TODAY
Most Read
- IBM team to begin revitalization mission in Fresno
- Fresno's Jeffrey Scott Agency acquires Tricycle
- Fed office achieves Fresno's first LEED platinum
- Adventist Hanford to receive national surgery awards
- Visalia Time-Delta owner up 53 pct in Q1
- Federal cuts to impact local Section 8 housing
- Community Medical Centers joins health care alliance
Business Journal Events
California judge orders Walgreens to pay $16M
- Details
- Published on 12/14/2012 - 11:16 am
- Written by Associated Press
Walgreens stores accused of improperly handling hazardous waste(AP) — A California judge has ordered drugstore chain Walgreens to pay $16.57 million to settle a lawsuit claiming more than 600 of its stores in the state illegally dumped hazardous waste.
The settlement announced Thursday stems from a lawsuit filed in June by district attorneys around the state. The legal action followed inspections of trash bins at Walgreens stores.
It accused the stores of illegally handling and disposing pesticides, bleach, paint, pharmaceutical waste and other items. The stores were also accused of unlawfully disposing of customer records containing confidential medical information.
Walgreen Co. spokesman Jim Graham said the company did not acknowledge any wrongdoing and settled the case to avoid protracted litigation.
He said Walgreens ships all hazardous materials are shipped to a hazardous waste disposal facility, where they are incinerated.
Web Poll
Latest Events
| Wed, May 1st, 2013 The Blue Tech Valley Water Conference |
| Wed, May 1st, 2013 The Blue Tech Valley Water Conference |
| Mon, May 20th, 2013 Social Networking Class for Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn |
| Wed, May 1st, 2013 The Blue Tech Valley Water Conference |
| Tue, May 21st, 2013 Taking Your Business Global |
| Tue, May 21st, 2013 Get the Grant Workshop |
| Tue, May 21st, 2013 Workers’ Rights Clinic |
| Wed, May 1st, 2013 The Blue Tech Valley Water Conference |
| Wed, May 22nd, 2013 State Labor Law and Payroll Tax Seminar |
| Wed, May 1st, 2013 The Blue Tech Valley Water Conference |
Blogs
gordonwebster Gordon Webster - Publisher - 05/08/2013
gordonwebster Gabriel Dillard - Managing Editor - 05/03/2013
Latest Local News
Written on 05/17/2013, 3:37 pm by
Chris Thornberg, founding partner at Beacon Economics LLC in Los Angeles, sees an improving economy and plenty of opportunities for business entrepreneurs...112
Written on 05/17/2013, 3:32 pm by
Granville Homes President Darius Assemi will be joined by Fresno City Councilmember Lee Brand and Fresno Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Al Smith at 10:30 a.m. Saturday to discuss the impact home building has on our local economy at a grand opening ceremony for new model homes at Granville’s Copper River Ranch community.
The event is at Granville Model Center at Copper River Ranch,11328 N. Blue Sage Avenue (Copper & Maple Avenues in north Fresno).
“We are not just helping families achieve the American Dream of homeownership,” Assemi said. “These homes provide an opportunity to create hundreds of jobs in our community, which is something we desperately need as our local economy continues to struggle with near 15 percent unemployment.”
The National Association of Home Builders estimates that three jobs are created with each new single-family home that is built. The Employment Development Department projects that 13 of the 20 fastest growing occupations in Fresno County will be in a construction related field until the year 2020 due to the anticipated recovery in the construction industry.
A recent report by Fresno State’s Craig School of Business seems to agree with the EDD outlook, reporting that the “turnaround in the housing sector continues to boost the regional economy.”
Written on 05/17/2013, 1:53 pm by
Fresno-based Premier Valley Bank announced it will pay a seven-cents-per-share dividend to shareholders on or about June 14.
The dividend will be paid to shareholders of record as of May 31. The dividend totals about $900,000, indicating an annualized yield of about 4.3 percent.
It is the 12th consecutive quarterly cash dividend paid by Premier VAlley Bank, said J. Mike McGowan, president and CEO, in a statement.
"This dividend pattern is indicative of the Board of Directors’ continued confidence in the future of the Bank," he said.
Written on 05/17/2013, 1:33 pm by
The first Walmart Neighborhood Market in Fresno will open for business on Wednesday, bringing approximately 65 jobs with it.
