CONSTRUCTION ALERT

This Update is the fifteenth in a series of informational alerts to let you know about the construction going on related to the Twins Ballpark.

• The entrance ramp to I-394 off 3rd Avenue North remains closed. It will remain closed until the beginning of November to allow the foundations for the pedestrian bridges over 394 to begin.
• Storm Sewer work in 3rd Ave - Sewer work continues on 3rd Avenue near the Washington Ave ramps to I-394. One lane of traffic on 3rd Avenue will be maintained at all times. Plans also call for curb side parking to remain. There may be a need to close the entrance ramp to 394 by Washington Avenueas part of this work
• Construction traffic now enters the project site from 3rd Avenue down the MTC Turnaround and underneath the 4th and 5th Street bridges. The project entrance just across from the 5th Street ramp has closed.
• Construction traffic will continue to exit onto 3rd Avenue near the Minneapolis Public Works Garage. (Drivers watch for bicyclists; bicyclists watch for drivers).
• Minneapolis staff are developing a map of suggested routes from the end of the Cedar lake Trail on to the river and in to downtown. As of this mailing, it was not yet ready.
• What’s that noise I hear? Ballpark pile driving is underway and will continue for the next 6 months. At times there will be 5 cranes driving piles at different locations on the project site. Pile pounding for the Northstar project on the 5th Street Bridge should stop early to the middle of next week.
• What’s that smell I smell? The updated schedule for the sewer interceptor relining work with the last 3 pits in 5th Avenue is attached.


Motorists and pedestrians are encouraged to drive and walk carefully, expect delays, and allow extra time to reach destinations.

Designing offices, from boomers to Y

Work spaces strive to meet expectations of all generations

When orange chairs arrived at the new Milwaukee office of architecture firm Hammel, Green and Abrahamson Inc., Julie Penman didn't think they were comfortable. The vice president of business development leaned back so far she was nearly reclining -- until a younger co-worker came along and pointed out that she was supposed to sit facing the other way and use the surface to support a laptop.
This small generational clash is part of a larger development in work spaces striving to accommodate the diverse expectations of four different generations of workers. As members of Generation X or Y and new "Millennials" enter the work force and baby boomers and their predecessors stay at work longer, offices are looking to meet the needs of their oldest and youngest employees.

"The workplace is becoming more accommodating in helping to create an atmosphere that applies to both," said Laura Schalk, account manager and designer at furniture dealer M&M Interiors in Pewaukee.
Those generations bring different expectations to the workplace, and different approaches to their work.
For the baby boomers, people born during the years after World War II into the mid-1960s, and the preceding generation, the status and security of a personal office is often desirable.
"The boomers want more privacy," said Scott Gierhahn, president and chief executive officer of facilities management company Schroeder Solutions, New Berlin. "They want the ability to have heads-down work time."
In contrast, younger workers -- from Generation X, born after the boomers until about 1980, Generation Y and the Millennials, born after 1980 -- value social interaction and work-life balance.
"They are much less ruthlessly interested in getting into the corporate hierarchy," said Robert Greenstreet, dean of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Architecture and Urban Planning. "If they don't like what they're doing, they're not so inclined to stick it out."
This adds extra incentive to building workplaces that will be attractive to these mobile Millennials. The office features they look for are technology, amenities and common areas, professionals said.
For example, when Hammel, Green and Abrahamson moved to its current office at 333 E. Erie St., the firm designed the space to promote teamwork. Tables and chairs are placed next to a tackboard wall in six major "teaming areas" around the office for quick or impromptu meetings. Everyone works in cubicles, which have low walls so a colleague can stand and talk to someone sitting at a desk.
The only doors to be found are at the entrances to conference rooms tucked away in the corners of the 130-person office. Three coffee bars accompany other teaming spaces, which include those orange chairs.
"Having an open environment really helps to promote that collegial and collaborative environment," Penman said.
The firm also offers spaces geared toward younger workers -- if they want to bicycle to work, there is a shower, lockers, and a room to store the bikes. Building a space that appeals to young workers is a plus, Penman said.

