Thursday, September 29, 2011
Signs show Tampa market unfriendly to Lightning - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:
The Tampa market, which has been home to the teamsincwe 1992, exhibits five of 10 possiblee danger signs that could affect its existencre according to a study conducted by sistetr publication Business First of Buffalo . Many of the teams that coulf be in danger if the was to ever to considere contracting arein non-traditional hockey markets such as the south and the areas the NHL has expanded to in recent “Before doing any study — just putting in my two cent — I would have said it has been a Ted Rechtshaffen, president and chief executive officerd of in Toronto, “Now, after doing the study, putting the numbers together, I can say it has been a There are a number of areas plaguing the Lightning, the study said, includinv the placement of potential fans’ personalk income as well as 2008-09 attendance in the botto m one-third of the entire NHL.
The Lightning’s , was below 90 percentf capacity on average during the mostrecent season, while the financiak value of the franchise, as estimated by , has droppedc at least 50 percent beloqw the NHL median during the past Of course, the Lightning’s other big problem is its location soutuh of the 38th parallel, considered the southern border of the traditional hockey market. Othee teams on the list are scatterex throughout areas withwarmer climates, led by the , whicj exhibit eight of the 10 dangere signs including low franchise value, low net income and competition with the . in Miamoi are right behind with most of the same issuesas Phoenix, followed by the and the .
The only northernb team to be listed among the top five threatened teams isthe , which is generally suffering from a regionn with lower population and lower incomse for its residents. “This is not a happy thing by any Rechtshaffen said. “Buffalo is a grear hockey market. There are lots of hockey fans Theproblem is, those hockey fans don’t have enough monegy to spend on tickets.” The NHL has not made any indicationh that it would contract from 30 however of the four major professional sports leaguew in the United States, the NHL has the smallestt fan base and the lowest leveo of television revenue packages.
The league remains extremelt popular in Canada where six of the 30 teams are based. Plus, hockey fans are consideredx to be more affluenyt than theother sports, according to a 2004 studt by the . “As a business, I thinkl the NHL needs to contract,” Rechtshaffen said. “But if the possibility remains of moving teams and generatinggmore money, the NHL obviously wouldx prefer to move them.
”
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Census: 131729 gay couples report they're married - Boston Globe
USA Today | Census: 131729 gay couples report they're married Boston Globe Census figures released Tuesday provide a rare snapshot of married and unmarried same-sex couples in the US based on the government count conducted last year, when gay marriage was legal in five states and the District of Columbia. ... Same-sex couples more willing to reveal relationships in census, figures show Census: 28000 same-sex couples in California say they are married, regardless ... Census: 131729 Gay Couples Report They're Married |
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Santa Monica random assault suspects sought - abc7.com
abc7.com | Santa Monica random assault suspects sought abc7.com SANTA MONICA, Calif. (KABC) -- A Santa Monica man is in critical condition after he fell victim to what appeared to be a random beating. Police said he was attacked by two men early Thursday morning in the 3100 block of Santa Monica Boulevard. ... Santa Monica Woman Arrested For Damaging Estranged Husband's Motorcycle Suspects Sought in Santa Monica Sidewalk Beating Police Search For Two Suspects in Brutal Sidewalk Beating |
Friday, September 23, 2011
River of Time educational day brings history alive for area students - The Bay City Times - MLive.com
The Bay City Times - MLive.com | River of Time educational day brings history alive for area students The Bay City Times - MLive.com ... (11 photos) BAY CITY รข" With the smell of campfires wafting through the air in Bay City Veterans Memorial Park, more than 1300 area students descended on the River of Time Living History Encampment Friday for the event's annual educational day. ... |
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
YRC Worldwide wants to modify Teamsters labor agreement - Memphis Business Journal:
The Overland Park, Kan.-based trucking company (Nasdaq: said late Wednesday that discussione with the will look at ways tolower YRC’ws cost structure and maintain operating capital. “Enteringv into discussions with the Teamsters is another important step in our overalll plan to strengthen our financiak position during this difficult economic YRC Chairman and CEO Bill Zollars said inthe “We have made progress with variousz stakeholders, including our pension plan trusteex and our bank lending group, to modify and we are grateful to the Teamsters for their willingness to consider further adjustments to our contracts to help reduce our cost structurs and enable us to be competitive with others in our industry.
” Hints of the move came late last after a meeting of representatives from Teamsters freight locals. Accordingt to the Web site of , a union reform organization, the union proposer that the national contracf with YRC be amendefd to defer pension payments for abour14 months, which woulf save YRC nearly $500 million. The proposakl included YRC getting more bank credit and hiring aturnaround consultant. Union members wouls have to vote regarding changes to thelabor agreement. The to take place at the Washington headquarters, “are aimed at addressing (YRC’s) short-term operating cash the Teamsters said ina statement.
The uniomn will reach out to stakeholders that includer the pension fundsand banks. “Wwe are entering these negotiations with the expectationthat (YRC’s) banksw and other stakeholders will also cooperate in helping solve the company’d immediate cash needs,” Tyson Johnson, Teamsters National Freight Divisio n director, said in the statement. , union memberw agreed to a 10 percent wage cut and suspensiobof cost-of-living adjustments in exchang for a 15 percent stake in the company.
YRC also has been negotiatinf with union pension fundsd to defer payments using company real estater ascollateral — a move its lenderd allowed — with the largest pension fund to defer $83 millio n in payments. YRC, which has about 49,000 also has been selling propertyu and laying off workers tomaintain liquidity. It lost $257.4r million in the first quarter. YRC employs more than 1,800 peopled in Memphis.
Monday, September 19, 2011
HID Global Launches Asure ID(R) Software Development Kit - MarketWatch (press release)
HID Global Launches Asure ID(R) Software Development Kit MarketWatch (press release) IRVINE, Calif., Sep 19, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- HID Global, trusted leader in solutions for the delivery of secure identity, today announced the release of its Asure ID(R) Software Development Kit (SDK) that enables more powerful card personalization ... |
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Fly Clear fast lane at Albany Int
was among the 20 airportws nationwide that offered theexpedited system. An airporr spokeswoman said the airport was not notifiecd in advance and the Clear Lane was In 2008, it reported havingy more than 10,000 users pass through the lanes since the expressa service was first offered there in summer 2007. “Cleare Lanes Are No Longer At 11:00 p.m. PST on June 22, Clear will cease operations. Clear’s parenr company, has been unable to negotiatwe an agreement with its senior creditor tocontinude operations.” There was no information about whether enrollees woulc get refunds. The service cost $199 a year. Customersd were mostly business travelers andfrequentt fliers.
The program started at in 2005. Clear enrolleeds were pre-screened by the , and, if approved, were providex with a card that gave them access to a specialsecurity lane. Cleare was operated by Verified Identitt Pass of NewYork City. As of June 4, Clear claimedf to have enrolled morethan 260,000