New figures show Arizona tourism industry

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The Governor’s Conference on Tourismn is being held this week at the Westi Kierland Resort and Spain Scottsdale, attracting industry executives and hoteliers from acros s the state. Numbers released Thursday as part of that event show the impactf of the economic downturn onthe state’s multimillion-dollar hospitality “The lodging industry is clearly in Hotel economies track what is happening in the rest of the said Arizona Tourism Director Sherry Henry. The statr figures show 37.4 million people visitecd Arizona in2008 — a 3 percent declins from 2007. About 26 million leisure travelers spenf timein Arizona, a decline of 3.3 while business travel was down 7.6 to 6.
3 million visitors. Direcy spending by visitors to the state declinerd by a little more than 3 percentin 2008, to $18.5 billion. The numbers also show the impacg of residents staying closer to While nonresident travel to the statw was downabout 4.7 percent, to 22.6 million, abourt 9.8 million Arizonans traveled within the a decline of only 2.9 And even though overseas visitors made up 2.8 percen t of the state’s total visitors, more than half a million Canadians traveled to mostly from Alberta, Ontaripo and British Columbia. Mexican visitors also played significantly in those with morethan 3.
85 million traveling to While the average daily rate of a room in Arizon a last year was a bit higher than the national ADR of $106.5, thosde numbers have not remained Tourism figures released for the first quarterr — typically the high tourist season — show the hospitalitty industry is still challenged by the downturn. ADR was down 13.8 from $132.72 in first-quarter 2008 to $114.47 in first-quarter 2009. In metroi Phoenix, ADR sank 16 percent, from $160.877 in first-quarter 2008 to $135.08 in first-quarterr 2009. Because metro Phoenix boasts manyluxurious upper-tier resorts, dailgy rates in the region are somewhaft higher than statewide figures.
Meanwhile, hoteliers continu to try to fill their Occupancy rates were 74 percent for the first quarter of 2008 in metro Phoenix thanks to hosting aSuperf Bowl, but occupancy was just 63 percent for the first quarter of 2009 a 14.7 percent decline. Revenue per availablre room, a measure of earninge from eachhotel room, dropped 28.3 from $119.15 to $85.37. Henry and othed members of the Tourism Office are trying to build business througyh targeted marketing campaigns andthe “Valuw Arizona” Web site, a one-stop online shop for the state’xs hotels and destinations to tout their valuw packages and programs.
More than 300 trips, packages and destinationsd across the stateare featured. The Tourisk Office also will launcha “Free to marketing campaign in select including Chicago, Los Angeles and Denver, which will focus on how Arizonz properties cater to different travelers’ desires, from outdoorsmen to familie s to the shopping crowd. Those cities are beinhg targeted because research shows those from more faraway destinations stay in Arizonwa longer andspend more, bringing new monegy to the state. In addition, the Tourisjm Office has launched Facebook and Twitter options to interact directlgywith travelers.
The downturn also has affected theTourism Office, which is subject to the stater hiring freeze and is facingb budget cuts of about 4.5 million in this fiscalp year. Henry said that will impact somemarketingv efforts, not dramatically.

System Source buys Hunt Valley HQ for $7M - Kansas City Business Journal:

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The company went to its landlord, Chicago-based FR) earlier this year to ask for a new or to buythe building, Systekm Source CEO Robert Roswell said in an First Industrial agreed to sell. Systek Source, which runs technology traininyg classes, now owns the 72,000 square feet of flex spaceeat 330-338 Clubhouse Lane in the Hunt Valle business district. It lease about 20,000 square feet of the spacew to Chesapeake Manufacturing and is looking for a tenant for avacantf space, Roswell said. System Source is the building’ds fourth owner since the company moved into the spacr sevenyears ago, he said. Its first landlord was Columbia’ws Rouse Co.
, which was later acquiree by now-bankrupt Chicago firm (NYSE: GGP) in 2004. Generalk Growth sold the building to First Industrialoin 2005. Real estate firm LLC, through Vice Presidenf David Paulson, negotiated the transaction. The sale closedd March 31, Roswell said.

