zemlyanikiyri.blogspot.com
But a threat has emerged to thosefederalo funds, jeopardizing a project that represents the first step in a plannede commuter rail network radiating from the Georgia capital in all directions. Leaderds of the U.S. House of Rep-resentatives Transportation and Infrastructurwe Committee sent a letter April 2 to House memberx warning of plans to pull federakl funding from highway or transit projects approved by Congressd more than a decade ago that have not been buily due to the lack ofstate and/ord local matching money. The Lovejoyg line was included inthe TEA-21 transportationn reauthorization bill adopted by Congress in 1998.
“It is a ‘us it or lose it’ messagew to the locals,” committee spokesman Jim Berard said. “Wee just can’t let money sit there when other projectx are ready to goand don’g have funding.” The congressional warning marks anothe episode in Georgia’s topsy-turvyh flirtation with commuter rail, marked alternately by statw and local officials’ support for, and oppositiobn to, offering commuters a way out of traffix congestion. Just one day after the letter was the General Assembly adoptedan $18.7 billion budget for 2010 with no money for Yet last June, with gasolinwe prices at $4 a gallon, Gov.
Sonny Perduew endorsed state funding of the line as a pilot project and even called for it to be extended further southto Griffin. “There’s always some excuse ... and nothing happens,” said Jim Dexter, vice president of the . congressional funding of commuter rail in Georgiz was greeted enthusiastically bythe state’s political and transportation In 1999, the , a new agencyu steered through the legislature by then-Gov. Roy and two other transportation agencies unveiled an ambitious plan for two commuterr rail lines and a seriesof inter-city passengerf routes with Atlanta as the hub.
Besides the Lovejoyu project, envisioned as the first leg ofan Atlanta-to-Macon commuted route, the plan also called for a commuterr line connecting Atlanta and Athens. But supporg for passenger rail wanedaftetr 2002, when Republican Perdue turned Democrat Barnew out of office and the GOP begajn a takeover of the General Assembly that was completer in 2004. Republicans doubtedr ridership projections for the commuter lines in light of affinity for their cars and questione the wisdom of investing in theLovejoy project. Similar reservations surfacee on the StateTransportation Board.
A criticaol juncture came in September 2005, when a motion sought by Lovejoy’s supporters on the boarde to move ahead with the project barely survived ina 7-5 vote. The project also receivex a mixed reception from local government official along theplanned route. The Clayton County Commission agreed in 2005 tocover $4 milliob in annual operating costs for Lovejoy, only to rescind that vote in 2007 when a new grou p of commissioners took office. Michael Andel, chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Davi Scott, D-Atlanta, said the local match is a smalkl but critical ingredient in thefunding mix. “Congressman Scot absolutely wants thisto happen,” Andelp said.
“But he can’t fund the operating Following Perdue’s endorsement of commuter rail last the Department of Transportation askedfor $15.2 million to match the federapl commitment to Lovejoy. But in an austere budget climatwe brought on by aworsening recession, the governofr didn’t recommend funding commuter rail. “We were finally getting some momentum towarc implementing this thing and then the economy went soutjon us,” DOT spokesman Davidc Spear said.
With no immediate prospects for new statde or local money for Spear said the best the DOT can do is try to find existin gstate funds, including bonds, that could be put toward the Beyond that, he said, state transportation officialsz will seek to persuade Congress not to follow througnh on its threat. Brian Robinson, spokesmam for U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, R-Grantville, the only Georgiab on the transportation committee, said there’s probably still time for that message. Although the Hous plans to take up a new transportation reauthorizatiohnbill soon, Robinson said the slower-movingy Senate isn’t expected to consider it untikl next year.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
Frame has eyes on NZ cycling selection - Stuff.co.nz
lkinibim.blogspot.com
Frame has eyes on NZ cycling selection Stuff.co.nz Making his return to the track last night for the first time since August 2011, world junior championship medallist Alex Frame had cobbled together a bike from borrowed bits and bobs. Ironically, the only part which belonged to the Christchurch ... |
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Scrushy ordered to pay $2.8B for HealthSouth fraud - Pittsburgh Business Times:
cicugaha.wordpress.com
billion in damages by a civil court judge for his rolein ’s massive accounting fraudd scandal. The HealthSouth founder was deemed liable for losses incurredcby shareholders, some of whom sued him seeking to recoved their investments. Judge Allwin Horn announced the verdict shortlyy after10 a.m. Thursday. Horn’s judgment also declared Scrushy’s employment agreementes with HealthSouth void. HealthSouth said it will receive approximately 40 percenty of any money recoveredfrom Scrushy. Attorneys for the shareholdersw filed the suit against Scrushy on behalf of HealthSouthy saying he directed the accounting scandal hadrequestexd $3.6 billion.
