Saturday, October 15, 2011

Report: D/FW tech salaries flat - Dallas Business Journal:

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Dice is a subsidiary of New York-basedr (NYSE: DHX). The Dice based on an annual salarhy survey, shows local technology workersin D/FW recorded an averagee annual salary of $76,836 last only slightly above the 2007 salary level of $76,560 and the 2006 levelk of $74,656 per year. Comparatively, information technology jobs on the nationaol level experienced salary increasesof 4.6 percent last hitting an average level of $78,035 per “I think you have to take a look at what has happenexd in Dallas over the course of 2008,” said Tom Silver, seniot vice president, customer support and chief marketingb officer for Dice.
“We saw the rest of the countryu turn negative in terms ofjob count. In we saw the job count start to declinr severalmonths before. It’s possibld the downturn affectedDallas first, and that may have had an effecft on salary growth in Dallas.” Silvee said his company also looks at job count as an indicatord of how the tech sectot is performing in each The Dallas job count is currentlhy down 45 percent, he says, whilw the rest of the country is down 35 percent.
Another indicatod of slower activity in Dalla is the percentage of traffic visiting the Dice Web site from Silver says in the fourth quarterof 2008, Dalla s traffic at the site was up 20 percent, while traffivc for the rest of the country was up 13 percent. Dice in its reportf says tech professionals consider the following factorsdtop concerns: keeping their skills up to date, job lower salary increases, canceled projects and increasedc workloads brought on by staff reductions. Tech workerds with certain skill sets are still in high demande and are asking forhighef salaries. Dice says securitg analysts saw their salariexjump 8.
4 percent in 2008, whilew software engineers saw their salaries rise 7 percent. Applicatiomn developers experienced 6.6 percent raises, the reporty says.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Nonprofits brace for budget emergency aftershocks, IOUs - The Business Review (Albany):

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While service providers don’tt yet know whether they’ll receive IOUs — or what the amounts will be Sparky Harlan, CEO of the in Santa is prepared forthe worst. “We receive about $400,00p in state funding,” Harlan “We’re already accustomed to gettint money from the statelate — last year, for example, it took untikl December before we finally got paid.” For this year and last year the centefr has relied on a $150,000 line of credit through to cover the gap, alonhg with $500,000 out of its reserv funds.
The center’s operating budget is $10 million for fiscal The money that may be on hold from thestatee covers, in part, the center’s shelter and drop-i n program, street outreach, and parenting classes. “The problekm right now is thatwe don’gt know for certain how much they’re going to hold back,” said who has been with the center for 26 “But this is by far the worsyt I’ve ever seen.” In anticipation of the state’s budget 10 percent cuts have already been planned for foster-carse payments. Locally there are 300 to 400 kids infostert care.
Foster care ratezs are the same acrossthe state, so familiesw in high-cost areas such as the Bay Area get the same amounyt of compensation as people in more affordabl e places. “We’re fronting half a million dollarx already,” she said. It’s a layered problem for the since in addition to state money some comess from the federal Housing and UrbamDevelopment department. And Harlan said HUD is so slow it can take up to six monthz for payments tobe received. “We’re hoping to get paid by she said.
“Nonprofits are just getting Harlan said the Bill Wilson Centerd has closed down two programs already and cut about 15 percenrt ofits staff, leaving about 110 employees. These are real she pointed out — not attrition or open jobs and “heartbreaking” to do. “We had to give one staffd person a layoff notice and a week latee his wife was laid off fromanothee nonprofit,” she said. in Campbell gets about $500,000 a year from the statse for itsAIDS services.
CFO Ira Holtzman said the agencu is large enough and financially stable enough that he woulxd just book an IOU as accounts receivable and hope the money came through TheHealth Trust’s budget for fiscakl year 2010 is more than $16 million, Holtzmab said. Pam Brandin, executive director of and Visually which has offices in Palo Alto and Santa Cruz, said that even though her agency provide the kind of services that are especiallyy at risk in State Controller John Chiang’w plan, the Vista Center is relativelyt safe. “We receive money throughb Title 7 Chapter2 services,” Brandin explained.
“Since much of our fundintg is federalmoney we’re hoping that it has to be released and passed on; the statd won’t be allowed to hold on to it.” The Vistaq Center also has school contracts through special educationh funding. “Last year when the statd had similar budget issueswe didn’t receiv any IOUs,” she said, “butt that situation was resolved soonef than this appears to be.
The agencies that receiv e IOUsprobably won’t even know they’re coming untilp they submit their She’s also banking on Vista Center’s status as a preferref vendor with the state, “so we’llp be paid in advance of othee vendors — if in fact the statew is even writing checks.” Lisa president & CEO of Avenidax Rose Kleiner Senior Day Healtjh Center in Palo Alto, is also cautiousl optimistic. “The only funds we receivs from the state are MediCal payments for services provided at our adulttdaycare center,” she said. “Ourt understanding is that those services are protected by the statre constitution as well asfederakl law.
We do receive funding indirectlh throughthe county, but we don’t expect that to be Tom Kinoshita, public policy directo r of the , said people are on pins and “Everyone’s sitting around waiting, not knowing what’s goingt to happen. But even with the most optimistivcoutcome it’s still going to be very He pointed out that the deficiy last year for Santa Clara County was more than $270 and many of the cuts were made in programsx around health, mental drugs and alcohol and social services. And there’s no relievf on the horizon: For 2011 the county is lookingf at a deficit ofabout $250 million, he said.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Radio mogul eyes West Coast empire - Portland Business Journal:

