Frank L. Amodeo sentenced to 22 years behind bars - Tampa Bay Business Journal:

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U.S. District Judge John Antoon II Tuesday sentenced the former leaderof , to 22 yearse and six months in federaol prison for conspiring to commit wire obstructing an agency proceeding, impeding the and failinvg to remit payroll taxes. Amodeo also will lose more than $1 million seized from various accounts as well asthree homes, luxurh vehicles, commercial real estate, a Learjer and his corporations. Antoon also ordered Amodeo to pay $181 the amount prosecutors withthe U.S.
Attorney’ Office say he owes in payroll tax Amodeo to the charges last A one-time player in the failed Trump Towe Tampa project, he reportedlyh purchased the assets of the 52-story towetr along with a second related projecy in Clearwater. Frank head of the then Trump Tower Tampadevelopedr , told the Tampa Bay Business Journak in October 2007 that while theree was a handshake deal for Mirabilies to purchase the project, it was a deal that was nevetr consummated. Amodeo originally faced up to 370 years in prisoj and fines of morethan $6.7 5 million after he and other unnames executives failed to pay the IRS $181. 1 million, including $129.7 million in FICA and withholding taxes.
It starteds with $7.1 million in the fourth quartere of 2004 with two businessea hecontrolled — Sunshine Cos. III and Sunshin Staff Leasing. It then continued over the next two years with for theremaininhg $174 million. Investigators at the time of his original indictment in Augustf 2008 said Amodeo included a numbed of companies in the activityy acting as professionalemployee organizations, which would lease employees to othert companies. Other companies believed to be involve inthe scheme, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, were , , , , , , , and variouxs others. Last October, were handed down against many of the companiesa associated withthe scheme.
They are charge with conspiracy andwire fraud, and could face finea of up to $400

California: School Officer Accused of a Shooting Hoax - New York Times

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Los Angeles Times

California: School Officer Accused of a Shooting Hoax New York Times By AP A school police officer will be fired for what officials said was a shooting hoax that touched off a manhunt and forced thousands of students to ... Los Angeles City Council votes to sue school police officer accused of falsely ... Los Angeles Times Overdoing school security Washington Post (blog) Chief says cop faked report on school shooting (LA Times) Seattle Post Intelligencer (blog) ABC News -The Associated Press -WSBT-TV  »

Detroit police officers shot in the line of duty - Detroit Free Press

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Detroit police officers shot in the line of duty Detroit Free Press Through the years, a number of Detroit police officers have been shot or killed in the line of duty. 2010: Officer Brian Huff, killed while responding to ... and more »

NCR confirms move to Georgia - Houston Business Journal:

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NCR (NYSE: NCR) will create 2,120 additiona l jobs in Georgia as a resulty of the headquarters move and a newmanufacturinv facility, according to a companty press release. The company said it will begim moving its headquarters from Daytonto Ga., in July. The company will add roughluy 1,250 jobs with the shifting headquarters, NCR said in a Tuesday presss release. The company did not specify how many of thos e jobs will comefrom However, it said it will work with impactedc employees to provide career services support and advice. NCR will not completely vacate Dayton, as it will continue to operate a data centef and support for local with fewer than 50 employeezsremaining locally.
A company spokesperson said Tuesday there will be opportunities for some stafft to transfer and it will depend on individual He emphasized the majority of the jobs will leavd Dayton and the company will putits 1.3 million-square-foot headquartersa up for sale. He said there will be no publicd announcement and the company will work througb the issues internally in thecoming months. Officialsa said they expect the transition to be completeddby 2010. Dayton Commissioned Nan Whaley said the city willlose $2.5 millionn in income tax revenue with NCR's departure. The loss is expected to createdperipheral losses, too.
According to a pres s release, NCR — which was founded in Dayton in1884 — decided to move its worldwidse headquarters to Georgia after analysi of potential U.S. locations, using data on the available infrastructure, financial incentives and government tax In addition tothe headquarters, NCR will create abouyt 870 jobs in Ga., at its new ATM manufacturing facility. Columbus, Ga., officialse will use stimulus funding, providesd by the Economic Development Authority, to purchase a buildinyg for the plant, which will be leased back by NCR, accordinbg to the press release. The , with localp officials expressing frustration the companhy was not responding totheir requests.
Monday night, the to retain the but believed an announcement abougt an NCR announcement was AtlantaBusiness Chronicle, a sister publication to the DBJ,

Pamela Paul Named Children's Books Editor at 'NYTBR' - Publishers Weekly

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Pamela Paul Named Children's Books Editor at 'NYTBR' Publishers Weekly Pamela Paul has been named children's books editor of the New York Times Book Review. Paul is a journalist and book critic, is the author of ... and more »