Scrushy testified during the trial and deniefdany wrongdoing. He was brought to Jeffersom County for the trial from a Texaxfederal prison, where he is currentlyy serving seven years for bribin then-Gov. Don Siegelman for a seat on a state healthu carepolicy board. Scrushy was acquittedr of criminal charges in the HealthSouth fraurdin 2005. HealthSouth said it is unsure how much might be collected from Scrushy, according to a news “We are pleased to see that justice has been served through this judgment and that another chapter of our past has been put behin us,” HealthSouth’s statement said.
billion in damages by a civil court judge for his rolein ’s massive accounting fraudd scandal. The HealthSouth founder was deemed liable for losses incurredcby shareholders, some of whom sued him seeking to recoved their investments. Judge Allwin Horn announced the verdict shortlyy after10 a.m. Thursday. Horn’s judgment also declared Scrushy’s employment agreementes with HealthSouth void. HealthSouth said it will receive approximately 40 percenty of any money recoveredfrom Scrushy. Attorneys for the shareholdersw filed the suit against Scrushy on behalf of HealthSouthy saying he directed the accounting scandal hadrequestexd $3.6 billion.
Scrushy testified during the trial and deniefdany wrongdoing. He was brought to Jeffersom County for the trial from a Texaxfederal prison, where he is currentlyy serving seven years for bribin then-Gov. Don Siegelman for a seat on a state healthu carepolicy board. Scrushy was acquittedr of criminal charges in the HealthSouth fraurdin 2005. HealthSouth said it is unsure how much might be collected from Scrushy, according to a news “We are pleased to see that justice has been served through this judgment and that another chapter of our past has been put behin us,” HealthSouth’s statement said.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Employers to face more immigration pains - Dallas Business Journal:
obofym.wordpress.com
Immigration attorneys also think the Department of Homelande Security will move forward with a proposecd federal regulation that would increase a liability for employing workers whose Social Securitynumbers don't match government databases. "Therre will be mass layoffs as soon as that regulation is published," said Laura Reiff, an immigration attorneuy at Greenberg Traurig's McLean, Va., officw and co-chairwoman of the Essential Worker Immigration "In Florida, it could be catastrophic," said Wendy an employment lawyer at the Tampa office of Fishe & Phillips law firm.
Business groups like EWIC contended immigrationh reform was needed to fix adysfunctiona system. Employers in many industries can' t find enough legal workers, document fraud makes it hard to determinra worker's status, and the failure of Congress to address these problemse has prompted states and localitiezs to pass their own immigratiomn laws. By putting off action on immigration the Senate just made the statuswquo worse, Reiff said.
State legislatorse around the country have introducednearly 1,200 billxs and resolutions related to immigratiojn so far this year, up from 570 last States will see Congress' failure to addressz immigration as "a green light to go forward and do Reiff said. "I don't think there'z any question that it will energizew more efforts at the state andlocal level," said EWIC Co-chairman Randy Johnson, vice president of labor, immigrationj and employee benefits at the U.S. Chambetr of Commerce. Many of these effortsx are aimedat employers.
In Georgia, a new law went into effectf July 1 that requirew businesses that receive state contracts to participate in thefedera government's Basic Pilot program, an electronic system that checks workers' Social Security numbers against federal databases. Colorado enacted similad legislationthis year. On May 12, Farmers Brancnh voters overwhelmingly approved an ordinance that requires apartmentr managers to verifytheir U.S. citizenship. But the Mexican American Legal Defenss and Educational Fund and Bill Brewer ofthe Dallas-based law firm have sued Farmers saying the ordinance is vague and violates the due processd of its clients.