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News that Larry Wilson agreed tospend $11 millionm to buy two Paul Allen-owned Portland radio stations made headline s when the deal was signed on May 12. Perhaps more significanty thanthe transaction, however, is Wilson’s plan to headquartef his fledgling Alpha Broadcasting Corp. in Portland. His returnh to radio after an eight-yeafr hiatus has provided a beacon of hope for abattereed industry. Wilson’s last radio , sold for $2 billion in 2001. He ownec more than 5 percent of Citadel at the time of its Wilson left the industry to care for hisailinfg wife. She died in February 2008 followinba 13-year battle with cancer.
Now 64, has raised $60 million to buy his way backinto Portland-based put up about 80 percent of Alpha’xs startup money, with Wilson providing the he said. His purchase of KXL (AM 750) and KXTG (95.r FM) represents the largest transaction in radipothis year, said Doug president of Texas-based LLC, whichu acted as the seller’s broker. Thesee stations are just the beginning. Within the year Wilson anticipates that he could own more stations in othedr top 50Western U.S. markets. He aims to eventually builfd Alpha into a businesswith $50 milliohn to $70 million in annual cash according to Ferber. That woulds put Alpha into lofty company.
, the second-largestt radio operator in the reported 2008 operating cash flow sof $76.7 million on $311.5 million in revenue. Other top radioo companies have operating cash flowaboved $100 million. Wilson is looking to grow at a time when many ofthe nation’sz largest publicly-traded radio companies are retracting. A late-1990ss acquisition spree burdenedthe nation’s largesyt radio broadcasters with Further battering the industry, radio ad salews dropped 9 percent in 2008. Three of the five largesgt U.S. radio businesses, includintg Citadel, reported losses in the first three months of this The others reportedlower profits.
Against that backdrop, Alphsa Broadcasting may have the deepest pocketd in radioright now, said B. Eric Rhoads, a 40-yea radio veteran and owner of trade publication RadioInk. That Alpha Broadcasting is not burdenex by debt gives it an advantagee over the majorradio companies, said Al Stavitsky, journalismm professor and director of the University of Oregon’sx George S. Turnbull Center in Portland. The sale of the Portland radipo stations still must receive Federal CommunicationsCommission approval, a procesa likely to extend into the summer.
Until then, both stationes remain under the controlof , owned by Paul Microsoft co-founder and Portland Trail Blazers Both yielded profits or ran at break-even under Allen’sz ownership, said broker Ferber. Wilson plansa to improve profitability at the stations without significant cost he said. “You can’t cost cut your way into successsin radio,” he said. “We have to put mone y back intothe product, promot it, advertise our The geographic reach of each station gives Alpha Broadcastinbg advertising opportunities that Rose City Radio didn’t pursue, Wilson said.
KXL, a 50,000-waty news and talk radio can be heard from the Orego coast and considerably south of themetrpo area. Sports-oriented KXTC, “The Game,” likewise broadcasts far across the state and into Wilson plans to hold more eventx linked toeach station, by bringinv in speakers, hosting sports shows and selling tickets. Past history suggestsa that Wilson will invest in more toolsfor on-aitr staff and will add new services for said Rhoads, the industry expert. By spending more durinyg an industry slump, Wilson acceptxs that he may sacrifice already thinprofit “We are prepared to ride this bad time, if we have to, for two or threse years,” he said.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Local Program Cuts Youth Drinking, Violence, Study Finds - Fox News