“It’s exciting to see the first Walmart Neighborhood Market in Fresno opening in my district,” said Fresno City Council Member Lee Brand, in a release. “This store will provide new job opportunities for residents and boost our local economy.”
The market, located 6855 N. Willow Ave., will cut the ribbon at 7:30 a.m.
“We are thrilled to be opening the first Walmart Neighborhood Market in Fresno,” said Matthew Enochs, store manager, in a release. “We invite everyone to come to the grand-opening event and look forward to serving this community.”
The 35,500 square-foot store will include a full line of groceries, as well health and beauty, pet, hardware, household, cleaning and stationery products. There will also be a pharmacy and photo center.
The retailer will also present $8,000 in grants to local organizations Fresno Police Activities League, Off the Front, Povarello House and the Marjorie Mason center.
Walmart will also soon begin construction for another neighborhood market at the site of the now-vacant Cedar Lanes bowling alley in Fresno.
189
Written on 05/17/2013, 1:19 pm by
The Fresno County Department of Public Health announced that the first West Nile Virus-positive mosquitoes have been identified in Fresno County this year.
The Consolidated Mosquito Abatement District notified the county after the carrier mosquitoes were confirmed by a state lab at UC Davis. The location where the mosquitoes were found was not disclosed. Steve Mulligan, district manager of the abatement district, didn't immediately return a message seeking that information.
Fresno County is the fourth county in California to detect non-human West Nile Virus activity, along with Yuba, Los Angeles and Tulare counties. No human cases have been reported in the state so far this year. There were 479 human cases reported last year, with 20 deaths. Last year, Fresno County reported 28 human cases with two deaths.
"With evidence of West Nile Virus activity once again present, it is important that residents take personal precautions to protect against mosquito bites and be vigilant in eliminating mosquito-breeding (water) sources around homes,” said Mulligan in a statement. “We ask that people report any mosquito problems and unmaintained swimming pools to their local mosquito abatement district office.”
Concerned residents can call 1-800-821-1577 to speak to a mosquito abatement district representative or visit www.fresnomosquito.org and/or www.mosquitobuzz.net. For additional information about West Nile Virus or to report dead birds and dead tree squirrels, visit the California Department of Public Health website at www.westnile.ca.gov or call 1-877-WNV-BIRD.
306
Written on 05/17/2013, 12:47 pm by
Shoppers at the Sierra Vista Mall in Clovis can get their web browsing on now that local technology company Innovative I.T. introduced free Wi-Fi service.
The service is available throughout the interior of the mall, while the exterior portion near the community park and movie theater is scheduled to be on line this summer.
"Customers are very mobile, tech savvy and rely on their smart phones for information as well as communication," said Sierra Vista Mall's General Manager Greg Newman, in a release. "We feel that providing free Wi-Fi is a necessary amenity that will make our customers' shopping experience more engaging."
Located on the southeast corner of Clovis and Shaw avenues in Clovis, Sierra Vista Mall is anchored by popular stores like Sears, Kirkworld and Victoria's Secret along with several eateries.
This summer, the public is invited out to the Sierra Vista Mall during its Rock the Mall concert series featuring new bands playing in the community park every Thursday night.
116
Written on 05/17/2013, 12:12 pm by
Foreclosure activity continued to climb in April, veering in the direction of last year's drastic levels.
According to new data from ForeClosure Radar, 305 notices of default were filed in Fresno County during the month compared to 256 the prior month and 547 in April 2012.
Notices of sale, which serve as a homeowner's final warning before their home goes to auction, totaled 225 in April, down from 246 in March and 442 a year ago.
Tulare County saw 132 notices of default in the month compared to 127 the month before and 248 a year ago, while notices of sale totaled 98 compared to 110 in March and 203 last year.
There were 54 notices of default filed in Madera County during the month, up from 52 in March but down from 111 last year. Notices of sale dipped to 42 compared to 53 the prior month and 86 a year ago.
In Kings County, 43 notices of default were filed in April, up from 32 in March but down from 160 in April 2012. Notices of sale stood at 40 compared to 44 the month before and 116 last year.
Throughout California, notices of default totaled 10,167 in April, up 13.9 percent from 8,928 in March but down 45.5 percent from 18,667 a year ago.
Notices of sale tallied in at 8,537, down 10.7 percent from 9,562 in March and 46 percent from 15,800 in April 2012.
