ST. GEORGE - Habitat for Humanity of Southwest Utah will open its non-profit agency's most ambitious project in its nine years of operation. The 6,400-square-foot Habitat ReStore, with adequate customer parking and easy access for receiving and loading merchandise, has been open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays since mid-September at 267 E. 1400 South, suite 105 in St. George, but the official open house on Friday will celebrate the culmination of more than two years of planning with free hot dogs, sodas, product and coupon giveaways "and, lots and lots of bargains," said Launa Butler, Habitat for Humanity's executive director.

Dave Huber, president of...
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ST. GEORGE - Habitat for Humanity of Southwest Utah has named Alan Paxton of U.S. Bank to its board of directors. Paxton is branch manager of the U.S. Bank branch located at 60 South 100 East in St. George.

"Alan and U.S. Bank have been strong supporters of Habitat for Humanity of Southwest Utah," said David Huber, president of Habitat for Humanity of Southwest Utah. "We're very happy to have Alan join our board of directors. Habitat will benefit from Alan's expertise in the financial services industry.

The support of U.S. Bank and the U.S. Bancorp Foundation over the years has allowed Habitat...
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ST. GEORGE - The popular "Parade of Playhouses" benefiting Habitat for Humanity of Southwest Utah will be on display during the Ultimate Home Expo at the Dixie Center on Sept. 19-20, 2008.

SunRiver Construction, S&S Homes, and Ivory Homes will again be donating playhouses for the special event. Two playhouses will be available for purchase using a silent bid process and one will be awarded through a drawing. Everyone is encouraged to come to the Expo and see the new playhouses.

The 5th Annual Ultimate Home Expo presented by the Southern Utah Home Builders Association and The Spectrum will be held Friday, Sept. 1...
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WASHINGTON - Hill Air Force Base is a giant leap closer to landing the F-35A Lightening II Joint Strike Fighter. Air Force officials today announced the base in northern Utah is one of three U.S. Air Force bases that will receive between one and three squadrons of the fighter aircraft.

Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Bob Bennett (R-Utah) and Reps. Rob Bishop (R-Utah), Jim Matheson (D-Utah) and Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) hailed the Air Force's announcement.

Hatch said: "Today is a great day for Utah. To be one of the first three bases to receive this state-of-the-art aircraft is an...
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ST. GEORGE, UTAH - Governor Gary Herbert has reappointed Hal Hickman of St. George, to a second four-year term on the board of the Office of Museum Services (OMS). Two new members were also appointed. Holly Jordan and Dave Jones replace outgoing board members Claudette Eastman and Patti Timbimboo-Madsen.  Governor Herbert also appointed current OMS board member, Dr. Pam Miller to serve as board chair, a two-year appointment.

"Holly Jordan brings experience and leadership to the OMS board. She has been actively involved in promoting and supporting Utah's museums for...
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ST. GEORGE, UTAH - A longtime educator and former Utah tourism director has recently created an online guide that features family-friendly vacations. The guide focuses on destinations that will keep the attention of children and showcase family friendly trips that fit a family budget.

The online book is at http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ifour/utahskyline_recguide/index.php

The link can easily be e-mailed to people in your electronic address book.

Healthy Kids advocate "Cowboy" Ted Hallisey has visited with nearly 200,000 kids across the United States to share a message with kids about activities that lead to a healthy lifestyle. Hallisey has written online books on his www.cowboyted.com web site and decided to expand the online features with the new family-friendly recreation guide.

"Families can now find online information about family-friendly vacations in the Utah Skyline Recreation Guide and our online version, Hallisey said. The new guide is different from a web site. This guide is actu...
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The December employment report continued the losing streak in place throughout 2008, with the net loss of another 524,000 jobs, matching the consensus view of economists.  Adding insult to injury were revisions to October and November employment data, noting the loss of an additional 154,000 jobs during those months.

Calendar year 2008?  A net loss of nearly 2.6 million jobs, the worst performance since 1945...a period of 63 years.

Equally disconcerting was the spike in the nation's unemployment rate from a revised 6.8% in November to a...
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It’s “Gala” time!  The sixth annual fund raising gala for The Happy Factory will take place Thursday, Oct. 9, 2008, in the Sharwan Smith Ballroom at Southern Utah University at 6:30 p.m. We invite you to be part of this wonderful evening in support of The Happy Factory.

The Happy Factory is a non-profit charitable organization which produces high quality hardwood toys that are given to children around the world. The majority of the toys are small cars and trucks, but the Happy Factory has also ...
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• U.S. exports to the world of goods and services are at record levels.

• A year-end 2007 Gallup Poll noted that "more than 8 in 10 Americans say they are satisfied with their personal lives at this time, including a solid majority who say they are 'very satisfied.' "

The "dismal science" of economics typically focuses on "bad" news. We clearly face significant challenges - no argument here. However, there are also many favorable developments taking place within the U.S. economy. This is our semi-annual update of "Happy Talk." This Tea Leaf focuses ONLY on the "good" news.

• The middle and lower-middle class had stronger income gains in 2007 than did the top one-fifth of households.

• For every dollar of U.S. economic output generated today, ...
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The “dismal science” of economics typically focuses on “bad” news. We clearly face many significant challenges…no argument here. However, there are also many favorable developments taking place within the U.S. economy. This is our semi-annual update of “Happy Talk.”  This Tea Leaf focuses ONLY on the “good” news…

• The Great Recession is over! The consensus of forecasting economists expects U.S. economic growth this year near 3.0% (after inflation), the strongest in five years

• The U.S. accounted for nearly one-third of the $1.1 trillion spent globally on research & development in the latest data available

• Total U.S. workplace fatalities declined to their lowest point on record last year

• The strongest U.S. job gains in four years are likely to be...
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The "dismal science" of economics typically focuses on "bad" news. We clearly face many significant challenges...no argument here. However, there are also many favorable developments taking place within the U.S. economy. This is our semi-annual update of "Happy Talk."  This Tea Leaf focuses ONLY on the "good" news... 

• The consensus of forecasting economists still expects a return to positive (not impressive, but positive) U.S. economic growth during this year's third quarter

• Between 1980 and 2007, total emissions of major ...
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When I talk to many small business owners about the Internet and ways to use it to grow their business, I often encounter this response, "That's just for people trying to sell stuff to people all over the world," or "I tried that and it didn't work for me."

Whenever I hear that type of talk from small business owners, I cringe.

Let me get to the point. You must be on the Internet. You must find ways to use Internet based tools, such as email, blogging, and social networks to enhance your marketing efforts, even if your target market is the Guy Next Door. 

There was a great example of this on television last Sunday.  The new
Whenever I hear that type of talk from small business owners, I cringe.

Let me get to the point. You must be on the Internet. You must find ways to use Internet based tools, such as email, blogging, and social networks to enhance your marketing efforts, even if your target market is the Guy Next Door. 

There was a great example of this on...
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WASHINGTON - Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), a high ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, today voted against more spending, more government and more taxes in the Senate Finance Health Bill, America's Healthy Future Act of 2009. 
 
"What could have been a strong bipartisan vote reflecting our collective and genuine desire for responsible reform is now ending as another partisan vote as we take another step forward towards the flawed solution of reforming one-sixth of our economy with more spending, more government and more taxes," said Hatch.
 
He continued, "This bill is rife with policies that will do anything but allow you to keep your...
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WASHINGTON - Sen. Orrin Hatch (R- Utah), member and former chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today applauded the HELP Committee approval of the amendment he offered last night to establish a pathway for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to license new competitors for biological drugs, which will reduce costs in much of the same way generic drugs do today.  Sens. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) and Kay Hagan (D-NC) co-sponsored the amendment.
 
 "I believe the passage of this amendment strikes the right balance by providing a structure that fosters a strong and vibrant environment for innovators, while creating an abbreviated pathway for...
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WASHINGTON - Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), member and former chairman of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today made the following statement on the passage of the HELP committee's healthcare legislation:
 
"At a time, when our nation is facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, I am disappointed that the Democrats on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee continue to push more spending, more taxes and more government as a solution for the critical issue of health care reform.  They are ensuring that families not only have to worry about keeping their jobs and their homes, but now also have to worry about keeping their health coverage - a direct contradiction of...
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WASHINGTON - Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) today spoke out against the President's and Democrats' Affordable Health Choices Act, calling it a partisan piece of legislation that would cause 22 million Americans or more to lose their private health insurance coverage.