Mini-parks to highlight need for open space

Volunteers with the Trust for Public Land will set up "mini-parks" at 14 urban sites throughout the Twin Cities today in a tongue-in-cheek effort to demonstrate the need for more park space.
The temporary "park" sites will feature trees, grass, plants and wading pools - and volunteers will encourage passers-by to take part in Frisbee games and other pursuits in the tiny, cramped spaces.
Within the next 25 years, Minnesota's population will grow by about a million people, the group said in a news statement.
"Just as previous Twin Cities leaders had the vision to establish our current parks, we have to have the vision to plan for the next Como, Lake Harriet or Theodore Wirth parks to serve our kids and grandkids," the statement said.
The sites include one at University Avenue and Dale Street in St. Paul and another at 9th and Nicollet in Minneapolis.

Do Not Call listings about to expire

WASHINGTON - The cherished dinner hour void of telemarketers could vanish next year for millions of people when phone numbers begin dropping off the national Do Not Call list.
Numbers placed on the registry, begun in June 2003, are valid for five years. For the millions of people who signed onto the list in its early days, their numbers will automatically drop off beginning next June if they do not enroll again.
"It is incredibly quick and easy to do," Lydia Parnes, director of the FTC's bureau of consumer protection, said in an interview with The Associated Press this week. "It was so easy for people to sign up in the first instance. It will be just as easy for them to re-up."
The FTC built the five-year expiration date into the program to account for changes, such as people who move and switch their phone number.
People can register their home and cell phone numbers or file complaints at http://www.donotcall.gov or by calling 1-888-382-1222.
The registry prohibits telemarketers from calling phone numbers on the list. Companies face fines of up to $11,000 for each violation.
Organizations engaged in charitable, political or survey work are exempt. Companies that have an established business relationship with a customer also may call for up to 18 months after the last purchase, payment or delivery.
In the first week of the program, people signed up 18 million numbers. The registry now has more than 149 million phone numbers.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070921/ap_on_go_ot/do_not_call_expiration

Parks are Taking Over!

Come have your lunch at the "park" on Park(ing) day this Friday Sept 21 around Noon!

Click link below to get the details. See Ryan K for more details.

http://www.aia-mn.org/pdf/parking_day.pdf

Thursday: Say goodbye to Old Chicago with Lunch

Downtown Minneapolis Old Chicago to close

Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal - 4:21 PM CDT Monday, September 17, 2007
by Carissa Wyant
Staff Writer

Let's all go to a pizza buffet one last time this Thursday!!! R.S.V.P. to Kristie by Wednesday at 5:00

An Old Chicago restaurant in downtown Minneapolis will close, citing declining traffic.
The restaurant, which is owned by Louisville, Colo.-based Rock Bottom Restaurants Inc. has been in business in the Butler North building for 13 years. It plans to close Sept. 22.
A statement from the company read, "Old Chicago's system-wide year-over-year sales growth is outpacing the industry; however its downtown Minneapolis location could not overcome the declining traffic that plagued it and other neighborhood restaurants in that area."
The company also said in the statement it has plans to relocate staff to other Old Chicago restaurants, and "remains optimistic concerning the Minneapolis market". The chain has nine locations in the Twin Cities area, and also owns the Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery in downtown Minneapolis.

The company didn't elaborate, or say how much sales had fallen. Nearby Hennepin Avenue has seen a large amount of restaurant turnover, with chain restaurants such as Olive Garden, TGI Friday's and Copeland's closing in recent years. Restaurants on First Avenue, however, have had more success.

The departure comes just as the site is growing more desirable, owing to the new Minnesota Twins stadium set to open in the few years, two blocks away.
Rock Bottom Restaurants operates and franchises about 130 eateries and brew pubs across the U.S.