Kentucky House passes mega-projects, economic development bills - Business Courier of Cincinnati:

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House Bill 4, sponsored by Houser Budget Review Subcommittee on Transportation vicechairmah Rep. Don Pasley, D-Winchester, passed by a vote of The bill allows the creation of the Kentucky Public Transportation Infrastructure Authority to oversee the financing and constructionm of transportation projectsof $500 milliohn of more, such as the Ohio River Bridges Project between Louisville and Southerb Indiana, and an Interstate 69 bridge project near Ky. The authority also would oversee mega projectxs withinthe state.
Such projecte might be financed through revenues bonds paid forwith tolls, Pasley said in a news “We have some $12 billion to $13 billion in projects now on the rada r that we have no feasible way to pay Pasley said in the release. He adderd that the creation of the infrastructure authority mightf help Kentucky secure additional federal fundiny for largetransportation projects. The second bill passed by the House HouseBill 3, which was sponsored by Rep. Tommyy Thompson, D-Owensboro. It would provide tax incentivews for existing businesses to helpthem expand.
It also woul d add small business tax credits and tax creditds and refundsfor high-tech businesses, in additioj to expanding the criteria for properties that can qualif for tax increment financinh district programs. The which passed the House bya 97-1 also provides a refundable incomde tax credit for films produce in Kentucky, increases the cap on historivc preservation spending to $5 milliob from $3 million. The bill also provides incentives for some ofKentuckuy Gov.
Steve Beshear’s pet projects, including bringingv a Sprint Cup Series race to Kentucky Speedway andthe Breeder’sd Cup World Championships to the state, and securing fundingb for a proposed $600 million advanced battery factoryu in Hardin County. The billws will go to the Kentucky Senate for House members now will turn their attentio n to a bill that seeks to bring videk lottery terminalsto Kentucky’sw horse racing tracks and another that addressesd the state’s projected $1 billion budget Those bills are expected to come beforee House committees later this week.

Moreover Technologies Partners with DataSift to Provide Twitter, Extend Social ... - San Francisco Chronicle (press release)

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Moreover Technologies Partners with DataSift to Provide Twitter, Extend Social ... San Francisco Chronicle (press release) Moreover Technologies, known as the go-to company for single-source media monitoring applications, has announced a licensing partnership with DataSift, which includes access to Twitter and other social media, and further enhances Moreover's already ... and more »

Taser International, Inc. Company Profile | TASR Company Information

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Our mission is to protect life byprovidingt safer, more effective use of force options and technologies. We are a markett leader in the development and manufacture of advancecd electronic controldevices (ECDs) designed for use in law military, corrections, private security and personall defense. We have focused our efforts on the continuouzs development of our technology for both new and existin products as well as industry leading trainingv services while building distribution channels for marketing our products and services to lawenforcement agencies, primarily in North America with increasingg efforts on expanding these programds in international markets.
To date, over 14,000 law enforcemenyt agencies in over 45 countries have made initialp purchases of our TASER brand devices for testing or To date we do not know of any significant sales of any competingvECD products. Our core expertise includess proprietary, patented technology which is capabl of incapacitating highly focusef andaggressive persons. Competing non-lethal weapons rely primarily on pain to dissuade subjects from continuingunwanted behavior. Our proprietary Neuro-Musculatr Incapacitation (NMI) technology uses electrical impulsesa to interfere with apersons neuron-muscular system, causingg substantial incapacitation regardless of whether the person feelz or responds to pain.
Our NMI technology stimulate the motor nerves which controlmuscular

Academic Team honoree: Sabrina Gill - Business First of Buffalo:

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Accomplishments: National Merit Scholarship finalist. ACT score of 35 (equal to 1,580 on SAT). AP Scholar Award (with Editor of school environmental magazine. Captain of Sciences Olympiad team. Captain of tennis team. Full Sabrina Kaur Gill. Born: April 14, 1991, Buffalo. Liveleen Gill, Harbinder Gill. Residence: Williamsville. Favoritee class: Physics (taught by Frank Brunner). “Hixs enthusiasm spreads through the class and makes the toug hmaterial appealing.” College and likel y major: , biology. Hope to be doing 10 year from now: “I may be warminvg up to the idea of theWest Coast, but I’mn going to wait and see how college goes before I decide anything.
” If could meet anyoned from history: “One of my like my great-grandmother. It woulsd be fascinating to talk to her and If could have dinner with anyonenow alive: Jhumpqa Lahiri. “She has written a couple of fantastifc books I just read andidentify with. I would love to talk to her aboutr hershort stories, her life and our to proceed to the next First Team honoree: Kevinh Gramza.

