Jones Lang Lasalle 
 

Jones Lang Lasalle
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was approved Wednesday by bankruptcy authorities to start looking for a buyer for Solyndra LLC 
 

Solyndra LLC
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‘s $300 million manufacturing plant and headquarters in Fremont.

The building sits on 30 acres, has 31,000 square feet of office space, and could be expanded by up to another 200,000 square feet.

It has been a highly visible reminder of a controversial government loan guarantee since the solar panel maker shut down and sought bankruptcy protection late last summer.

Pres. Barack Obama’s visit there in 2010 and the $535 million in federal backing Solyndra received has been regularly cited by the many Republican candidates to unseat him. They say it underscores a failed energy policy and accuse the White House of political favoritism, which the administration has rejected.

Not the property is likely to be marketed to makers of high tech hardware who need the utlra-clean environment that Solyndra built with government backing.

But it is only expected to fetch about half of what Solyndra spent to create it, or $150 million.

It is fortified to withstand an earthquake and is serviced with 22 megawatts of power that is backed up by two, 2 megawatt diesel emergency generators.

A lasting reminder of the original tenant is likely to be the Solyndra solar panels on the roof that can generate 1.2 megawatts of power.

Jones Lang has said it will create a website at www.solyndrabuilding.com to attract potential buyers.

Written by Cromwell Schubarth. Contact him at cschubarth@bizjournals.com or 408.299.1823.

The Gas Co. and General Motors 
 

General Motors
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plan to open a service center in Honolulu for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles this week.

The two companies will dedicate the facility at The Gas Co.’s property at 515 Kamakee St. in Kakaako on Thursday, along with members of the Hawaii Hydrogen Initiative.

GM plans to use the facility to maintain its fleet of fuel cell vehicles in Hawaii.

“We have been working with GM on providing them the space so that they can develop a service center to maintain their fuel cell cars and that’s what this is, the center’s now been set up,” Stephanie Ackerman, a spokeswoman for The Gas Co., told PBN.

The automaker and the utility first announced a partnership two years ago to use The Gas Co.’s pre-existing pipeline infrastructure to support the cars.

Article source: http://feeds.bizjournals.com/~r/industry_5/~3/twpkiNEuAa4/the-gas-co-and-gm-open-center-for.html

Gail Boudreaux

Ed Stych
Web Producer – Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal

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Gail Koziara Boudreaux, CEO of a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group Inc. 
 

UnitedHealth Group Inc.
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, has been elected to the board of Xcel Energy Inc. 
 

Xcel Energy Inc.
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Boudreaux, 51, is CEO of UnitedHealthcare 
 

UnitedHealthcare
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and manages businesses that represent 93 percent of the revenue created by Minnetonka-based UnitedHealth (NYSE: UNH).

She has been named to Fortune magazine’s list of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Business” several times and was honored by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal with a Women in Business “Industry Leader” award in 2009.

Click here to read the Journal’s profile of Boudreaux.

Minneapolis-based Xcel (NYSE: XEL) said in a news release Wednesday that Boudreaux will serve on the board from March 1 until the company’s annual shareholders meeting in May. At that time she will stand for election along with all members of the board.

Gail Koziara Boudreaux, CEO of a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group Inc. 
 

UnitedHealth Group Inc.
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Morsekode’s script for growthCareFirst’s reform efforts focus on primary care doctorsCareFirst is making primary care doctors its primary target for reform — and, so far, the docs are on board

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, has been elected to the board of Xcel Energy Inc. 
 

Xcel Energy Inc.
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Boulder city attorney calls Xcel proposal ‘discrimination’Downtown Mpls employment is upDespite rumors, U.S. Bank CEO says no naming rights offer made to Vikings

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Boudreaux, 51, is CEO of UnitedHealthcare 
 

UnitedHealthcare
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and manages businesses that represent 93 percent of the revenue created by Minnetonka-based UnitedHealth (NYSE: UNH).

She has been named to Fortune magazine’s list of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Business” several times and was honored by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal with a Women in Business “Industry Leader” award in 2009.

Click here to read the Journal’s profile of Boudreaux.

Minneapolis-based Xcel (NYSE: XEL) said in a news release Wednesday that Boudreaux will serve on the board from March 1 until the company’s annual shareholders meeting in May. At that time she will stand for election along with all members of the board.

