(WisBusiness) TUES News Summary — 12 Feb. 2008

February 12, 2008

From WisBusiness.com …
— Craig Samitt, CEO of Dean Health System, will be the guest at today’s Madison Business Luncheon presented by The Madison Club, Madison Magazine and WisBusiness.com.

The event is open to the public and the price of $19 includes lunch.

Please call the Madison Club’s front desk to sign up: 608-255-4861.

— It may not happen this term, but Congress will soon produce global warming legislation to limit carbon dioxide emissions in the United States, Rep. Tammy Baldwin predicted Monday.

Speaking at a “Coping with Climate Change” conference hosted by WisPolitics.com, Baldwin – a Democrat – predicted the bill will feature market-based “cap-and-trade” requirements to control carbon dioxide.

Under cap-and trade, a limit would be placed on carbon dioxide emissions, and allocations would be given or sold to polluters. Companies able to keep emissions under their allocations could sell credits to firms that could not. Over time, the total cap would be reduced with the goal to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

The congresswoman said she believes the next president – Democrat or Republican – will back climate change legislation and reverse years of delays and roadblocks thrown up by President Bush and Republicans who controlled the House and Senate until this session.

Several hours after Baldwin spoke, Rep. James Sensenbrenner ripped cap-and-trade rules at the same conference. The Republican said the regulations are faulty, would cost Americans billions of dollars and result in the loss of millions of jobs abroad.

He also said they would be particularly harmful to Wisconsin because most of its energy comes from coal-fired plants.

See story and listen to audio from the conference: http://wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=117940

— Kerry Inc. has notified state and local officials it plans to shut down its Germantown manufacturing plant and terminate 38 workers beginning in April and ending in June.

In other layoff news, Wackenhut Nuclear Service’s contract with Dominion Energy to provide security at the Kewaunee nuclear power plant is set to expire Feb. 24, which will result in the furlough of 137 employees. The state Workforce Development Department said affected workers will be able to apply for positions with the new contractor.

— The Milwaukee Press Club’s next Newsmaker Luncheon will feature Mark Murphy, the new president and chief executive officer of the Green Bay Packers. Murphy took over the helm of the Packers on Jan. 28, succeeding Bob Harlan, who retired.

The luncheon will take place at noon on Wednesday, Feb. 27, at Joey Buena’s, 500 N. Water St., in downtown Milwaukee. The public is invited to attend.

Murphy, who holds a law degree and a master’s degree in business administration in finance, brings a unique and diverse background to his role as the leader of one of the NFL’s flagship franchises.

See story: http://www.biztimes.com/daily/2008/2/11/#public-invited-to-meet-packers-new-ceo

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THANKS TO OUR WISBUSINESS SPONSORS

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TOP STORIES

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Orion Energy Systems sued for alleged securities violations: Roy Jacobs & Associates, a New York City law firm specializing in class action lawsuits, said Monday that it filed a lawsuit charging Orion Energy Systems Inc. of Plymouth with securities law violations regarding its recent initial public offering of stock. … The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, charges Orion, certain of its officers and directors and the underwriters who sponsored the IPO, with violation of the federal securities laws by issuing a registration statement and prospectus in connection with the IPO that the law firm said was “materially false or misleading due to omissions.”

http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2008/02/11/daily7.html?ana=from_rss

Utility Workers Lose Jobs Without Notice: Maryland employees at a utility company said they lost their jobs almost overnight and they’re having trouble finding out what happened. Workers for Wisconsin-based Triple E Utility Service said they began getting indications of problems at their job in January when banks stopped cashing payroll checks for the workers in Maryland and other states. … [Reporter Barry] Simms went to Triple E’s satellite office in Glen Burnie to investigate, but it was closed. A phone call and e-mail to the company’s main headquarters in Little Chute, Wis., weren’t returned. Former workers told Simms that they heard the company was in serious debt and that an attempt to restructure failed.

http://www.wbaltv.com/11investigates/15273853/detail.html

Kind: Stop filling up U.S. oil reserves to pump up economy: The Bush Administration would better jump-start the U.S. economy by suspending purchases for the nation’s oil reserves, a move that would reduce gas prices by putting 70,000 gallons a day back into the market, U.S. Rep. Ron Kind said Monday. “This could help stem a deeper and more painful slowdown of the economy,” said Kind, D-La Crosse. Drivers could save 25 cents per gallon at the pump, and Wisconsin residents would save a combined $625 million a year if the additional gasoline was diverted from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Kind said during a press conference at La Crosse’s Municipal Service Center on Isle la Plume.

