| Whose Nantucket land? Couple, airport do battle
NANTUCKET -- When they moved to Nantucket from London four years ago, Eric Shaw and Connie Mundy had no qualms about buying a home near the airport. The house was modest by the standards of this high-priced resort island -- though it cost almost $1.5 million -- and the lot was tiny, but the rural setting, with ocean views and a crushed-shell pathway to the beach, was perfect for the couple's two young children and three dogs. There was just one troubling detail the family didn't know: According to the town, their property belongs to the airport. Shaw and Mundy are fighting the airport's claim on their land, which they say first came to their attention two years after they moved to Madequecham Valley Road, on Nantucket's scenic south shore. In a lawsuit against the town, the couple says local officials botched the taking of the land by eminent domain in 1941, when the municipal airport was first established, by failing to accurately describe its boundaries or properly record the acquisition in town records.
Bus tour promotes tax plan
AVON - He apologized for smelling like a hog farm and was called out as one of the only Republicans in the room, but Gregory Leigh was determined to make his point with Gov. Rod Blagojevich. "The problem as we see it is our costs are going to go up by a significant amount when every supplier we have as a farmer would be in that category where they'll have significantly more taxes," said Leigh, who had maneuvered his way up to the governor in the crowded room of the rural farm house in Avon that Blagojevich visited Tuesday. "There's no perfect solution here," Blagojevich responded. "If we had a perfect solution, we'd get rid of all of your taxes. That would be a given. We analyzed and looked at the fairest thing to do to provide health care and grow our economy and fund our schools." Though Blagojevich has largely been selling his gross receipts tax plan to receptive audiences around the state as part of his four-day "Investing in Families" tour, the dialogue was indicative of the struggle the governor faces in peddling a program that will cost many businesses thousands more a year.
Daltons are a living history of Gwinnett
By REBECCA McCARTHYThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 04/09/07 You don't want to say anything demeaning about anyone within earshot of William Dalton. Chances are, he says, he's related to them, especially if they're from Gwinnett, and he'll have to fight you. Dalton's extended family is a tangled web of relationships and marriages with strands in Gwinnett that extend back to 1856. That's when his ancestors built a house in the Harbins Community, an area of eastern Gwinnett that borders Walton and Barrow counties. .
Home insurance has gone to the dogs
Margie Foshe was stunned when, without warning, her homeowners insurance policy from Rockford Mutual was canceled. She was "amazed" to read the company's explanation for nonrenewal: "Pit bulls are not allowed." Although Foshe admits that her dog, Mocha, has features common to pit bulls, he's not actually a pit bull. That explanation fell on deaf ears. Also, Foshe was told it is "irrelevant" that 5-year-old Mocha has never been involved in a claim or complaint. When searching for a replacement policy, Foshe of Lee, Ill., got a double whammy. Her other dog, a 7-year-old Rottweiler mix named Radar, is also a liability because many insurers profile Rottweilers as well as all dogs resembling pit bulls. It turns out insurance companies that discriminate on dog breeds have "blacklists," which vary from carrier to carrier.
‘Customisation is a must for retirement planning’
In the area of retirement planning customisation is a must. Pension fund being a mass product customisation is likely to be quite low. What are the factors to choose various financial instruments while planning for retirement? Liquidity and flexibility ensure that most of the money is not blocked for long tenures and the money is available when it is needed. The instruments that attract least taxes are better for investors. In short, instruments offering good post tax returns along with ample liquidity are the best options. Is there any scope for contingency planning under retirement planning? How do you address this need? Contingency planning is very crucial when it comes to retirement planning. One should keep some amount aside, as per his comfort level, to meet contingency, in liquid assets like bank fixed deposit or liquid funds.
Audit gives insurance a clean bill of health: Questions remain as ...
DECATUR - An audit of the city's health insurance program shows no major problems, City Manager Steve Garman said.But important questions appear to remain unanswered about why taxpayers are footing the bill for one of the most expensive plans in the region, Councilman Dan Caulkins said.The Decatur City Council last year approved spending $59,225 for Segal Co. to study the city's health insurance plan.Caulkins advocated the study to find ways to control surging health insurance costs for city employees.The report indicates the city should remain self-insured, and Consociate Group, the third-party administrator, has gone above and beyond expected performance.Garman said the report is reassuring."We continue to assert, as we have since the fall of 2004, that the pressing area of concern lies within the area of city employee contributions to health care costs," Garman wrote in a memo to council members.Nonunion employees recently switched to a plan in which they contribute more for health insurance.If all city employees paid what nonunion employees pay on average, the city would have saved more than $800,000 last year alone, Garman said.Union employees currently pay nothing per year for single coverage and $276 for employee contributions, Garman said."While we understand and appreciate the fact that employee groups bargained for these benefits in the past and we do not hold that against them, the time has come to seriously evaluate whether the taxpaying public should continue to shoulder these costs for the benefit of represented city employees," Garman wrote.A 2004 city study showed Decatur pays substantially more on average for city employees' health insurance than do Bloomington, Champaign, Danville, Normal, Quincy, Springfield and Urbana.
Risk Retention Group to Provide Malpractice Insurance to Florida ...
