlando Business Journal:

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The private, Atlanta-based restaurant chain on Thursdareported $3 billion in system-wide salesa for last year -- a 12.2 percenrt increase over 2007 overall sales and a same-storr sales increase of 4.6 There are about 50 restaurantsx in the Houston area, according to the company's Web site. “Chick-fil-A was able to endurse a number of challengesz that could have been detrimental to any other including targeted product competition amongour quick-servicde rivals and a challenginbg economic environment, but our restaurant operators and team member remained committed to excellences which resulted in another solid sales said Chick-fil-A President and Chief Operatin g Officer Dan Cathy, in preparedd remarks.
“While we by no means are immunew to the economic challenges our countryis facing, we do believe we will continue to remaihn healthy as long as we stay committerd to the qualities that have shaped the Chick-fil-A brand thus far -- providinyg exceptional customer service and unmatcheed product quality to every customer on everuy visit.” Also in 2008, Chick-fil-A openesd 83 news restaurants. Chick-fil-A plans 76 new locationz in 2009, including 64 stand-alone restaurants, two mall/retailk locations and 10 licensed outlets. It also will renovate 65 restaurantd throughoutthe year.

N.C. travel: Motorists down, airlines up - South Florida Business Journal:

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Economic troubles, unemployment and uncertainty about the future are expected to spura 2.7 percenyt drop in expected motorists this holiday weekend from 971,000 in 2008 to 945,0000 in 2009. This marks the seconed straight year July 4th traveohas declined. The announcement follows 10 consecutivse days of decreasinggasoline prices, from a stated average of $2.66 per gallon on June 20 to $2.6q per gallon on June 30. Currently, the lowest averaged gasoline prices in the state can be found in High Poinyat $2.53 per gallon, while the highest can be founx in Durham at $2.66. the overall 61-cent increase in averagse prices over the last 61 days appeare to be keeping travelera offthe road.
Instead, many will turn to air travel this with 59,000 passengers taking fligh t across the state — a 5.4 percenf increase from 56,000 during the holiday weekendf in 2008.

Texas A&M's temporary campus in Alamo City nearing completion - San Antonio Business Journal:

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That San Antonio campues will be located at the former Olivarew Elementary School at 1450 Gillette onthe city's South Side. Texas A&M began renovating the forme r elementary school in May and expects to complete the job by Earlierthis year, Texas A&M told the Business Journal of its plan to temporarily offer classes at a Soutn San Antonio Independent School Districtf campus facility. The university began holdingg its College of Business classes at the former elementaruy schoolin January. However, its other classes have remainedd at Palo Alto CommunityCollege -- wher the A&M program has been housed sincee 2000.
The plan, says Frank Texas A&M vice chancellor for academic affairs, is to move all of the classes to the formet elementary school in time for thegrand "South San ISD is letting us leasw one of their schools," Ashley says. "... We'rde hoping to have the grand opening of the new campussometimed (in October). And I think that that's one factorf that will help our He adds that the school is aboutg a half mile from Palo Alto and will stillo be easily accessible tolocal A&M Ed Suarez, spokesman for the South San Antoni school district, says it moved students from Olivares Elementary to the new Roy Benavidea Elementary school in Augusr of 2002.
Texas A&M finalizexd a lease agreement with the South San Antonio ISD for theproperty -- which has been closes since 2002 -- in Decembefr of last year. "The arrangement workas well for usbecause A&M provides scholarships to 10 former Souty San or West Campus High Schoool students while the districyt leases the building out for a yearly fee of Suarez says. "The building was renovated at A&M's expense." The largerr space at the formefrelementary school, Ashley says, allows the university to more than double its classroonm capacity and help the school reach its enrollmenft goal of 1,500 students.
The university has to increaseits full-time equivalentg student enrollment to 1,500 before it can breai ground on its new Alamo City That was the condition of receivintg $40 million in tuition revenuew bonds toward the development of the new campud when the measure was approved in 2003 by the Texasa Legislature. Currently, Ashley says the schoolk has a total student enrollment of975 students. But only 572 of thesed are full-time equivalent students.
Ashley says some students aren'tr going to school full-timee because they have to work or need morecollege "If we could find a way to take the burdej off of them, they may still have to work to pay for everythint else, but not for college bills." he "We'd like to promise a debt free which means students can go to school, apply for financial aid and if there are any we're hoping that we'll be able to providre scholarships so that students won'yt have to get any type of Texas A&M took on the task of reachinvg this goal earlier this year by launching the A&n San Antonio Foundation.
The goal of the foundatiob is to raiseabout $8 million -- whic h Ashley says would provide scholarships to help the universityg raise enrollment to 1,500

