Prices rise, profits beat goals and service levels decline. Photo: Louie Douvis

So who's having a lend of whom? Victoria's electricity distributors are earning much higher profits than anticipated, as customer service levels have, for the most part, declined.

Part of their gains was good management, with tight cost control.

But a large part came from higher-than-expected revenues which enabled them to post much higher-than-anticipated returns for the fifth straight year. That in turn, signals the way spending is approved - which impacts prices paid by households and businesses - is out of whack.

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In its annual review, the Australian Energy Regulator, an arm of the Australian Competition and Commission, found returns on regulated assets of the five distributors is as high as 10 per cent. In these present difficult economic times, that is the sort of return many businesses would love to achieve, especially in a regulated sector.

The review covered the performance of electricity distributors such as CitiPower and Powercor in 2010.

It also disclosed an improvement in power supply, which was largely thanks to less extreme weather than in the previous year.

Singaporean-owned Jemena was easily the most profitable of the five, earning a 10 per cent pre-tax return on its distribution sector assets, followed by Powercor with 9.9 per cent, CitiPower's 8.8 per cent and United Energy with 8.5 per cent.

The laggard was SP AusNet with 6.9 per cent.

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Power prices out of whack as profits beat targets

CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --VR Business Sales, Mergers & Acquisitions of Charlotte, NC (www.vrcharlotte.com) has just completed the business sale of Elite Maintenance Services (www.elitemaint.com), a facility maintenance company providing professional sweeping, cleaning, power washing and related outdoor maintenance services throughout the Charlotte, NC and Atlanta, GA services areas.

The seller, Rodger Blake-Ward, who VR represented in the transaction, stated, "VR Charlotte made the process seamless and worry-free. They had a handle on the entire process from the day we listed the business through screening buyers and finally through the offer and closing procedure."

Jay Offerdahl, Vice President at VR Business Sales, Mergers & Acquisitions in Charlotte, represented Blake-Ward throughout the transaction. VR Business Sales, Mergers & Acquisitions Charlotte facilitated all phases of the transaction, from the initial analysis through closing. Details were not disclosed.

About VR Business Sales, Mergers & Acquisitions CharlotteVR Charlotte's only business is representing business owners in the sale of their business; confidentially, professionally and with proven results. Since 1996, VR Business Sales, Mergers & Acquisitions of Charlotte has sold more businesses for more dollars than any of the other 130 VR offices worldwide. Information about VR Business Sales, Mergers & Acquisitions Charlotte can be found on their website at http://www.vrcharlotte.com and on their blog at http://www.howtosella.biz. VR Business Sales, Mergers & Acquisitions Charlotte is located at 17250 Lancaster Hwy., Suite 601, Charlotte, North Carolina. For more information, please call 704-676-0940.

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VR Mergers & Acquisitions Charlotte Facilitates Sale of Elite Maintenance Services

Stage 2 watering restrictions begin Monday in San Marcos.

City leaders are tightening down on water use as a result of the quickly dropping Edwards Aquifer levels.

In the last month, officials say the aquifer has dropped nearly 20 feet.

We are seeing daily declines of over one foot in level. This requires we rigorously conserve our water to slow the decline and the resulting spring flow decreases, Executive Director of Public Services Tom Taggart said.

Under Stage 2 restrictions, residents can use sprinklers on one designated day each week before 10 a.m. or after 8 p.m. It also limits watering at golf courses, new pools and power washing pavement.

Officials say San Marcos receives about 20 percent of its water supply from the Edwards Aquifer. The other 80 percent comes from Canyon Lake.

Waste of water is prohibited.

Irrigation with sprinklers and automatic sprinkler irrigation systems is allowed only one day per week on the designated weekday between the hours of 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. to midnight. The designated weekday is as follows:

Monday for addresses ending in 0 or 1 Tuesday for addresses ending in 2 or 3 Wednesday for addresses ending in 4 or 5 Thursday for addresses ending in 6 or 7 Friday for addresses ending in 8 or 9

Hand watering is allowed on any day and at any time.

Link:
San Marcos enforces Stage 2 water restrictions

The youthful energy that filled the air at Chester Heights Campmeeting on Saturday was a stark contrast to the pall of helplessness that has hung over the historic site in the wake of two arson fires in the past six months.

Every April, the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church organizes a small army of volunteers to visit the historic site for some hands-on fellowship. But this year, the devastation of the recent fires made the annual spruce-up campaign an even more welcomed breath of fresh air.

