08/28/2008

July orders for U.S. durable goods rise
Unexpected growth indicates that demand from abroad is helping domestic companies weather less spending by Americans.

National Grid asks for marketing funds
The Public Utilities Commission considers a proposal that includes a $1.4-million program to encourage people to switch to gas heating.

Devising a mighty barrier
Gary Goldberg created a manufacturing process to make fabric with tiny pores to block dust mite allergens.

NEW BUSINESSES
KEY: Director (D), Incorporator (I), President (P), Agent (A), General Partnership (GP), Limited Partnership (LP), Limited Liability Corp. (LLC).

Mohegan Sun launches Casino of the Wind tomorrow
The casino includes a 42-table poker room, more than 650 slot machines and 28 table games.

Bulletins
•Companies

July orders for U.S. durable goods rise
Unexpected growth indicates that demand from abroad is helping domestic companies weather less spending by Americans.

National Grid asks for marketing funds
The Public Utilities Commission considers a proposal that includes a $1.4-million program to encourage people to switch to gas heating.

Business Digest – financial news from around New England
Thrifts stung by bad debt

Orders lift stock market
The Commerce Department says orders for durable goods jumped 1.3 percent in July compared with the previous month.

Devising a mighty barrier
Gary Goldberg created a manufacturing process to make fabric with tiny pores to block dust mite allergens.

Mohegan Sun launches Casino of the Wind tomorrow
The casino includes a 42-table poker room, more than 650 slot machines and 28 table games.

08/27/2008

R.I. real-estate prices continue to fall
The biggest drops are for multifamily houses, as banks cut prices to unload foreclosed properties.

No recession at R.I. restaurants / Video
Instead of traveling, one restaurant manager says, people are dining out close to home.

Wood pellet stoves are hot, hot, hot in Rhode Island
Stoked by skyrocketing prices for oil and gas, Rhode Islanders have snapped up nearly every one of the stoves for sale in the state.

National Grid requests natural gas rate hike
The first of several hearings on the utility’s proposed natural gas rate restructuring will be held this morning at the Public Utilities Commission in Warwick.

Wood pellet stoves are hot, hot, hot in Rhode Island
Stoked up by skyrocketing prices for oil and gas, Rhode Islanders have snapped up nearly every one of the stoves for sale in the state.

Number of banks on ‘problem list’ up 30 percent
The FDIC is closely watching banks and thrifts with high levels of exposure to the riskiest borrowers and markets.

Rising oil prices, consumer news leave stocks mixed
The consumer confidence index is higher than predicted, but Gustav has pushed up the cost of oil.

Bulletins
•Companies

Bulletins
•Companies

Business Digest
Gasoline in R.I. drops for 6th straight week

Southwest to scratch 196 flights nationwide
Only two of those flights — to Orlando and Chicago — will be cut at T.F. Green Airport, where Southwest is the largest carrier.

08/26/2008

Facebook pulls Scrabulous game
The Scrabble knockoff is now blocked in most of the world, after Mattel formally requested its removal.

House sales increase as prices drop
Some see the beginning of a recovery in the slowing rate of price declines.

Number of passengers continues to decline at Green
October 2007 is the last time traffic increased compared with the same month a year earlier.

A very big bet on fiber-optic
As Verizon begins to roll out FiOS, the company says it is proving to be more successful than expected when the project started.

Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac see shares soar
One analyst says the government might not need to step in, but another says the rebound is probably temporary.

Business Digest
Ski signs at N.H. airport

Bulletins
•Markets

Stocks slide on concerns over credit markets
Stocks of Rhode Island importance fall, led by Rogers Corp. and Kohl’s Corp.

08/24/2008

Energy companies spend millions on oil, gas drilling rights
Certain offshore areas that have been protected from exploration may soon be fair game.

NYLO Hotels
Albion Court

08/25/2008

for con$umers
Some energy-saving tips

Small-caps’ gains raise some hopes for recovery
NEW YORK — When Wall Street gets a whiff of recovery in small-capitalization stocks, hopeful questions often pop up about whether a nascent rebound for the overall market is taking hold.

A new spin for washing machines
Front-loading models can lead to savings because they use much less energy than traditional or top-loading ones.

08/24/2008

NETWORKING
Tuesday

08/25/2008

2009 Farmers’ Almanac is predicting some colder-than-average winter temperatures
LEWISTON, Maine — Households worried about the high cost of keeping warm this winter will draw little comfort from the Farmers’ Almanac, which predicts below-average temperatures for most of the United States.

