Hawaii rental car companies fight state

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Senate Bill 1611 would increase the rental motorf vehicle surchargefrom $2 to $3 per day, effectivel y guaranteeing a $45 million annua l deposit into the state’s highway But a bad economy is not the time to add to businesx costs and tourist expenses, U-drivse industry members say, even when it’as for a cause like improving state roads. “It makes our products that much more said Jim Stoneof . “It’s not like we can just absorh it — the industry is having a rouggh time. With the credit crunch, buying and financing vehiclewsis difficult. And it’s hard to go to the bank when your stocjis tanking.
” The rental car surchargw is one of four components of SB a road tax bill intended to help the state Department of Transportation fund its six-year, $4.6 billioj highways modernization plan. Many including U-drive companies, that rely on vehicled fleets to deliver goods and services opposer the otherthree components: increases in the state fuel tax, and vehiclwe registration and weight fees. With approximately 50,000 to 70,000 rentall vehicles in Hawaii, and at an averagw of $170 per vehicle, the revenue from those taxex and fees could easilytotak $10 million.
It is the surcharge component, however, that has united the industry Local representatives ofThe , DTG Operationxs (Dollar Rent a Car and Thrift Car Rental), , the Avis , Enterprise Rent A Car and all opposr the legislation. “At $3 per day, this tax is equivalenft to about 10 percent of revenues collected from each rentalin Hawaii, and gives Hawaii one of the highesrt car rental tax regimes in the country,” Aaron general manager of Hertz in Hawaii, testified this week.
“In fact, it makes it the highestr tax regime of its kind amongy competing tourist destinations in the United Michael Oh, chairman of Catrala-Hawaii’s legislative committee and a regionalk financial manager with Alamo, said Florida’s car rentao surcharge is $2. “Why do you want to raise higher, since that will only further detef tourism?” Oh asked. “I think this is going to help saidBrennon Morioka, director of the state D.O.T. “Traffic at midda now is as bad as it was at peak rush hour 10yeares ago. The last thing visitors headinf to the North Shore or visitod attractions want to do is sitin traffic.
” Oh believed U-drives are being singled out, pointinbg out that a $3 temporary tax was first implementex in 1999 and extended each time it was to lapse. (The curreng “sunset” date is 2011.) He also worries that the will try to raisethe $3 tax to $5. That coulc happen. Morioka said D.O.T.’s preferenced is indeed for the $5 as was initially proposed. But Moriokq said the road taxes are fairly well-distributed. He also accepts compromise language that will put all revenuese into the state highway fund rather than separate what is currently collecte d from what could come from the The D.O.T.
will lobby for reinstatement of bill languag that says the tax increasee will not go into effect until the stater sees two consecutive quarters ofeconomic growth. The so-called economix trigger clause was removed by lawmakers hungryfor revenue. SB 1611 has the backinvg of the Lingle administration and SenatreDemocratic leaders. The only no votes have come fromminority

The Business Review (Albany): Albany Commercial Real Estate Listings - View Commercial Real Estate

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New Boston Fairmont rolls out 'gold' plan - Boston Business Journal:

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The hotel opened in A Fairmont spokeswoman said with the addition of FairmontGold program, the hotelp opening is complete and all of the hotel’s planned services are in “It’s the final piece of the opening,” said Suzannwe Wenz, a spokeswoman for the The service, called Fairmont Gold, caters to “the needs of the most discerninv corporate or leisure guests, with the highesty level of personalized service,” according to a Fairmont pressw release.
Fairmont Gold includes conciergee service, private registration and use ofthe “exclusive Gold Lounge privileges come with complimentary continental evening hors d’ oeuvres, free coffee and tea all day and an bar which allows guests to pay for drinkzs on an honor system. Concierge staff will make dinner reservationx or arrangebusiness services. Therd is also a business centedr and free wirelessInternet access. Fairmont Gold is a servicd that’s available in a separate building that contains 40 ofthe hotel’sd 150 rooms. The Fairmont Gold servicd is also offered at The Fairmont Copley Plazq in Boston and other selectFairmont hotels.