"You advance legislation by...
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Salt Lake City – U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) today condemned preliminary Obama Administration plans to potentially choose at least two areas in Utah for new monument designations and vowed to do everything in his power in the Senate to fight this action.  Hatch issued the following statement:

“The people of Utah bitterly remember the...
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WASHINGTON – Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, blasted the Obama administration today for spending too much on wasteful government bureaucracy and not enough on important initiatives such as NASA’s manned space flight program. 

While the Administration wastes money on government bailouts and a bloated $2.5 trillion takeover of the nation’s healthcare system, Hatch noted, it is also “poised to send NASA back to the pre-Sputnik era by seriously damaging our nation’s manned space flight capacity.”

Hatch said the Administration’s 2011 budget proposal for NASA would kill the...
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WASHINGTON – Sen. Orrin Hatch and 39 other GOP senators are urging Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to allow C-SPAN to broadcast the ongoing healthcare negotiations.

In a Jan.7, 2010, letter to Reid, Hatch and his Republican colleagues noted that...
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) today praised the Senate’s passage of the NASA Authorization Bill by unanimous consent, saying it “could save thousands of Utah jobs.”

Within the reauthorization legislation is language Hatch worked to get included which creates...
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WASHINGTON - Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) today voted against a bill to extend the PATRIOT Act citing provisions in the extension that could negatively impact the bill's original intent to strengthen the nation's intelligence community and disrupt future plots.
 
 "In its present form, the PATRIOT Act provides our law enforcement and counter-terrorism professionals with some of the best tools to detect and disrupt threats that are present here on our own soil," said Hatch.  "Newspaper headlines over the past month concerning investigations in Colorado, New York, Texas and Illinois confirm that we still have persons in this country who mean to do us harm and will do so in the name of...
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WASHINGTON, D. C. – Sen.  Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), chairman of the Senate Republican High-Tech Task Force, convened a roundtable discussion today on cybersecurity with fellow Republican Senators and executives from several national companies who work in and face the growing threat of cybersecurity.

Executives from Symantec, Cisco Systems, Verizon, McAfee, PayPal, and Adobe Systems were in attendance to participate in this...
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WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) was recently honored by U.S. News Media Group and Harvard's Center for Public Leadership as one of the 2009 America's Best Leaders for his work to pass meaningful, bipartisan legislation without compromising his core principles and strongly held ideological convictions. 

U.S. News Media Group, in association with the Center for Public Leadership (CPL) at Harvard Kennedy's School of Government, recently released the 2009 edition of America's Best Leaders, available online at www.usnews.com/leaders and featured in the November, 2009, issue of U.S. News & World Report magazine.

Featuring 22 individuals, the fifth annual Best Leaders issue honors a select group of men and women from a variety of fields including business, public service, education, and arts. The group awarded those who...
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WASHINGTON – Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, today introduced an amendment to eliminate the $120 billion in Medicare Advantage cuts contained in the Democrats’ $2.5 trillion health care bill.

Hatch said the proposed cuts to Medicare Advantage in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590) run counter to...
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WASHINGTON - Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) recently introduced a bill that would force the federal government to rein in the reckless spending that threatens to bury this and future generations of Americans under a mountain of ruinous debt.

The Limitation on Government Spending Act of 2009 would restrict government spending to the historical average of 20 percent of the nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP}. It is a legislative response to the Obama administration's massive $3.6 trillion budget for fiscal year 2010.

"Abraham Lincoln once said, ‘You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn.' While we remain in an economic recession, the Obama administration continues to spend our way out of it, disregarding ...
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WASHINGTON –Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) introduced legislation today aimed at cutting the bloated federal government down to size. The Reduce and Cap the Federal Workforce Act would reduce and limit the number of civilian federal workers to...
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) introduced two pieces of legislation today striking at the heart of the $2.5 trillion health care law.  The first, the American Liberty Restoration Act (S. 3502), would repeal the individual mandate that Hatch has repeatedly called unconstitutional and has prompted lawsuits by over 20 states.  The second, the American Job Protection Act (S.3501), would repeal the job-killing employer mandate that Hatch says would force more layoffs and increase taxes on businesses at a time of near 10 percent unemployment. 

“It’s an indisputable fact that this $2.5 trillion health care law is bad for our nation.  Its central tenets threaten our basic liberty and our ability to recover from this severe economic downturn.  By repealing both the unconstitutional individual mandate and the job-killing employer mandate, the most egregious elements of this devastating health law will be eliminated.  This would be a huge leap in the right direction for hard-working families and small businesses.”

REPEALING THE UNCONSTITUTIONAL INDIVIDUAL MANDATE WITH THE AMERICAN LIBERTY RESTORATION ACT (S. 3502):

The American Liberty Restoration Act would strike provisions in the health law requiring individuals to purchase health insurance.  Never before has the federal government forced the American people to purchase something they may not want. 

“Congress overstepped its authority by telling Americans that they have to buy health insurance or else,” Hatch said. “The Constitution empowers Congress to regulate interstate commerce, but does not tell Americans what they must buy. It’s time to repeal this unconstitutional Washington mandate that encroaches on the principle of federalism and Utahns’ personal liberty.”

Hatch was the first member of Congress to challenge the constitutionality of the individual mandate, requiring Americans to purchase health insurance. Utah was in the original group of 13 states that filed the first lawsuit minutes after it was signed into law by President Obama. The number of states fighting the law has grown to 20, and in May, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s largest organization representing small businesses, joined on to the lawsuit filed in...
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WASHINGTON - Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, today hailed the full funding of the Ares I rocket for this fiscal year, saying it will help preserve our nation's manned access to space and role as the world's "pre-eminent space-faring nation."
 
"This is also vitally important to my home state of Utah, where many companies and their employees participate in space exploration and rely on this very important work to advance our national interest while providing for their families," Hatch added after...
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) issued the following statement today after he commented yesterday on Arizona’s immigration law and whether it is applicable to Utah:

“I’ve long said that Arizona was forced to pass this law because of a catastrophic failure by the federal government to secure the border, thus allowing dangerous drugs, gangs and crime to spill into its communities. Given the stakes, who can ...
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WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) issued the following statement today after the national debt reached a record $13 trillion – the highest in U.S. history – saying it’s no wonder the other side of the aisle is having a hard time trying to pass a bill that includes another $130 billion in deficit spending:

“What more of a wakeup call does Washington need?  Our debt hitting $13 billion, financed largely by...
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) issued the following statement after the Senate passed legislation to alter the $2.5 trillion health care bill that the President signed into law on Tuesday: 

“While the initial legislative battle over health care may be over, the legal battle is just beginning.  States across the country, including my home state of Utah, are standing up and insisting that we adhere to the Constitution.  The fact is that the federal government has never exercised this kind of power over the lives and decisions of individual Americans.  This is the first time in American history that Congress has told Americans what they must buy.  This is truly dangerous and uncharted political and legal territory and a mandate that an overwhelming majority of Americans wholeheartedly...
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) today opposed a massive financial regulation bill that will freeze much-needed credit, send American jobs overseas, and add layers of burdensome, ineffective regulation on the backs of small businesses.  Hatch issued the following statement:

“This bill is a bad for Utah and our nation. Our financial system needs to be fixed, but this so-called cure will cause more harm than good to our struggling families, businesses, farmers, ranchers and economy.  This massive legislation is a job killer – it will hurt Main Street America’s ability to access much-needed credit. It will send American jobs overseas.  And it will add layer upon layer of burdensome regulations on to the backs of struggling job creators. 

“This tremendous government overreach punishes those who had nothing to do with the financial meltdown and can’t afford an army of lobbyists and attorneys to get around these new regulations.  What could be the most offensive part of this bill is what it’s missing: reform of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two government sponsored agencies that were largely responsible for the financial meltdown and that taxpayers have been forced to shell out of $200 billion to support.  That is outrageous. 

“The added burden of regulation and uncertainty brought by this legislation are more examples of why our economy is not producing the number of jobs we need.  The Obama Administration and its allies in Congress are doing everything possible to create a business unfriendly climate that is anti job creation and anti growth, and then they wonder where the...
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WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee and chairman of the Senate Republican High-Tech Task Force, today lauded public officials for stating that tax increases on U.S.-based multinational businesses proposed by the administration earlier this year should not be used to pay for health care reform but will be considered in connection with tax reform later. 

"I am encouraged by the administration's and Rep. Rangel's comments that international tax proposals will not be considered outside of broader corporate tax reform," said Hatch.  "Democrats and Republicans alike are acknowledging that these controversial proposals should not be used to pay for health care reform." 