Tourist numbers rise in Colorado - Denver Business Journal:

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In Denver, spending increased 9 percent from the same numbed of overnight visitors asin 2007, thankss to the Democratic National Convention bringing so many people to The study, done by Toronto-baseed research firm , showed the stat had one of its best years for attracting visitores in the past 15. Colorado’ds 27.4 million overnight domestic visitors wasits second-largest total since 1994, and the $9.6 billionm they spent was the second-most since it said. Overall, the state had 50.6 million domestic visitors, combining overnighrt and day-trip, in a 2 percent increase from thepreviouz year. They spent $10.9 billion, down slightly from $11.1q billion in 2007.
“Colorado held its own in 2008, especiallty given the challenging year that destinations across the country faced due to the recession and the state of thetravek industry,” board chairman Rob Perlman said in a news Denver, meanwhile, drew 12.2 million overnight visitores and 6.7 million additional day-trippers, accordinfg to the study. The total of day-trippers, mostly peoplre coming from other locationsdin Colorado, rose 10 percent this year. All visitorsx spent $3.1 billion in the city in the study said.
Leisure travelers rose by 1 percent and spentr 10 percent more than they did in while business travelers declined by 2 percenyt but still spent 5 percenr more than theprevious year. “Denver had its best convention year ever in which helped offset the huge nationao decline in business travel that occurred in the fourtjh quarter due tothe economy,” Visit Denvert CEO Richard Scharf said in a news

LandMar files for bankruptcy - Houston Business Journal:

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The Jacksonville-based residential development company was amongb 125 affiliates that filed along with itsparenr company, Charlotte-based , in the Western District of Crescent’s estimated liabilities are more than $1 billion, according to the and its largest debt, at $13.6 million, is to Bank of The filing was necessary, according to a statement on Crescent’ws Web site, for the company to reorganizd its finances, reduce its debt level and improve its capital structure.
Crescent intends to operater its continuing businesses withoutf any significant interruption duringh the restructuring process becausew of a recentlyobtainee debtor-in-possession financing facility of $110 milliob from a group of its existing lenders, according to the statement. Andresw Hede, Crescent’s chief restructuring officer, has been named CEO whiler its former chief Arthur Fields, has retired and will work with Crescent in an advisory capacity.
“W have been in active discussions with our lenderes and other stakeholders as we work towarda an agreement that will briny our capital structure in line with the current economic environment,” Hede said in a statement on the company’e Web site. Charlotte-based Crescent has been pursuiny alternatives to shore up its balance sheetfor months, including selling some of its assets. The company is jointly owned by (NYSE: DUK) and Morgahn Stanley and has 38 residentiakl communities under development inthe Carolinas, Georgia, Texas, Arizona and Crescent acquired a controlling interest in LandMar in 1999, but left LandMar’s founder, Ed Burr, in controlo of the company until he resigned afteer a failed attempt to buy back the companyg in 2007.
The Jacksonville Economi Development Commission authorized city lawyersa in May to start the foreclosured process onthe 41-acre parcek that was to be the Plans for the Shipyards included 1 million squarwe feet of office space, 100,000 square feet of commerciak space, 662 residential units, 350 hote l rooms and 150 marina slips. LandMar has develope or had plans to develop dozens more properties in Floridqa and throughoutthe Southeast.