ORLANDO, FL -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 03/20/07 -- Sophia Palmer Nurses Risk Retention Group, Inc. will offer malpractice insurance to Florida nurses in partnership with the Florida Nurses Association (FNA), Barbara Lumpkin, RN, FNA Associate Executive Director, and Kathi Cavallo, RN, CLC, President, Uni-Ter Risk Management Services, announced. The newly formed Risk Retention Group (RRG) was capitalized by Ponce de Leon LTC RRG, Inc., a major provider of professional liability insurance to long-term care facilities in Florida. The Uni-Ter Group of Atlanta, GA, a subsidiary of New York-based U.S. RE Companies, an international financial services and reinsurance brokerage firm, will manage Sophia Palmer. Named after Sophia Palmer, a founding member of the American Nurses Association, the RRG will be owned by nurses who become shareholders in the Company.
Bill Would Mandate Dental Coverage for Children in State Programs
Responding to the recent preventable deaths of children in Maryland and Mississippi from untreated dental infections, Congress is moving toward including mandatory dental coverage for children in state-subsidized health programs. The legislation is on track to be folded into the biannual reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, known as SCHIP, which the House is due to consider later this month. "Lack of dental care is the most prevalent unmet health need among our children," said Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), who left his dental practice when he entered the House a decade ago. "Tooth decay and other dental diseases often lead to other, more severe health-related issues in children." "You could even say it is at the 'root' of the problem," he added.
Full Year 2006 Prudential PLC Earnings Presentation - Final
You know PCA's long-term growth record well and 2006 was no exception as APE sales approached GBP1b level. Proprietary agency distribution remains key in the region. But as you can see contribution from the non-agency channels is also increasing rapidly, accounting for some 30% of new business in 2006, compared to 26% in 2005. This combination of channels, as I said earlier, gives us an invaluable and unique differentiation in the region. Let's look now behind the growth in 2006, first looking at agency. Overall agency business increased by 24% in 2006 and agent numbers increased by 66%. In the developing markets of India, China and Indonesia, we are continuing to build the agency force rapidly, but in a disciplined way. In India, the agency force increased by 115,000 people in the year, which is quite a staggering statistic.
Police Search For Stolen Artwork
There is a lead in the investigation into stolen artwork in Tulsa. A thief made away with a statue created by a renowned Native American artist. It was taken from a Tulsa gallery. When a thief took the $11,000 statue from Joseph Gierek Fine Art in January, it was the first time in 25 years that Gierek had anything stolen. News On 6 anchor Craig Day reports investigators now have a lead in the case. "Certainly hopeful that something comes of it and we get it back," said Gierek. After our first report on the theft, a tipster contacted Gierek saying she had seen the stolen bronze on Craig's List, an online classifieds site. "She says she couldn't remember anything at all about who the artist was or what they were asking for it, but she says there is no question that when she saw the image on the report, that was definitely the bronze she had seen," said Gierek.
No ideology in children's health
The White House and New York are going in opposite directions on SCHIP, the program jointly funded to provide medical coverage for children. President George W. Bush wants to limit Washington's contribution, but New York has moved to expand eligibility and cover more people.
The White House frames the issue ideologically. It prefers private insurance, subsidized through tax breaks where necessary, rather than expanded government coverage through the State Children's Health Insurance Program. It shouldn't be an either-or proposition.
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Abreu, A-Rod lead Yankees
Bobby Abreu drove in four runs, Alex Rodriguez homered for the third straight game, and the Yankees beat the Twins, 8-2, last night. Abreu went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer, Jorge Posada hit a two-run double, and Derek Jeter had three hits and scored two runs. Johnny Damon had two hits in his first start in a week due to a calf strain. Perhaps the most promising performance, however, came from Carl Pavano (1-0), who gave up six hits and two runs in seven efficient innings. He struck out two without a walk over 79 pitches to get his first win since May 22, 2005. Trying to revive his derailed career this year as Minnesota's fifth starter, Ponson (0-1) hadn't pitched since March 31, the last day of spring training. He gave up 10 hits and eight runs in 5 2/3 innings. Five of the runs Ponson allowed came with two outs, and he threw well in stretches.
Handling the TYC mess
IN an attempt to clean up the mess at the Texas Youth Commission, the conservator has announced his intention to fire all employees with a felony conviction on their record, regardless of their individual circumstance (see April 1 Chronicle article "Felons prepare to lose TYC jobs"). That means employees like Charles Crawley with a conviction from 30 years ago is going to be let go. After leaving prison, Crawley went to college and earned a degree in psychology and has served our troubled youth at TYC for the past 14 years. What is the message here? If you break the law you will pay then, now and forever? Are we never going to let up on these people? This should set rehabilitation efforts back 50 years and spur a new round of prison construction because we offer no hope to ex-offenders.
Ready or not, new graduates push into the real world
In this area, most high school seniors are preparing to go off to college and a good number are joining the military. They all have set plans for at least a couple of years if not longer. College students are still under their parents' wings, whether they like it or not. These young adults have a sense of security. Despite living in a dormitory or a rented house, they still have a home to go back to during school breaks. Many people are still covered by their parents' health and auto insurance plans, and receive financial help from Mom and Dad, as well as the government. Graduation changes everything. Leaving college is an exciting time in anyone's life, but it's also a somewhat scary era, too. Even if you don't have children or own property, you still get tied down at some point after college.
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