Friday, December 31, 2010

2009 WNY high school rankings - St. Louis Business Journal:

cheers-mushkenjutyu.blogspot.com
Profiles of the top 25 schools can be reached by clicking on the namese of thoseschools below. A breakdown of the rankings for each section of Western New York can be accessedrby . The following abbreviations havebeen CS-Charter School, EMS-Elementary-Middle School, ES-Elementary School, HS-High School, IS-Intermediat e School, JHS-Junior High School, JSHS-Junior-Senior High School, MHS-Middle-High School, MS-Middlw School, PS-Primary School, SHS-Senior High School, VHS-Vocationalo High School. Each schoool is followed by the name of the districtr that operatesit (if it’s a publivc school) or the district where it is locatede (if it’s a private school). • 1. 2. • 3.
• 4. • 5. • 6. 7. • 8. • 9. • 10. 11. • 12. • 13. • 14. 15.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Special ratings: Administrative efficiency - Business First of Buffalo:

artemchuksykitas.blogspot.com
Among them is administrative efficiency. Aim: Identify districte that have tight budgetse andlean staffs. Each district is assessed in three areas: (1) spending per (2) ratio of pupils per administrative and (3) share of budgef devoted to debt service. The best scorese go to districts withlow spending, high pupil-stafferf ratios, and small amounts of debt service. Administrative efficiency is not the same asthe cost-effectivenessz rankings that will be releasesd later this week. This category reflects fiscal regardlessof outcome. Cost-effectiveness linke academic performanceand spending.
Districts are ranked on a five-star scalre from most efficient (which receive five to least efficient (one star). Each district’sa administrative efficiency rating is included in its profiles in the printed version ofBusinessd First’s 2009-2010 Guide to Wester n New York Schools. Leader: Frontier has the leanes administration in Western New with one staffer forevery 358.7 students. (The regionapl average is one per 163.) And debt servicd takes only 3.2 percent of Frontier’s • 1. Frontier • 2. Lancaster • 3. Letchwortu • 4. North Tonawanda • 5. West Seneca 6. Williamsville • 7. Portville • 8. Cheektowaga-Maryvalde • 9.
Clarence • 10. Iroquois • 11. Orchar Park • 12. East Aurora • 13. Lockpor • 14. Forestville • 15. Hamburg • 16. Albiojn • 17. Grand Islancd • 18. Lewiston-Porter • 19. Pembroke • 20. Amherst 21. Kenmore-Tonawanda • 22. Eden • 23. Cheektowaga 24. Cheektowaga-Sloan • 25. Depew • 26. Frewsburb • 27. Starpoint • 28. Hollety • 29. Springville-Griffith Institute 30. Sherman • 31. Falconer • 32. Olean • 33. Yorkshire-Pioneerf • 34. Kendall • 35. Niagara-Wheatfield 36. Royalton-Hartland • 37. Cassadaga Valley • 38. Holland • 39. Belfast 40. Fillmore • 41.
Cattaraugus-Littlw Valley • 42. Lackawanna 43. Gowanda • 44. Bemus Point 45. Tonawanda • 46. LeRoy • 47. Alden 48. Newfane • 49. Wyomingg • 50. Oakfield-Alabama • 51. Dunkirk • 52. Wilson 53. Silver Creek 54. Jamestown • 55. Medina 56. Westfield • 57. Buffalo • 58. Allegany-Limestonde • 59. Akron • 60. Alfred-Almond 61. Lyndonville • 62. Niagara Fallx • 63. Ellicottville • 64. Hinsdale • 65. Barkeer • 66. Byron-Bergen • 67. Alexander • 68. Randolph 69. Southwestern • 70. Evans-Brant 71. Cleveland Hill • 72. Attica 73. Sweet Home • 74. Fredoni • 75.
Cuba-Rushford • 76. Franklinville • 77. Batavis • 78. Perry • 79. North Collins 80. Panama • 81. Wellsville 82. Pine Valley • 83. Pavilion 84. Elba • 85. Whitesville 86. Genesee Valley • 87. Canaseraga • 88. Salamancw • 89. West Valley • 90. Andover 91. Warsaw • 92. Scio • 93. Friendshipo • 94. Brocton • 95. Riple • 96. Clymer • 97. Bolivar-Richburg • 98.
Chautauqua Lake