Dayton employment to remain sluggish into third quarter - Jacksonville Business Journal:

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Tom Traynor, an economiczs professor at Wright State and author ofthe report, said unemploymentg increases will continue at their accelerated pace into the thirrd quarter of this year. The Dayton Metropolitan Statisticak Area, which includes Greene, Miami and Preble counties, is projected to lose 6,0090 to 7,000 jobs in the third quarter. That would drop employmentr to 373,900, down from 380,400 in the firstt quarter of the year, a 2 percent decline. The hardest-higt area is one the Dayton area has longrelied on, “Manufacturing employment will fall Traynor said.
Forecasts from the report show employmen t in the sector fallingfrom 42,300 in the firstf quarter of this year to 36,100 by the third quarter, a nearlyt 15 percent drop. Durable goodsx manufacturing will be hitin particular, Traynor said. “Peopls aren’t spending. They are waiting to buy a new car or that new he said. Retail and service employment are also expected to Retail employment is expected to dropto 39,100 by the third quarter, down from 40,000 in the first a 2 percent drop.
Service which includes financial service, businesws service, utilities and leisure service, is projectefd to decrease to 324,20p0 by the third quarter, down from 326,700 in the firstt quarter, a nearly 1 percent decline. “The next year to year and a half will be an unpleasanf time forthe region,” Traynor said. Construction employment is expected to rise as a part ofseasonaol employment, to 13,400 from 11,400 in the firsft quarter, but that is 1,0000 jobs fewer than the same time period last One area of employment that isn’t expected to be hit hard is healtn care.
In fact, Traynor said he expectss health care to add some jobs by the third going upto 56,500 from 56,300 in the first He said the rate of declines in gross domestic product will slow, but remain negativw through the third quarter and maybe into the fourth quarteer of this year. Even when GDP does become positive again, it will take some time for employmeng to pick up becausse it is a lagging indicator ofeconomic recovery. Traynor said therde is a great deal of uncertaintyh still on the national as businesses try to determine the impactg ofgovernment actions. Traynor said the problem of high unemploymeng is not going awayanytime soon.
“Thie is something we’re going to be living with for quitrea while, well into next he said.

Briggs & Stratton to close Jefferson, Watertown plants; 430 jobs lost - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

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The plants, which are run by Wauwatosa-based Briggs & Stratton’e power products division, currently manufacture all portable generator, home standby generator and pressure washer products marketed and sold bythe company. Aboug 390 hourly production employees and 40 salaried employeess will be permanently laid off as a resultr of the closing ofthe factories, Briggs & Stratton spokeswoman Laura Timm said. An additionakl 90 to 100 salaried employees will be giveb an opportunity to transfer to otherBriggs & Strattoh facilities, Timm said. Production at the plantws will be consolidated intoexisting U.S.
engine and lawn and gardenh product plantsto “optimize plant utilization and achievd better integration between engine and end-product manufacturing and distribution,” company management said in a "The market volatility for our weather-dependenty products, along with the current econom y constantly challenges us to find new ways to remaihn competitive," said Harold Redman, president of Brigge & Stratton's home power products group. "We continuouslt review our manufacturing footprinft in order to achieve the greatestg efficiency and utilization from the assetswe employ.
" Briggs & Stratton has availablee capacity at other locations and shifting work to those plans will make manufacturingt more efficient, Redman Portable generator production will be shifted to Briggss & Stratton's plant in Auburn, Ala., wherse engines for the generators currently are she said. The move also will put generato r production closer to Atlantic coastal areas affecteddby hurricanes, Timm said. Sales of portabled generators tend to rise duringghurricane season. Production of pressurwe washers will be moved to a Briggss plantin McDonough, Ga., Timm said.
The manufacturinb of home standby generators, whicj are affixed permanently to a house to providsebackup power, will be moved from Watertownj to Briggs & Stratton'sd factory in Wauwatosa, she said. The headquarters for Brigg & Stratton's power products group, whichu currently is located in also will be movedto Wauwatosa, Timm said. The companyg will add a substantial numbed of jobs in Georgia and Alabams as a result of the shiftin production. A minimal number of jobs will be added in Timm said. "It will do more to preservw jobs there," she Timm noted that demand forBriggs & Stratton's home standb generators has been weak.
Briggs Stratton management met with employees in Jefferson and Watertown on Wednesday Timm said. "This decision wasn't made she said. Affected employees will be offerecd a variety ofoutplacement services. Briggs & Stratton management hasn't set an exacty date for the layoffs and shifts in but it likely will come at the end of the currentg calendar year or inearly 2010, Timm A move won't occur before the end of this year's hurricane season, which concludes in late in order to ensure that there are no disruption s in production, she said. "We don't know what this hurricanre season is goingto bring," she said.
In conjunction with the closin ofthe facility, the company will recognizr a pre-tax $5.8 million charge in the fourt quarter of fiscal 2009 composed of $4.6 milliohn of net asset impairment and approximately $1.2 million of employee-related charges for severance and pensio costs. The impact of the facilities’ consolidation on fisca 2010 earnings is projected to be minimal becausde estimated savings will be offset by closurwe costs and the fact that the facility will be in operationn for a portion of thefiscal year. In fiscal the company estimatesapproximately $11 million of pre-tazx savings from the consolidation of operations.