This is healing, and shows that there are people who want to help, said a grateful Chester Heights Campmeeting Board President Pat Smith.

Chester Heights Campmeeting was established by the Methodist-Episcopal Church of Philadelphia in 1872, with most of the 65 summer cottages on the 31-acre site being built around 1900.

Many of the cottages have now fallen into disrepair, but the locale was placed on the National Historical Register in 2000, and is one of about 30 campmeetings still in existence in Pennsylvania today.

The recent efforts of 11 cottage owners, who painstakingly rehabbed their summer cabins back to attractive structures, were recognized through a 2011 Heritage Commission Award from Delaware County Council. Sadly, one of those restored cottages was burned to the ground during the Feb. 18 fire that claimed a total of 10 buildings.

But the sense of loss at Chester Heights Campmeeting goes beyond the cottage owners. Many of the 75 volunteers who turned out last weekend (a new record for team size) had visited the Campmeeting before, and grief over the fires was universal.

Many of these willing workers would have liked to have started removing the charred debris that still clutters the central area of the Campmeeting. The dozen structures lost in the two fires are still being treated as a crime scene, however, so the volunteers could not go near the blackened rubble.

On April 21, less than a week after electricity had been restored to the Campmeeting, there was no shortage of work to be found elsewhere, as several cottages were in desperate need of TLC.

Dividing into 12 work teams, the eager workers spread out amongst the clustered cottages. Projects included landscaping, power-washing the open-air youth temple, removing or repairing dilapidated porches and roofs, applying fresh paint to exterior walls, and tearing down a two-story cottage that was beyond repair. Continued...

Continued here:
Chester Heights Campmeeting gets helping hand from Methodist youth

VOORHEES, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) today approved new water and wastewater rates for New Jersey American Water, effective immediately. The new rates recognize the more than $300 million the company has spent over the past two years to replace and upgrade its complex web of nearly 9,000 miles of water and sewer mains in order to continue providing customers with uninterrupted access to high-quality, reliable water service. While the new rates represent a $30 million increase in revenues for the company, the cost of tap water for customers remains less than a penny a gallon.

We are certainly aware and sensitive to the difficulties the current economic situation that many of our customers face, and we are mindful of that as we strive to ensure that the communities we serve never experience the potentially disastrous results of a failing water system, said David K. Baker, president of New Jersey American Water. We are committed to maintaining that balance for our customers. Keeping our rates less than a penny a gallon means that water remains quite a value, and is one of the lowest utility bills for homeowners.

For more than a century we have provided quality, reliable water service and fire protection in New Jersey. When we put in the water mains for Thomas Edisons West Orange laboratory in 1904, the cast iron main cost about 45 cents a foot. That same operation today costs hundreds of dollars a foot.

Water system improvements that will be completed by the company and recovered in the new rates include:

Our capital expenditures have not only improved the reliability and quality of our water service to customers, but have also contributed to approximately 2,000 direct and indirect jobs statewide, said Baker.

The company has also been making significant progress to reduce its operating expenses. We have instituted several initiatives to drive down the costs of providing our customers with water service, said Baker. Weve reduced our operating expenses by nearly $10 million over the last couple of years.

Another aspect of the BPU decision was the recognition of declining water consumption, which was reflected in the revenue allowances. Our customers are using less water than they have in the past, however the infrastructure required to bring water to homes, businesses and fire hydrants still needs to be properly maintained, said Baker. This decline in demand is a result of many factors, which include the wider adoption of more efficient washing appliances, low-flow toilets, and personal conservation. More and more, customers recognize that the water they use is a critical, but limited resource.

Since filing for the rate increase in July 2011, New Jersey American Water's request underwent extensive public and regulatory scrutiny. The ratemaking process required a lengthy and detailed review by the staff of the BPU, the New Jersey Division of Rate Counsel, the Office of Administrative Law, and more than a dozen interested groups, who the state of New Jersey granted full intervener status in the proceedings. The process also included several public hearings for customer input before an Administrative Law Judge.

The new rates granted by NJBPU continue to provide help for customers who have been particularly hard hit by the current economic environment. In addition to providing customers with financial assistance through the companys low-income programs, eligible customers are able to receive a comprehensive telephone audit of their water use; free water-saving retrofit kits; as well as plumbing assistance to install water-efficient devices. For those families who are struggling to pay their bills, we want them to know that assistance is available through our H2O Help to Others Program, said Baker. The program offers grants of up to $500 and a discount on the monthly service charge, and is administered by New Jersey SHARES (1-877-652-9426 or 1-877-NJAWH2O).