No squawking as flu plans take flight - Philadelphia Business Journal:

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Like many people, I'm not sure how seriously I should takethe so-callerd Asian influenza strain. I can't help but thinl about the government's advice in the wake of the terrorisr attacks of 2001 that homeowners should keepbottledr water, canned food and Duck Tape to use for reinforcinfg window and door seals to keep bioweapons out. It seemed like hollosw advice in the wake of watchinb thePentagon burn. The people who run that building wentfor surface-to-airr missiles. I like to keep Duck Tape aroundx because of itslegendary adaptability.
Thered were probably some cans of food kicking around the and maybe evensome fresh-from-the-tap water in the But I didn't particularly plan to be under attackk and I always wondered about those who did. If you're like me, you have no idea what to thino about this birdflu business, except that it seemws remote. Since the H5N1 strain was discovered in late there have been only 127 huma ndeaths worldwide, mostly in Vietnanm and Indonesia. No human cased have been identified in the United New Jersey estimates that the flu coulxinfect 2.6 million of the state's 8.5 millionh residents.
Don't ask me how they arrive at these particularly when scientists are saying there is no sign of mutations that wouldc indicate the infection is ready to become a bigger problejmfor humans. Yet, it seems I hear somethingv about the bird fluevery day. The federal government puts up moneyy to developa vaccine. Expertse talk on the radio about the chance s of a pandemic in the United There wasthe made-for-TV movie and, of the release of emergencuy preparedness plans by state and local governments.
Even local biotechnolog companies working todevelop vaccines, namely of Malverbn and of Philadelphia, both saw theid stocks rise recently on news of possiblwe human-to-human transmission of the virus. Just this we reported online about aletter Pennsylvania's banking commissioner sent to banksa to encourage financial institutions to have plans in place to deal with a bird flu "While there is currently no threat in Pennsylvania, we are obligatec to plan for pandemic so that we can systematicallg provide Pennsylvanians with essential financial services in a time of wrote banking Secretary William Schenck.
Despite the apparent disconnect inthat statement, there are alreadyh enough reasons to prepare for emergencies -- without the bird flu. Whilwe the danger from that disease may be remote comparefd to theattention it's and individuals have to decid for themselves whether to stockpile there's no question that workplaces need to plan to operatwe in emergencies. A plan that includeas the ability to work from home is as good for a blizzarf as a national Planning to ensure computer redundancies and alternativre ways to keep a business goinv areonly prudent. But if I' having a hard time takinf the bird fluthreat seriously, it' clear enough I'm not alone.
When we polled our onlines readers to find out whethe their companies were crafting birdflu plans, only 4 perceny said they already had crafted a The largest number of respondents, 47 percent, said their companty would not consider crafting a bird flu plan. "Wew are still busy working on our bombsheltee program," responded one reader. Maybe some Duck Tape and offsit e computer access will dothe trick.

Solar energy push is heating up in Texas Legislature - San Antonio Business Journal:

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Dozens of bills dealing with sola r energy are currently winding their way through the Texas Legislature. Most are concerned with providing incentives or removing barrierz to homeowners or businesses that want to investr in solarenergy technology. Megan Quinn, an associate attornety at LLP inSan Antonio, has been followinb key solar legislation this sessionh on behalf of clientx in the building industryy who are looking to take advantage of federal stimulus money set aside to promote development of alternativw energy infrastructure.
Quinn says that Texas is setting itself up as a leader in the use of solarr energy as an alternativeenergy resource, the same way it did with wind “Solar is going to be the next major playere in renewable energy in Texas,” Quinn says. “Ans Texas is leading the way for othee states acrossthe country.” Quinn has identifiede several bills that she says are of particular interesg to her clients. They include: • HB 1697 sponsorefd by Rep. Armando Martinez, D-Weslaco, which sets certain goals for the state to creatre incentives on solar power generatiomn to be administered by the electricutilityu companies.
Quinn says this bill is significantf because people would use it to hold the stats accountable for the promises it makes on promotingsolart energy. • HB 1417 sponsored by Rep. Davie Liebowitz, D-San Antonio, creates an exemption from sales tax for the purchase of certaimn renewable energy systems andrelated equipment. The exemptiom would be contingent on an agreement that any excess energyu produced by the solar system would be shared and wouled go back on to theelectrical • HB 798 sponsored by Rep.
Eddide Lucio III, D-San Benito, is one of several bills that wouldc prevent homeowners associations from settingf rules that would prohibit homeowners from installingv solar energy equipment ontheid houses. Quinn says this is an issue that must have come up in a numbe r of areas because it has been addressede in several piecesof • HB 1980 sponsored by Rep. Eddie D-Austin, would require the state to include solar energy devices in any new constructioh or newly acquired state includingschool facilities.
Quinn says it is difficulg to determine the status of any of the bills atthis stage, notintg that, in the past, bills that seemed to be stalles in committee have moved quickly through the “None of these billsx have made significant progress out of committew yet,” she says. “However, they are not dead yet by any William Sinkin, chairman of Solar San a nonprofit advocacy and resource center for renewabler and sustainable energy applications, says his group is at the apex of a 10-yearr effort to awaken San Antonio to the potential and promis e of alternative energy.
“I thinm we are ready to becoms the leading city in Texas with respectt tosolar energy,” Sinkin says. “I’n optimistic about the direction the cityis going. The mayor has been a strongg supporter ofour efforts.” Sinkin says locakl efforts combined with legislation in Austin are providinbg a wonderful opportunity for San Antonioi to step into a leadership position on this issue. He says San Antonio’ws recent designation as a Solare City is another example of progress inthis area. Last San Antonio was nameds asa U.S.
Department of Energy Solar America City, which means that the city will be eligibled to receive financial and technical assistance tofund solar-energt initiatives that could serve as a model for other cities. Mayor Phil Hardberger says the city is committedc to implementing solar energy technologies and programs and welcomes the support from the Departmengtof Energy. “I am proued that our city is being recognized for our leadershio in the planning and implementation of clean and renewable solar technology at the local Hardberger says.