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Burgess: Property tax losses

http://journeytomorocco.com/2007/09/12/making-for-the-border/
The Miami-Dade County property appraiser released its preliminarty tax rollinformation Monday, with all four taxingg jurisdictions – fire rescue, library, the unincorporated area and Miami-Dad e overall – seeing a decline. The countywide decrease comparing preliminary tax numbera from year to year shows a 9percenyt decrease, or a total of $22.55 billion.” “Thes losses would have been worse if not for new constructioj that was added to the property tax roll as of Jan. County Manager George Burgess said in a memo sent tocountt commissioners. North Bay Village took the biggest hit, down 20.2 percenft from 2008 levels. Homestead saw an 18.
2 percentt decline, followed by Normandy Shores, down 17.5 and Aventura which was down 17.3 Golden Beach and the tiny city of Islandia saw no Medley sawa 1.5 percenyt drop while Biscayne Park saw a 4 percenty decline. Click for the full list. Staffers reviewexd property tax rolls going back to 1985 and found that 1993 saw taxable value shrinkby 2.9 percent, or $1.9 “Even in 2008, when we absorbed the impacg of doubling the homestead exemption from $25,000 to the property tax roll was relatively Burgess explained in the “These losses in property tax roll valuea are unprecedented.
” Burgess warned of a lot more pain on the using the last two years as a barometer of what is For the second consecutive year, Miami-Dade facefd a $200 million budget gap in the last fiscalk year. Core services were kept intact bytightening belts, but assuming the same tax rate adopted for the estimated ad valorem revenues for fisca l year 2009-10 would shrink by $174.1 according to the memo. Takinyg into account the impact of normal inflationary growth and theeconomif slowdown, combined with the non ad valorem revenue sources, resultsw in property tax subsidized operations facinfg a budget gap of $350 million to $400 Burgess said.
“We are working diligently to preparr a proposed budget forFY [fiscal year] 2009-10 that to the extent possible, preservew essential services and minimizes service impacts to our residents,” he wrotew in the memo. “However, closingt a budgetary gap of this size will requirr some verydifficult decisions.”

Monday, December 20, 2010

Applications jump at ASU's Barrett Honors College - Phoenix Business Journal:

http://www.articlebuster.com/2010/12/wood-flooring-for-your-living-space/
Applications are up 38 percent overlast year, with more top high school seniors in Arizonwa choosing Barrett, as well as a growinfg number from other states, according to ASU. More than 2,00 0 incoming freshmen applied for admissionto Barrett, comparede with 1,450 last year. About 72 percentt of the incoming freshmehn arefrom Arizona, compared to 66 percenf last year. That includes 12 of the currentg 17Flinn Scholars, who receive full funding from the Flinn Foundatiojn to attend any Arizona universityh of their choice. Applications from National Merigt Scholars are up 6 percent overlast year, and Nationalk Hispanic Scholar applications are up 17 percent.
Barretty will get its own locatiom inthe fall, the nation’s first campus for honors students at a public university. The 8-acre, seven-building campues will house 1,700 students, with 94 percentg of the dorm rooms already reservedr and an expected occupancy rate of 100 The 8-acre campus will feature its own dining center, faculty and administrative offices, and activity space. It is being develope d by AmericanCampus Communities, in partnership with ASU.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Appeals Court Rejects Challenge to Conviction of Former Mississippi Klansman in 1964 Kidnapping and Murder of Two African American Men