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New Jersey American Water Granted New Rates by NJ Board of Public Utilities

As British Columbias health minister Mike de Jong has seen it time and again: A pharmaceutical manufacturer launches an expensive new drug, brings forward a patient who desperately needs the medicine but cannot afford it, and pressures the province to cover the cost.

Suddenly, though, the balance of power in Canadas multi-billion-dollar prescription-drug system is shifting, as provinces and territories begin an historic push to combine their buying power and jointly bargain down the high cost of pharmaceuticals.

Not unlike department-store chains bulk-purchasing washing machines or televisions, all the jurisdictions but Quebec have combined forces to negotiate the price of a series of new medicines to be covered by their drug plans, and hope to make the process routine in future.

Analysts call it a unique case of cross-border collaboration between governments that typically run their health-care systems as distinct fiefdoms.

The territorialism that we see has developed over the years, if not the decades, said Mr. de Jong. It is a remarkable feature of the Canadian federation that something that would seem so eminently logical has taken this length of time to become a reality. But it has, and thats good news.

The minister said he wants to push for another concession from the pharmaceutical firms, too. Industry now insists that the price produced by the haggling be kept secret, but taxpayers have a right to know, Mr. de Jong said.

Canada spends about $26-billion annually on prescription drugs, making them the third-largest health care cost after hospitals and doctor services. Provincial drug plans for senior citizens and others pay 46% of that total, private insurance and workplace health plans 36%, and uninsured patients 18%, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

As drugs are added to the formulary, we want to negotiate a common [national] price

The bulk-pricing talks began last year after premiers instructed their health ministers to negotiate jointly for Soliris, the only drug available to treat PNH, a rare and often-fatal blood disease that affects just 90 people across Canada.

The price tag of about $500,000 per year makes it the worlds most expensive medicine, according to Forbes magazine. Working together, though, the provinces managed to secure a deal significantly less than what the company had started with, said Judy McPhee, pharmaceutical-services director with Nova Scotias Health Department.

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Provinces’ new weapon against pharmaceutical costs: each other

MADISON, Wis. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker established a program that has given hundreds of thousands of dollars in merit raises and bonuses to some state workers even as he preached cost-cutting and pushed through a law reducing most public workers' pay and eliminating their union rights.

An analysis of data The Associated Press obtained through an open records request showed Wisconsin agencies have handed out more than $765,000 in bonuses and merit raises this year to nearly 220 employees.

The awards are meant to reward stellar performance. But they come as the state faces a $143 million shortfall and after thousands of state workers took pay cuts through provisions in the collective bargaining law requiring them to contribute more to their pensions and health care.

Walker, who faces a June 5 recall election prompted by anger over the collective bargaining law, prides himself on fiscal restraint.

The Republican governor wasn't available for comment Friday. His spokesman, Cullen Werwie, referred questions to Walker's top aide, Department of Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch, who said the governor established the program because he felt it was important to mirror the private sector and provide rewards for outstanding work.

"It is a tool for a manager to go in and say this person truly set themselves apart," Huebsch said.

Agency managers must find the money within their own budgets, he added; the state doesn't provide money specifically for merit compensation.

Still, Huebsch said he warned agencies run by the governor's secretaries to hold off on issuing bonuses or raises at least until the fiscal year ends June 30. Most did, but the Department of Workforce Development gave raises to two workers, one in January and one in April.

Huebsch said managers asked for special permission to make the moves because they were afraid the workers were about to leave for the private sector.

Marty Beil, executive director of Wisconsin's largest state employee union, said the group has always had problems with merit pay because it smacks of favoritism and Walker's criteria are too subjective and vague. Beil also said he doesn't know where state agencies can find the money.

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Wisconsin gives $765,000 in bonuses despite budget hole

On the campaign trail, Ward I City Council candidate John Richards Jr. keeps his message clear and concise:

Im running because the city needs jobs and businesses, he tells a potential voter one afternoon. And City Council has been doing a really lousy job with that.

Richards, whos challenging incumbent Ward I Councilman Michael Gillette, likes to keep the focus squarely on dollars and cents when introducing himself to voters.

How do you feel about this tax increase theyre talking about? he asks while door-to-door canvassing in the ward.

City taxes, man, they just keep on going up, saidone Fleetwood Driveresident, outside washing his car.

Theyll keep going up, too, Richards said, until the city learns to stretch its dollars farther.