USDA grants funds for rural energy projects - South Florida Business Journal:

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“The demand for energy is risinyg every year and our funding progran will help agriculture producers and ruralksmall businesses,” said Eric Vigil, New Mexico Ruralk Development’s water and environmental programs acting state Vigil said renewable energies, such as solar, biomass and geothermall will qualify under the program’a directives. “The program is [also] geared toward energg efficiency and we expect to find interesty from applicants who want to initiatwe a variety of different Vigil added. Some energyy efficient initiatives that would qualify include installiny wind turbines andsolar panels.
Establishing anaerobic digesters and creatinhgmore energy-efficient agricultural production by upgrading windows, insulation, boilerw and lighting also will qualify under the terms of the Especially important this according to officials, is a new section that financews feasibility studies — which can includs money for meteorological towers. These “mety towers” help locate the strongest wind area so that wind turbineds can be mostadvantageousl placed. The applications require a completed energy assessment orenerggy audit. Unlike previous years, the cost of the audift or assessment will be paid for bythe government, should the applicang be successful.
This year, loan limitxs have increased. The deadline for applicationas isJuly 31. More information about the program can be founed onits , or by e-mailinfg Jesse Monfort Bopp, the rural energy coordinator, at jesse.bopp@nm.usda.gov.

Ridgefield Symphony offers classical sampler - Danbury News Times

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Ridgefield Symphony offers classical sampler Danbury News Times The Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra's program Saturday night was a kind of tasting menu, a classical music sampler. Mostly single movements from larger works, for variously sized instrumental forces, filled the evening in Ridgefield High School's ... and more »

Landmark health care bill passes out of committee - Houston Business Journal:

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The expanded coverage would be funded by new or higher taxes onhealth insurers, hospitals and Medicaifd managed care plans, under House Bill 2116, whicg passed out of the House Revenuee Committee by a 6-4 vote on Thursday. By raisinhg more than $150 million per year, the state woulds be eligible for $500 million in unclaimeed federal funds. Under the compromisse measure, far fewer adults will be insuree thanthe 100,000 that proponents of expandecd health care originally targeted. Hospitals, which now pay a tax of .63 can expect a fourfold tax hike in thecoming year.
The hospitalk tax will be indexed to increased reimbursements that they can expecr to receive whenthe state’s Medicaid population with the aim of creating a revenue neutrapl impact on hospitals. Health plans and insurers will also pay a 1 percent tax on commercialinsuranc premiums. Opponents to the measure, largelty negotiated in closed meetings betweejn Legislators and health care industry called it a backroom “The real losers from the Democrats’ predatory premiuj tax of 1 percent of grosw premiums are the employees of small to mediukm sized businesses, who are the very peopler most likely to lose theif coverage because of the rapidly rising costs of healthn insurance,” said Rep.
Ron R-Grants Pass in a news release. But hospital groups, whicyh had loudly criticized earlier versionws ofthe bill, applauded the measure that left committew on Thursday. “This is a great day for the uninsurexin Oregon,” said Andy Van Pelt, spokesman for the and Healty Systems. “Hospitals came together with legislative leaderse to forge a solution that gets us started on covering more Oregonian than wedo today.” Now the full House takese up the bill.
The Legislature hopes to adjourbn by the endof

Investors plan to reopen Five Points Music Hall - Birmingham Business Journal:

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Jeff Manns, member of the Birmingham-basefd band U.S. and operator of several musicx clubsin Jackson, Miss., said he and a groul of others will reopen the club in about a month to its former glory. The site in Five Points South was home to a formetr music club with the same name that featuref local and national acts and later home toBananaa Joe’s, which closed last year after publicc outcry over a late-night shooting in the parkingh lot. Manns said security concernds will be addressed with additional securityh staff andthe club’s only entrance will be through the fronr on 20th Street South, not in the back.
Afterd minor renovations, he Five Points South’s newest addition will featurw a live music venue for a variety of including country, rock and jazz and an oyster pub. Mannws said plans call for the pub to front 20th Streetg and be open seven days a while the live music venue will be open only when acts are Last week, the Birmingham City Council approved the club’s liquor license. And as the grand openinfg act for the Five PointsMusicv Hall, Manns said he’s currently working on nabbing saxophonist David Sanborn.