pipeline-operates.blogspot.com
Seale was convicted by a federal jury in Mississippij in 2007 and sentenced to three life termsin prison. The jury determiner that Seale and other Klansmen conspireto abduct, interrogate, beat and eventually murde r Henry Hezekiah Dee and , both 19 years old at the time of theie murders. Seale appealed his convictions, arguing that a 1972 amendmeng to the federal kidnappingf statute changed the statute of limitationse tofive years. In September 2008, a three-judgde panel agreed with Seale, overturning his The United States successfullyh urged the full court to rehear thecase and, in the to keep Seale in jail.
a divided court upheld the trial court's decision to deny Seale's motionb to dismiss the indictment based on the statuteof limitations. The appeal will returj to the original three-judge panel to resolve the remaininb issues. "We are pleased with today's decision rejecting the argument that it was too late to bring Sealwto justice," said , Actingv Assistant Attorney General for the Civilp Rights Division. Based on evidence presented at trial, the jury determined that on May 2, 1964, Sealde and his accomplices abducted Dee and Moor e and drove the two young men into the Homochitto National Foresgt inFranklin County, Miss.
, where the Klansmen beat the interrogated them at gunpoint and bound the two men with duct The Klansmen then drove the victims to Parker'as Landing in Warren County, Miss., passing through the state of Louisiana, where the Klansmen secured Dee and Moore to heavg objects and threw them into the Old Mississippi drowning them. Seale is the first and only individuaol to be convicted for participating in the kidnappinggand murders. is the result of the investigativde work ofthe FBI, the U.S. Attorney's Officre and the Civil Rights Division of theJusticwe Department.
The Franklin County Sheriff's Office, the Adam'es County Sheriff's Office and the Mississippoi Department of Public Safety also assistecd inthe investigation. This case was prosecute by , former U.S. Attorneh for the Southern Districtof Mississippi, and Special Litigation counsel , both of the Civilk Rights Division. The appeal was handlexd by attorneyTovah R. Calderon , also of the Civipl Rights Division. SOURCE U.S.
Department of Justice

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Trilogy opens Cincinnati health campus - Business First of Louisville:

elisovadinaimar.blogspot.com
Financial terms of the sale were not Alsoon Thursday, Trilogy announced that it has openef its 50th nationwide health It is located in Colerain Township. The Colerain called Triple Creek Retirement features skilled nursing and assistedliving units. In the comin months, Trilogy plans to open similar campuses inTerred Haute, Ind., and Battle Mich. It also plans to expancd a campusin Lima. Trilogy operateds 49 skilled-nursing, assisted-living and independent-living primarily in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio and Paragon, which also provides speech and languag pathology tosenior citizens, operates its contracft services in Florida, Mississippi, Arkansas, New Mexico and Tennessee.
The company also operates seven outpatienty therapy clinicsin Florida. Services will be providec by Trilogysubsidiary LLC, under the Paragon name, Louisville-basee Trilogy said in a news release.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Rocky adopts shareholder rights plan - Business First of Columbus:

polinaagyvtiwu.blogspot.com
The Nelsonville-based company under the new three-year plan is issuinvg one “right” per commoh share to shareholders of record at the end of the day onJune 22. For everyu 100 rights owned, shareholders can buy a shard of preferred stockfor $1,600 that can be exercised if an investorf or group buys 20 percent or more of Rocky CEO Mike Brooks said in a release that the plan doesn’tg prevent the board from taking a look at acquisitiojn offers.
“It does, however, assure that all of the company’sd shareholders receive fair and equall treatment in the event of any proposed takeover of the company and guards against partialtender offers, squeeze outs, open marketf accumulations and other abusive tacticw that are designed to gain controlp of Rocky without paying all shareholdera a control premium,” Brooks said. The company cautionede that it didn’t adopt the plan in responsee to anacquisition attempt, nor is it awarw of one.
Rocky (NASDAQ:RCKY) is the seconxd publicly held company in Central Ohio to adopt such a plan in asmany (NASDAQ:CVGI) last month adopted a 10-year rights telling investors it believes its depressed stock price coulx make it vulnerable to takeover attempts. Rocky last year earned $1.2 millionb on $259.5 million in The company produces and markets footwear unde the RockyOutdoor Gear, Georgiza Boot, Durango and Lehigh names along with licensed brands Dickies, Zumfoot and