http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2008/02/12/news/04kind.txt

Wisconsin Rapids: NewPage, union talks start; As effects bargaining begins, agency ready to help : NewPage employees who face uncertainty as the company begins negotiations with union workers will get some help, thanks to the state Department of Workforce Development. The agency’s Labor, Education and Training Center will host employee information sessions for all NewPage workers who feel uneasy about their future, said Cindy Kiesling, program coordinator. Effects bargaining is expected to determine which 50 of the company’s 107 union office employees will lose their jobs, said Jim Hintz, president of the Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 95. After the bargaining process, which starts today and which officials hope to finish by the end of this week, union workers will know exactly who will lose their jobs and when, Hintz said.

http://www.wisconsinrapidstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080212/WRT0101/802120629/1806&located=RSS

Developers look to Verona: David Reinke’s unconventional moves over the last few months may show the attractiveness of this city’s southeast side. When the Verona Plan Commission in January rejected a proposal from a Chicago developer who wanted to put a Menards home-improvement center and a Kohl’s department store on Reinke’s 100 acres at highways M and 18-151, Reinke wrote a scathing letter to the Verona Press, criticizing the denial. … Now, in another effort to make the development more attractive to city leaders, Reinke has announced that if it’s approved, he would move his Madison company, Liberty Parts Team, from its Beltline location to a proposed 70,000-square-foot facility on his land in Verona. He’s also added 20 more acres and is planning listening sessions for the public to weigh in on the 122-acre project.

http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/biz/272005

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WISBUSINESS FEATURED COLUMNISTS

– GREGG HOFFMANN: Contributor, WisBusiness.com

– TOM STILL: President, Wisconsin Technology Council

– JENNIFER SERENO: Senior manager, Wood Communications Group

– STEVE JAGLER: Executive editor, Small Business Times

– TOM BURZINSKI: IT executive and consultant

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TECHNOLOGY (back to top)

– UW Experts Showcase Technology To Lessen Major Traffic Backups

http://www.channel3000.com/news/15277070/detail.html?rss=c3k&psp=news

BIOTECH (back to top)

– Investor group funds Centrose; Milwaukee-area firm breaks ’50-mile rule,’ offers $1.3 million to the Madison biotech start-up

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=716862

ECONOMY (back to top)

– Immigrant population to rise, report says

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=716898

MANUFACTURING (back to top)

– Illinois Tool Works declares dividend

http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080212/APC03/802120568/1888/APCbusiness

– GM posts record loss

http://www.gazettextra.com/weblogs/latest-news/2008/feb/12/gm-posts-record-loss/

– Cooper Industries unit buys U.K. firm

http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2008/02/11/daily5.html?ana=from_rss

LABOR (back to top)
– Lawmaker Suggests Making Some Sex Offenders Report Places Of Work

http://www.channel3000.com/news/15273301/detail.html?rss=c3k&psp=news

– Core Creative’s new service connects HR, marketing

http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2008/02/11/smallb1.html?b=1202706000^1589368

– FVTC works to close gap in commercial construction

http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080212/APC03/802120560/1028/APCbusiness

INVESTING (back to top)

– Investors across the U.S. are bullish on start-ups

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080212/GPG03/802120453/1247/GPGbusiness

REAL ESTATE (back to top)

– Brookfield: Rezoning for office tower wins backing

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=716962

– Listings, sales down last month in southeast Wisconsin, figures show

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=716820

– Milwaukee: Pabst tank buildings likely to tumble

http://www.dailyreporter.com/item.cfm?recid=20047833&snippet=t&forward=%2Fitem%2Ecfm%3Frecid%3D20047833%26snippet%3Df

– Glatfelter site holds promise for Neenah development

http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080212/APC0101/802120559/1004&located=RSS

– Green Bay: Panel OKs Larsen property proposal

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080212/GPG03/802120459/1247/GPGbusiness