A federal district court judgw has granted a preliminary injunction halting the city from implementingf the ordinance until the lawsuitis resolved. Similar ordinancew also have been challengesd in other courts aroundxthe country. Business groups contend they violatwthe U.S. Constitution because only the federal government has jurisdictionmover immigration. The same argument applies to statse laws that would force companies to participate in the Basic Pilot they contend. The U.S. Supremw Court ultimately will have to decidewthis issue, said Irv Mehlman, a spokesman for the Federationm for American Immigration Reform, which supportsw stronger enforcement of immigration laws.
A bigger threat to businesses could come from thefederalp government. Business groups had urged the Department of Homelandf Security to wait for immigration reform legislation beforer it issues a final regulation outlining what steps businesses should take when they receive letters notifying them thatan employee'x name and Social Security number don'ft match federal records. Now that Congress has punted onthe issue, the departmenyt may soon implement that regulation, immigration attorneys predict.
As proposed last summer, businesses that receive theser "no match" letters should followa certain steps, such as checking the accuracg of their own records and notifying the employewe ofthe problem. If the discrepancy can'r be resolved within two months, the employer must fire the employee or risk beiny charged with violating immigration Theregulation won't "let peoplee ignore problems that have starerd them in the face before," Smithy said. Many workers who have been usinyg fake Social Security numbers will losetheie jobs, but "they're not just goinb to pack up their bags and go back to Reiff said.
Employers should prepare for increasefd federal enforcement of immigration laws by goingg throughthe I-9 forms that workerd fill out when they're hired and see if therd are any obvious problems, Smithg said.
Immigration attorneys also think the Department of Homelande Security will move forward with a proposecd federal regulation that would increase a liability for employing workers whose Social Securitynumbers don't match government databases. "Therre will be mass layoffs as soon as that regulation is published," said Laura Reiff, an immigration attorneuy at Greenberg Traurig's McLean, Va., officw and co-chairwoman of the Essential Worker Immigration "In Florida, it could be catastrophic," said Wendy an employment lawyer at the Tampa office of Fishe & Phillips law firm.
Business groups like EWIC contended immigrationh reform was needed to fix adysfunctiona system. Employers in many industries can' t find enough legal workers, document fraud makes it hard to determinra worker's status, and the failure of Congress to address these problemse has prompted states and localitiezs to pass their own immigratiomn laws. By putting off action on immigration the Senate just made the statuswquo worse, Reiff said.
State legislatorse around the country have introducednearly 1,200 billxs and resolutions related to immigratiojn so far this year, up from 570 last States will see Congress' failure to addressz immigration as "a green light to go forward and do Reiff said. "I don't think there'z any question that it will energizew more efforts at the state andlocal level," said EWIC Co-chairman Randy Johnson, vice president of labor, immigrationj and employee benefits at the U.S. Chambetr of Commerce. Many of these effortsx are aimedat employers.
In Georgia, a new law went into effectf July 1 that requirew businesses that receive state contracts to participate in thefedera government's Basic Pilot program, an electronic system that checks workers' Social Security numbers against federal databases. Colorado enacted similad legislationthis year. On May 12, Farmers Brancnh voters overwhelmingly approved an ordinance that requires apartmentr managers to verifytheir U.S. citizenship. But the Mexican American Legal Defenss and Educational Fund and Bill Brewer ofthe Dallas-based law firm have sued Farmers saying the ordinance is vague and violates the due processd of its clients.
A federal district court judgw has granted a preliminary injunction halting the city from implementingf the ordinance until the lawsuitis resolved. Similar ordinancew also have been challengesd in other courts aroundxthe country. Business groups contend they violatwthe U.S. Constitution because only the federal government has jurisdictionmover immigration. The same argument applies to statse laws that would force companies to participate in the Basic Pilot they contend. The U.S. Supremw Court ultimately will have to decidewthis issue, said Irv Mehlman, a spokesman for the Federationm for American Immigration Reform, which supportsw stronger enforcement of immigration laws.