Rangel yesterday commented that ...
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WASHINGTON – Recently, U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), a long-serving member of the Senate Finance Committee, laid out his opposition to the $140 billion so-called Jobs and Tax Loopholes Act that is currently being debated by the Senate.  Hatch believes it’s time to start over by...
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WASHINGTON, DC - This week in an address to the renowned Heritage Foundation, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) addressed whether it is constitutional to require Americans to obtain a certain level of health insurance coverage or face a financial penalty.  This so-called “personal mandate” is included in the current healthcare reform bill being debated in  the Senate.

Hatch listed several reasons why the Constitution does not allow Congress to impose the...
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WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks Thursday in honor of U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch reaching the milestone of 12,000 votes in the United States Senate:
 
"I rise to honor our colleague and friend, the esteemed Senior Senator from Utah, on the occasion of his 12,000thvote. Today, Senator Hatch becomes part of a small group. He's now one of fewer than 15 senators in history, and the only senator in the history of Utah, to have cast 12,000 votes in the well of the U.S. Senate.
 
"The people of Utah have elected Orrin Hatch to this body six times. And I'm sure they couldn't be more proud to see him reach this important milestone. For more than 32 years, he's been a phenomenal representative of the Beehive State. He's made sure that no one in Washington, as he likes to put it, has been able to...
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Moab, Utah - Senator Orrin Hatch released a statement recently which was read at an event celebrating the first mill tailings being removed from the old Atlas Mill Tailings site in Moab, Utah.  Calling the event a "significant occurrence," Hatch praised the work that has been performed behind the scenes for many years to bring this project to fruition.

"This has been a long arduous journey that seemed, at times, as if it would never end," Hatch stated.  "The job of moving this massive mountain of mill tailings off of the banks of the Colorado is not finished but this day, taken as part of the overall history of this place, represents us all having entered into...
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WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) recently sent a letter to President Obama to express his concerns regarding the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) and request that the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division look into the legality and fairness of the system.
 
"Mr. President, as you have publicly stated on multiple occasions, the BCS system is in dire need of reform," wrote Hatch in the letter. "Some may argue that the college football postseason is too trivial a matter to warrant government involvement.  However, given the amount of money involved in the BCS endeavor and its close relationship to our nation's institutions of higher education, it is clear that the unfairness of the current system extends well beyond the...
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WASHINGTON - Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, issued the following statement today after the U.S. Department of Labor's announcement that the nation's unemployment rate hit 10.2 percent, the highest in more than a quarter-century:
 
"President Obama's economic advisors warned in January that without the stimulus bill, unemployment would hit 8.5 percent this year. Well, they got their stimulus bill and we just learned that unemployment reached 10.2 percent in October, the highest it has been in...
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WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), the senior Republican and former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, made the following statement today after his meeting with U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor:
"In my meeting today with Judge Sotomayor, I found her to be personable and an experienced jurist. It seems as if she appreciates the gravity of the position to which she has been nominated, and she indicated her willingness to help provide the Senate with what we need to fulfill our own serious responsibility in the confirmation process.  I emphasized that she needs to be ready to clarify and explain statements she has made in the past as well as address other ...
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SALT LAKE CITY – U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee that has jurisdiction over tax policy, issued the following statement today after senior Obama Administration advisor Paul Volcker announced yesterday that a Value Added Tax (VAT) should be considered for deficit reduction:

“Burdened by crippling debt and...
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WASHINGTON - Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) today took issue with the Red Rock Wilderness Act of 2009, calling the proposed legislation a "monument to a failed approach to wilderness designation."
 
Addressing the House Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, Hatch called the bill, H.R. 1925,  the work of special-interest groups who seem more intent on raising money than producing more wilderness. The senator further that noted none of the bill's sponsors or cosponsors is from Utah and added they have neglected to consult with Utahns, the very people who would be most impacted by legislation.
 
"The authors of the legislation were careful to name it ‘America's Red Rock Wilderness Act,' not ‘Utah's Red Rock Wilderness Act,' even though the bill's only purpose is to...
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Washington - U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) today sent a letter to President Obama urging him to protect intellectual property (IP) rights.

"The United States government cannot afford to sit idle while others seek to weaken IP protections," the senators explain.  "America must continue to set the standard for IP protection, and be willing to confront those countries and organizations that attempt to weaken IP rights.

The senators explain that industries based on IP employ 18 million...
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WASHINGTON – Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) voted no today on the “minibus” appropriations bill, which contains six of the seven outstanding appropriations bills for the next fiscal year.

Hatch cited federal funding for elective abortions in Washington, D. C., as one of the significant concerns he had with this bill, H.R. 3288.  In fact, Hatch recently cosponsored an amendment offered to the Senate health care bill by Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) which addressed this very...
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WASHINGTON, DC - Calling President Obama's $3.6 trillion budget for fiscal year 2010 the "worst he has ever seen," Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) today voted against the proposal that will swamp the nation in a morass of debt.

Hatch said the budget proposal (S. Con. Res. 13), which received no Republican votes in the House or the Senate, reads like a policy manifesto for the far left and will move America closer to European-style socialism.

"This is a sad day for me, a sad day for Congress and, most important, a sad day for our country," Hatch said following the Senate's 53-43 vote. "Democrats are touting this vote as a victory and triumph for the president, coming as it does on his...
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WASHINGTON - Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), along with Sens. Grassley, Cornyn, Kyl, Coburn, Sessions, McCain, and Hutchison, are asking Secretary Janet Napolitano "to confirm that the current strength of 17,415 [Border Patrol] agents will be maintained or increased in fiscal year 2010."
 
In an Oct. 6, 2009 letter, Hatch and his fellow co-signers asked Napolitano to provide a written response addressing recent border reports and her plans to tackle the concerns regarding border security.
 
"We understand the importance of sufficient manpower along both borders and have worked diligently for years to increase the number of Border Patrol agents assigned to both borders," the senators wrote.  "Unfortunately, the most recent Government Accountability Office report on border issues (Secure Border Initiative, September 2009) acknowledges that both our southern and northern borders are still...
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WASHINGTON - Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) introduced a bill today aimed at ensuring that monies returned to the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) cannot be recycled to keep the program perpetual.

The Stop TARP Asset Recycling (STAR) Act would require any TARP funds returned to the U.S. Department of the Treasury to be placed in the general fund in order to pay down the nation's debt. Current law is unclear whether returned funds could be recycled into TARP and used to expand federal investment in the private sector.

Hatch and Lincoln say the law needs to be clarified.

"TARP has become a revolving fund for the Treasury to ...
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WASHINGTON – Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, today called the financial regulation bill badly flawed, saying it will hurt innocent Main Street more than it will hinder the Wall Street firms that were largely responsible for the nation’s economic meltdown.

Speaking on the Senate floor, Hatch said the problem with the Restoring American Financial Stability Act (S.3217) “is that it...
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WASHINGTON - Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) today coined a new word to describe the Obama administration's unprecedented interference in the private sector: Obamanopoly.
 
Speaking on the Senate floor, Hatch noted the President could be called the world's richest man by collecting trillions of dollars in a mere 155 days.
 
"He now owns two auto-manufacturing companies, oil sands and offshore drilling leases, interest in several hundred banks, and enough real estate holdings to make Donald Trump envious ...," Hatch told Senate colleagues. "Despite his professed eagerness to divest himself of his newfound, unprecedented wealth, the reigning world's richest man, President Obama, seems reluctant to relinquish his vast holdings. Indeed, I am beginning to think he actually enjoys this - well, what I call ‘Obamanopoly.' Soon, he will own all the railroads, all the utilities, Park Place and Boardwalk. And when taxpayers pick up the yellow or orange cards from the stacks, they will have to dig deeper in their wallet to fund this high-stakes Obamanopoly."
 
The full text of Sen. Hatch's remarks follows:
 
Mr. President, I rise today to talk about the Richest Man in World, the new king of the hill. No, you won't find this financial titan in Forbes magazine's list of the world's billionaires. He hasn't started a mega-computer software company like Bill Gates. Nor has he made shrewd investments like Warren Buffet or even inherited this money like...
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WASHINGTON - Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) today spoke out against the misnamed State Secrets Protection Act, which he said could do significant damage to national security interests.

"If this legislation is passed in its present form, private attorneys would be given access to highly classified declarations before a judge rules on whether the State Secrets privilege should prevent such a disclosure," Hatch remarked during his speech on the Senate floor. "This legislation will have the effect of incentivizing lawsuits by rewarding attorneys who file lawsuits with a security clearance. This clearance will grant them access to classified information that if divulged could ...
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WASHINGTON - Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, is urging the Senate to press the reset button on healthcare reform rather than advance a bill that will saddle Americans with ever-higher taxes, ruinous deficits and lead to federal funding of elective abortions.