Article source: http://feeds.bizjournals.com/~r/industry_5/~3/HOa0nvWm1zU/unitedhealth-boudreaux-xcel-energy.html

• The tallest tale of the offseason involved Roy Halladay, a trip to the Amazon and rescuing a native from the clear and present danger of a giant anaconda. It was an entertaining story to pass along even if details weren’t exactly abundant. But that’s how you want to first hear these stories, right? The fewer facts, the better as it allows our imaginations to run wild while building the character of a Hall of Fame, yet very vanilla, pitcher.

Unfortunately, the Philadelphia Phillies pitcher finally put an end to all our fun on Tuesday when he talked publicly about the incident for the first time. Bottom line: There was no snake-wrasslin’, but it did involve a naked man under the influence of hallucinogenic bark.

• Bobby Abreu wants a trade if the Angels don’t have an everyday spot for him.

• Congratulations to Evan Longoria.

• Death, taxes and Eric Chavez trying to make one last go of it. He just signed a one-year deal with worth about $900,000 with the New York Yankees on Tuesday.

• Jeff Sullivan takes an excellent look at Ichiro’s move to the No. 3 lineup spot.

• Sons of Steve Garvey notes that it was always a longshot, but the next owner of the Dodgers will not be named “O’Malley.”

• Dirk Hayhurst says he’s tempted to name a few more names in his third book, which will focus on his time with the Toronto Blue Jays.

• Another spring training car update: Edwin Jackson took delivery of an Aston Martin Rapide at Washington Nationals camp, while Bryce Harper’s tongue hit the ground nearby.

• The Mets will be heavily represented at Gary Carter’s memorial service on Friday.

Spring training has started, so don’t miss a beat …
Follow @bigleaguestew, @KevinKaduk and the BLS Facebook page!

More baseball news from the Yahoo! Sports:

Article source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/mlb/SIG=151pv3bep/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/spring-headlines-halladay-clarifies-anaconda-assault-ichiro-will-bat-third-for-mariners?urn=mlb,wp32245

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP)—Pablo Sandoval’s portion sizes and weigh-in statistics always seem to be a hot topic this time of year.

“Who’s that?” backup catcher candidate Chris Stewart asked 3-year-old son, Sebastian, on Wednesday in the clubhouse cafeteria.

Among the latest position players to arrive ahead of Saturday’s first full-squad workout was first baseman and left fielder Aubrey Huff, fit and trim after a winter of pilates work – the same routine he did before his stellar 2010 season. Huff, never one to be modest, announced he soon would walk through the clubhouse sans clothes so everyone could see his fine offseason work for themselves.

Notes: Ace Tim Lincecum will throw a bullpen session Thursday as long as his stiff back cooperates. He was scratched Tuesday with the back problem, which isn’t considered serious for the two-time NL Cy Young Award winner and projected opening day starter. Closer Brian Wilson and LHP reliever Dan Runzler also are slated to pitch bullpens Thursday if all goes well. … Former Giants manager Felipe Alou said he had his best winter yet as a fisherman. In fact, he caught 17 blackfin tuna on Dec. 25. He went out fishing solo on Christmas Day, “when everybody was hung over.” “I brought home so many fish I had to give them away,” he said with a smile. The 76-year-old Alou now works as a special assistant to general manager Brian Sabean. … New INF Ryan Theriot also is now in camp.

Article source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/mlb/SIG=11vg8bphq/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=txgiantssandovalssize

Out for nearly two years after major surgery on his left elbow, Outman feels fully recovered. He’ll try to prove that in camp this spring.

Outman was traded from Oakland to Colorado in January, with the Rockies marking his third system in four years.

“I’m excited about being part of this team, this organization,” Outman said Wednesday. “Hopefully this is the place I settle in. I feel this is the year I will put it all together and show what I am capable of.”

There’s certainly an opportunity with the Rockies, a team with a bevy of young arms but not much experience outside of Jeremy Guthrie and, should he make the team, 49-year-old Jamie Moyer.

The Rockies got him with pitcher Guillermo Moscoso for the A’s for outfielder Seth Smith.

Outman made his major league debut with the A’s in 2008 after beginning the year with the Philadelphia Phillies in spring training. He first met Moyer in that camp.

“He took the time to talk to anyone who had a question,” Outman said. “He always helped the younger guys and I learned a lot from him. I was able to get the major leagues faster because of what he taught me.”

Outman has appeared in 33 games, 25 starts, over three seasons. He’s 8-8 with a career 3.75 ERA.

He opened the 2009 season in the A’s starting rotation and was 4-1 entering a game against the San Diego Padres on June 19, 2009. He felt some tightness in his left arm after allowing a home run in the second. He tried to pitch through it but never finished the inning.

