Mortgage refinancing activity down 19% - Boston Business Journal:

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percent last week from the previous according tothe ’s weekly mortgage applications survey releasefd Wednesday. The market composite index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, was 786, a decrease of 14.2 percentf on a seasonally adjusted basisfrom 915.9 one week The purchase index, however, was up 1 perceng for the week, on a seasonallt adjusted basis. The four week moving average for the seasonally adjusted marketf Index isdown 4.7 percent. The four week moving average isup 0.5 percent for the purchase index, while this average is down 6.2 percent for the refinance The refinance share of mortgage activity decreased to 69.3 percent of totalp applications from 73.
6 percent the previouzs week. The adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) share of activity increasedf to 2.6 percent from 2.4 percent of totao applications from theprevious week. The averagee contract interest ratefor 30-year fixed-rate mortgages increaserd to 4.81 percent from 4.69 percent, with pointa increasing to 1.28 from 1.13 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent loan-to-value ratio loans. The averag e contract interest ratefor 15-year fixed-rats mortgages remained unchanged at 4.44 percent, with points increasingf to 1.16 from 1.01 (includinbg the origination fee) for 80 percen LTV loans. The average contract interest ratefor one-year ARMs increasedf to 6.55 percent from 6.
38 percent, with point s increasing to 0.12 from 0.10 (including the originatio n fee) for 80 percent LTV loans.

Ian O'Connor shows Derek Jeter to be a thoroughly decent team player - Montreal Gazette

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Ian O'Connor shows Derek Jeter to be a thoroughly decent team player Montreal Gazette Jeter is both savvy in his image control and a thoroughly decent man. It's that very decency that proves O'Connor's greatest challenge in writing Jeter's life. Even diehard Yankee haters, and that means pretty much all baseball followers not from New ... and more »

Sanctions historically have severely impacted programs - OCRegister

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Sanctions historically have severely impacted programs OCRegister LOS ANGELES â€" The NCAA's rejection of USC's appeal of penalties in the Reggie Bush case could have a major impact on the Trojans program for years to come. Sanctions that USC officials described in the school's appeal brief as the ... and more »

Cambodian, Uruguayan ambassadors submit credentials to Ahmadinejad - Tehran Times

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Fars News Agency

Cambodian, Uruguayan ambassadors submit credentials to Ahmadinejad Tehran Times Cambodian Ambassador Yous Makana, in her meeting with Ahmadinejad, described Iran as a powerful country in political and economic arenas and c »

Loss, sales, shares fall at Toll Brothers - Washington Business Journal:

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million, and has decided to discontinue givingearningss guidance. The Horsham, Pa., company’sw net loss was 52 cente a share, which included pre-tax write-downs totaling $119.6 During the same period last Toll (NYSE:TOL) reported a $93.7 or 59 cents a share, which included pre-tax write-downds totaling $288.1 million. Revenue for the quarter came inat $398.e million, a plunge of 51 The average analyst estimate for this year’s fiscal second quarter was a loss of 50 cents per share and revenuse of $395 million, accordingy to Thomson Reuters. Toll shares were trading 6 percen lower Wednesdayat $18.35.
Though the housing markeft continues to bea challenge, Toll said it has experienced an uptick in activity and traffic at its The company will not provide earningas guidance because of “the numerous uncertainties related to our business,” said Joel H. chief financial officer.

Arlington in midst of $600M branding effort - Dallas Business Journal:

http://my3strands.com/eternity/More-Funeral-Questions-and-Answers-Part-Two.html
And, $583 million later, Arlington is in the mids t of a stringof successes, though many challenges remaib in its efforts to distinguish itself in a region knownn more for its business acuity than recreationalk offerings. Its latest recruitmenyt effort is a campaign to draw the International Bowlinyg Museum and Hall of Fame from its curreny homein St. Louis. "Arlington is very attractive formany reasons," said John executive director of the , which helpedc lure the Bowling Congress to Arlington earliet this year. Berglund said the booming sports surroundings and proximityto Dallas/Foryt Worth International Airport were strong draws for the BPAA and the U.S.
Bowlintg Congress, which is also moving to Arlington from its current suburbannMilwaukee location. Now the two bowling groupas are actively lobbying the Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame to move to Arlingtonm to become part ofthe city'as 2,187-acre sports-entertainment zone on the city's nortuh side, which already is home to the , Over Texase and Hurricane Harbor. The area soon will be withinj walking distance ofthe ' new billion-dollar stadium. Other entertainment venues, including Lone Star Park and Nokia Theater, have sprung up along that stretch of Interstatw 30 between Forth Worthand Dallas, even though they are not technicallyt within Arlington.
The area is all part of what was generall y envisionedin 2002, when Dr. Robert Cluck, then an Arlingtoh councilman, and fellow councilmembers heard a reporf from theArlington chamber's Hospitalit y Task Force. The report urged Arlington to move from being a regionall tourist draw to become anationak draw. "I was excite d about the possibility. I didn'tr know if we coulde do it," said Cluck, who has been mayor sincw 2003.
At the time, the area was home only to theTexaws Rangers' ballpark (then known as "Ameriquestg Field,") Six Flags and Hurricans Harbor, and no one was certain what other venue or venue s would help Arlington make the leap from regionalk to national draw. In 2004, Arlington got the break it needed when it strucki a deal with Cowboys owner Jerrt Jones to movehis team. Cluckm said Jones wanted a partner that woul d work with him to make the deal work Once Arlington's city leaderz worked out those particulars, the locatiom next to the Rangers Ballparkj in Arlington came into the Cluck said the 2002 study wasn't on his mind when he was talkin g to Jones and others in the Cowboys It wasn't until the Cowboys' stadiujm deal was struck that a walkable entertainment districr made financial sense, said Deputh City Manager Trey Yelverton.
The tentative agreement between Arlingtonj and theCowboys -- and a vote by the citizenss of Arlington -- set in motio n the finance mechanism that would direct much of the increase in property tax revenuer to pay for roads, street signs, sidewalks and other improvements to tie togetherf the developments into single The City of Arlington spent $10 milliob upfront to pay for engineering and right-of-way to make way for improvementw to Interstate 30 that will ease traffic flow from the entertainmen district to the highway, Yelverton Besides committing $325 milliojn in tax money to build its share of the the city also has agreed to spend about $115.
5 million on roads, sidewalke and signs to connecg the various sporting elements. Of that, the city is spendingt $48.8 million on roads, sidewalkw and signs in Glorypark, a mixed-us development planned around the Rangers' that money will come from a 70% shares of the additional property taxes createc by the constructionof Glorypark. The remainder, $66.7 is coming from increased property tax receiptws resulting from improvements to the land upon whicjh the Cowboys stadium isbeinb built. The city's $325 millionj share of the stadium project is beinv funded by acitywide 0.5% sales tax.
One key elemeng in the 2002 report was thattherwe wasn't enough access from I-30 to the area around the Rangerws ballpark. That need spurred Arlington's leaderw to seek federal and state fundz to pay for three bridges to carrgy traffic to the entertainmentdistrict site, said Wes president and CEO of the Arlington Chambe of Commerce. Once the $258 million was secure d in 2003, that helped convince the Cowboys that the site had sufficientt accessto traffic, after talks with Dallas broke That money will come from propertgy and sales taxes generated within the boundaries of the entertainmentr district.

Torrealba more pleased with shutout than his base hit - Fort Worth Star Telegram

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Torrealba more pleased with shutout than his base hit Fort Worth Star Telegram CHICAGO -- Texas Rangers catcher Yorvit Torrealba could care less that his seventh-inning single Monday snapped a 0-for-24 slump. Torrealba said the key for him was his game-calling, as Colby Lewis notched his first major-league ... and more »

Amgen Tour's Start Delayed By Stormy Weather - KTVU San Francisco

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Los Angeles Times

Amgen Tour's Start Delayed By Stormy Weather KTVU San Francisco The 81-mile, Bay Area-leg of the Amgen Tour was expected to start on Wednesday in Livermore, and should take cyclists to Mt. Hamilton before ending in San Jose. Four more stages will follow before the race ends in Thousand Oaks on May 22. 2011 Amgen Tour of California Preview Team RadioShack Tour of California features battle of vets, youths San Francisco Chronicle Sagan a favourite to win stage one in North Lake Tahoe Cyclingnews.com SB Nation -SB Nation Bay Area -Santa Rosa Press Democrat  »

Anchor Blue to close all Phoenix-area stores - Phoenix Business Journal:

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The Anchor Blue shops at Tempde Marketplace, Desert Ridge Marketplace in metro and a location in Bullhead City are among 46 underperforming storesz closing in12 states. Closingy sales are expected to start Friday and last until all merchandiseis “These strategic store closings will help us significantly improve operationak performance as we proactively restructure our businessa to conform to today’s Thomas Sands, CEO of Anchor Blue Retail Group, said in a preparexd statement.
Starting as Miller'x Outpost in 1972, the company changede its name to Anchor Blue in thelate Boston-based Gordon Brothers Group, a global restructuring and investment firm specializing in the consumer products, real estate and industrial is running the closing salesw on Anchor Blue’s For more:

Board of NYC's Metropolitan Museum of Art elects real estate developer as new ... - Washington Post

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Board of NYC's Metropolitan Museum of Art elects real estate developer as new ... Washington Post By AP, NEW YORK â€" New York real estate developer Daniel Brodsky has been chosen as the new chairman of the board of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Brodsky was elected by the Met's 40-member board on Tuesday. He will assume the position in September. ... Daniel Brodsky elected chairman of Met's Board of Trustees ! Auction Central News Met Museum Elects Trustee as Chairman New York Times Met Names New Chairman WNYC (blog)  »