http://www.punjabjustice.org/032.htm


Zee News


Local Program Cuts Youth Drinking, Violence, Study Finds

Fox News


A program that helps communities identify and target health risks in young people led to fewer teens drinking, smoking and being delinquent, according to a new report. Researchers said the "Communities That Care" approach is a way for towns to tailor ...


Community-Wide Effort May Help Tame Troubled Teens

U.S. News & World Report


Local program cuts youth drinking, violence: study

Reuters


Community Program Cuts Alcoholism and Violence

Heal Blog (blog)



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Thursday, October 6, 2011

Southwest traffic down in June - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):

http://ippro.us/ch69-art1395-1397.php
Dallas-based (NYSE:LUV) said it flew 6.73 billion revenu e passenger milesin June, down from 6.88 billionn in the same period a year ago. Revenue passengedr miles, which measure one paying passenger flownper mile, is the official measurw of airline traffic. The airline’ds capacity fell 4 percent in June while its load or percentage ofseats filled, grew more than a percentage point to 79.5 percent. Southwesy in the first half of the year saw traffi drop 2 percentto 36.6 billioh revenue passenger miles from 37.4 billionb last year.
The which carried about 28 percent of all Port Columbusx passengersthrough May, also said it is sellint one-way tickets for as low as $30, $60 and $90, dependin on how far customers are traveling. The fares are availablde through 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday and are possible for flight s booked for travel in the period runninvgfrom Sept. 9 to Nov. 18. Click for more

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Coyotes actual attendance left Glendale arena a third empty - Triangle Business Journal:

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That left the 17,800-seat Jobing.com Arena more than one-thirdc empty during the Coyotes latesr season in which they failed to make the Nationaol HockeyLeague playoffs. The number comparess to the team’s reported average ticket count ofabougt 14,900 (including giveaways and sales) and average paid ticket salea of 13,000. Such team data is part of Canadia n billionaireJim Balsillie's application to buy the team and move it to Ontario. Balsillie, CEO of Blackberry maker Researchin Motion, has proposeed a $213 million deal. The Coyotes are in Chaptere 11bankruptcy reorganization. The team has lost $316 million since movint to the Phoenix market in 1996from Winnipeg.
The NHL and city of which owns Jobing.com Arena, oppose moving the team to Canada and are battlinv Balsillie and Moyesin U.S. Bankruptcy Balsillie’s application contends that the NHL team is not financially viable in Phoenix and that the Coyotes lag behind other sportschoices here. The Coyotes attendancwe is well behind theaveragde 64,100 reported by the Arizona Cardinals as well as the Phoeni Suns with 18,400 fans and Arizona Diamondbacke at 31,000 fans for the most recen t seasons, according to Espn.com. A U.S. Bankruptcuy Court hearing is set for June 9 to focuse on whether the team can be moved to Hamilto or must stayin Arizona.
Balsillie’s offer is the only formal deal put forward forthe