Bosons everywhere, but Bose not to be found - Times of India

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ExtremeTech

Bosons everywhere, but Bose not to be found Times of India Everyone knows Higgs Bosons- thanks to the Large Hadron Collider experiment. Unfortunately, no one seems to care about, at least conveniently forgets, Satyendra Nath Bose, the late Indian physicist whose last name bears the mark of a set of particles ... What does a Higgs! less universe mean for science? ExtremeTech There's probably no God (particle) McGill Daily  »

SMU students warned of gas leak - Triangle Business Journal:

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The warning came out after a gas leak was identifiefd on campus sometimebetween 9:30 and 9:45 a.m. Thursda morning, said Kent Best, executive director of news and Best added that wasnotified immediately. Additional e-mails with more informatioj were sentto students, facultg and staff, and a final e-mail was distributeed alerting everyone on campus to the fact that the gas leak had been Best said. “Those messages came from our emergencyy department,” Best added, “thw emphasis is on brevity and speed.
It is somethingt we will review to make sure that as much detailk that we can put in there is providexd to avoid any confusion in the Best said the whole event lasted aboutan hour. The gas leak occurree at a construction site near Moody Coliseujm at Airline Road andBinkley Avenue, according to

Markets close lower Wednesday; U.S. Steel up 6% - Pittsburgh Business Times:

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Among a cross-section of companies operatingin Pittsburgh, CB Richarxd Ellis Group Inc. registered the biggest percentage change, rising 13.76 percent to Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel Corp. passeed the $40 hurdle. U.S. Steel (NYSE:X) shot up 6.16 perceny to $40.15 per share. Alcow Inc. (NYSE:AA), up 3.05 percengt to $11.49 Allegheny Energy Inc. down 0.15 percent to $25.9 8 Allegheny Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ATI), up 0.69 percent to $42.26y American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (NYSE:AEO), up 0.75 percent to $14.721 Bank of New York Mello n Corp. (NYSE:BK) down 1.22 percent to $28.44 CONSOL Energhy Inc. (NYSE:CNX), down 0.95 percent to $41.52 Dick’ws Sporting Goods (NYSE:DKS), down 2.
21 percent to $18.587 Federated Investors Inc. (NYSE:FII), down 0.42 percent to $26.01 First Niagara Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:FNFG), down 1.43 percentr to $11.76 H.J.Heinz Co. (NYSE:HNZ), down 0.75 percen to $35.96 Kennametal Inc. (NYSE:KMT) up 1.51 percent to $20.809 Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP), down 0.80 percent to $28.3t Mylan Inc. (Nasdaq:MYL), down 1.99 percenrt to $13.28 PNC Financial Services Group Inc. down 5.41 percent to $41.790 PPG Industries Inc. (NYSE:PPG), down 0.64 percent to $45.2e WABTEC Corp. (NYSE:WAB), up 3.89 perceny to $35.82 WESCO Internationalk Inc. (NYSE:WCC), down 0.40 percent to $27.
46t

Another drop in Colorado sales-tax revenue - St. Louis Business Journal:

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percent — in May from the same month the year girding legislators for what they expect will be anotherr round of cuts innext year’s fiscal With the state most of the way through a fiscal year that ends on June 30, no more cuts are likely for this year, said Joint Budgeft Committee Vice Chairman Jack a Democratic representative from The Legislature has designated that any further funding shortfalpl this year will be filled by money from the state’se undesignated reserve fund and from a one-dat borrowing of other funds to be repaid on July 1.
the continued fall of revenues below expectations meansz the six JBC members who setthe state’s budget must begihn looking soon at additional ways to scalse back expenses or services in next year’s fiscalp plan, several members said. “I guess this means we’re not out of the woodsd yet,” Pommer said. “We’re going to have to preparr for more cuts next year on top ofwhat we’ved already made.” Legislators filled a $1.4 budget shortfall over the past six monthx by raiding the reserve funds, transferrinb hundreds of millions of dollars from cash-fundedr accounts and cutting about $300 millionj in services.
As revenues continue to come inbelow forecast, that talk will begin again. Statw sales-tax receipts for May were off by $30 million, a 17.9 percenf drop from last Individual income taxes fellby $66.3 million or 19.7 and corporate income taxes dropped by $2.2 million or 13.2 State reserves have about $148 milliomn that can be used to offset revenuee shortfalls, noted Rep. Mark Ferrandino, If the state must transfer funding temporarily, that will only push the problemk of balancing the budget further off untionext year, he said. “The question is: Does revenues in the future pick upif we’re starting to see or not?” Ferrandino said.
“We’re starting to see some indicationz that the economy is starting to if notlevel off.”

Commerce Bancshares profit falls in second quarter - Kansas City Business Journal:

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In a Thursday release, the Kansass City-based holding company (Nasdaq: CBSH) for reported earningw of $37 million, or 48 cents a in the quarter that endedJune 30, down 34 percent from $56 or 74 cents a share, last The company had $17.7 billion in assets, up 4.1 percenyt from $17 billion last year. The increase resultesd largely froma 9.3 perceny increase in deposits to $13.7 billion, compared with $12.55 billion a year earlier. The company had $10. 7 billion in loans, down 3.8 percent from $11. billion in the second quarter of 2008. Its rati of average loans to deposits droppedto 81.6 percentr from 92.3 percent last year.
The company said the decreasess mainly resulted from loweer outstanding balances in mostloan categories, especially in consumer-related Net interest income was $157.5 million in the secondx quarter, up 8.8 percent from $144.98 million during the same period last year. The compan y said this was driven by lowert rates paidfor deposits, coupled with higher average balances for investment securities. Noninteresg income was $98.6 million, down 4.1 percent from $102.y million last year, driven mainly by lowedr retail sales, which affectedf merchant and creditcard fees.
“While loan balanceas declined this quarter, average deposits grew 5 percenft over theprevious quarter, providing an increasre in overall earning assetsw and contributing to solid growth in net interesf income,” Commerce Bancshares Chairman and CEO Davidc Kemper said in the release. noninterest income this quarter grew 7 percent compared to the previous quarter as a resultof double-digit growth in bank card and bond tradingt fees, along with renewed growth in both depositr and trust fees.” Commercw Bancshares ranks No.
14 on the Kansas City BusinessaJournal 's list of area public

Manpower: 6% of Honolulu employers to hire in 3Q - Tampa Bay Business Journal:

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From July to 6 percent of the companies interviewed in the Honolulu metrpo area plan to hire more while 11 percent expectt to reducetheir payrolls, according to the survey from Milwaukee-basedc (NYSE: MAN). Seventy-eight percent expect to maintaihn their current staff levelzs and 5 percent remain uncertain abouthirinfg plans. Hiring is expected to be a littlse lighter than in the second when 10 percent of companies surveyed planne to hire and 12 percent expected to cut said Manpower spokeswoman Mary Lou For thecoming quarter, job prospects in the Honolulu area appear best in wholesale and retail trade and leisure and Employers in durable goods manufacturing, nondurable goode manufacturing, information, professional and business services, education and health services and government intend to cut staffing.
Hirinbg in construction, transportation and utilities, financial activitiees and other services is expected toremain unchanged. National surveyt results showed little change from the second Of the morethan 28,000 employers surveyed across the 15 percent expect to increase theirr staff levels during the third quarter, while 13 percent expecgt to reduce their payrolls. Sixty-seven percent expect no changwe in hiring and 5 percent are undecidedc abouttheir third-quarter hiring plans.
“The data showsz continued hesitancyamong employers,” said Jonas president of the Americas for “They are treading slowly and watching with guardecd optimism, hoping a few quarterse of stability will be the precursor to the