Speaking on the Senate floor late Sunday, Hatch also took aim at the 383-page Reid manager's amendment to the $2.5 trillion healthcare bill, saying it "represents everything that Americans hate about Washington right now - Chicago-style back room buy-offs at the expense of American taxpayers."

Hatch was particularly incensed by...
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CEDAR CITY - Wake up to a great breakfast in Cedar City. You’ll have stimulating conversation, valuable information and great food to help you wake up to what is going on in the community.

Pickles for breakfast! Ah, come on—just give ‘em the...
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WASHINGTON –Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I, don’t agree on much when it comes to the $2.5 trillion Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590) being considered by the U.S. Senate.

But they did agree on one point Thursday night during an entertaining exchange on the Senate floor: the 2,074-page behemoth bill is like a Harry Potter novel. Whitehouse went on, at length, about the bill’s Potter-like length, while Hatch focused on its Potter-like substance.

A highlight from the verbal exchange follows:...
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WASHINGTON - Before tonight's vote on the Senate $2.5 trillion health bill, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, offered an impassioned plea for senators to stand with the American people by saying no to a Washington takeover of Americans' health care system.
 
"This is bigger than us, our parties or our ideologies," Hatch remarked on the Senate floor. "This is about the very future of the greatest nation in the history of the world. It is about your children and my children. It is about your grandchildren and my grandchildren. It is about giving our future generations the same opportunities and the same sense of pride. It is about every American life and every American business that will be subject to this 2,074-page edict from...
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Washington, D. C. – Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) brought to light the recent findings contained an analysis conducted by the U. S. Department of Health Human Services.  According to the official scorekeepers at the Department, the Reid Health Care Bill will actually not only increase our national health care costs by $234 billion over the next ten years, but will also reduce access and cut benefits for our seniors.

“This non-biased report from the chief actuary at our country’s Health Department simply proves what I have been saying all along – you cannot reform a $2.2 trillion health care system simply by spending another $2.5 trillion of hard-earned tax payer money,” stated Hatch.  “Spending and taxing does not equal...
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SALT LAKE CITY - America's Health Insurance Plans last Week met with Utah small business owners at a roundtable discussion on health care issues at the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce.

The roundtable is part of the health insurance industry's Campaign for an American Solution, a new national grassroots and educational initiative to build support for workable health care reform based on core principles shared by the American people: coverage, affordability, quality, value, choice and portability.

The discussion with Utah small business owners was the latest in a series of conversations the health insurance industry is having with ...
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ST. GEORGE, UTAH - According to the Healthcare Management Council (HMC), residents of southern Utah don’t have to choose between the two — they have both. The Council recently named Dixie Regional Medical Center its best overall performer in the nation for combining high quality of care with low cost in 2009.

“Finding the right balance between cost management, quality improvement, and growth is a...
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SALT LAKE CITY – According to Rep. David Clark, R-Santa Clara, as reported in the Deseret News, a chief issue confronting Utah is health care reform.

Paying for and accessing the health care system is becoming increasingly expensive and will require grassroots involvement to fix it. Rep. Clark stated that the price of medical insurance premiums will amount to more than the average Utah household income in less than 20 years if it continues on its present course.

He encouraged participation by all Utah residents ...
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Intermountain Healthcare's Dixie Regional Medical Center is hosting a healthcare forum on Apr. 9 at 7 p.m. The forum will take place at the Sun River Community Center, 4275 S. Country Club Drive, in St. George. 

"We want to help those who may be new in the community and have questions like, ‘How can I find a doctor?' or ‘Will my insurance be accepted here?'" said Terri Kane, hospital administrator and CEO.   "Many people have moved here recently and may have questions about healthcare. We'd like to connect them with information that can help." Kane will be the presenter at the forum, which will conclude with a...
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SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - The United States House of Representatives has rolled out its revised health system reform plan, and it is a hard pill to swallow. Advertised as costing "only" $894 billion over ten years, accounting tricks and hidden taxes indicate that the total cost could be much higher, somewhere between $1.1 trillion and $1.5 trillion. But, the biggest problem with the proposal is how to pay for it.

Congress is proposing to raise taxes by $725 billion to pay for their...
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ST. GEORGE - The Color Country Human Resource Association will present a workshop titled "Building a Healthy Business And Improving Employee Performance" on Aug. 19 at the Fairway Grill, 430 E. St. George Blvd.

This workshop will be presented from 7:30 to 9 a.m. by Lex Olsen, Director, Employer Initiatives. Come and learn how to save money by helping your employees live healthier lives!

Please bring exact change or a check made out to CCHRA. Cost for CCHRA Members is $15, and $20 for non-members. Please RSVP by Friday, Aug. 15th to Kimberly Johnson with Department of Workforce Services by calling...
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InfoWest and SouthWest Federal Credit Union have teamed up to help Santa come early this year to those in need.

Through cash donations to the local Dixie and Iron County Care and Shares, InfoWest customers on their own contributed more than $5,000 last year, just by adding a few dollars each to their September payments. SouthWest Federal Credit Union and their employees have joined the effort this year and have pledged $1,000 upfront to kick off their portion of the effort.

"You don't need to be a customer of InfoWest or a member of SouthWest Federal to contribute. You can make a donation ...
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This year seems different to me. Christmas seems different, my neighbors seem different, and my employees seem different than in years gone by. The cheer is still surrounding us all, the moods and festivities are marching on, and we are definitely hoping for a great year end. However, it is apparent that just beneath the surface there is angst and even a little fear. Do you notice this angst or fear at work or in your neighborhoods? Do you feel a little uncertainty in your life? Are you stressed that you cannot give the bonuses you wish to give or afford the presents you thought you would be able to purchase? If this is the case you are in great company.

I think as a whole ...
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St. George, UT, March, 2009 - Todd Hess, a ten-year employee of HintonBurdick CPAs & Advisors, has been named a partner in the firm, according to an announcement issued by managing partner Morris Peacock.  Hess will work out of HintonBurdick's Cedar City office.
 
A licensed CPA, Hess received a bachelor of science degree in accounting from Southern Utah University in 1998 and earned a masters in accountancy from that institution the following year.  [At that time, he joined HintonBurdick as a staff accountant.]
 
Hess is especially knowledgeable about the accounting needs of government and non-profit entities.  He has been ...
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ST. GEORGE, UTAH - At a time when having solid credit is more important than ever to consumers, St. George and Hurricane teen students will learn to use credit wisely this week in honor of "National Get Smart About Credit Day".
 
Last Wednesday, Snow Canyon High School students heard a presentation led by Melissa Lunt, manager of Zions Bank's River Road office. In Hurricane, commercial relationship manager Evan Thomas taught Hurricane High students in the financial literacy courses. On Wednesday, October 21, Pine View High School students will participate in credit activities led by Zions Bank's Washington branch manager Mark Truman.
 
The Southern Utah bankers are among nearly 50 Zions employees throughout Utah and Idaho heading to local schools to teach teens the importance of using...
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ST. GEORGE, UTAH - St. George Exchange Club is honor 8 student for the month of December, 2009. All the students that are honored throughout the year are seniors and are recognized for their scholastic achievements, community involvement, and leadership at their respective school. One student from the eight students honored from each high school throughout the school year as a Student of the Month will have the opportunity to become Student of the Year from their school and receive a college scholarship to...
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SALT LAKE CITY - Tonaquint Development was honored at the “Best of State” banquet Saturday night at the Salt Palace Convention Center as a Best in State 2008 medalist in the Telecommunications Division of the Science and Technology category.

The Best of State Awards were created to recognize outstanding individuals, organizations and businesses in Utah. By recognizing excellence in our community and sharing examples of success and triumph in so many worthy endeavors, we hope we will all be inspired to reach a little higher, to try a little harder, and to work a little longer for our dreams and goals....
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LOGAN, UTAH - While Utah’s long winters limit the growing season, integrating high tunnels into farm operations is one way to extend it. For example, high tunnels can allow tomatoes to be planted in March or April so that fruits begin to ripen by the end of June. Tomatoes can also be harvested 6 to 8 weeks longer in the fall. High tunnels allow farmers to supply tomatoes at times when they are in short supply and yield more...
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ST. GEORGE, UTAH - The State Board of Regents approved new tuition rates for the 2009-2010 academic year.  The average total tuition increase is 7% or $391 in annual tuition for 15 credit hours for two semesters.
 