New Menu-Labeling Law passes

Calif. Senate approves menu-labeling bill

SACRAMENTO , Calif. (Sep. 13) The state Senate, by a 21-18 vote, gave final approval Wednesday to a bill that would require restaurant chains with 15 or more outlets in California to post a range of nutritional information on their menus as of next July 1.

If signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the menus would have to state how many calories, grams of saturated fat, grams of trans fats, milligrams of sodium and grams of carbohydrates are in each regularly offered food item. Specials, limited-time offers and alcoholic beverages are exempted from the requirement.

Restaurants that use menu boards would be required to display only calorie counts but would have to make the other information available in printed form at the point of purchase.

Earlier this week, a federal judge struck down what is believed to be the nation's first menu-labeling mandate, in New York City. U.S. District Court Judge Richard J. Holwell said he overturned the regulation because it conflicted with federal law, the traditional authority on the disclosure of nutrition information. However, the New York City rule was decreed by the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and was not passed by the City Council or other legislative body.

At least 13 states other than California are also considering menu-labeling legislation.

New Color Predictions are Out!

Color consumers predictable
Hue and try: Groups forecast trends in shades
By Matthew BarakatAssociated Press

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- You will find it aesthetically pleasing when blue is paired with silver and gray. You will feel that blues paired with browns are played out. You just don't know it yet.
So say the color prognosticators at the Color Marketing Group, based in Alexandria. The 1,000-member industry organization has for decades sought to forecast color trends years in advance, giving its members a better chance to get their production schedules in sync with consumer tastes.
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070917/BUSINESS/709170329

Nightwatch: New nightlife coming to Hennepin

The new steakhouse r. Norman's will open in mid-November at 7th Street and Hennepin Avenue S., next to Pantages Theatre.
By Tom Horgen, Star Tribune

By now, local foodies have heard about r. Norman's, the next big thing from Bellanotte owner David Koch. The steakhouse (named after his business partner at Bellanotte) will open in mid-November at 7th Street and Hennepin Avenue S., next to Pantages Theatre.

Koch said he is putting all his focus on the space after closing his longtime nightclub Escape two weeks ago. It's sort of an end of an era for Koch, as he plans to distance himself from the formula he pioneered with South Beach and then Escape, a hip-hop-oriented spot that set the bar for the current stream of VIP superclubs. He'd been thinking about closing Escape for more than a year. "Where we were and where we're going is completely different," he said.

Koch gave me a look at the new place, which will be much more than just a steakhouse. While it's still under construction, the large multilevel nightspot is coming together. The first level will hold r. Norman's, while the second will house an upscale sushi lounge called Seven. DJs will provide music in Seven's two rooms (but don't call it a club, Koch said). Above Seven will be a rooftop lounge that most likely will be the largest downtown. Let's hope Koch's latest endeavor is just another step in lighting up Hennepin Avenue.

Trade Secret will get bath-body makeover

Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal - September 14, 2007
by John Vomhof Jr.
Staff Writer