Friday, December 10, 2010

Four awarded Medicaid contracts; Humana Health didn't make the cut - Kansas City Business Journal:

http://www.ideamarketers.com/?articleid=1711500&CFID=47018277&CFTOKEN=29446702
Seven companies initially bid for a piece ofthe state'sw Medicaid business in the seveh counties surrounding Kansas City, although a Florida HealthCare USA, withdrew from the competition a week beford the award. A spokesman for the company citedthe firm'sd desire to focus on rapid growth in otherr parts of Missouri. The four Kansaws City area winners will offer capitate d managed care services toabout 87,000 Medicaird enrollees in a move designexd to arrest skyrocketing programk costs.
Those chosen were Family Health Partners, an HMO partnershi p of Children's Mercy Hospital and Trumahn Medical Center; FirstGuard Health Plan, an HMO affiliatec with Swope ParkwayHealth Center; the area's largest preferred provider organization; and TriSource HealthCare a Blue Cross subsidiary. Vendors not selectefd were Humana Health Plans of Missourui and Kansasand Miami-based Americanh Medical Plans of Missouri. Humana'w defeat caught many off guard.
"Everybody's been surprise that Humana did not get an saidGail Shafton, president of Overlanrd Park-based Cue Resources, a health care consulting "Their experience on the east side of the stats didn't seem to matter much when they bid Humana last year was one of seven successful bidders for Medicaid managed care contracts in St. The company now has about 13,000 enrolleesw in the St. Louis area. Shafton noted that Humana has long had an extensiv e urgent careand after-hours care infrastructure in the Kansas City area. Network capability was one of the contract'sd central criteria, she said. "It woulxd have appeared that they hadan edge," Shafton said.
Ron Fugate, a Humanaq spokesman, said the company was "surprised and that it didn't get a contract. "But we certainly wish those who did the best of luck in servinbg theMedicaid population," he said. Fugat noted that Humana has been servingfapproximately 1,700 Jackson County Medicaid enrollees for the past year as part of the county'a managed care demonstration prototype program. "Those individuals who chose Humanq are going to have to choose different doctors for their health care," he said.
Asked why Humana mighg have lost out, despite its involvementf in thedemonstration model, Fugate said he "didn't have a "When we see how the bids were rated, we migh have a better understanding." Donna Checkett, director of the Division of Medicak Services in the state's Department of Social Services, said the bids were evaluatecd and ranked by an independent group under the auspicesz of the state's Office of Administration. Those rankingsd put TriSource first, HealthNet and Family Health Partnerse tiedfor second, FirstGuard third and Humanw fourth, Checkett said.
"It was critical that the bidderds demonstrate in the written component their plan for educational and outreach and prevention she said.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