"Our presidents remain committed to keeping our colleges and universities as affordable as possible despite the budget cuts and increased enrollment," observed Jed Pitcher, Chair of the Board of Regents.  "While it would have required an increase as high as 42% in tuition to make up for the state's budget reductions, these proposed increases strike a good balance in meeting the increased demand for services while trimming back to meet our budge...
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SALT LAKE CITY - William A. Sederburg, Commissioner of the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE), announced the appointment of Melissa Miller Kincart as Assistant Commissioner for Outreach and Access. This newly created position will help ensure a better alignment of the strategic priorities of the Board of Regents and the
 
Kincart will focus specifically on working with the state's colleges and universities in exploring ways to improve college participation rates. She will work closely with schools to build new and existing programs that help underserved populations better prepare for and succeed in college.
 
"Over the years both the Board of Regents and schools have identified access and participation as critical areas to build a stronger pipeline of students coming into...
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WASHINGTON - Hill Air Force Base will be responsible for maintaining key components and systems on the U.S. Air Force's most modern Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), the MQ-1 Predator and the MQ-9 Reaper, members of Utah's congressional delegation announced today.
 
While there were preliminary reports in March about this important work coming to Hill, members of Utah's congressional delegation say Air Force officials have now officially confirmed their decision to award the UAV maintenance work to the Utah base.
 
"Having proved their worth in the skies over Iraq and Afghanistan, UAVs have firmly established themselves as the weapon of  the future in our nation's global fight to stamp out terrorism," said Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah). "The Air Force's decision to make Hill a...
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CEDAR CITY, UTAH - HintonBurdick recently announced that they have consolidated their two Cedar City offices into the new Cedar View Business Center located at 239 South Main.  Since the June 1, 2008 merger with Wilson & Associates, HintonBurdick has been working from two locations.  

According to Robert Cox, HintonBurdick partner, “This move will allow all of our Cedar City CPAs and staff to be under one roof and it will be much easier and more efficient for us to coordinate and utilize our expertise and resources in serving the needs of our clientèle.” 

The Cedar View Business Center was built in partnership between...
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St. George, UT, February, 2009 - Morris Peacock, managing partner of HintonBurdick CPAs & Advisors, announced today that Chris Barker, a six-year employee of the firm, will be transferred from St. George to the Cedar City office.

"We are serving a growing number of clients in Cedar City and the surrounding area," Peacock explained, "and we need to bolster our staff there in order to provide those clients with the personalized accounting services they deserve. Chris Barker is an experienced, highly-regarded professional who will do just that."

Barker is a licensed CPA with a Masters in Accountancy from Southern Utah University. He also holds bachelors' degrees in...
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WASHINGTON, UTAH - Waddell & Reed recently announced that Dustin Danny Hofheins has joined the firm as a Financial Advisor in the Washington and Iron County areas.

As a personal financial advisor, Hofheins will help develop customized financial plans, recommend investment strategies and counsel clients throughout the area. He has a passion for financial planning and enjoys working closely with others which Hofheins believes makes him an ideal fit as a financial advisor.

Hofheins earned a one-year certificate, Associate’s degree, and Bachelor’s degree in business management from Utah Valley University, and an...
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ST. GEORGE, UTAH, March, 2009-Bucking the trends in a downward economy is something Tregg Holbrook, Founder and President of Holbrook Asphalt, doesn't gloss over lightly. "The paving industry as a whole may not be growing right now, but our position is a little different. Our success isn't reliant upon new construction. We are focused on extending the investments our customers have already made in infrastructure." 

Unless you experience a jaw-rattling pot hole, you probably don't think about the pavement you are driving or parking on. "The general public just expects asphalt to be in good shape," Holbrook continues. Savvy property owners or managers know...
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ST. GEORGE, UTAH - The Utah Republican Party honored Jeannine Holt at its State Convention on June 13th with the State Chairman's award for her years of service to the Party.  Holt, a St. George resident, served seven terms as vice-chair of the Washington County Republican Party until her retirement this year.

Holt has been honored several times for her service in the community.  She was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the St. George Chamber of Commerce in January 2009.  In 2007, after ten years of service on the Dixie State College Board of Trustees, the College awarded Holt an honorary...
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St. George-based Town & Country Bank has promoted...
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ST. GEORGE, UTAH - Tough times affect all businesses. In the wake of financial crisis, many businesses in Southern Utah turn to alternatives to helping them stay busy, focused and on track. Adam Schweitzer, International Telecom Executive for ACN, has joined the list of clients that HOST now helps to support so he can focus on growing his already successful business. Schweitzer was able to build his Telecom business rapidly from the ground up.  Meeting potential clients and business partners in a coffee shop may work for some businesses, but as Adam found himself growing, he needed somewhere he could rely on to provide a professional atmosphere.

"With a home based business, we needed a professional office space to meet with new and existing clients without the hassle or overhead of leasing an office space.  HOST provided us with the perfect package at an exceptional value. We have been able to grow our business by...
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ST. GEORGE - The Southern Utah Home Builders Association (SUHBA) and National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) have teamed up to offer a Fall Protection Training seminar.

Through an OSHA-funded training grant aimed at providing safety training to the residential construction industry, the NAHB in conjunction with the NAHB Research Center, has developed this safety training program for builders, trade contractors, supervisors and workers.

The seminar focuses on identifying fall hazards in residential construction, as well as providing an understanding of the...
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ST. GEORGE - The Southern Utah Home Builders Association (SUHBA) and National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) have teamed up to offer a Fall Protection Training seminar.

Through an OSHA-funded training grant aimed at providing safety training to the residential construction industry, the NAHB in conjunction with the NAHB Research Center, has developed this safety training program for builders, trade contractors, supervisors and workers.

The seminar focuses on identifying fall hazards in residential construction, as well as providing an understanding of the ...
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As the historical building permit graph below shows, the number of new construction permits issued in Washington County changes depending on property inventory levels and product availability for new purchasers.

Last September, Southern Utah Title Company Developer Services projected that 1,200 residential building permits (new starts) would be purchased for calendar year 2008. Now, following the latest detailed inspection of dwelling purchases for the first five months of 2008, that estimate for the year has been downsized to only 600 new permits.

We didn't err in our calculations. We simply underestimated...
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At Southern Utah Title Company Developer Services, we are frequently asked about the two graphs attached, one being the monthly building permit graph and the other being the monthly Notices of Default graph. We are specifically asked questions about their relationship.

For years, over half of the people coming to St. George would purchase a new home from a local contractor, or have their own "custom" home built on a lot they would purchase in advance. In the days of the real estate run-up of 2003-2006, it was not uncommon for 300 building permits to be purchased monthly throughout Washington County.

Now, as the attached graph shows, we are purchasing somewhere in the area of...
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ST. GEORGE- Countrywide Home Loans, Inc., a national leader in residential finance, today announced that its St. George office has appointed experienced home loan consultant April Rasmussen to its staff.

Rasmussen represents Countrywide in the local community, working with builders, real estate professionals and prospective homebuyers on a variety of home financing options for both new and existing homes. Each Countrywide branch has the authority to pre-approve borrowers, as well as originate, process and underwrite loans locally.

The St. George branch is located at ...
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National housing prices fell 9.2 percent in May compared to a year ago representing the smallest year-over-year decline recorded in 2009 and the lowest since December 2007, according to newly released data from First American CoreLogic and its LoanPerformance Home Price Index (HPI). May's decline was a 0.5 percent improvement over the 9.7 percent decline in April.*

In St. George, home prices have decreased 11.82 percent in May compared to a year ago. In April 2009, St. George showed a decrease of 14.08 percent compared to one year prior.

The rate of national price declines for residential single-family detached properties peaked at 11.9 percent in January 2009 and has since improved by over...
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SANTA ANA, Calif., August 16, 2010 – CoreLogic (NYSE: CLGX), a leading provider of information, analytics and business services, today released its Home Price Index (HPI) which shows that home prices in the U.S. increased in June, the fifth consecutive month showing a year-over-year increase.

According to the CoreLogic HPI, national home prices, including distressed sales, increased by...
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ST. GEORGE, UTAH - In St. George, home prices, including distressed sales, declined by...
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ST. GEORGE, UTAH - In St. George, home prices, including distressed sales, declined by...
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National home prices, including distressed sales, increased by 0.3 percent in February 2010 compared to February 2009, according to First American CoreLogic and its LoanPerformance Home Price Index (HPI). This was an improvement over January's year-over-year price decline of 0.5 percent.* Excluding distressed sales, year-over-year prices increased in February by 0.6 percent; an improvement over the January non-distressed HPI which fell by...
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In St. George, home prices, including distressed sales, declined by -10.79 percent in March 2010 compared to March 2009. This compares to February's year-over-year HPI, which was -6.96 percent.** Excluding distressed transactions, year-over-year HPI for March is -3.37 percent, compared to February which was -7.13 percent.

