| Ameren customers angered with rate increase proposal
Ameren officials are asking for $247 million more annually to help cover rising replacement costs for items such as utility grade wire, poles and plastic pipe. They claim the added revenue would not go toward offsetting the costs of rebates and refunds tied to this year's rate relief settlement.The Illinois Commerce Commission, which ultimately will decide to accept or reject Ameren's proposal, hosted the public hearing - the first of six statewide and the only hearing in the region.State Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion, who asked the ICC to make Marion one of its stops, was not impressed with Nelson's presentation. He said another rate increase for the utility is unconscionable given that Ameren only had to pay back $150 million in rebates to its customers as part of the $1 billion agreement forged with the legislature last year."They say they're suffering, but they ought to see the suffering put on the people of Southern Illinois," Bradley said.
Wisconsin Sports Spectacular
It's an incredibly popular place for people to go and watch the game. I've never done it myself, but there are a lot of people that do. Not any more. The NFL has sent out letters to the owners of these operations to stop showing these games because they violate copyright laws. This according to the Journal Sentinel. Brian McCarthy, an NFL spokesman, said in an e-mail that the league recently became aware that the businesses were showing Packers games. "We let them know they are violating copyright law and longstanding NFL policies that prohibit mass out-of-town viewing of NFL games," he said. I think this is just one more way for the NFL in it's money grubbing way to screw the fan out of an awesome viewing experience. This just makes me think even more that some day we will have to pay a per game price to see our favorite team play on TV.
Leapin' Labs
Dock diving, a performance sport for dogs, is picking up speed thanks in part to the Outdoor Channel television series “DockDogs." Among the animal handlers featured on the show are John Nicholson Jr. and John Nicholson III of Hazel Dell. Here's a video clip of the father and son training their Labrador retrievers to do high and long jumps in the family pool. .
IdleAire to eliminate 40 positions
IdleAire Technologies Corp. announced Thursday it was cutting 40 positions in a move expected to save the Knoxville-based company $4 million a year. Half the jobs are currently vacant and will not be filled, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The filing did not provide details on which positions are being eliminated. IdleAire spokesman John Doty declined to comment Thursday because of SEC restrictions while the company is considering going public. The company has not said when it plans to go public, how many shares of stock will be offered or at what price. In its SEC filing, the company said its reorganization will include consolidating various departments and functions, although it did not offer details. Employees affected by the cutback will receive a severance package based on their job and longevity with the company and job placement assistance, the company said.
Take it step by step
On the downside, you have to take care of all your own maintenance and improvements, so you have to be able to cover not just the monthly mortgage payment but insurance and repairs and upkeep. - 3. If you've got a great low rent deal, or you think you might get laid off or relocated in the near future, it might be better to continue to rent. If your credit is really bad, you should probably wait until you can get it improved so you'll have a much better mortgage deal. Check out the "Buy vs. Rent Calculator" at ginniemae.gov to get a good idea of the long-term advantages and disadvantages of each. YOU'RE READY TO BUY. NOW WHAT? The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has some great tips for getting ready to buy your first house.
Filed under: MLB
Phil Humber has not excelled at any professional level after a stellar college career at Rice. He also had Tommy John surgery. I'd rather have Hughes or Lester. Carlos Gomez is one of the top outfielding prospects that the Mets had. He's a raw talent with blazing speed (Jose Reyes claims that Gomez runs faster than him) and some pop in his bat. However, Gomez gets caught stealing quite a bit, being thrown out about 30% of the time in the minors. His lifetime batting average in the minors is .278, his lifetime on base percentage is .339, and his slugging percentage is .399. Doesn't really jump off the page. He is young, only 22 years old and may develop into a nice player. I'd rather have Melky or Ellsbury. I think this is a great deal for the Mets. I don't think the Mets will miss these prospects and they are getting perhaps the best pitcher in the game.
|