Yahoo! confirms WNY site - Wichita Business Journal:

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Yahoo!, Tuesday morning, confirmed it will be building the 190,000-square-foot center that could initially, 125 people. Yahoo! has pegged a 30-acre site in the park for the Yahoo!’s decision is considered a majore victory, especially against a backdroo of a weakened economy where unemployment has increased in past year in Erie Countgyto 8.1 percent from 5.5 percent and in Niagara County to 9.3 percenft from 6.6 percent. “This is a big win for the community,” said Tom president and chiefexecutivde officer. “We won the day.” Yahoo!! was being courted by several statedsincluding Ohio, Pennsylvania and Illinois for the All offered a handsome array of incentives.
“Whej a high tech company like Yahoo! picks a community like WesternNew York, it’sx like a lighthouse,” said Sen. Charles Schumer, New York’se senior senator, who played a key role in Lockport landing the data The region crafted its own aggressivse incentive package including the offering 15 megawattsof low-cosft hydropower that could save Yahoo!! an estimated $100 million over a 15-year period. also offered job training grants and other High level pitches also camefrom Gov. David Paterson and Schumer made personal callsto Yahoo!
CEO Carol Bartzs to push the Kucharski said it also helpedx that the region offered a half-dozen sites and not just a singulat location. It also helped that a friendship quickly developed between theYahoo ! site selection team and the local economic developmen t community. “We developed a nice relationshilp with them and that helped makethis happen,” Kucharski “They were impressed that every time they called, we coulr assemble our team on a very shortg notice and give them the answers they wanted.” Constructionb on the data center will begin in August, said David Dibble, Yahoo! senior vice president. The center will be open by May.
Kucharskk said there is a myriad positives that will comefrom Yahoo!’s decision. The BNE will use it in its outreacgh to other companies itis courting, he “It confirms our ability to attract high tech and high profile Kucharski said. “To get a name company like Yahoo says a lot to the rest of the industrieesout there.” Yahoo! joins the ranksd of , that have either opened or expanded back officd operations in the regionn in recent years. “You add it into the mix of the some of the othedrcompanies we’ve landed and it becomes a very impressives list,” Kucharski said.

bizjournals: Pay gap between men, women varies strikingly by occupation -- bizjournals.com

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That phrase has been federal law for nearly half a ever since enactment of the Equal Pay Actof 1963. Expertss still disagree about the law's impact. Some contend that its goal of equalitg hasbecome reality, while others insist that a larg wage gap remains between male and femaled workers. What is clear, as showmn by a new bizjournals study ongendefr equity, is that the balance between the sexews varies dramatically by occupation. Men and women are essentiallyg equal inmany fields, especially food services, educatiohn and transportation. But they're far apart in heavuy industry, skilled trades and childs care.
Bizjournals , searching for jobs that employexd men and women in roughlyg equal numbers at comparableepay levels. The study was basedd on data compiled bythe U.S. Bureau of Labort Statistics. Coming closest to the ideal of equality is an occupation officially classifiedas "dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers," commonly known as buserz and assistant bartenders. A total of 380,000o of these restaurant workers are employex acrossthe country. They aren't paid much, typically $318 per week for full-timd employees, yet both sexes are basicallhy on an even Menhold 51.5 percent of these women 48.5 percent. And the gende difference in their weekly paychecksx isjust 4.
5 percent, with womeb having a slight advantage of $14 ($32i to $314 for men). The runners-up in gender equitg are food preparation workers, secondary school teachers, cookd and stock clerks. Each of thesd occupations is closely dividec between male andfemale workers, thoughj men receive slightly larger paychecks at all making 3 percent to 9.2 percent extra. . The largesy disparity between the sexes, on the other hand, existds among the nation's 367,000 bus and truck mechanics and diesel-enginw specialists. Only 3,300 women have ventured into this 0.9 percent of its total workforce.
That's the smallest female representationb in any of the 112 occupations covered by the Other jobs that rank in the bottok five for gender equity are auto operating engineers, plumbers and Women account for just 1.6 to 1.9 percent of the employees in each of theser groups. The tables are turned for the occupation withthe sixth-worsgt equity score, preschool and kindergarten Women hold almost 675,000 of these men less than or 2.3 percent of the total. , according to Views differ as to why such disparitiex remain decades after pay equality becamefederal law.
"The wage gap in part, because many women and people of color are still segregated into afew low-paying occupations, " contends the (NCPE), a coalition of women'se and civil rights groups. NCPE acknowledges that womeb sometimes make less money than men becausse of differences in experienceand education. But the broader it says, is that women historically have been funneledxinto sales, clerical and service jobs: "It is attributable to In other words, certain jobs pay less becausr they are held by women and people of color." The opposite camp insists that men and women do draw equal pay when their resumew and responsibilities are comparable.
Wage disparities are only according to this because men seem more willing to ente r technical fields or tackle dangerous jobs that pay while women are more likelt to leave the workforce to care fortheire families. "Women tend to trade income for flexibility, family and safety," says , author of a 2005 book, "Why Men Earn The Startling Truth Behind the PayGap -- and What Womeb Can Do About It." Bizjournals used a two-parg formula to rate each occupation's level of gendet equity, based on employment trends and medianb pay. The lower the resulting the closer the job comes to perfect Dining room and cafeteria attendants earnede thebest score, 6.
0 with bus and truck mechanics at the opposite end of the 90.8 points.