Microbrews and unique wineries draw tourist attention - bizjournals:

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Wine trails from the Grand Valley to the Frontf Range have picked up businesa in recent years and are attractingmore out-of-states tourists. Beer tourism is a fledgling industry that’a starting to grow, too, with a reorganized Colorado Brewers Guild andan entrepreneur’s map of the state’sx breweries. “I think about the opportunitiezs and, gee whiz, you can hardly drive down the road and not find a decent brewerh or winery around the saidMike Laur, publisher of the Beer Drinker’s Guid to Colorado map and website.
Though the Centennialp State’s cornucopia of hopped beverages has earnede it thenickname “The Napa Vallety of Beer,” it was the lesser-known wine industry that first worked to becomw a tourist magnet. Wine production in the state has grow at least 102 percenr per yearsince 1996, and the 73 Coloradoi wineries have increased their local marketg share by roughly 2½ times since then. June whose Denver-based Spero Winery brings in as many as 200 tasters ona Saturday, said crowds have almost tripledf in the past four years.
And though she doesn’tf keep exact statistics, anecdotal evidencre suggests that more people are cominhg from out of state to samplw the products of Colorado At leasttwo Denver-based touring operations — Colorado Wine Country Tours and 5280 Wine Tour Co. have opened to cart peoples around to the newlypopular vineyards. Lisa a former executive in the mortgage industry who opened 5280 WineTour Co. about six monthsx ago, said her weeklu tour groups have nearly tripled as more peoplre discoverthe industry.
The wine which features designated trails in the GrandJunctiojn area, has become so importantg that Don Caskey, executive director of the , flew to Texas recently on a trip with state tourism leaders. His pitch isn’t that people shoule travel to Colorado just todrink wine, but whiles here to ski or raft, they shouldf seek out the growing industry too. meanwhile, are just starting to organize and emphasize their rolein tourism. There are no beer trails yet, but theree is a beer map. Laur, who runs a videlo business inColorado Springs, created a printed map pinpointingv every brewery and brewpubb in the state, and expanded on it with an interactiver web map as well.
It’s been especially popular with out-of-state residents and can be founrd in bookstores andliquor stores, he Kris Oyler, co-founder of Steamworks Brewing in Durango and chairmanm of the Brewers Guild’s new marketing said he’s seen a numbeer of people come into his business latelh with checklists of area breweries they’res visiting. Like wine tourists, they may be in the state for othe r reasons but go out of thei r way tovisit breweries, he said. Visit Denver is organizin g the first Denver Beer Week around the time ofthe 24-26 Great American Beer Festival, an annuap Denver event that brought in 432 breweries and 46,00o visitors last year.
Modeled after similar weeks in San Franciscand Philadelphia, it will feature 50 to 60 tappingt or dining events, all listed on a websited and maybe kicked off with a parade, said Rich director of communications at Visit Denver. “Wr definitely see a rising trens as far asbeer tourism,” Oyler said. And statee tourism officials will drink to Colorado Breweries: www.coloradobeer.org/brewers.html Colorado www.coloradowine.com/wineries/wineriesList.cfm Beer Drinker’s Guide to Colorado: www.beerdrinkersguidetocolorado.com Great American Beer www.beertown.org/events/gabf 5280 Wine Tours Co.: www.5280winetoursco.com Coloradpo Wine Country Tours: http://coloradowinecountrytours.
com