CoreLogic is projecting the 12-month forecast for St. George home prices, including distressed sales, will be...
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 Residential remodeling is taking on a larger portion of the local construction industry. Building permits issued in the Southern Utah area from Iron & Washington counties indicate that in the last 3 years, the percentage of market attributed to the remodeling industry has been increasing.

"As the new construction numbers continue to remain low, the number of remodeling permits has remained quite steady. This confirms what our contractor clients have been telling us, that in order to remain competitive and productive during these difficult times, their focus has turned to the remodeling industry to help keep their people working", reports Justin Harris of ...
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 Residential remodeling is taking on a larger portion of the local construction industry. Building permits issued in the Southern Utah area from Iron & Washington counties indicate that in the last 3 years, the percentage of market attributed to the remodeling industry has been increasing.

"As the new construction numbers continue to remain low, the number of remodeling permits has remained quite steady. This confirms what our contractor clients have been telling us, that in order to remain competitive and productive during these difficult times, their focus has turned to the remodeling industry to help keep their people working", reports Justin Harris of ...
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St. George, Utah - February, 2009 – Premier Home Stagers of Utah today announced a solution to assist home sellers of vacant properties in getting them off the market and thereby protect neighborhoods from becoming blighted.

"With our concept of Home Staging, sellers not only realize the benefit of having their home professionally staged, at not cost to them, but they also capitalize on the added benefit of security from vandalism and theft," said Wes Jensen, Owner of Premier Home Stagers. "Home Manager Staging offers sellers peace of mind because their house is cared for by an on-site manager and ...
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ST. GEORGE - The Audio Installation Company has been rated in the Top 27 in all of North America for quality home theaters, multi-room audio-video and home automation. It is the only company in Utah and Nevada to make this prestigious list.

This distinguished rating was derived by CE Pro Retailing magazine, a national magazine known as the industry's authority with audio-visual home entertainment.

CE Pro set forth vigorous criteria for rating the North American companies. Criteria included...
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ST. GEORGE, UTAH - Dixie State College of Utah's Udvar-Hazy School of Business continues its bi-monthly noontime Business and Ethics Forum series Thursday, Oct. 1, featuring a presentation by Tom McArthur, owner of McArthur Jewelers in St. George.

The Business and Ethics Forum, presented every other Thursday throughout DSC's fall and spring semesters, will be held in the Boeing Auditorium (Room 121) of the DSC Udvar-Hazy Business Building. DSC students, faculty and staff, the entire Washington County business community, and the general public are all invited to attend. Admission is free.

McArthur's presentation, entitled "Stories of a Retail Jewelry Company," will chronicle the creation of family jewelry business established in St. George by his...
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We have all heard the story of a little boy who cried wolf. Sometimes when a fable is told and retold it becomes part of our lore, part of what we are so used to that we have a forgetting of its true meaning. In this era of economic stress and fear we will benefit from learning from that wolf crying boy. You see he was just a young man that was a little bored, a little in need of attention. This young man had chosen to be a Sheppard of sheep and had a little flock that he tended.  He devised a plan late one evening while watching over his little flock of sheep. His plan was simple and would include many of the men of his hometown.

In the early hours of evening just before dar...
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ST. GEORGE, UTAH - HOST Business Services, provider of virtual office and on-demand business administration solutions, recently announced welcoming three companies to its client roster. HOST Business Services is now `host to` a marketing doing business as `Boomerang Strategic`, a business specializing in auto-acquire antenna systems development: Mobile RXTX, and last but not least: Attorney Martin R. Slater.

"We are providing land line telephone services; phone numbers, incoming call handling and administrative support services for all three companies," said Scott Wilson, HOST Business Services president.. Slater and Boomerang also utilize the on-demand office and meeting facilities located in the Red Cliffs area of St. George as well. "We handle several of their administrative and business service functions, the non-income producing tasks, so they can focus on ...
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ST. GEORGE - HOST Business Services, St. George's a vendor of virtual office and business administration services is providing complimentary administrative functions and services for American Legion Post 90, Red Rock Rotary Club of St. George, Rotary of Dixie Sunrise, and the St. George Exchange Club.
 
American Legion Post 90 is one of the organizations now being catered to by Host Business Services. The war-time veteran's organization is devoted to mutual helpfulness and now receives some help in return. The use of Host's business operation is benefiting their communications, function and organization of their post. These veterans now enjoy an organized system for making their communications more smooth and...
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On Monday January 29th this year, the Holiday Inn Express in Coral Canyon changed its image. Old building signs will be taken down and new signs will be put up as part of an new shift in hotel management as a complete re-branding and logo change takes place - worldwide. It is more than just changing signs. It is the beginning of a worldwide effort for the largest hotel group in the world.

 Exciting news for Southern Utah: We are among the first in the world to be part of this new branding effort. "Our hotel is the number one ranked Holiday Inn Express in Utah and number 75 out of over...
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Depicting the current housing downturn in sobering terms, the 2009 "State of the Nation's Housing" report released by Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies on June 22 nevertheless gives home builders firm assurances of a resurgence in demand once the echo-boom generation gains a footing in the housing market.

Born from 1981-2000, members of the echo-boom generation, Harvard says, will boost annual average household growth to more than 1.25 million during the decade of 2010-2020 - even under the worst of circumstances.

"While the economic crisis has dampened household growth, the sheer size of the echo-boom generation will give a powerful boost to long-run housing demand," the report says. However, "a severe and prolonged recession," according to the housing economists at Harvard, could reduce immigration, which is a key driver of household growth.

Two household growth projections were made for this year's report: one based on the latest population projection from the Census ...
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ST. GEORGE, UTAH - H. Thayne Houston was recently appointed by Utah Governor Gary Herbert, and approved by the Senate, to serve a 4 year term as a Real Estate Commissioner for the Utah Division of Real Estate.  The real estate commission is comprised of 5 members who serve staggered terms.  Four are from the real estate industry and 1 is from outside the industry. 
 
Currently serving as Commissioners are...
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Last quarter we discussed giving up resistance, or capitulation, in the markets. In the cycle of market emotions “the bottom” is scary. Starting over requires rebuilding confidence and attention to fundamental investment principles in spite of an uncertain future. Understanding how we came to this point in the market cycle can give us an indication of the road ahead.

How did we get here? The length and depth of the housing lead downturn have been underestimated multiple times over ...
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The first step in getting the best keyword for the subject of the page in question is to find, either the best performing keyword, or set of keywords. For example if the page is about removing raccoons as in the page found at www.unitedwildlife.com/AnimalsRaccoon.html, find the best performing keyword(s) for raccoons based on the content of the page.

Google makes a good tool to find the...
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Have you ever wondered how some of the really big projects get funding for the millions or even billions of dollars needed to complete their projects? There are a variety of ways to finance the projects ranging from personal investors, bank financing, limited partnerships, bond funding and many others.

Each of these methods of financing requires some sort of collateral or protection to insure the funds will be paid back. This can assume many forms as well, including bank reserves, real estate, or tax obligations.

The school/university and theme park currently being proposed for Hurricane by Our World Family will be funded by private funding using what are called...
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Gasoline prices in Utah have dropped again. They declined a whopping 74 cents per gallon in the past month as the worldwide economic slowdown continues its grip, reports AAA, which tracks gasoline prices as a service to consumers.

The current average price in St. George is $1.65, an 84-cent decrease from last month.  Utah's average price for regular, self-serve gasoline is $1.61, a 74-cent drop from last month's report. This is $1.46 lower than a year ago and $2.61 lower than the highest recorded Utah price of $4.22. Today, there are only 11 states with lower average prices than Utah.

 "It was only five months ago that oil was selling for more than three times to...
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Be careful this is how you get it!...
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Three contractors are bidding to fix a broken fence at the White House.   One is from Chicago, another is from Tennessee, and the third is from
Minnesota.

All three go with a White House official to examine the fence. The Minnesota contractor takes out a tape measure and does some measuring,
then works some figures with a pencil. "Well," he says, "I figure the
job will run about $900: $400 for materials, $400 for my crew and $100
profit for me."

The Tennessee contractor also does some measuring and figuring, then
says, "I can do this job for ...
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You have probably heard of a marketing or sales funnel.  In this model, you attempt to generate leads on a broad scale and then "funnel" them toward becoming a client with increased contact and content.  This funnel concept is incomplete when it comes to small businesses, which is why Duct Tape Marketing introduced the concept of the Marketing Hourglass.   