08/24/2008

Taxpayer advocate keeps watch on IRS
WASHINGTON — Nina E. Olson, the official appointed to speak out on behalf of U.S. taxpayers, has a few major gripes about the Internal Revenue Service. Among them, she believes the agency needs to better protect victims of tax-related identity theft and should get more information out to homeowners about a new law eliminating taxes on debt canceled as a result of foreclosure.

Credit-union members have little reason to panic
On the same day last week that my column about deposit insurance at credit unions ran, The Wall Street Journal had a front-page story on the troubles that corporate credit unions are having with mortgage-related securities.

08/25/2008

Turning old clothes into ‘eco-fashion’
Under the name “Bee Askin,” Erika Ketelhohn takes clothes that are partially worn and recycles them.

08/24/2008

BANKRUPTCIES
For the week ending Aug 19, there were 65 personal and business cases filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, bringing the total for all bankruptcy filings to 2,599. There were 40 cases filed for this week last year. Two years ago for this week there were 34 cases. There were 1,637 cases on this date last year. Two years ago on this date there were 952. Chapter 7: Liquidation; Chapter 11: Reorganization; Chapter 13: Adjustment of debts of individual with regular income.

08/25/2008

Women must take control of their finances
WASHINGTON — In the 1970s, there was an Enjoli perfume commercial showing a woman, clutching a fist full of money, who proclaimed she could bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan.

08/24/2008

Foreign investments dragging down portfolios
Foreign stocks had been the shining stars in many U.S. investors’ portfolios since 2002. This year, they’re beginning to look like black holes.

SPEAKERS’ TABLE
Tomorrow

08/25/2008

Product Recalls
http://www.gardnerbender.com.

08/24/2008

Off coast of Maine, tidal power moves forward
A company envisions producing enough electricity for 22,000 homes by harnessing the power of Passamaquoddy Bay, which has the greatest tide change in the continental United States.

Biz Bits & Quips
Mass. may get new casino proposal

Ellison leads the pack in CEO pay
SAN FRANCISCO — Oracle Corp. founder Larry Ellison, a longtime fixture on the list of the world’s richest people, is now ensconced atop The Associated Press rankings of the top-paid chief executive officers in the United States.

This year, parents spend more carefully on back-to-school items
Parents in Southeastern New England, like their counterparts around the country, are getting a lesson in economics this summer as they confront rising prices on almost everything, including the things their children need for school.

INSIDE
BizBits — A casino plan for Milford. F2

BizBlog
 Read the BizBlog on projo.com from Monday through Friday to get the latest local business news.

John Kostrzewa: Tourism tips from Quebec
QUEBEC CITY, Quebec — Crowds jammed the cobblestone sidewalks along Rue Saint Louis, waiting for the parade to celebrate the city founded as New France 400 years ago.

Off coast of Maine, tidal power moves forward
A company envisions producing enough electricity for 22,000 homes by harnessing the power of Passamaquoddy Bay, which has the greatest tide change in the continental United States.

Using 401(k) money for a down payment is risky
Taking out a loan could significantly reduce the retirement account’s long-term growth and earning potential.

Inheriting a house is just the start
African-Americans especially face an extra set of obstacles because they may receive homes in poorer neighborhoods and lack the money for renovations.

30-year mortgage rate drops slightly
WASHINGTON (AP) — Rates on 30-year mortgages fell slightly last week to the lowest level since the middle of last month.

Buyers are sold on virtual tours
The latest versions use slideshows and floor plans with room views that rely on still photos, which are faster and easier for buyers to click through.

TV highlights the allure of dirty, dangerous jobs
Popular programs show people doing high-risk, high-reward jobs.

Workplace coach
Q: At our staff lunches, before the food is served, my manager always asks someone to say a blessing on behalf of the entire department. Because I feel that my religion is a personal matter, this makes me quite uncomfortable.

Resume tips
Nadine Boone is a federal worker who wants to change her job series from commercial loan specialist to realty specialist.

Summer camp gets youths job-ready
The Youth Workforce Development System gives youngsters a practical introduction to future careers.

05/04/2008

Small Business: Building the network
PAWTUCKET — “No man is an island,” wrote the 17th-century poet John Donne. Neither, it would seem, is a business.

01/06/2008

Start-up: Kreatelier was launched at the Center for Women & Enterprise
PROVIDENCE — On a Wednesday night in mid-November, Line Daems and Pernilla Frazier arrive in separate cars outside the Center for Women & Enterprise overlooking Route 195 in the city’s Fox Point section.