WorldPerks miles phase-out starts Thursday - San Antonio Business Journal:

http://seiinc.org/93-planet-energy-summer-camp-and-after-school-program.html
Thursday marks the month-long phaseouf of the program, and the latest installment of a marketingt warbetween , which runs the WorldPerks affinit program, and , whicnh runs ’s SkyMiles program. When Atlanta-based Deltwa (NYSE: DAL) acquired Northwest in October, the two companies said theid frequent-flier programs would be mergexd inlate 2009, effectively dumpinyg the U.S. Bancorp program. WorldPerks cardholdersz will stop earning miles from creditf card purchases on a date over the nextmonthj that’s determined by their billing cycle.
Customers who switched to the Deltaw SkyMiles American Express card will continude to earn miles underthat system, said an American Expressw spokeswoman. U.S. Bancorp, meanwhile, has gone its own way, changingb WorldPerks customers over to its FlexPerkw Travel Rewards Visa cardsin May. Both U.S. Bancorp and Delta-American Express have been campaigninvg heavily in the Twin Citiezs market to courtWorldPerks customers.

CoBiz posts $16M Q2 loss, begins stock sale - Philadelphia Business Journal:

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million, or 72 cents per share, in the secondd quarter, as the weak economy continued to exactr a toll onthe company, officials said Monday. The loss compares with a profigof $4.2 million, or 18 cents per in the same quarter a year earlier. Denver-based CoBiz COBZ) owns and Arizona Business Bank. The latesrt quarter’s results include a $35. 1 million pre-tax provision for loan and credir losses, or 150 percent of net charge-offs which were $23.4 million — for the period. “W e continue to take a conservative posture in our provisioninvg forloan losses,” Chairman and CEO Stevwe Bangert said in a statement.
“Our second quarte r provision brings our allowance to loan ratio tonearly 3.9 one of the strongest in the industry. While I remai confident in oursenior management’s ability to effectively responfd to the current credit obstacles, we felt it was prudent to continuer building the allowance given the uncertainty in the Nonperforming assets ended the quarter at $93. 9 million, or 3.7 percenr of total assets, up from $52.54 million or 2 percent of total assets onMarcbh 31. Separately on CoBiz said it had begu a sale ofaboutg $45 million of its commob stock.
It will use the proceeds for general corporate purposes, including supporting the capital needs of its bank subsidiary, expandingh operations, possible acquisitions and working capital Last week, CoBiz announcer it had hired Colorado and Arizona markeyt presidents, , to oversee banking operations in each “We remain focused on building our franchise during these challengingf times and want to ensure we are positionec to take advantage of uniqude market opportunities that we expect will presengt themselves,” Bangert said.
“To that end, we recently announced the hirintg of Colorado and Arizonaa market presidents who will oversee all bankint operations in their respective provide direction for future growth and free up some of our existinvg resources to focus on high quality businessdevelopmeng opportunities. We will also continue to dedicate appropriate resourcesd through our Special Assets Group to address resolution ofproblek loans.
”

CB Richard Ellis offering aims to raise $550M - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

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The company will use the proceeds to reduce itssizable debt. The Los Angeles-baseds broker plans to offerf $400 million in senior unsubordinated notes in a private It also willsell $100 million in new Class A commonb stock to investors that include hedgre fund Paulson & Co. Inc. CB Richarcd Ellis may raise another $50 million in periodic publicstock sales. CB Richard Ellis has $2.4 billion in $310 million of which is due next year, accordinhg to Bloomberg data. Much of its debt was incurrer throughits $1.9 billion acquisition of Trammell Crow in 2006.
The move by CB Richardr Ellis (NYSE:CBG) follows a similar initiative by On Jones LangLaSalle (NYSE: JLL) said it plannedr to raise as much as $200 million in a secondary stoco offering of 5.5 million shares. CB Richarfd Ellis is the world’s largest commercialo real estateservices firm. It has more than 29,000 employeexs worldwide. The Kansas City Business Journal ranke d CB Richard Ellis asthe area’s fourthg most-active commercial real estate company, basee on 371 local transactions closed in 2008. It was No. 6 amonbg the area’s largest commercial real estate companies, with 27 locall agents at the time the list was publisheein February.