The greatest opportunity for real growth in most small businesses comes from selling your existing clients more products and services and also generating referrals from them.  The marketing hourglass idea takes these opportunities into consideration and then turns the funnel upside down.  When you put this together with the original marketing funnel,  you get a ...
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You have probably heard of a marketing or sales funnel.  In this model, you attempt to generate leads on a broad scale and then "funnel" them toward becoming a client with increased contact and content.  This funnel concept is incomplete when it comes to small businesses, which is why Duct Tape Marketing introduced the concept of the Marketing Hourglass.   

The greatest opportunity for real growth in most small businesses comes from selling your existing clients more products and services and also generating referrals from them.  The marketing hourglass idea takes these ...
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Choosing to go into business for yourself is a major decision that usually means a commitment to hard work and long hours. As you struggle to build your business, however, you also must be careful not to overdo it and succumb to business owner burnout. It's vital to take some time off to recharge your personal batteries.

But there's a problem. Many business owners are afraid to leave, even for a short period. They fear that something will go wrong or they'll miss out on that next big opportunity. With so much to do, how can an entrepreneur ever relax?

According to a survey conducted by American Express, 40 percent of the smallest business owners-those with less than...
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I know that many business owners are tired of prospecting for new business. They are frustrated with spending money on advertising that produces little results. Many would like the phone to ring knowing new business is on the...
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When we face stress it will affect our bodies as well as our mental functioning. We connect to stress in ways that lowers our immune systems leaving us subject to health problems while the mental taxation will reduce productivity. By the time we manage our work lives, parenting lives, social callings, and clubs we belong to many of us are so frazzled we do not consider taking time out to de-stress and relax

Many of us will carry stress from one location to the next and pile on more stress as we go. I interview people all week long and receive similar reports about the fast pace we set for ourselves. Many of you are working eight to ten hours a day, running kids here and there, trying...
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Do you want further compelling, if only anecdotal, evidence of the current economic problems?  Here it is - I have had many more inquiries during the last six weeks about the legal implications of layoffs than I had in the six months before.  So, maybe it is time it remind everyone about some good legal layoff tips for minimizing legal risk during reductions in force. 

If your company is planning more layoffs, plan to minimize the risks of litigation as follows.  Make sure economic or other business conditions justify the action.  Make selections according to your  policy or established parameters for selection and be sure you ...
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Most people will never venture to the local building department; much less submit themselves (and their blueprints) to the bureaucratic process of obtaining a building permit, scheduling periodic inspections, and complying with building codes and other regulatory red tape for construction.

That, of course, is a builder or contractor's job ... and one that construction professionals take pride in making efficient and hassle-free for their clients. To be sure, working through the red tape takes experience, savvy, and ...
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• You e-mail your work colleague at the desk next to you to ask "Wanna go for a drink?" and they reply "Yeah, give me five minutes."
• Your idea of being organized is multiple colored post-it notes.
• When you go home after a long day at work you still answer the phone with your company's name.
• When you make phone calls from home, you accidentally dial "9" to get an...
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Here is an incredible marketing technique that will show you how to use the word FREE to generate increased sales and profits. The word FREE just happens to be the most powerful word in advertising and marketing.

No other word draws as much attention. No other word can generate as much action. I am going to show you ways to use FREE and make a favorable impression with your prospects and customers... and make them want to do more FULL PRICE business with you.

For example, one of our clients is a cardiologist group. These surgeons make money by performing procedures on patients referred ...
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WASHINGTON ─ The U.S. Small Business Administration today launched a new online training course to help strengthen access to contracting opportunities for small businesses, including those owned by women, minorities, disadvantaged individuals and veterans.
 
The training course, "Recovery Act Opportunities: How to Win Federal Contracts," is part of a federal government-wide initiative announced last month by President Obama and being led by SBA and the Department of Commerce.
 
"Government contracts can play a key role in helping small businesses turn the corner in terms of expansion and job creation," SBA Administrator Karen G. Mills said.  "But make no mistake, the benefits the government receives are equally as...
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ST. GEORGE - Kelly Services, Inc., a human resources solutions provider serving the employment and staffing needs of the St. George area since 1989, will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony and open house to celebrate their Grand Reopening

The event will be held Thursday, July 31 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Kelly Services office at 558 E. Riverside Drive, Suite 204. Residents and members of the business community interested in learning more about Kelly Services are invited to attend.

The Dixie Sunshiners of the St. George Area Chamber of Commerce will perform a ribbon cutting ceremony at...
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ST. GEORGE - Employer Options, a professional employer organization, has scheduled a free seminar entitled "Do You Know Human Resource Law?" for all local businesses.

The seminar will be held Wednesday, Oct. 22, from 8 a.m. until 10 a.m. at the Sunbrook Center, next to Sunbrook Golf Course Clubhouse.

Presenters will include Scott K. Shumway, LIC, of Shumway Insurance, Patrice Seyler, SPHR and Glen Haynie, VP Client Relations of Employer Options, HR. They will address topics like "Current Insurance Market Conditions," "HR Compliance," "Employee Documentation," and other HR issues

Please RSVP to ...
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Starbucks HR representatives are breathing a little easier these days after a California appeals court has overturned an $86 million jury verdict finding that the coffee retailer had illegally shared tips with supervisors in California. 

However, management at a New York specialty glass manufacturer is less happy, after having to pay almost $1.5 million to settle sex bias claims brought before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). 

Nationally, there has been a new wave of lawsuits by employees seeking greater compensation and overtime when they are placed on an “on-call” status and their freedom of movement/activity restricted.  Legal commentators emphasize that ...
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Here are some examples of new employment laws: ADA amendments; new FMLA regulations; Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act; minimum wage increases (federal and state); and new Utah laws on guns in parking lots and regarding applicant personal data.

Here are just a few examples of some proposed new laws: a national ban on sexual orientation discrimination; enlarge FMLA and start coverage with 25 employees and allow leave for school events and domestic problems; health care reform; mandatory paid sick leave; employee verification issues; union reform and the Employee Free Choice Act; a ban on mandated arbitration; better independent contractor scrutiny; accommodation of employee breastfeeding (women only); and leave for volunteer firefighters.

Technology is changing too and today we get to deal with:...
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Think of the true story of misplaced employee creativity.  I'm talking about the employee who is downloading naked pictures of women from the internet (yes, there is porn on the internet) and cutting and pasting the pictures of his female co-workers onto the porn pictures. Yes, true story. That stinks!

What can you do about the stink?  First, try education and training.  Employees must know the rules of behavior and that they will be consistently applied.  Employees need to know what gets them into trouble and where to go if they are the victims.  Supervisors need to know all this plus how to help prevent/deter/manage trouble.  Moreover, supervisors must ...
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In May of 2010, a jury in a gender discrimination case pending in a New York City federal court awarded a class of 5,600 female plaintiffs over $250 million in punitive damages and almost $4 million in compensatory damages.  A back pay award is also expected. 

The plaintiffs are current and former sales employees of a drug maker who alleged they suffered bias in pay, promotional opportunities and...
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The Southwest Applied Technology College will be sponsoring a Custom Fit Training class during this months WIB (Women in Business) luncheon. Cynthia Kimball Humphreys will be speaking on "365 Days of Thank You."  Cynthia Kimball Humphreys is an author, cancer survivor, consultant, motivational speaker, success coach, and trainer.

She is a co-founder of The Kimball Family Foundation, a cancer foundation, and of Every1Counts, LLC. She has appeared in 'People' magazine and on CNN. Presently, Cynthia's appearing in Myriad Genetic Laboratories, Inc public awareness advertising campaign -- known as the BRACAnalysis� Awareness Campaign, participating as...
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KANAB, UTAH - Margaret Hunt, Executive Director of the Utah Division of Arts and Museums, and renowned artist Eric Dowdle will serve as keynote speakers at the upcoming Business of Art Seminar on Saturday, Nov. 14, at Kanab Middle School in Kanab, Utah. The Business of Art Seminar is sponsored by The Center for Education, Business, and the Arts (CEBA), a regional economic development organization centered in Kanab and Kane County, Dixie State College of Utah and the Southwest Applied Technology College.

The Business of Art Seminar is an opportunity for...
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ST. GEORGE - Chris McDonald and Jeff Hyde of Hunt-Leavitt Insurance, were recently selected by Leavitt Group officers to attend the annual New Producers College, held September 10-13 in Loa, Utah. Only 18 agent/producers in the organization receive an invitation. The New Producers College was established to honor motivated insurance professionals and to provide professional and career development.

The nominations and selections were based on his commitment to excellence and education. 

...
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ST. GEORGE - The 22nd annual Huntsman World Senior Games are set to begin Monday, Oct. 6 and run through Oct. 19 at various venues throughout the St. George area and nearby cities.