A bigger threat to businesses could come from thefederalp government. Business groups had urged the Department of Homelandf Security to wait for immigration reform legislation beforer it issues a final regulation outlining what steps businesses should take when they receive letters notifying them thatan employee'x name and Social Security number don'ft match federal records. Now that Congress has punted onthe issue, the departmenyt may soon implement that regulation, immigration attorneys predict.
As proposed last summer, businesses that receive theser "no match" letters should followa certain steps, such as checking the accuracg of their own records and notifying the employewe ofthe problem. If the discrepancy can'r be resolved within two months, the employer must fire the employee or risk beiny charged with violating immigration Theregulation won't "let peoplee ignore problems that have starerd them in the face before," Smithy said. Many workers who have been usinyg fake Social Security numbers will losetheie jobs, but "they're not just goinb to pack up their bags and go back to Reiff said.
Employers should prepare for increasefd federal enforcement of immigration laws by goingg throughthe I-9 forms that workerd fill out when they're hired and see if therd are any obvious problems, Smithg said.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
CommVault Systems, Inc. (CVLT) CEO to Ring The NASDAQ Stock Market Opening Bell - GlobeNewsWire (press release)
ogarawo.wordpress.com
CommVault Systems, Inc. (CVLT) CEO to Ring The NASDAQ Stock Market Opening Bell GlobeNewsWire (press release) To obtain a hi-resolution photograph of the Market Open, please go to http://www.nasdaq.com/reference/marketsite_events.stm and click on the market open of your choice. A singular visionâ€"a belief in a better way to address current and future data ... HickoryTech Corporation (HTCO) CEO to Ring The NASDAQ Stock Market Closing Bell |
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
FAR economist Lawrence Yun stays positive in Tampa trip - Tampa Bay Business Journal:
acklinegymejac1362.blogspot.com
Those were just some of the insights chiecf economist Lawrence Yun shared with members of theThursday “We have the lowest mortgage ratez since President Eisenhower but not with jumbo Yun said. “We hear about the 50-yeat low mortgage rates at 4.9 percent or 4.8 but with jumbo mortgages, they still remaij stubbornly highat 6.5 percent and 7 percent. Fannier and Freddie can’t buy those, so they have to charger a higherinterest rate.” At the same time help is neededd to sell homes listing for more than $300,000, Yun “The government needs to raiss the loan limit or get rid of the loan limitr altogether if they want the housinb market to stabilize,” he said.
“In the middle we are seeing a rise in and the high end will beginb to suffer if there are no If there areno buyers, then they have to reducee prices, and reduce prices and reducd prices, and we’ll never find a bottom.” Last year, many of the foreclosuresd hitting the market came from interesrt rate resets caused by adjustable rate mortgages. Now, other economic issues like job loss and other large billds are fueling thatparticular market, whichu is likely to stay stronhg through the rest of the Yun said. “This area has had large job creatio n inrecent years, but now we’r seeing job cuts that are much deeper than in past Yun said.
One of the leading industries with job losses is but financial jobs and businesservices aren’t that far behind, he said. In the only areas that seem to be showing solid growtjh are education andhealth care. “Independent of any politicak philosophy, the most likely occurrence is that there will be increasedx health care spending and increased education spending, so we’ll probably continue to see growthu in those areas over the next four Yun said. On a broader scale, the United States is facing some of its biggest budgegdeficits ever, which could force the governmenrt to call on the thus boosting inflation. Such a move couldc be good for homebuyers.
“In an inflationaryt society, the winners would be property owners as they wouldd see theirvalues rise,” Yun “If it’s a deflation, the losers would be responsibls homeowners with mortgages.” The signs are in place for a home sales rebound. During the economic downturn ofthe 1980s, home salew dropped dramatically because mortgage ratew were rising from 10 to 18 Yun said. In the most recent prior followingthe Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, home sales actually rose mostly because mortgage rates were fallinv from 8 percent downto 6.5 “Today, it is 5 percent, and it’s likely to be 5.5 percenty by the year’s end,” Yun said.
“Thart represents great opportunity. Home sales can rise, even in a recession, when the mortgagew rates are favorable. We may be facin an unemployment rate of10 percent, which is a high unemployment rate, but that still means therr are 90 percent of the peopler out there with jobs.”