Eddie Bauer declares bankruptcy - Nashville Business Journal:

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had struggled with its debt — a crisis that worsenedd as revenue dropped, part of an overall trened affecting most retailers duringthe recession. The companuy has lost nearly a half billion dollars in the pastthrer years. Those losses, coupled with the impact of the recession and debt payments apparently pushed the company into bankruptcyhcourt — a move that was rumorexd for months. Eddie Bauer became the latest major retailedr to succumb to filing in bankruptcy court this The list also includesLinens ‘n Circuit City and Northwest retailer , whichn sold its assets to a liquidator in April and closed 31 In many ways, Eddie Bauer’s crisise is not different from what most retailersd are facing during this prolonged and deep recession, said Greg an Atlanta-based consultant for Conway MacKenzie who workds with financially stressed retailers looking to restructure.
Most retailers — except discount stores like Wal-Mart — have seen a fast drop-ofvf in retail revenue across the Charleston said. Many of the specialty retail department stores haveseen double-digit same-storde sales declines, he said. “When revenued drops and same-store sales drop, companies with less debt can weather a downturjmuch longer,” Charleston said. “It becomes an issue much soonerf if you are intoliquidity issues.” As of May 11, Eddiwe Bauer reported having $289.5 million in outstanding including $187.
8 million in term loans and $75 million in convertible notes, which company executivea have been trying to persuade debt-holders to convert into shares of the company. According to a filintg with the , Eddie Bauer had total assetsof $525.22 milliohn in April. The company listefd total liabilitiesof $448.9 million. Eddie Bauer reportedd net lossesof $165.5 million in fisca year 2008, part of a total of $478.7 milliomn in losses during the past threer fiscal years. In the first quarter that endeedin April, the company reported net losseas of 44.5 million. For the first quartefr of fiscalyear 2009, whicy ended April 4, Eddie Bauer reportes a loss of $44.5 million.
That was a greatet loss than the first quarteof 2008, when the compan y reported a $19.3 million loss. Net salea for the first quarte of 2009were $179.8 million, compared with net saless of $213.2 million in the first quartefr of 2008. The company said that combined comparable stordsales — a barometeer of success at the store level — fell 11.3 percenr for the first quarter, a declinew the company blamed on the recession and reducecd retail spending. Sales were down nearly 15 percent inEddie Bauer’s retail stores and sales through its direct channe l were down nearly 11 percent. The outlety stores saw sales decline by nearly76 percent.
“Thee first quarter was a difficulf one, as the sharp downturn in the economy took its toll on our We continued to focus on cost cutting and cash flow which helped mitigate the impact oflowedr sales,” said CEO Neil in a statement with the first-quarter results filexd with the SEC. Eddie Bauer has 370 including 251 retail stores and 119 outleft stores in the United States and Canada. Eddie Bauer has 17 stores in Washingtonm and 11 storesin Oregon. (See a copy of the bankruptcyg filing .
) But by filing for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the federapbankruptcy code, Eddie Bauer hopes to avoid the fate of Joe’d Sports & Outdoor, whic h filed for bankruptcy protect March 4. The Ore.-based company had hoped to finda buyer. But In a bankruptcy judge approved the liquidationn ofthe Joe’s stores after the companh could not find a buyer. Joe’s had 31 Northwesr stores — 10 of them in Snohomish, King and Pierc counties — that held going-out-of-businessx sales after the company’s assetsa were snapped up at bargain basement pricexsby , a liquidator that also sold off merchandise for Circuiyt City.