Outman’s next major league appearance was May 23, 2011.

“I was healthy all year but it wasn’t until September that I felt I was close to the level I was before the injury,” Outman said. “I’ve had some positive bullpen sessions and am looking forward to pitching with this defense behind me.”

Outman changed his offseason routine, focusing more on arm strength rather than aerobatics. It’s helped him come to camp with a positive outlook.

“I feel I came in stronger and in better shape,” he said. “Coach Apodaca is very high on what I am capable of doing and I get an overall good feeling.”

Guthrie, whom the Rockies acquired in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles, and Jhoulys Chacin will likely take two spots in the rotation, and Jorge De La Rosa will join it sometime in May or June after completing rehabbing his own left elbow surgery.

Outman, Moyer, Drew Pomeranz, Tyler Chatwood, Alex White and Moscoso are all candidates to fill out the rotation.

Article source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/mlb/SIG=11pmik09n/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=txrockiesoutman

Posted by Pat Gallen, Wed, February 22, 2012 05:31 PM | Comments: 0
Analysis, News, Posts

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PhilliesNation/~3/bgcf9SqdKPo/

They also have said they can make the changes without eliminating many programs and teaching positions.

But some teachers and parents don’t see how that’s possible.

Central Bucks Education Association President Keith Sinn said his eighth-grade daughter, who plays the cello, is going to have to take orchestra as an elective if she wants to continue to play. He said, ”That is going to be a commitment. That would, I imagine, prevent her from taking other electives she’s interested in taking, such as family and consumer sciences and art.”

Wendy Baer, a middle school teacher in New Jersey and the mother of two children who will be in middle school next year, said her children are thinking about quitting viola lessons because “they don’t want to miss out on opportunities to take other electives.”

“(The schedule change) makes no sense to me,” said Baer. “It’s devaluing the arts. It’s devaluing everything other than the core subject areas. That’s not what education should be about.”

Central Bucks Superintendent N. Robert Laws said administrators do value electives.

“We want kids to be well-rounded. We want them to have these opportunities,” he said. ”If a child comes into middle school and says, ‘I want to take orchestra, band and chorus, we can say, ‘Fine.’ Right now, we can’t do that. We have to say, ‘No, you can’t do that because you have to take family and consumer sciences or computer applications.’”

Laws said district administrators have talked for more than a decade about changing the middle school schedule and the current plan is their third. He said it also is “the only one that’s seen the light of day” because the others had significant problems.

Laws said administrators want to change the schedule so teachers can go more in depth in core subjects. Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education Nancy Silvious told the school board last week that the district needs to focus more on core subjects to prepare students for the Keystone exams.

Laws said another reason for the change is to give students more choices in their schedule.

Students currently have seven class periods in each day; two of them are “specials” (electives). Electives change each marking period, so students can take eight electives in a school year. Central Bucks requires students to take physical education, technology education, family and consumer sciences and computer applications during elective periods.

“Every kid was forced into all of the special subjects, whether they wanted to take them or not,” Laws said.

The schedule change would reduce the number of classes to six periods in each day, with one as an elective period. Students could take four electives in a school year because the electives change each marking period. Central Bucks would require students to take physical education — which would include health education — for one elective in seventh grade and two electives in ninth grade, but students could opt out of physical education in eighth grade. Students also would be able to opt out of technology education and family and consumer sciences.

And Central Bucks plans to eliminate the computer applications program.

Students learn how to type and use Microsoft Office products in the computer applications classes. Laws said many students enter middle school with those skills, so teachers will “infuse” those skills into the rest of the curriculum. As an example, he said, a social studies teacher might tell students to make a PowerPoint presentation about an important historic figure instead of writing a report

Eight business teaching positions will be eliminated with the computer applications program. Laws said he expects to save about $400,000 in salaries.

“That’s the only monetary impact on this,” he said.

“A lot of people are saying to me, ‘You did this for economic reasons.’ No. However, I don’t do anything today without considering the economic impact.”

Laws said administrators do not plan to reduce programs in any other elective areas. He said, “We have a very involved music program and I’m proud of that music program. This middle school program will allow kids to take more music, not less.”

A student who is very interested in music could take one elective period of physical education in seventh grade and take music courses for the other three elective periods, and continue with music courses in eighth and ninth grade, Laws said.

Sinn said the whole point of making students take technology education or family and consumer sciences courses in middle school is to “expose students to those things to see if it’s something they have a passion for.”