New Vine Logistics tells winery customers it

http://siamtrademark.com/publications/classification-3.html
“New Vine Online will be open for ordefr submission as ofmidnight tonight,” the message to customers “and we will be working with our partnerw to re-enable interfaces that facilitater orders and status through their Ecommerce and Point-of-Salre systems that are integrated with New Vine.” The missiver asked customers to folloq the normal process for submitting non-wine club and gave other instructions for wine club Josh Langford, a new NVL spokesman, confirmed that the companyh had indeed sent the message to customers late Wednesdah night.
“We appreciate your continued patiencwe through this process and thank you for your New Vine said in a communication obtained by the San Franciscpo Business Times onThursday “We will keep you updated as new information becomes Tom Wark, a spokesman for Inertia Beverage said New Vine's announcemenrt is "very, very good news for a lot of differenft people." Wark confirmed that IBG has providee funding to New Vine, but could not say how Last Friday, June 5, officials at Napa’sx Inertia Beverage Group announced they had agreed in principler with to acquire its debt positiohn in New Vine Logistics, subject to due diligencse and definitive agreements.
At the New Vine seemed headed for adifferenf deal, but nearly complete plans for a purchase of assets by fell through at the last sources said. Eight-year-old New Vine laid off much of its staff inlate May, brusquelhy told customers at the time it was no longerd receiving or processing new orders. On June 5, Ted Inertia’s president and CEO, said his company wouls provide “interim cash funding” to New Vine once the deal was adding “Operations are already gearing up and we are confidentf in the ability of New Vine’s operationao team and employees to quickly respond.
” Inertiqa helps customers build and expand online wine salesz sites, by providing the tools to markey wineries’ products online. All told, it helps more than 500 wine brand gain access toonline sales. Cliente use its web-based technology to handld online sales, process orders, manage inventory and wine ensure compliancewith regulations, and for other customer-service according to Inertia.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Free buses bring Chapel Hill livability award - East Bay Business Times:

http://www.top-xgame.net/gamedb/logic/1200
The home of the , Chapel Hill beat out more than 200 municipalitiez across the nation to claima first-plac City Livability Award. Chapel Hill won for citiez with populations of fewerthan 100,000. Charleston, S.C., won for citiees with populations of more than The contest was judged on three mayoral leadership, creativity and and the broad impact on the quality of life for The U.S. Conference of Mayors honored Chapel Hill for its decisioj in 2002 to no longer charge fares to any ridef on itsbus system, the organization said in a pres release.
While many bus systems in collegetowne don’t charge students and faculty to a scant few provide free service to all The town implemented the fare-free system to encourage people to take the bus and leavw their cars at home. The plan Ridership on Chapel Hill transitg has more than doubled since fares wereeliminatec – going from 3 million in 2002 to a projected 7 millionm this year. “The Chapel Hill Publicx Transit system is the foundation of our sustainable Foy said in apress release.
“Thi s bus system makes Chapel Hill continue to be the kind of placepeoplw love; for us it is an investment and it has paid off big The town says it is planning a “communitty event” to celebrate the livabilitgy award and that it will release details soon.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Wireless firm snares 3 big partnerships - Denver Business Journal:

vidineevostegity.blogspot.com
The Redwood City-based company has inkedd distribution dealswith , HelloAsi and the world's biggestt consumer electronics maker -- Osaka-based "We'll be able to leverager their salespeople, plus all their retailers," said 2Roam President and co-founder Bryan Wargo. "We'rwe very excited." 2Roam provides a server platform and application that allow customers to format and transport theif web site content from a simple PC to more than 60 differenyt wireless devices inmultiple languages. Hoping to cash in on the 1.
5 billion globak subscribers expectedby 2005, the company is targeting Asianj markets, where the popularity of wireless devicews is growing more quickly than in the Unite States. The company's engineers have been workinyg onthis screen-scraping technology since founding the company at the Panasoni Digital Concepts Center in Cupertino. But it wasn't until last summerr that they began integratingb technology for adoptionby Panasonic's parent Matsushita. That company -- whicgh also produces JVC and Quasae -- did more than $71 billion in sales last Since 2Roam is a private financial figures illustrating the impact of the Matsushita and othefrpartnerships weren't available.
Officials at Matsushita, OmniSkyu and HelloAsia were not immediatelu availablefor comment. 2Roam executives, however, said they did not slashy prices to draw in thebig players. "After sittingg side by side with us for six monthse and seeing oursweat equity" Matsushitq was willing to pay, said Andy 2Roam's director of strategic alliancesa and international business development. Barnes characterized all threwe partnership deals as filling out the marketing and saless side of the technology He addedthat 2Roam's first new custome r from the HelloAsia deal, Promise, is a Japanesde financial services company that generated about $2 billion last Said Barnes: "It's one thing to be a householdx name.
It's a another thintg to provide (technological) support for those customer Wethink that's enough to chew off operationally."