Between 9,500 and 10,000 athletes age 50 and older from all over the world are expected to participate in nearly 30 sports.

The public is invited to the opening ceremonies Tuesday, Oct. 7 at Hansen Stadium on the campus of Dixie State College.

Former Olympic swimmer Rowdy Gaines, who worked the Beijing Olympic Games as a commentator for swimming events, will be the ...
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The Huntsman World Senior Games has come a long way from that first year in 1987 when St. George, Utah, welcomed a few hundred athletes competing in a handful of sports.  From those humble beginnings, the Games have grown into the largest annual Olympic-style sports festival for men and women ages 50 and better in the entire world.
 
In 2008, over 9,600 athletes converged on St. George, filling up hotels, restaurants and main thoroughfares throughout the city as they enjoyed the competition and camaraderie of what has become an annual tradition for so many.  All 50 of the United States of America were represented and athletes from 20 different countries took the playing field as well.  Five brand new countries; Finland, Kuwait, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Venezuela were represented in 2008, bringing the total number of countries who have taken part in the Games since 1987 to 58.
 
Last year, in 2008, the Games awarded 6722 gold, silver and bronze medals to...
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Troy Braithwaite, co-founder of Affordable Bookkeeping in Hurricane, is one of a growing group of entrepreneurs nationwide selected to participate in the Duct Tape Marketing Authorized Coach program, a turnkey small business marketing system.

"To say that I'm honored to be chosen as a licensee is an understatement," says Braithwaite. "I realize that the competition for these spots is fierce, so I'm thrilled to be a coach. Now the pressure will be on me to implement the tactics I learn and take my business to the next level."

Braithwaite receives exclusive rights to implement...
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HURRICANE - The Hurricane Valley Chamber of Commerce has found a new home. The Chamber recently held a ribbon cutting in front of the new office, 525 W. State Street, Suite 2A.

The Chamber has lacked an official office for some time. With an office of their own, the Chamber can now provide business information for residents and visitors.

All businesses, visitors and members of the community are invited to stop by the new office and pick up information about the Hurricane Valley. Office hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Chamber President Derral Eves is seeking v...
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HURRICANE, Utah - Hurricane Valley Chamber of Commerce will hold its regular luncheon at noon Thursday, Aug. 7 at the Dixie State College Hurricane Campus.

The University of Phoenix will provide a presentation on "The Leadership Secrets of Santa Claus."

Lunch is $10 per person. Please RSVP at 435-635-0580.

HURRICANE - The Hurricane Valley Chamber of Commerce will hold its 2008 golf tournament Saturday, Sept. 6 on the new course at Sand Hollow Resort. The course is scheduled to open for play Aug. 29 for Labor Day weekend.

Four-person teams will play for more than $3,000 in prizes. Registration is $400 per team, and the field will be limited to 34 teams. Fess include cart, greens fees, breakfast, lunch, refreshments, and goodie bag.

Sponsorships are...
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HURRICANE - The Hurricane Valley Chamber of Commerce will hold its 2008 golf tournament Saturday, Sept. 6 on the new course at Sand Hollow Resort. The course is scheduled to open for play Aug. 29 for Labor Day weekend.

Four-person teams will play for more than $3,000 in prizes. Registration is $400 per team, and the field will be limited to 34 teams. Fess include cart, greens fees, breakfast, lunch, refreshments, and goodie bag.

Sponsorships are available from awards sponsors to tournament title sponsor. For more information contact Jeff at US Bank, 435-635-5555 or golf@hvchamber.com.<...
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HURRICANE - The Hurricane Valley Chamber of Commerce will hold its 2008 golf tournament Saturday, Sept. 6 on the new course at Sand Hollow Resort. The course is scheduled to open for play Aug. 29 for Labor Day weekend.

Four-person teams will play for more than $3,000 in prizes. Registration is $400 per team, and the field will be limited to 34 teams. Fees include cart, greens fees, breakfast, lunch, refreshments, and goodie bag.

Sponsorships are available from awards sponsors to tournament title sponsor. For more information contact Jeff at US Bank, 435-635-5555 or golf@hvchamber.com.<...
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HURRICANE, Utah - The Hurricane Valley Chamber of Commerce will hold its regularly scheduled luncheon Thursday, Oct. 16 at noon at the Dixie State College Hurricane Campus, 112 South 700 West.

Candidates for Washington County Commission seat C and for the Utah Legislature are scheduled to speak.

The public is invited, and no reservation is needed. Lunch is $10 per person.

HURRICANE - The Hurricane Valley Chamber of Commerce will hold a luncheon meeting Thursday, July 17 at noon at the Dixie College Campus, 112 S. 700 W. The public is welcome.

The Vision Dixie Implementation Committee will make a presentation. The cost of lunch is $10 and reservations are not required.

The Implementation Committee's goal at these meetings is to introduce the Vision Dixie Principles to city and town officials, residents and business owners.

The committee also...
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HURRICANE - The Hurricane Valley Chamber of Commerce will hold its 2008 golf tournament Saturday, Sept. 6 on the new course at Sand Hollow Resort. The course is scheduled to open for play Aug. 29 for Labor Day weekend.

Four-person teams will play for more than $3,000 in prizes. Registration is $400 per team, and the field will be limited to 34 teams. Fess include cart, greens fees, breakfast, lunch, refreshments, and goodie bag.

Sponsorships are available from awards sponsors to tournament title sponsor. For more information contact Jeff at US Bank, 435-635-5555 or golf@hvchamber.com....
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HURRICANE - Affordable Bookkeeping has undergone some major changes in the last couple of months. Troy Braithwaite, co-founder, was recently chosen as a Duct Tape Marketing Coach licensee, and as a result, has decided to offer marketing services in addition to accounting services. This change led the owners to change their business name to Affordable Business Solutions.

"It just didn't make sense to operate under Affordable Bookkeeping any longer," said Braithwaite. "We wanted to come up with a name that let people know our new business model, adopted from the Duct Tape Marketing System, which is: ...
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HURRICANE - Three students from Hurricane High School received national recognition recently at the Future Business Leaders of America Awards of Excellence. Sean Fisher, James Price, and Trevor Adams competed in the E-Business event and brought home tenth place.

The top-10 finish was fulfillment of a goal for Fisher, E-Business team captain, who has been competing in FBLA for three years. "It was such an exciting moment to get to be on the stage of winners," he said.

For this event, the students created a web site to sell t-shirts to their state for the national conference. The site was ...
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HURRICANE, UTAH - As the Christmas Holiday nears, Hurricane too, will be home to a new several million dollar 12,000 square foot Liquor & Wine Store. The opening is planned for December 7th at the new Coral Canyon Location at 202 North Foothill Canyon Drive.

"The store will be just over 12,000 sq ft and carry nearly 4,000 different products", according to John Freeman, Deputy Director for the State of Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. "The cost of this store has come in including land at approximately $2.7 million which is nearly $2 million under the original budget. All state liquor stores are paid for through...
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HURRICANE, UT - Pace American, a manufacturer of enclosed motorsport, cargo and specialty trailers, announced that it has officially completed its acquisition of Bristol, Ind.-based J&L Cargo Express. Headquartered in Middlebury, Ind., with additional manufacturing facilities located in Fitzgerald and Eastman, Ga.; Lebanon, Ore.; McGregor, Texas; and Hurricane, Utah, Pace maintains an extensive network of more than 450 authorized dealers across North America offering sales, service and parts.

"With this acquisition, we are continuing to further our ongoing strategy to strengthen and grow Pace American's industry leading market share position," says Pace American CEO Mitchell B...
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Would it surprise any of you if you learned that the Mayor and fine citizens of Hurricane and Washington County have been hoping and praying for a bit of magic to bring new jobs and money to help the local economy in these troubled times?

It seems that there just might be some magic in the air. It is coming from Our World Family, LLC who is proposing a project for Southern Utah unlike anything ever before.

Ron Sinclair, Chairman and Dean Hawks, CEO are strong advocates for family values and for high ethical standards for business. They are avid supporters of the Constitution of the United States and want to see the country embrace the values intended by our ...
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ST. GEORGE - Spencer J. Reber, one of the preeminent geologist/hydrologist in Southern Utah, announced this week that he will be forming a new partnership with his son Jeff Reber, the managing partner of Real Estate Asset Strategies.

This new partnership will form the basis of a new company specializing in water location and water allocation consulting services for the Southern Utah area.

Spence Reber is well known within the local and regional area as an expert in subsurface strata analysis including aquifer location, capacity, and flow capabilities.

With over 200 detailed maps of the region's ...
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