There are ways to do it, he said. They say a tax increase is needed. Im not sure it is.

With just two weeks left until Election Day, its crunch time for candidates working to get their messages out.

Gillette, a two-term incumbent, stressed the need for balanced leadership in his campaign, calling for thoughtful negotiation even in matters of economic development.

Some people say that being business friendly means saying yes to the first offer any company brings to the table, he wrote on his campaigns Facebook page. I believe that being good for business means working with businesses to negotiate mutually advantageous outcomes that benefit not only the business, but also the citizens ofLynchburg.

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Crunch time for Ward I council candidates

Jesse Wilson, 8, plays a game called FaceMaze at the autism center Joseph Sheppard co-directs at the University of Victoria.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Victoria, British Columbia (CNN) -- Joseph Sheppard has an IQ above 130. Ask him about his life or worldview and he'll start drawing connections to cosmology and quantum mechanics. He'll toss around names of great intellectuals -- Nietzsche, Spinoza -- as if they're as culturally relevant as Justin Bieber.

It might not be obvious that Sheppard has a hard time with small tasks that most of us take for granted -- washing dishes, sending packages, filling out online forms. Or that he finds it challenging to break out of routines, or to say something appropriate at meaningful moments.

Sheppard, 42, has high-functioning autism. He found out only about six years ago, but the diagnosis explained the odd patterns of behavior and speech that he'd struggled with throughout his life. And it gave him the impetus to reinvent himself as an autism advocate.

"I was invisible until I found my inner splendor," he told me in one of many long, philosophical, reflective e-mails last week. "My ability to interpret and alter my throughput of judgments, feelings, memories, plans, facts, perceptions, etc., and imprint them all with what I chose to be and chose to do.

"What I choose to do is change the course of the future for persons with autism, because I believe in them and I believe, given the right support and environment, they will be a strong force in repairing the world."

Just last week, U.S. health authorities announced that autism is more common than previously thought. About 1 in 88 children in the United States have an autism spectrum disorder, according to the report. Autism spectrum disorders are developmental conditions associated with impaired social communication and repetitive behaviors or fixated interests.

iReport: What should the world know about autism?

Diagnoses have risen 78% since 2000, partly because of greater awareness, and partly for reasons entirely unknown. Most medications don't help, and while some find improvements with intense (and expensive) behavioral therapy, there is no cure .

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With autism, no longer invisible

The story of Jesus Christ's final days is one of betrayal, sacrifice and blood.

But amid the mourning, many Christians see the week leading up to Easter as a time to focus on the magnitude of Christ's sacrifice and his promise of eternal life. The darkness of his final days helps underscore the power of his resurrection and make the celebration of Easter that much more joyous, they say.

Starting today, congregations in the Boulder area mark Holy Week with special contemplative prayers, dedicated hymns and re-enactments of milestones outlined in the Bible. Major events can include detailed Palm Sunday rituals, dramatic re-creations of Christ's teachings or silent prayer in darkened sanctuaries.

"Holy Week is the summation of Jesus' ministry that ends in a tragic outcome. Nearly everyone abandons him, and he ends up dying the death of a criminal -- a very disgraceful death," said Father Ted Howard, of St. John's Episcopal Church. "But he gives his life on behalf of what he stands for in terms of his teachings. He gives his love for all of us."

For a group of five churches near Pine Street, Holy Week traditions are a community affair.

To evoke the feeling of what it might have been like to live during the time of Christ, the churches stage an annual Palm Sunday re-enactment of Christ's journey into Jerusalem. Several hundred congregants line Pine Street, ready to lay down palm branches as church members lead a live donkey down the street.

Palm Sunday is the first day of Holy Week, which marks the day Christ rode a donkey into Jerusalem before his trial and execution. The scriptures tell the story of his arrival, where people celebrated his presence by laying down cloaks and palm branches in his path as a sign of respect.

Members of First Baptist Church, First Congregational Church, First United Methodist Church, Trinity Lutheran Church and St. John's Episcopal Church usually participate in the event before making their way back to their own churches for individual worship. An interdenominational choir leads the event with songs such as "All Glory, Laud and Honor," a processional hymn that describes the events of Palm Sunday.

Bob Ballance, a senior pastor at First Baptist Church, said Holy Week and Easter have a special meaning for him because of the element of redemption.

"Through Jesus' suffering, we learn how to make the world and society better," he said at a previous year's procession.

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Holy Week inspires local Christians