Regis Corp. will renovate its Trade Secret stores to offer a wide selection of bath-and-body products in a move to grab market share in that category and turn around a sales slump.
Edina-based Regis will launch the updated concept at five Trade Secret salons in the Twin Cities later this year. The company eventually plans to expand the new product lines to all 630 Trade Secret stores nationwide, including its 27 stores in Minnesota.
Regis views the bath-and-body segment as a major opportunity, as revenue growth from haircuts and the hair-care products has slowed. Bath-and-body products account for just 2 percent of Trade Secret's sales now, but Regis CEO Paul Finkelstein expects that share to grow significantly in the years ahead.
"Other companies are going more and more into bath, body, skin and face treatments, and there's no reason why that category can't be a 15 to 20 percent category for us," he said.
Trade Secret stores, predominantly located in regional malls, sell more than 90 brands of products. The chain focuses primarily on hair-care products, but also carries a limited selection of skin-care and other beauty products.
Updated Trade Secret stores will bolster their selection of bath and beauty products, including face washes, skin moisturizers, lotions and bath products, similar to those offered at chains like Sephora and Bath & Body Works.
Finkelstein points to Encino, Calif.-based PureBeauty Inc. as an example of the bath-and-body segment's potential. The 40-unit beauty-supply and salon chain generates 23 percent of its revenue from products similar to those that Regis plans to add at its Trade Secret stores. Chain is product-driven
Trade Secret provides hairstyling and other salon services, but emphasizes product sales much more than Regis' other brands. Product revenue accounts for about 88 percent of the concept's total sales, whereas Regis Salons draw 83 percent of their revenue from styling, cutting, coloring and other services.
The hair-care industry has grown rapidly over the past 15 years, Finkelstein said, but the market also faces increased competition. Professional hair products, once sold exclusively at salons, are now found at discount stores like Target and Walgreens.
"The market has changed, the world has changed," Finkelstein said. "We can't limit ourselves to professional hair care anymore, because those boundaries are so broad today that professional hair-care products can be found in a lot of other places besides beauty salons."
The increased competition has hit the product-driven Trade Secret more than Regis' other service-driven brands. Regis' overall revenue rose 8 percent to $2.6 billion in fiscal 2007, but Trade Secret's sales slipped 3.7 percent to $253.3 million. Companywide service revenue jumped 9.8 percent, while product sales increased a more modest 4.6 percent in the face of increased competition.
The new product rollout at Trade Secret will begin in time for the holiday season at five stores in "some of the better malls" in this market, Finkelstein said, declining to name those sites. Regis is working with Minneapolis-based Shea Architects Inc. to create a more upscale, boutique design for the renovated stores.
Trade Secret's core mall locations average about 1,200 square feet, with 80 percent of that devoted to product display. The company's approximately 50 strip center locations average 2,500 square feet, with roughly an equal share of the store dedicated to products. Those breakdowns will remain the same in the new stores, but the product mix will shift to include fewer hair products and more bath-and-body products.
Finkelstein hopes to offer products at Trade Secret that are not available at discount retailers. A manufacturer "would have to be out of his mind not to do business with us," he said, noting that more than a quarter of the company's 850,000 loyalty-program members have incomes of more than $125,000.
Those affluent salon customers should provide a fertile base for the new bath and beauty products, Finkelstein said. "If our customers see it, feel it and like it, they'll buy it. We have the locations, so we don't really have to do a lot of advertising. The traffic is there."
As a new product segment, any bath and beauty sales would have a material effect on same-store sales, Finkelstein said. Analyst takes 'wait-and-see approach'
The Trade Secret conversion is "an interesting and very compelling idea," Piper Jaffray & Co. analyst Neely Tamminga said during Regis' recent fourth-quarter earnings conference call. In a recent research note, however, she refrained from judgment.
"While we believe this strategy validates our view that female shoppers are increasingly opting for the specialty-retail format vs. the department-store format when purchasing beauty products, we are taking a wait-and-see approach with respect to this initiative," she wrote.
Kathryn Moroz, founder of Spa Advisors Inc., a salon and spa consulting firm in Phoenix, agreed that many consumers are willing to spend more to purchase beauty products from professional salons.
"I think the customer overall has become more sophisticated, and I think they will seek those products out regardless of the price level," she said. "There are people who buy those products at Walgreens, but others are looking for something different and will go to a specialty retailer for those items."
The bath-and-body market is a logical growth segment for salon operators, Moroz said. "Large hair-care companies obviously need a way to increase their revenue. There are a lot of hair-care products out there now, but most [salons] haven't focused on bath and body. I think they've learned from the spa industry how important that category is."
Trade Secret should be able to draw bath-and-body product sales from its existing salon clientele, Moroz said. "I think a lot of those purchases will be impulse."

1.4 MILLION Dollar Car

Lamborghini Reventón

“Uncompromising . . . a true automotive superlative.” That’s how Stephan Winkelman, president and CEO of Lamborghini describes his company’s latest product. And it needs to be: With a price of nearly $1.4 million U.S. — plus tax — it’s more than four times the price of the “ordinary” Murcielago that it’s based on.