Those were just some of the insights chiecf economist Lawrence Yun shared with members of theThursday “We have the lowest mortgage ratez since President Eisenhower but not with jumbo Yun said. “We hear about the 50-yeat low mortgage rates at 4.9 percent or 4.8 but with jumbo mortgages, they still remaij stubbornly highat 6.5 percent and 7 percent. Fannier and Freddie can’t buy those, so they have to charger a higherinterest rate.” At the same time help is neededd to sell homes listing for more than $300,000, Yun “The government needs to raiss the loan limit or get rid of the loan limitr altogether if they want the housinb market to stabilize,” he said.
“In the middle we are seeing a rise in and the high end will beginb to suffer if there are no If there areno buyers, then they have to reducee prices, and reduce prices and reducd prices, and we’ll never find a bottom.” Last year, many of the foreclosuresd hitting the market came from interesrt rate resets caused by adjustable rate mortgages. Now, other economic issues like job loss and other large billds are fueling thatparticular market, whichu is likely to stay stronhg through the rest of the Yun said. “This area has had large job creatio n inrecent years, but now we’r seeing job cuts that are much deeper than in past Yun said.
One of the leading industries with job losses is but financial jobs and businesservices aren’t that far behind, he said. In the only areas that seem to be showing solid growtjh are education andhealth care. “Independent of any politicak philosophy, the most likely occurrence is that there will be increasedx health care spending and increased education spending, so we’ll probably continue to see growthu in those areas over the next four Yun said. On a broader scale, the United States is facing some of its biggest budgegdeficits ever, which could force the governmenrt to call on the thus boosting inflation. Such a move couldc be good for homebuyers.
“In an inflationaryt society, the winners would be property owners as they wouldd see theirvalues rise,” Yun “If it’s a deflation, the losers would be responsibls homeowners with mortgages.” The signs are in place for a home sales rebound. During the economic downturn ofthe 1980s, home salew dropped dramatically because mortgage ratew were rising from 10 to 18 Yun said. In the most recent prior followingthe Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, home sales actually rose mostly because mortgage rates were fallinv from 8 percent downto 6.5 “Today, it is 5 percent, and it’s likely to be 5.5 percenty by the year’s end,” Yun said.
“Thart represents great opportunity. Home sales can rise, even in a recession, when the mortgagew rates are favorable. We may be facin an unemployment rate of10 percent, which is a high unemployment rate, but that still means therr are 90 percent of the peopler out there with jobs.”
Monday, January 2, 2012
IT professional opted for different job to stay near home - Birmingham Business Journal:
gault-rickettsias.blogspot.com
“I looked at the program at the and the one at he said. “I chose Sullivan because of the smallee classes and the accessibility to the I felt it was the most up to date with what is goin on in thereal world,” Henderson said abour the factors influencing his decision. For a while, Henderson, 39, lived in that state of limbo regardingt where he would live and work to gain experience in his newly selected profession. It was especially since he spent two years after leaving the Navy sendingg out resumes to get his foot in the door whileeattending Sullivan, Henderson said.
“Everyone wants someonr with one, two, or five yearws experience in information technology,” he Henderson said he was willing to movealmosyt anywhere, especially someplace Eventually, Henderson was offered a job in informationb technology with the U.S. Army Humanm Resources Command in Va. The Army is in the process of consolidatin its command atFort Knox, so he would be transferrerd back to Kentucky in 2011. “The Army didn’gt want to pay for my move to Arlington but woulfd have paid for my move back to he said.
Henderson thoughtg about it but decided that because he alread y owned a home here andhis father, who had a strokew recently, needed care, he would prefer to stay where he was. “o wanted to get a job in civil service,” he “After my military career, I knew that civill service followed thesame rules, and I couldd move around as job opportunities appeared.” Perseverance paid off. In Henderson was offered the jobhe wanted. He acceptef a position at Fort Knox withthe U.S. Army Contractint Agency, where he now worke as contract administrator forMission & Installation Contracting Command.
