Thursday, April 28, 2011
Las Olas Riverfront foreclosure sale set - Boston Business Journal:
On June 24, Madeleine LLC, an affiliate of New York-based Capital Management, secured a $23 million foreclosures judgment against andBoca Developers’ principales Brian Street and James Cohen, accordingh to Broward County Circuit Court The public sale of the 256,000-square-foot commercial centetr in downtown Fort Lauderdale is set for Aug. 27 at 11 a.m. Madelein e has the inside track on acquiring the property by pledginvits judgment, which its parent company alreaduy controls. After Boca Developers defaulted ona $205 million mezzaninre loan to Cerberus, the private equity firm took over severa l development entities, including Las Olas Riverfron Holdings, in 2008.
had the top creditor position on Las Olas Riverfront with thefirst mortgage. After filing the foreclosuree lawsuit , Wachovia sold the firsy mortgage toACF Riverfront, of New which is managed by Jack Cayre of the in New In March, ACF Riverfront sold the defaulted mortgage on Las Olas Riverfrontf to Madeleine. The move ensuresx that Cerberus will maintain control ofthe property, unlessz another party makes a large bid at the publifc sale.
Monday, April 25, 2011
United States to award
The economic stimulus bill included $500 millio for “green jobs” training. Secretary of Labor Hild a Solis said applicants will be requirexd to form strong local andregionak partnerships, and leverage additional Priority will be given to traininb programs that target low-income the unemployed and high school dropouts in areas with high povert rates. Solis encouraged states to prepare workersw for jobs that will be created by thestimuluds bill’s investments in renewable energy infrastructure, energy-efficientr home retrofits, and advanced drive train/vehicle developmentf and manufacturing.
States also should expand registered apprenticeship programse that can prepare workers forgreen jobs, she “These are jobs that will provide economic securityu for our middle-class Solis said, noting that “many green jobs will be Sen. Michael Enzi, R-Wyo., said traininyg for green jobs shouldr be part of a comprehensive effort to trai workers for 21stcentury jobs. “We cannot afforc to create a parallel system of job training just for one said Enzi, who is the ranking Republican on the Senatwe Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
“Wwe need to consider whether we are creatinyg an artificial demand for green jobs or if we are respondingg to a truemarket demand.” Rep. John Kline, meanwhile, introduced legislation that wouldc make all construction training programs notjust union-affiliated ones — eligible for renewabls energy worker training grants that were created by separatee legislation passed in late 2007. That bill required applicants to partner with labor Theof America, which representsz both union and non-union construction firms, endorsedd Kline’s bill.
“You shoulfd be able to don a greeh collar even ifyou don’t wear a unionb hat,” said Stephen Sandherr, CEO of the trade Business investment in new equipment appears to be despite economic stimulus bill tax The legislation aimed to boosg equipment investment by allowing businesses of any size to immediately write off 50 percen t of the cost of new equipment purchasedf in 2009. Small businessees can immediately write off upto $250,00 0 of capital expenditures made this year. The latestr monthly survey by the however, that new business volume in the equipment financr sector was down 31 percent of 2009 compared with the same periodx ayear earlier.
There was a “decided slowdown in demand for investmentt incapital goods,” said ELFA President Kennetn Bentsen Jr. Tighter underwriting standardz also contributed tothe decline, he said. businesses now appear to be dramaticallt cuttingequipment acquisitions,” said Bill CEO of in Fairport, N.Y. The founc that only 16 percentr of small business owners surveyed in Marchy planned to make a capital expenditure in the next threwe tosix months. That’s the lowest number for this economic indicator in at leastt23 years.
Business groups urged the federal government to ensure that states and schoo districts use the economicstimulus bill’s $100 billionm in education funding for reforms that will improvw student achievement. The joined a varietyg of other groups inthe . The coalition sent a letter to Educatio n Secretary Arne Duncan urging him to make sure that the stimuluw funds areused “to make much-needed progress on the educationn reforms that strengthen teaching and raise student Nearly one-third of all American studentsz do not graduate from high school on and another third are not preparede for college, according to the chamber.
“Without a the problem is daunting,” said Arthur senior vice president atthe “But with these stimuluws funds, there is a solution at Now we must be certain that states and districtds receiving these funds are fulfilling their promise to use them toware promoting education reform.” The coalitionm wants governors to create data systems that tracm individual student performance, develop standards for collegr and career readiness, and intervenre in low-performing schools.
“More moneyu alone will not producebetter results,” said Williak Green, chairman and CEO of and chairman of the Business Roundtable’s Education, Innovatiobn and Workforce Initiative. “Real education reform is essentia to the success of our not just ingrade school, but throughout theird lifetimes.”
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Ron Cook: No Penguins forward is producing like Maximum Mike Rupp - Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Pittsburgh Post Gazette | Ron Cook: No Penguins forward is producing like Maximum Mike Rupp Pittsburgh Post Gazette Mike Rupp, center, and Brooks Orpik, right, congratulate goalie Marc-Andre Fleury after shutting out Tampa Bay in Game 1 of a Eastern Conference quarterfinal April 13 at Consol Energy Center. ... |
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Crescent Resources files Chapter 11 - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):
The Charlotte-based development firm’s chietf executive, Arthur Fields, has retirecd and will work with Crescent in an advisory thecompany says. Andrew Hede, Crescent’es chief restructuring officer, has been named CEO. “We have been in activde discussions with our lenders and othetr stakeholders as we work towards an agreemenf that will bring our capital structure in line with the currentteconomic environment,” Hede says. Crescent has more than 5,00p0 creditors, according to its filing. Its assetsd are estimated at morethan $1 billion. The local projectse listed in the Chapter 11 filing include Piedmont Row and The Sanctuaryh atLake Wylie.