It will be exclusive, too — just 20 of these exceptional cars will be produced, and all will be sold during 2008.

Everything about this car is more extreme than the Murcielago and every carbon fiber panel is new. Sharper edges; large, angled, forward-facing air intakes; deeply faired-in rear light clusters; a hood with open ventilation slots; asymmetrical body side air vents...seen side by side with the super-aggressive Reventón, the Murcielago looks almost tame.

Reventón will be offered in only one exclusive color: an opaque green-grey, also called Reventón. It’s a metallic paint with an unusual matte finish in contrast to the high shine finish common to most vehicles. The matching wheels have carbon rims screwed to aluminum spokes.

The Murcielago’s 6.5-liter 12-cylinder engine has been upgraded to 650 horsepower and 487 lb-ft of torque for the Reventón, with an 8000 rpm redline. A specially contoured near flat floor provides superior aerodynamics, giving the car a 0-100 kph (0-62 mph) performance of 3.4 seconds. A robotized gearbox transmits the power to all four wheels.

Inside, the fighter-jet theme is carried through. The Alcantara, carbon, aluminum and leather interior has a no-nonsense air of functional luxury, but the pièce de résistance is the LCD instrument panel, which presents drivers with two modes (selectable at the flick of a switch), either striking high-tech, multifunctional aircraft-style instruments, or more traditional (simulated) analogue dials. Both options display a “3-D” g-meter, which measures both longitudinal (accelerative) and lateral (cornering) g forces.

The one thing that’s not fighter jet-inspired is the name. No, Lamborghini found an even more bloodthirsty source for their new car’s badge: Reventón was the name of a bull that famously defeated and killed top bullfighter Felix Guzman in 1943.

It’s an impressive package and a characteristically flamboyant way to fulfill Lamborghini’s pledge to bring a new car to market every year.

Wal-Mart Unveils New Tagline

Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is rolling out new brand advertising and unveiled its new tagline: "Save Money. Live Better."--the first new tagline in 19 years. Along with the new campaign, the company also released data from Global Insight's research that revealed American families save $2,500 each year by shopping at Wal-Mart. This represents a 7.3 percent increase from $2,329 in 2004. In 2005, Global Insight analyzed Wal-Mart's national and local impacts in terms of jobs, wages, prices, consumer buying power and GDP. Global Insight recently updated the analysis, and found that the continued reduction in prices due to the presence of Wal-Mart and the growth in consumer expenditures over the 2004 to 2006 period translates directly into savings for consumers amounting to $287 billion in 2006. This corresponds to savings of $957 per person or $2,500 per household. The new advertising highlighting savings involves the entire Wal-Mart agency portfolio including The Martin Agency, MediaVest, Global Hue, The I.W. Group and Lopez Negrete. Ads will include 30 TV spots illustrating how saving money on the little things adds up and helps families live better, which will run on network season premiers, specials and cable. Each spot ends with a tag directing consumers to Wal-Mart's new Web site Savemoneylivebetter.com, featuring the new ads, customer testimonials and behind-the-scenes footage. Consumers also can submit their own savings testimonials for consideration for posting on the site.