Parents said they think family and consumer sciences and technology education classes are important.

Baer said she doesn’t understand why the district is eliminating computer applications: “We’re talking about fostering the concept of 21st-century skills and Central Bucks is taking that away? They don’t get computer instruction in Central Bucks at least right now until the middle school. Some of the (other) teachers aren’t able to teach the skills that a certified business teacher can.”

Sinn said he would have liked to have seen administrators discuss modifying the computer applications program.

“Are there new technologies we could expose our students to?” he asked. “It seems to me in any other discipline, if the argument is that it’s not challenging enough for kids, then they increase the rigor for the course. They don’t eliminate the course.”

Sinn said administrators also could have considered offering computer applications as an elective at the middle schools.

Sinn doesn’t see how enrollment in other elective courses won’t suffer from the changes. He said, “If (my daughter) has for the last two years had two class periods a day of specials and now is only going to have one, it would seem to me that some program somewhere is gonna take a hit.”

He said he hopes he’s wrong and there are no other staff or program cuts.

Baer said she understands that the school district is under pressure to focus on core subjects and prepare students for state tests. She said she could almost see a reason for the middle school schedule changes if Central Bucks students didn’t perform well on tests.

“We are top, top performers on standardized tests,” she said. “If there are some children who are not top performers, identify them and give them the intervention they deserve and need.”

© 2012 phillyBurbs.com . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Article source: http://www.phillyburbs.com/my_town/doylestown/middle-school-schedule-changes-raise-concerns-among-parents-and-teachers/article_d5df87c7-352c-5a6c-9c68-1e3cfaad4dc6.html

JimmyK

Bob_Q

Route36

Ben_Larivee

Patrick Wall

Article source: http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2012/2/22/2815934/possible-eagles-target-baylor-rb-terrance-ganaway

That would be option A in my opinion; however, if Jackson does not work out, why not consider 26-year-old Mike Wallace as option B?

Under the old labor agreement, any team who signed a restricted free agent like Wallace could have to give up a first and third-round pick, a price tag too steep for most teams.  So teams rarely went after restricted free agents.

The new deal, however, made the maximum compensation a first-round pick only.  Pittsburgh does have the right to match any offer Wallace gets to keep his rights.

There are a couple key points to make here.  Even though he is a restricted free agent, Pittsburgh could franchise Wallace, which would take him out of the equation, although that seems unlikely at this point.

Pittsburgh is one of the most cap strapped teams in the league, so to tag Wallace would hurt their cap situation even more; however, because of their cap issues, it is very likely they would be unable to match a decent offer on Wallace.  So if the Eagles, or any team, makes a decent offer, Wallace could be leaving Pittsburgh.

The Eagles should just keep Desean Jackson

Rob Carr/Getty Images

Now, as an option B, Wallace would be a great fit for the Eagles if they choose to part ways with DeSean Jackson.  Since he is a restricted free agent, the price tag would be similar to Jackson, but Wallace is taller and a bit more durable than Jackson.  While not quite as fast, Wallace is probably a better all around wide receiver.

So the Eagles would have to give up their first-round pick if they wanted to sign Wallace.  While that would seem like a steep price to pay, if you look at the Eagles history of first-round picks, the price does not seem that bad.  Since 2001, the Eagles first-round picks were Freddie Mitchell, Lito Sheppard, Jerome McDougle, Shawn Andrews, Mike Patterson, Brodrick Bunkley, Jeremy Maclin, Daniel Graham and Danny Watkins.  They had two seasons they did not have a pick as well.  Now out of those players, are there any you would not give up to get a Mike Wallace type of player?

See, if I trusted the Eagles would address line backer in the draft, I would never even dream of giving up the 15th pick to go after Mike Wallace; however, any Eagles fan knows the Eagles are going to draft a defensive tackle or an offensive lineman.  How do we know?  Because that’s what the team does.  Look at the list I just rattled off, six of those players are OL or DL, with two wideouts and one cornerback. 

We can safely assume they are not drafting a corner or wideout this year in Round 1, so that leaves OL/DL.

The reality is the Eagles won’t go after Wallace.  I know that and you know that.  So why mention it?  Because it is an intriguing idea and I do think some team will go after him.  If the Eagles decide to part ways with DeSean Jackson, I don’t see a better replacement out there than Wallace, who is still young and can flat out play.

Article source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1076280-philadelphia-eagles-is-mike-wallace-an-alternative-to-desean-jackson