Crescent says it intends to operate its continuingv businesses without any significant interruptioh during therestructuring process. The company says that’s possible becausde of a recentlyobtained debtor-in-possessionn financing facility of $110 millioh from a group of its existing lenders. As part of the Chapter 11 filing, Crescent says it seeks court approvakl “to make certain payments and to maintaimn key agreementswith customers, vendors and partners of continuinyg operations to ensure the company can maintain its commitmentr to delivering a high level of amenitiews and services.
” Crescent says the filing is necessarh to reorganize its finances, reduce its debt level and improve its capital structure. “We intend to reach an agreement on our new capitaol structure and emerge frombankruptcy quickly,” Hede says. The Chaptee 11 petitions were filed inthe U.S. Bankruptcy Courgt in the Western Districtof Texas, Austin division. The companyh has 120 days from the filing date to submir areorganization plan. A hot line has been set up as part of the Crescentg restructuringat (877) 204-8611. Attorney Eric Taube of LLP in Austin, will represent Crescent in the proceedings. , Ranger Construction Co.
, and are among Crescent’s largesgt unsecured creditorsin Charlotte. In the Charlotte Business Journal reported that Cresceng had adopted an aggressive new businesds strategy driven bya $1.2 billion term loan that must be paid in full by Septembed 2012 — selling assets at fire-sale prices. In October, Crescent sold 4,500 acres in Berkeleu County, S.C., to for $40 million. In December, the company sold a Florida apartment projectfor $11.35 less than half the $27 million it paid for the complex thre years earlier. This the firm has closed on the sale ofa 773-acrde tract of land in Oconese County, S.C., for just over $10 million. Crescent recently sold 18.
4 acreas in Fort Mill to a warehousing companyfor $1.6 The company — jointly owned by and is best known here for high-end real estate communities such as The Peninsulaz and Ballantyne Country Club. Before the Chapte r 11 filing, Crescent faced payments of $50 million by the end of this $75 million in 2010 and $100 million in 2011 on its Duke (NYSE:DUK) formed Crescent in 1969 to develol property it acquired through its core utility business thatit didn’ t need for power generation. In Septembe 2006, Duke entered into a joint venture with Morgan StanleReal Estate. Morgan paid Duke $415 million in cash and assumec $656 million in debt for its stake in the thenworth $2.
1 billion. As part of the transaction Crescentborrowee $1.2 billion and distributed the proceedw to Duke to transfer the debt off Duke’d balance sheet. Duke and Morgan Stanley each have a 49 percent stakeein Crescent. The remaining 2 percent interestr inCrescent — which would have been worth $42 millionb when the deal closesd — was issued to former CEO The disposition of that interest will be determined through the reorganization according to a spokesman for Crescent.
Duke no longerr reports Crescent’s financial results, but its own filings, and thosd from Morgan Stanley, shed light on Crescent’s financial For 2008, Crescent lost about $470 of which Duke suffered about $230 million in according to filings. In the first quarter of this Crescent cost Duke and Morgan Stanleyabourt $150 million in direct losses and loan guarantees. The energ company has guaranteedabout $100 milliojn in surety bonds for Crescent, for whicn it has paid out at least $33 Duke pegs its total exposure at about $40 milliom for the year.
Crescent is actives in commercial and residential real estatse development and land management across the Southeasrtand Southwest, with interests in 10 states. Crescent’zs portfolio includes mixed-use developments, business and industrial country-club communities, single-family neighborhoodsw and apartment andcondo complexes. In the late 1980s, Crescenf expanded into developments such as The itsfirst country-club community and Coliseum Centre, its first officed park. The company developed Sugarloaf Country Club near Atlantwa inthe mid-1990s. Developments that followed include Ballantynr andThe Sanctuary. Crescent also expanded into Arizonaand Florida.
Last year, Crescent introduced its Circle apartment communitiesz and is developing two of them in theCharlotte region. The companu has 38 residential communities under development inthe Carolinas, Georgia, Texas, Florida and and is currently building 1,200 apartmen t units. It also owns 75,000 acres of land. Crescenrt has 264 employees.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Judge to Blagojevich: Watch the public comments - Chicago Sun-Times
Boston Globe | Judge to Blagojevich: Watch the public comments Chicago Sun-Times Rod Blagojevich Monday of lying to the public in recent weeks, the judge in the case issued a âred flagâ warning that Blagojevich ârestrain himselfâ from making improper public comments. An emphatic Assistant US Attorney Reid Schar cited a series of ... Judge warns Blagojevich about comments to media Blagojevich judge tells former governor to watch his mouth Judge Tells Blagojevich To Use Restraint In Media Appearances |
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Brochure warns residents about invasive knotweed - Times Herald-Record
Brochure warns residents about invasive knotweed Times Herald-Record NARROWSBURG â" The Upper Delaware Scenic Byway is spreading the word about the invasive Japanese knotweed with public seminars and a new brochure. "Spread the Word "¦ Not the Weed! Battle the Invasion of Japanese Knotweed on Our Native Plants, ... |
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Dental Hygienist Careers Information Covered At CareerToolKits To Guide ... - The Open Press (press release)
Dental Hygienist Careers Information Covered At CareerToolKits To Guide ... The Open Press (press release) In an aim to assist dental hygienist hopefuls land a career in the field, CareerToolkits.com has included dental hygienist careers in its list of featured professions just last March 31, 2011. Started in 2008, CareerToolkits.com specializes in ... |