Macy's Launches the Martha Stewart Collection Nationwide

Marking Cincinnati-based Macy's Inc.'s largest brand rollout ever, the company officially launched its exclusive Martha Stewart Collection, available at all of its full-line department stores across the country on Sept. 10. The Martha Stewart Collection is a broad assortment of bed, bath, entertaining and cooking products inspired by Martha's personal collections and favorite things. To celebrate the launch, Martha Stewart surprised the entire studio audience at the season premiere of "The Martha Stewart Show" with a shopping spree at Macy's Herald Square in New York. Footage from the shopping excursion aired on Tuesday's episode. "The Martha Stewart Collection at Macy's is inspired by treasures in my personal collections from around the world and by beautiful, useful items that I love in my own home," Stewart said. Macy's stores also carry Martha Stewart Collection home furnishing products, Special Occasions merchandise, bridal registry items and Martha Stewart books. The line also offers products such as holiday-specific food preparation pieces like cookie cutters, cake stencils and decorating kits that expand Macy's into new categories. Martha Stewart Collection "shops" are prominently positioned within each respective department. In "The Cellar," for example, Martha Stewart Collection Cooks' Tools are merchandised together, with a wall of tools and kitchen accessories anchoring the brand's in-store design statement. In decorative housewares, the Martha Stewart Collection casual dinnerware, glassware, flatware, and oven-to-table products are mixed and stacked on display tables or presented on fixtures that replicate those in Martha's home and television studio set. "The Martha Stewart Collection at Macy's has a pure Martha 'tone' and appearance. It's the intersection of her unique perspective on color, classic style and collecting inspirations that make this brand so special," said Tim Adams, chairman and CEO of Macy's Home Store. "It's these same characteristics that will add real lift and differentiation in our stores."

Grille Zone: First-Ever Green Fast-Food Restaurant

September 13, 2007

Grille Zone, a new restaurant from owners Ben Prentice and Barry Baker, is the first certified "green" fast-food outlet in the country, according to the Boston Herald. Located across from Boston University at Kenmore Square, the restaurant puts out "as close to zero waste as a restaurant can," said Michael Oshman of the Green Restaurant Association, which certifies environmentally friendly eateries. To minimize its environmental impact, the Grille Zone uses plates, cups and utensils made of starches that biodegrade after 60 days in a compost facility the eatery sends its refuse to; meat, bread, vegetables and soft drinks produced locally, to minimize delivery-truck emissions; super-efficient fryers and grills; and green building materials such as doors recycled from an old New England schoolhouse. "Environmentalism is just something we live and breathe," said Prentice, former president of the Westport River Watershed Alliance. "It was just a natural that if we were going to build a business, we'd make it as green as possible."

Penn State wins race for first LEED-Certified stadium

Jeff Yoders --9/1/2007

The Washington Nationals are promising a green stadium with reserved parkign for fuiel-efficient cars adn restrooms that conserve water. The University of Minnesota is promisnig a LEED-certified stadium designed by HOK Sport for its new football palace. Even the Louisville Arena Authority in Kentucky is asking the architect of its new downtown basketball arena to add sustainable elements. But non of these projects will be the first stadium, professional or college, certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. Theat race ahs already beenwon by Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, a $30 million, 110,000-sf baseball park on the campus of Penn State University in State College, Pa., which was awareded certification in July.

Designed by L. Robert Kimball & Associates, Pittsburgh, and built by Barton Malow, Southfield, Mich., the 5,500-seat ballpark is a dual pro/college stadium, shared by Penn State's baseball team and the State College Spikes, a minor league club.

Green initiatives include the use of waterless urinals and low-emitting materials; reusing rock dug out of the outfield as fill material to level the playing field; connecting the stadium to an existing gray water system that also serves nearby Beaver Stadium; shared parking with the existing Bryce Jordan Center; diverting 76% of construction waste for recycling; and adding trees in parking areas to reduce the heat island effect.

"We did a lot of what's becoming typical in terms of materials and on-site recycling," says Scott Mull, project manager for Barton Malow. "But the bigger the project, the more there is to recycle."

The Building Team approached Penn State about going for LEED certification late in teh project's design stage. The university gave the OK with the stipulation that hte green initiatives would not raise the price of the stadium. According to Marve Bevan, project manager for Penn Stage, the sustainable elements didn't create any additional costs.

"Places where it may have cost us a little more to get something that qualified for LEED, we saved moeny elsewhere," says Chuck Shaw, project manager for L. Robert Kimball. "Green building materials were readily available, and for almost no extra cost. All the manufacturers are jumping on the bandwagon, so it was wasy to get those credits."