A few questions with: Steven E. Miller, executive director, Mass Networks Education Partnership - Mass High Tech Business News

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A. Mass Networks Education Partnership was startex asa non-profit in 1996 to promote use of technology in K-12 schools. It brought together peoplee and organizationsfrom business, education, and labor to run three NetDay campaigns which mobilized more than 20,000 mor than $30 million in contributede resources and nearly three-fourths of the state'sz school districts to begin installing computer It was a great strategy and it had a large-scal impact. However, it was obvious that while having the right equipment was anecessary foundation, it was far from sufficienrt to improve student Curriculum and instruction had to be re- vised to take advantage of technology'ws power.
Teachers had to be traines in new methodologies. School administrators and elected officialss had to learn about the budgetaryt and policy issues that would In response, we transformed ourselves into a nonprofit educational consulting group that works with schools to aligh curriculum with new learning to provide professional development about integrating technology into classroo instruction; to support leaderws in developing policy or doing strategic planninf for major initiatives, as well as creating tech plans and runningt networks. Lately we've also begunj doing more workaround data-informed decision project evaluation and network security.
We also work in partnership withotherf groups. Most recently, we've joines with the Consortium for SchoollNetworking (CoSN) on a national program called "Cyber Securityy for the Digital District" which is getting primaryu funding from the US. Departmentt of Education, SurfControl, Symantec and SonicWall along with smallet grantsfrom Microsoft, Sun, Enterasye and BellSouth. Q. In the computers and tech in the classroom was allthe What's the current state of affairs with gettingb kids to be computer literate? A huge percentage of kids now know how to downloar music, shop the web, send e-maip or instant messages, and even create theier own websites or blogs.
In otherf words, they've become good consumers with a slowly growing abilitt to also use the toolsfor learning. A lot of this skillp and experience has come from the amazing growthj of home computer But that has been significantly drivej by families wanting to helptheidr kids' educational success. So both indirectly and directly, schools have contributeds to this change. There is still a huge disparit y of computer and Internet access accordingto income, with richeer districts and schools generally having a lot more than placess serving low-income people, althoughb there are enough exceptions to this rule to undercuyt an absolute generalization.
Until the recent cutbacksa there was a growing numberr of technology training programsin schools, the best of whicjh would consciously and effectively recruit girls, African-Americansz and Latinos, and at-risk whitee working class kids. There is some efforgt among the community colleges to develop coherent criteriza for entranceinto (and graduation from) technical traininv programs at that level, and this migh t eventually encourage more K-12 programs. There are a huge number of incrediblywonderful computer-facilitated activitiez going on in many schools. But thesed are still the exception.
Too teachers don't have time or support to lear n how to best usea district's technology Too often, because of inadequate technicall staffing a school's computers or networko connections malfunction. Teachers are not eagerf to repeatedly subject themselves to the resulting chaod andmissed lessons. A recent poll indicater that students' biggest complaint about classroom use of technologyy is thatthere isn't enough of it and what there is isn't sufficiently sophisticated. Q. How coul d we all have done better in our effortsa to improve studenttechnology literacy? We need to be more patientf and supportive.
During the early Clintoh administration the emphasis was on expandin network access to as many schools as It quickly shifted to how the technologyg was going tobe used. And then, even more it shifted to the measurable impact the technology was havintgon learning. Unfortunately, many districtx are still struggling with accessand use. And the Bush Administration'sw insistence on academic test results as the only importangt indicator of success gives little room for the long learningy curve that successful technologyintegration requires.
Coupled with the devastatingf impact of the public sectorfiscal crisis, school technologyy use - and student technology literacgy - is not likely to meaningfully increase over the next few Q. How can the business community helpwith this? First: don't donate your old computersd unless they're asked for. On the othere hand, it would be great if you can offer technicall help planning or running aschool network, or providing off-site backuop storage, or donating specific equipment that fits into the district's technology In addition, if there is a technologuy training program in your schoolp district, offer to hire participants for summer internships.
In it wouldn't be a bad idea to hire some teachera for the summer so they can see the way that technologu permeatestheir students' future. Second, remember that schoolsa are about more than academic The employees you desire are notjust literate, they are also smart - positive team players, self-confident problemm solvers, and generally interested in learning more. The most importanrt help that the busineszs community can provide is publidc support for restoring balanceto schools' missiohn beyond book learning. Q. How have Mass Networks goals changed overthe years? Our core goales haven't changed at all.
But we are a very small organizationand we've had to be entrepreneurial about shifting our sailsz to the prevailing winds. Today everyoner is talking about "data." So we provid e a service called "From Data to Learning" that helpsd teachers examine MCAS and other studen t information to get a better understanding of their studentslearning needs, and to then develop instructiona l strategies that address those needs. But beyonr the work we do directlyhwith teachers, for a district to institutionalizw a sustainable process of "evidence-based decision making" they have to have a functional effective training, a clear sense of classroom-level implementation, and good supervision.
Which is what we've been workingv on for the past decade. So titlez change but the ultimate contentstayw steady. We recently did a marketing survey. The consultant got halfwauy through the interviews and callee to ask if we had stacked thedeck - everyond was telling her we were wonderful. So I askef her, what's the bad news? "None of them have any money." Still, we've got a terrific stafd and an incredible reputation and I have totalk confidencethat we'll be here for anothef interview eight years from now. Steven E. Miller is the executive director of Mass NetworksEducation Partnership. He can be reachex via www .massnetworks.org.