– Milwaukee-based mortgage insurer MGIC sets higher bar for customers

http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/biz/272003

– Oshkosh: Lowe’s sets new land standard

http://www.thenorthwestern.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080210/OSH03/802100489/1167/OSHbusiness

AGRIBUSINESS (back to top)

– Tax credits available to Dodge County farmers

http://www.fdlreporter.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080210/FON03/802100534/1327/FONbusiness

– Agri-Business Council Showcase features ethanol-powered racecar

http://www.fdlreporter.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080210/FON03/802100536/1327/FONbusiness

TRANSPORTATION (back to top)

– Ex-Harley staffers go full-throttle with their idea of fun

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=716897

– Janesville approves “neighborhood electric vehicles”

http://www.gazettextra.com/weblogs/latest-news/2008/feb/11/janesville-approves-neighborhood-electric-vehicles/

– Green Bay: Possible causeway to Renard Isle studied

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080212/GPG0101/802120516/1207&located=RSS

– Company delays Stockton railroad crossing hearing

http://www.stevenspointjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080212/SPJ0101/802120445/1657&located=RSS

RETAIL (back to top)

– Nervous consumers, tightened credit are weighing down the boating industry

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=716860

– Gannett’s Green Bay-area newspapers second in market reach

http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2008/02/11/daily4.html?ana=from_rss

REGULATION (back to top)

– Sued by whistleblower, Grainger responds to allegations

http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2008/02/11/daily2.html?ana=from_rss

– Climate looms for legislators; Policies likely to take shape next year, officials say

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=716819

– Milwaukee County: Pollution linked to ill health

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=716884

– Citizens Group: Simplify CWD Fight

http://www.channel3000.com/news/15277087/detail.html?rss=c3k&psp=news

– Stevens Point: State, well driller settle

http://www.stevenspointjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080212/SPJ0101/802120446/1657&located=RSS

TOURISM (back to top)

– Travel agencies see spike in demand for trips to warm locales

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=716853

– Sturgeon season gets last gasp

http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080212/APC0101/802120578/1004&located=RSS

– Fond du Lac: Business owners celebrate annual spearing harvest

http://www.fdlreporter.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080212/FON0101/802120400/1289&located=RSS

– Oshkosh: Parks Board listens to concerns regarding Sawdust Days

http://www.thenorthwestern.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080212/OSH0101/802120462/1128&located=RSS

UTILITIES (back to top)

– Struggling steam plant at heart of Menasha mayoral campaign

http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080212/APC0101/802120561/1004&located=RSS

– Manitowoc: MPU seeks water rate increase: Water Authority profits to offset bulk of rate hike

http://www.htrnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080212/MAN0101/802120440/1358&located=RSS

– Portage: Meeting on Alliant power plant put on hold

http://www.wiscnews.com/pdr/news/272029

– PSC meetings set on Beloit to Christiana power-line proposal

http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/biz/271964

HEALTH CARE (back to top)

– Manitowoc: County Board set for final vote on HCC sale

http://www.htrnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080212/MAN0101/802120441/1358&located=RSS

– New Menomonee Falls clinic opening Feb. 18

http://feeds.bizjournals.com/~r/bizj_milwaukee/~3/233260091/daily3.html

FINANCIAL SERVICES (back to top)

– New tax year, new IRS address for filers

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=716822

BUSINESS COLUMNS (back to top)

– Arlen Boardman column: Russ Darrow builds on success by diversifying dealerships

http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080212/APC0701/802120567/1888/APCbusiness

– Dana Kohlbeck column: Sustainability propels business innovation, loyalty and growth

http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080211/APC0701/802110570/1436/APCbusiness

– Shipra Seefeldt column: Resistance can be tool for change

http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080210/APC0701/802100595/1436/APCbusiness

– Commentary: Prospective homebuyers may want to act now

http://www.htrnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080210/MAN03/802100428/1397/MANbusiness

Media Partners

—Channel3000

—Small Business Times

—Madison Magazine

—BusinessWeek

National Business Roundups ( back to top)

–YAHOO FINANCE: http://finance.yahoo.com/

–CNBC BUSINESS NEWS: http://www.cnbc.com

–ABC BUSINESS NEWS: http://abcnews.go.com/sections/business/

–GOOGLE NEWS: http://news.google.com/news/en/us/business.html

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