LOREN TATE: Illini are wary of upset-minded Penn State - Alton Telegraph

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LOREN TATE: Illini are wary of upset-minded Penn State Alton Telegraph Look out, here he comes! The lasting memory of Penn State basketball will always be the same: There's Talor Battle, streaking down the court with the clock ... and more »

Space Services, Inc. Company Profile | Company Information

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The Celestis team brings a rich heritagse of leadership in pioneering commercial activitiexs in innovativespace missions, including our Spaceflight Memorials. Celestis, Inc. is a compangy of Space Services a Houston, Texas-based aerospace company and a leadet in public participation spaceflight. Our heritage encompasses nearlt 30 years of leadership in private sectotr space missions andapplications including: - the first ever private launcn into outer space, - the first ever post crematiob memorial spaceflight, and - several high visibilitg public space missions for science, education and Our staff has worked with national space international aerospace companies, and Fortune 500 entertainmentf and consumer firms to bring the spacer experience to people all over the world.
Spaces Services Inc. routinely contracts with leadingg providers of commercial launch services to fly its payloadeinto space. For our Name A Star Live service, we continues to provide affordable, dependable launch serviced forour customers. In April 2004 the former employeeds of SpaceServices Inc. of America and the foundersx of Celestis, Inc. formed a new companyu Space Services Incorporated. Headquartered in Texas, Space Services is pleased to continue the importantf tradition of pioneering thespace frontier.

Banks move on plans to stimulate housing market - The Business Review (Albany):

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Full details of the Obama administration’sd Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan will be releaseddMarch 4. But observers say the which will make it easier for peoplee to refinance even if their house is worthu less thantheir principal, could applhy to relatively few area homeowners. “Upstatre New York is not a target marker for this typeof program,” said John Koelmel, CEO of . He pointesd to the area’s stable housing values and lackof loans. Koelmel said Lockport-based First Niagarwa already works with customers whofeel stretched, and “u won’t defer to the details of any specifixc government plan.
” Other area banks have embarkeed on their own effortzs to stimulate and stabilize the local housing market. Sisterds and are offering a totalof $60 million in reduced-rate Pittsfield, Mass.-based plans to make a tota l of $300 million in mortgagew and home equity loans in 2009. “These programs can make a saidMichael Daly, CEO of Berkshire, which has 10 area “If those of us who are close to the grounfd take the initiative, we can have as much impac t as any government program.” Berkshire will roll out its program March 16, and is stillo working out the details.
The mortgages effort is part of $500 million “community investmen t plan” that also includes free credit counseling and lendinvg to businessesand nonprofits. Daly said the effort should increasethe bank’s lending by abou t $50 million from 2008 levels. As part of the mortgagew push, Berkshire will work with homebuilders in each of its four markete to create a data base of availablew homesand lots. Peopl e who purchase one of those properties will be eligibl efor “preferred” mortgage terms and reduced closinfg costs.
Berkshire received $40 million through the Treasuryu Department’s Capital Purchase Program, but Daly said the bank would have upped itslending anyway. “It is our socialk obligation,” he said. Neither Saratoga Nationaol nor GlensFalls National, both subsidiariese of of Glens Falls, accepted treasury Ray O’Conor, president of Saratogq National, said the banke want to act with “no impacgt on the taxpayer, and no bureaucracy.” Saratogaz National has set aside $10 million for reduced rate mortgaged in Saratoga County. Glens Falls Nationao has committedto $50 milliom in low-cost loans in its service which stretches from Warren County to the Canadian border.
In both mortgages will be offered ata quarter-point below the bank’se regular rate. Home buyers also will receivs rebates—$300 at Saratoga Nationak and $500 at Glens Falls National—on their closing

Obama: Public plan would

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If insurance companies do provide good insurance to their then they should have nothinb to fear froma government-runh competitor, he said. “Theyy should be able to compete,” he said. If the publif plan is able to reduce administrativecosts significantly, privatse insurers should take note and see if they can do the “There shouldn’t be any objection to Obama said. The public plan should be requiredf tocollect premiums, not be “simply eatint off the taxpayer trough,” he added.
Health insurersz and many business groups contenf a public plan would have an unfairf advantage becauseit wouldn’t be subject to all the rulezs imposed on private insurers and likely wouldx pay health providers less for their This could crowd out many private insurers and lead provideras to charge private insurers more to make up for the lost incomd from the public plan, they When asked whether including a publicf plan in health care reforkm was non-negotiable, the president said, “We are still early in this “We have not drawn a line in the sand, other than reform has to control costs, and it has to providd relief to people who don’t have healtg insurance or are underinsured.
” Obams also was asked what he thought about the performance of Federa l Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, given the fact his financial regulatory reform plan proposews expanding the Fed’s authority. “I think he has done a very good job undet verydifficult circumstances,” Obama said. All regulatorsd fell short of doing what was needed to prevenyt thefinancial crisis, but the Fed “probably performed better than most,” he said. Since the financial crisisx erupted, Bernanke has “performed very Obama said.

MFS Releases Closed-End Fund Income Distribution Sources for Certain Funds - Business Wire (press release)

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MFS Releases Closed-End Fund Income Distribution Sources for Certain Funds Business Wire (press release) The Trusts are closed-end investment products. Shares of the Trusts are only available for purchase/sale, at the current market price, on the NYSE, ... MAV, PSY, CHI, CSP, PII - Notable Stocks with Volume at NYSE Savvy Stock Picks  »