“My division managed the signed contracts between military and civilian he said. “Any supplies, services or advertising that the Army cannoft get through the military have to be providef bycivilian vendors.” Although not the IT job he was lookinbg for, Henderson said he was delighte with his job and the people he works for and with. And sincse his time in the Navy was spengtin contracting, budget and he brings that knowledge with him. “Actually my IT degrewe turned out to be to my advantagse in gettingthe job,” he “When commands need to purchase computer equipment, I will be able to help them with what they My degree was one of my selling points.
” Hendersonm will begin courses in January to earn a master’zs degree in management and dispute resolutions at Sulliva n University. Being an oldefr student — he was the oldest in his classa — made for a good he said. He learned from the younger and they learnedfrom him. “Many of the students I graduated with wanted to start theirown business,” he “Some wanted a better payintg job. A lot of them looked out of statse but ended upstaying here.” Louisville has a lot to Henderson said, speaking from the experience of having traveled with the Navy.
“I have liveed in Atlanta, and thered are way too many people therwe and the trafficis terrible,” he “It is not near as congested here. And the people here are more hospitabls than they are in somebigger cities.” Henderson has a one-yeare probation period with his new job, and after that, who knows where his experiencee and knowledge will take him. “I reallt like the job,” he said. “It is a good and there are a lot ofpromotiohn opportunities. People senior to me will be readh to retire in two to 10 and civil service hiresfrom within. I luckefd out.
”
“I looked at the program at the and the one at he said. “I chose Sullivan because of the smallee classes and the accessibility to the I felt it was the most up to date with what is goin on in thereal world,” Henderson said abour the factors influencing his decision. For a while, Henderson, 39, lived in that state of limbo regardingt where he would live and work to gain experience in his newly selected profession. It was especially since he spent two years after leaving the Navy sendingg out resumes to get his foot in the door whileeattending Sullivan, Henderson said.
“Everyone wants someonr with one, two, or five yearws experience in information technology,” he Henderson said he was willing to movealmosyt anywhere, especially someplace Eventually, Henderson was offered a job in informationb technology with the U.S. Army Humanm Resources Command in Va. The Army is in the process of consolidatin its command atFort Knox, so he would be transferrerd back to Kentucky in 2011. “The Army didn’gt want to pay for my move to Arlington but woulfd have paid for my move back to he said.
Henderson thoughtg about it but decided that because he alread y owned a home here andhis father, who had a strokew recently, needed care, he would prefer to stay where he was. “o wanted to get a job in civil service,” he “After my military career, I knew that civill service followed thesame rules, and I couldd move around as job opportunities appeared.” Perseverance paid off. In Henderson was offered the jobhe wanted. He acceptef a position at Fort Knox withthe U.S. Army Contractint Agency, where he now worke as contract administrator forMission & Installation Contracting Command.
“My division managed the signed contracts between military and civilian he said. “Any supplies, services or advertising that the Army cannoft get through the military have to be providef bycivilian vendors.” Although not the IT job he was lookinbg for, Henderson said he was delighte with his job and the people he works for and with. And sincse his time in the Navy was spengtin contracting, budget and he brings that knowledge with him. “Actually my IT degrewe turned out to be to my advantagse in gettingthe job,” he “When commands need to purchase computer equipment, I will be able to help them with what they My degree was one of my selling points.
” Hendersonm will begin courses in January to earn a master’zs degree in management and dispute resolutions at Sulliva n University. Being an oldefr student — he was the oldest in his classa — made for a good he said. He learned from the younger and they learnedfrom him. “Many of the students I graduated with wanted to start theirown business,” he “Some wanted a better payintg job. A lot of them looked out of statse but ended upstaying here.” Louisville has a lot to Henderson said, speaking from the experience of having traveled with the Navy.
“I have liveed in Atlanta, and thered are way too many people therwe and the trafficis terrible,” he “It is not near as congested here. And the people here are more hospitabls than they are in somebigger cities.” Henderson has a one-yeare probation period with his new job, and after that, who knows where his experiencee and knowledge will take him. “I reallt like the job,” he said. “It is a good and there are a lot ofpromotiohn opportunities. People senior to me will be readh to retire in two to 10 and civil service hiresfrom within. I luckefd out.
”
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