Of the 13,177 homes that went to foreclosure auction in April, 9,353 were cancelled, 1,853 went back to the bank and 1,971 were sold to a third party buyer.
139
Written on 05/16/2013, 2:11 pm by
Dozens showed up to the campus of Fresno State today to hear about how manufacturers and food processors can benefit from renewable energy technology at their facilities.
The topic was the latest for the Clean Energy Cluster arranged by the Economic Development Corporation serving Fresno County, which gathers every three months to talk about issues like water conservation, solar power and energy efficiency.
One of the cluster's largest crowd to date packed into the Alice Peters Auditorium on campus to hear from experts about what businesses should consider before moving on projects that could save them money on their energy bills.
Stan Simmons, senior vice president of business development with Lyles Construction Group in Fresno, spoke about the time- and money-saving benefits of the design-build process in which one contractor sees through every aspect of an energy project.
To date, the company has carried out around 80 construction projects in California totaling more than $800 million, including ethanol refining plants, water pumping stations, wastewater treatment plants and hydroelectric, cogeneration and solar generation plants.
Next, Joshua Pendergrass, principal engineer with Processes Unlimited of Bakersfield spoke about all the different ways plants can utilize their byproducts, like using excess heat to make steam and energy, turning fat and grease into biodiesel and converting waste plastic into fuels and other materials.
Founded in 1985, the company provides engineering solutions and project management to facilities in industries ranging from oil and gas, alternative energy and chemicals to paper, building products and food and beverages.
Pendergrass was followed by Kevin Flanagan, CEO of ThinkWire Energy Services of Fresno, who explained that sometimes businesses trying their hardest to save power will be thwarted by demand charges that ramps up rates dramatically for just 15 minutes in the month when the demand for energy is the highest.
The company works with manufacturers and food processors to analyze their energy use and determine how they can avoid those high charges.
He also drummed up the advances in energy storage, plugging business partner Stem of Millbrae, Calif. who designs and installs on-site battery systems for industrial facilities.
Paul Hughes, general manager of capital projects for Paramount Farms International made the final address, talking about the company's tireless effort to save energy and water through drip irrigation, solar arrays, fuel cells and hauling off waste to make biodiesel.
The company also has several facilities that have earned LEED status from the U.S. Green Building Council for their sustainability and environmental sensitivity.
Paramount has installed a total of 5 megawatts of power at all of its facilities combined and 6 megawatts of power in fuel cells.
229
Written on 05/16/2013, 1:16 pm by
Assembly member Henry T. Perea is challenging Medi-Cal cuts to skilled nursing facilities as he promotes two new pieces of legislation tomorrow in Fresno.
Perea will be joined 10 a.m. at the Hugh Burn State Building in downtown Fresno by several local health care leaders supporting AB 900 and SB 640.
If approved, the bills would make skilled nursing facilities in the state exempt from a 2011 law enacting 10 percent cuts to Medi-Cal programs.
Other speakers during the press conference include Sharon Spurgeon, CEO of Coalinga Regional Medical Center, Lindsay Mann, CEO of Kaweah Delta Healthcare District and James VanDeVelde, associate administrator of Community Regional Medical Center.
All operate skilled nursing facilities in the San Joaquin Valley that would be impacted by the cuts.
The legislation, introduced by State Assembly Member Luis Alejo and State Senator Ricardo Lara, would reverse retroactive 25-percent Medical cuts to these facilities.
California is home to around 1,200 skilled nursing home facilities, more than 50 of which are located in the Central Valley. Medi-Cal beneficiaries make up nearly 80 percent of the patients receiving hospital-based skilled nursing care.
221
Latest State News
Written on 05/17/2013, 1:20 pm by
(AP) — It was supposed to be our IPO,...
Written on 05/17/2013, 1:14 pm by
(AP) — California was among three...
Written on 05/17/2013, 1:12 pm by
(AP) — West Coast states affected by...
Written on 05/17/2013, 1:09 pm by
(AP) — The state's independent budget...
Latest National News
Written on 05/17/2013, 2:07 pm by
In workplaces across the nation,...
Written on 05/17/2013, 1:39 pm by
(AP) — In a quest to speed up the...
Written on 05/17/2013, 1:37 pm by
(AP) — The first few months of the year...
Written on 05/17/2013, 1:34 pm by
(AP) — The organic food industry is...
