| Senator Conrad hosts energy roundtable
The new energy bill signed into law last month represents enormous progress in boosting North Dakota's economy because of its strong support for renewable fuels produced in North Dakota and the Midwest, Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., said. BISMARCK We are in the sweet spot, he told a group of representatives from conventional and renewable energy industries Friday, pointing to a map showing a deep color in this region. Some provisions of Conrad's BOLD (breaking our long-term dependence) energy plan are in the bill, which he called an exciting beginning. He is disappointed that a tax incentive package for the bill was defeated in the Senate by one vote. It needed a 60-vote majority and received 59. It would have extended wind energy tax credits that make building and operating wind farms financially viable, the industry representatives said.
GM banking on a biofuel breakthrough
With oil prices hovering near $100 a barrel and gas prices expected to rise above $3.50 a gallon later this year, biofuel companies would seem to have a golden opportunity for growth. But to date, biofuels have been driven by government incentives and mandates rather than consumer demand, and 2007 exposed the limits of current technology. While the ethanol industry hit a record output of 6.2 billion gallons, it also faced its first political backlash. Ranchers blamed the industry for boosting the price of corn to record levels and driving up food costs. Activists in many cities fought new or expanding plants over environmental concerns such as water use, air pollution and safety. And despite pressure from Detroit automakers and the ethanol industry, growth in filling stations for E85 fuel remained sluggish: Roughly 1,400 stations out of about 170,000 nationwide offer it.
Subprime Debacle Traps Even Very Credit-Worthy
One common assumption about the subprime mortgage crisis is that it revolves around borrowers with sketchy credit who couldn't have bought a home without paying punitively high interest rates. But it turns out that plenty of people with seemingly good credit are also caught in the subprime trap. An analysis for The Wall Street Journal of more than $2.5 trillion in subprime loans made since 2000 shows that as the number of subprime loans mushroomed, an increasing proportion of them went to people with credit scores high enough to often qualify for conventional loans with far better terms. In 2005, the peak year of the subprime boom, the study says that borrowers with such credit scores got more than half -- 55% -- of all subprime mortgages that were ultimately packaged into securities for sale to investors, as most subprime loans are.
Critical delays for ambulance patients
I was appalled as not only was I in pain but there was also young children and the elderly in pain.. We were told we should have called an ambulance as that would have prioratised us sooner.. The whole system is in shambles! Posted by: Donna of Sydney 8:58am today .
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U.S. stock futures climb on IBM guidance, rate-cut view Citigroup write-offs could reach $24 billion: report Credit Suisse, first time this decade, recommends U.S. stocks Apple facing high expectations for Macworld CORRECT: Sears falls to multi-year low on profit warning Monday's biggest gaining and declining stocks Asia ends mostly lower after volatile session Caution signals from both top performer and veteran IBM expects fourth-quarter profit to easily top forecasts Apple runs into China Mobile wall .
Third Try A Charm For Giants
No one's given us much credit and probably still won't. But that's OK. We like it that way." Manning is heading to his first NFC championship game, at Green Bay next Sunday. Manning had a much better day than his brother, Peyton, whose Indianapolis Colts were stunned by the San Diego Chargers. "I know he was watching and rooting for me," said Eli, who was 12-of-18 for 163 yards. Cornerback R.W. McQuarters intercepted a pass into the end zone with 9 seconds left, turning away a last-ditch drive by Romo. It marked his second straight disappointing finish to a playoff game, following his flubbed hold of a short field goal in Seattle last January. "It hurts," said Romo, who was 18-of-36 for 201 yards with a touchdown. "It's tough right now." Terrell Owens came to his quarterback's defense, even crying behind dark sunglasses with a quivering bottom lip while declaring, "You can point the finger at him, you can talk about the vacation (with Simpson), and if you do that, it's really unfair.
Short session, basic issues
OLYMPIA � After a banner year in which they broke deadlocks on long-stalled bills, launched new programs and enjoyed a treasury flush with cash, Statehouse Democrats are looking at a more modest 2008 legislative session when it opens Monday. "I think the goal will be to make it as boring as possible," state Rep. Bill Fromhold, D-Vancouver, joked to a crowded Greater Spokane Inc. legislative forum last month. "And we're pretty good at that." After all, it's a short-session year: just 60 days. It's also an off year between two-year budget cycles, so there's not a lot of money to fight over. .
Traffic study crucial to future Target store
That will allow a 30-day clock for developers to come back in February and fix some augmentations to their plan that needs to be done," said Martin. Wegmans and Target began talking with each other 10 months ago about building on Wegmans' land in Chili. The land, already zoned commercial, is considered an untapped location for a free-standing store. The former Chase-Pitkin Home & Garden chain looked into building there four years ago. ELAMOTHE@DemocratandChronicle.com .
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