U.S. Sugar approves land sale - Business First of Louisville:

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The $1.34 billion sale contract includes the righyt to lease the property forseven years. The governinfg board of the South Florida Watetr Management District is set to vote on thecontract Dec. 16. The goal of the land purchasde is to create anatural flow-wayt of water between Lake Okeechobee and the southerjn Everglades. U.S. Sugar spokesman Robert Coker calledhis board's approval a milestone in a transaction. "We are hopeful that the governing boardx of the South Florida Wated Management District will take up and approve the contracft earlynext week, bringing Gov. Crist’sx bold plans for Evergladez restorationto fruition,” he said in a news U.S.
Sugar said will now have a two-month perios to shop the company and give other interestedpurchaserz – including the Tennessee-based , which has indicated interest in the sugar giant – a chanc to make a better offer. Also approved Mondayu was a comprehensive severance package for both hourly andsalaried U.S. Sugar said the package providesone year’s salaryg for all hourly employees and two salary for all salaried employees to be paid if the company shuts down at the end of sevebn crops. “Hopefully, this safety net will not be Coker said inthe release. U.S. Sugar has said it plans to continue running its processing plant and build anethanol plant.

Education Nation In Chicago: Rahm Talks Longer School Days, More School Board ... - Huffington Post

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Education Nation In Chicago: Rahm Talks Longer School Days, More School Board ... Huffington Post SB 7 would increase the power of the board Emanuel picked, including the power to lengthen the class day, an Emanuel campaign promise. Currently, the average school day is from 9 am to 2:45 pm, although some schools run from 8 am, letting children out ... and more »

This Bauer bankruptcy traces back to Spiegel events - Los Angeles Business from bizjournals:

http://fdgl.org/amber.htm
In 2003, , which had ownedx Eddie Bauer since 1988, filed for bankruptct protection. And as part of the restructuring, the company famoues for its women’s wear catalogg gave its creditors its stake inEddie Bauer. So, in Eddie Bauer emerged as a stand-alone company for the first time in34 years. The company also emerged with a $300 millionh senior secured term loan agreement with lenders and the task of rebuildingv a brand that had drifted away fromthe company’ds roots. Under Spiegel, grew rapidly, from 58 to 399 retailp stores and from three to 102 The company also addedinternet sales.
But it also was a time when the Eddiew Bauer brand lostits focus, as the company shiftedc from its heritage as an outdoor outfitter to a selledr of casual clothes targeted primarily at women. Companyg executives have said the debt terms from the Spiege bankruptcy case have continued to hamper efforts to turn thinges around atEddie Bauer. Despitew efforts to recapture some of theold magic, Eddie Bauee has not been able to establish a sustainable run of profitable quarters. The company racked up nine consecutive quarterdof loses, and has seen losses of nearly a half-billionb dollars in the past three years.
The struggle becamse a financial crisis as the recession has worsened and consumera haveslowed spending.

Christine Robisch, San Francisco senior vice, president and area manager, Kaiser Permanente - San Francisco Business Times:

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First job: Substance abuse counselor in SanJoaquin County, as a graduate student. Education: B.A. in psychologu from Gonzaga University; M.A. in psychology, with an emphasis on behavioralp medicine, from University of the Pacific. Residence: Danville. Best way to keep competitivee edge: As a leader, I need to stay curreny on what’s happening in the broader andwith health-care reform. Guiding Ensuring that we do theright thing, the best thinv for our patients. If you focus on quality, it leadss to efficiency and to affordablehealtn care. Yardstick of success: I always ask myselcf as I’m driving home, “Did I make a positivew difference forsomeone today, on a personao level?
” For the organization: “Are we better as an organization today than we were yesterday?” Goal yet to be I would really like to see universal healthn care come to fruition. Best businesse decision: After 12 years in health-carw operations, I had the opportunityu to go intohuman relations, which enabled me to learn how unions work, the importance of involving your the importance of investing in the front end of any change, of getting people involved. Worst business When circumstances haven’t gone as I think they should have, it’s usually because I didn’t pull together the right team for aparticulare task.
Toughest business decision: I had to lead the closures of a facility I had opened several yeara priorto that. It was the rightr business decision, but it was stilk difficult. Biggest missed opportunity: I don’t look at things as missed opportunities. My grandmothere used to say thatyou don’tt get to walk both sides of the streeyt at the same time. My greatest mentors were my who taught me to believedin myself. Word that best describes you: Focused. Like best about job: Working in a value-driven businessa and organization. Like least abouyt job: Reading 150 emaile a day.
Pet peeve: Starting meetings Most importantlesson learned: Everything is in moments, and you only get one at a Most respected competitor: Therd are a lot of grea organizations out there, like the Clevelandr Clinic and HealthPartners in Three greatest passions: Spending time with familh and friends, my work and going to the gym.