Mpls. wine bar to pull out all the stops with new technology

Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal - September 7, 2007 by John Vomhof Jr.

Brian Gruis and Brent Mayes, partners in Cesare's Wine Bar in Stillwater, are bringing a new, technologically advanced wine bar to northeast Minneapolis.
Blue Skies will feature the Enomatic, an Italian wine-serving system that will allow customers to sample 100 different wines in portions as small as an ounce, not just by the glass or bottle. The device, which looks like a high-tech espresso machine, uses nitrogen-infusion technology to preserve wine for several weeks after a bottle is opened, allowing the restaurant to offer the smaller portions without worrying about waste.

see full article in our Business Journal --see Andy for location

Restaurant review: Bringing it all home at Brasa

Chicken and pork have rarely tasted as good.
By Rick Nelson, Star Tribune
Last update: September 05, 2007






See the long review (sorry, no mention of Shea) at the link below
http://www.startribune.com/456/story/1403525.html

see slide show of photos
http://www.startribune.com/slideshows/rich_media/1403824.html

Restricting Fast-Food Restaurants

Los Angeles May Restrict Fast-Food Restaurants
September 11, 2007

Officials in Los Angeles are proposing to limit new fast-food restaurants as part of a new "health zoning" plan, according to Latimes.com. With the escalating obesity epidemic in the United States, legislators are looking for new ways to regulate health. The Los Angeles City Council will consider a possible two-year moratorium on new fast-food restaurants in South L.A. The city defines fast-food restaurants as those that sell food to eat there or to take out and have a limited menu, items prepared in advance or heated quickly, no table orders and disposable wrapping or containers. "The people don't want them, but when they don't have any other options, they may gravitate to what's there," said Councilwoman Jan Perry, who proposed the ordinance in June. A Los Angeles Times analysis of the city's 8,200 restaurants found that the South Los Angeles area has the highest concentration of fast-food eateries compared to other areas such as Westside, downtown or Hollywood, and it also has far fewer grocery stores. Thirty percent of adults in South L.A. are obese, compared with 20.9 percent in the county overall, according to a county Department of Public Health study released in April. Last year, California enacted legislation to increase the purchase of fruits and vegetables to be sold in corner stores in lower-income communities. Other cities already regulate fast-food restaurants in certain areas, including Berkeley and Arcata, Calif. In other areas of the country, Port Jefferson, N.Y.; Concord, Mass.; and Calistoga, Calif., ban fast-food restaurants in certain districts entirely.

Walgreens Offering One-day Free Inkjet Cartridge Refills at 3,000 Stores

SEPTEMBER 11, 2007 -- DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Walgreens here said that it is offering free inkjet printer cartridge refills on Wednesday, Sept. 12, at more than 3,000 of its drugstores that provide the service nationwide. Customers can bring one empty black or color cartridge to the Walgreens photo counter at these locations and have it filled at no cost, the chain said. Walgreens said it had launched its printer cartridge refill service in select locations last summer, and continued the rollout to additional stores earlier this year.

At prices about half the cost of an original cartridge - only $10 for black ink and $15 for color - the response has been strong, the chain said."We hope even more people will decide to try the service for free on Wednesday," said Walgreens’ photofinishing general merchandise manager John Sugrue.

Polished Concrete Outshines Other Flooring Options

This article examines the relatively new practice of grinding and polishing a concrete slab into a green and affordable flooring option.

http://interiordesign.net/contents/pdf/IDW15-2PolishedConcrete.pdf

Famous Dave’s Takes 1st Place and People’s Choice Award at the Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-off in Nevada

MINNEAPOLIS -- FAMOUS DAVE’S OF AMERICA, INC. (NASDAQ:DAVE) announced today that Famous Dave's BBQ took 1st Place on the judges ballots for the second straight year and also won the People’s Choice Award at the 19th annual Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-off in Sparks, NV.

http://minneapolis.dbusinessnews.com/shownews.php?newsid=132279&type_news=latest