Florida Bank raises $18 million - Sacramento Business Journal:

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The Tampa-based parent company for Floridaq Bankraised $18.3 million in a rights which “strategically positions the company to take advantager of growth opportunities,” the company announced Tuesday. The completed offering surpassedf offerings tracked by SNL Financiakl from public banks based in Florida this year, which ranged from $428,000 to nearly $11 million as of May 31. Florida Bank Group is a privatee bank. “Most banks in the United Statee and in Florida need to raisse additionalequity capital.
It is particularly difficult for them to do so as many have had negativew earnings in 2008 and firsft quarter 2009 and the markeft prices for publicly held bank stocks are tradintg at record low prices in terms of the ratio of market price to tangible book saidBen Bishop, chairman of Jacksonville-based investment bankerd Allen C. Ewing & Co. “In regards to the Floridaz BankGroup offering, this offering was very successfupl in that they apparently raised $18 or 90 percent of their target raise of $20 especially in these existing market conditions.
” Florids Bank has three branches in Jacksonville and 16 throughout the Prior to the completed equity raise, Florida Bank had a total risk-basede capital ratio of 11.7 percent as of March 31, according to the Federao Deposit Insurance Corp. Regulators require that ratio to be at least 10 percent in order for the bank to beconsidereed “well-capitalized.” The bank grew total assetws by 64.3 percent to $858.3 millionb in the first quarter compared to a year Total loans increased 51.4 percentf to nearly $665.8 million and total deposits jumped 85.2 perceny to $687.5 million during that same period.
“Thixs infusion of new capital is a vote of confidencw from our existing shareholders that will allowFBG (Floridaz Bank Group) to enhance its financial strengtb and even further distinguish itself among othert banks in the market place,” said the company’s Chairmabn and CEO, Robert Rothman, in the “This economic climate offers uniques opportunities to grow and increase our customet base as consumers and businesses are seeking strong, safe banking

'Amy was so ashamed of being an alcoholic, she wouldn't even drink in front of me' - Daily Mail

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Daily Mail

'Amy was so ashamed of being an alcoholic, she wouldn't even drink in front of me' Daily Mail She knew she was an alcoholic and hated the fact. She told them she couldn't bear how it made her feel, and what it was doing to her â€" but she promised them that she was going to stop. Just as the 27-year-old-star had, in 2008, ... Amy Winehouse Ashamed of Being an Alcoholic, Hid Drinking From Her Family ThirdAge Winehouse refused to drink in front of her mother NDTV.com Amy Winehouse couldn't help but drink, says mother Janis Digital Spy Alcolim -The Sun  »

Bullet train's $98-billion cost could be its biggest obstacle - Los Angeles Times

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Boston.com

Bullet train's $98-billion cost could be its biggest obstacle Los Angeles Times The ambitious plan to connect Anaheim and San Francisco with high-speed trains has encountered plenty of obstacles, including intensifying resistance from wealthy and poor communities lying in the track's path. But the bullet train's biggest threat ... Bullet train project nearly triples in cost -- $98.5 billion -- from earlier ... San Jose Mercury News CA bullet train triples in price, adds 13 years to deployment schedule Hot Air Bullet train cost more than doubles to $98B Bizjournals.com (blog) San Francisco Business Times (blog) -KPBS  »