Wednesday, May 28, 2014

(1) Belvidere Daily Republican

 

I just received an e-mail from Jillian Fuller at the Ida Public Library that I thought would interest many of you. In the next few weeks, we will have a feature on this in the Belvidere Daily Republican.
Hello,
The Ida Public Library Local History Room is happy to announce that the Belvidere newspapers from 1851-1977 are now available online and searchable on Newspapers.com. All of the articles ...can be searched by keyword and year and they are easy to search, print, and save. If you do not have a subscription to Newspapers.com, you will be able to access the site at Ida Public Library for free starting in June- you do not need a library card to utilize this resource. You can also contact me at the library with research requests, if needed. We hope this opportunity proves beneficial for all those researching their Belvidere and Boone County history. Feel free to contact me at 815-544-3838 or localhistory@idapubliclibrary.org for more information. And please pass it on!

(1) Belvidere Daily Republican

Sunday, May 25, 2014

Boone County Board OK's Animal Service Expansion - MyStateline.com - Powered by WTVO-TV and WQRF-TV

 

BELVIDERE- A playful puppy by the name of Ivy is just one of the dozens of dogs that Boone County Animal Services has trouble housing.
"Our building has become outdated and we've outgrown our current shelter," said Boone County Animal Services and Adoption Center’s Jacqui Mitzelfelt.
The adoption center has no space for cats. Dogs that they take in often have to be fostered by people in the community. 
Angels 4 Animals Director Kathy Mehalko made the group's case to Boone County board members. They advocate for more funding.
The vote approves around $10,000 towards building a new facility. "The animals needing homes are becoming more populated and there are only so many rescues available to help the situation,” said Mehalko.
According to Boone County Board Member Marion Thornberry, the current facility doesn't meet state standards. The board conducted a feasibility study to figure out how much a new building would cost and what's needed.
"We do not want it to die again. Like it has in the past years we want to keep it out there so they don't keep kicking the can down the road," said Thornberry.
The vote passed unanimously. There is question to where the funds will come from. Board Chairman Bob Walberg suggested it be put on a referendum.

Boone County Board OK's Animal Service Expansion - MyStateline.com - Powered by WTVO-TV and WQRF-TV

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Boone County closer to zoning law | Wind Energy News

How long has Boone County’s fight over WIND TURBINES been going on?  Here is  a story from 2008—six years ago.

Boone County closer to zoning law

BELVIDERE — Wind turbines and ultralight aircraft took center stage again Wednesday as Boone County moved one step closer to approving new zoning laws.

Residents focused on proposed distances between turbines and surrounding property, as well as new rules that would allow single-engine planes to take off from county land.

The Planning, Zoning, and Building Committee meeting Wednesday is likely the last stop before the full board’s vote in what has been a marathon of meetings designed at completely overhauling the current code.

“Our staff has worked on this for five years; we’ve had hearings on it for one year,” Boone County Board Chairwoman Cathy Ward said. “We’ve had plenty of input on all of these topics. I think it’s time to vote on it.”

The new code went before the full board last month, only to be sent to a special board meeting and later back to the committee level. Final approval is possible July 9.

The committee opted to stick with proposed wind turbine distances of 1,000 feet from homes and 1.1 times the height of the tower from property lines.

Distance from homes
Several residents had called for setbacks of at least 2,000 feet from homes, fearing that wind farms could lower property values, be noisy and make it difficult for farmers to spray crops, among other things.

“All of the people that have their farms up there would suffer from this,” Beth Funfsinn told the committee while asking for greater setbacks from surrounding properties.

Proponents feared 2,000 feet would make wind energy an impossibility in Boone County because, they say, it would leave few options for turbine locations.

“For us to try to legislate to eliminate is absolutely wrong,” said Fred Genrich, committee vice chairman and board member.

Genrich favored addressing each case individually before issuing special-use permits, but his proposal to remove setback distances from the code was defeated 4-1.

The committee stuck with rules that would allow ultralights to take off from rural areas, so long as pilots aren’t storing more than five of the one-seat recreational planes on their property.

Pilots were ordered by a judge to stop flying off county farmland last year because it violated zoning laws.

Noise concerns
Neighbors raised concerns about the noise levels and behavior of some nearby pilots, who they said were flying dangerously.

Laura Kiedaisch, who had stake in both ultralight and wind issues, said pilots have been good neighbors to her.

“My experience with the ultralights is that they don’t interfere with people’s daily living. The height at which they’re flying generates no more noise than a single-engine crop plane,” Kiedaisch said.

Kiedaisch also favored bringing wind power to Boone and hopes to set up a residential tower on her property in northern Boone County.

By Kevin Haas

Rockford Register Star

Click on the following for more of the story:  Boone County closer to zoning law | Wind Energy News

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Walmart Is Falling Apart Before Our Eyes

 

By Travis Hoium | More Articles | Save For Later
May 17, 2014 | Comments (278)

For most of the past five decades, Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT ) has been the retailer competitors feared most and as a result it made for a phenomenal investment for its shareholders. But Wal-Mart has begun to lose its cache with consumers and major holes are starting to form in its business.

Interestingly, Wal-Mart has hidden its financial problems from the headlines because challenges are different around the world, masking themselves in the overall picture. But when you dig between the headlines you can see a company in serious trouble and could be the latest in a long line of leading retailers to go from boom to bust in the blink of an eye.

Wal-Mart stores in the U.S. aren't nearly as popular as they used to be. Source: Wal-Mart.

U.S. shoppers are abandoning Wal-Mart
The most alarming statistic at home in the U.S. comes from falling same-store sales. This measures how sales are growing location by location and any healthy retailer is looking to grow same-store sales at or faster than consumer spending grows because that shows increased market share locally. Overall sales can be increased by increasing store count, but if same-store sales are falling then the return on each store will drop, something well see in a minute.

Below, I've built a table that shows year-over-year changes in same-store sales at U.S. Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores compared to the growth in consumer spending on goods. You can see that Wal-Mart is growing far slower than what consumers spend on goods and has been consistently negative over the past year.

2013

Q1 2014

Q2 2014

Q3 2014

Q4 2014

Wal-Mart

1.8%

-1.4%

-0.3%

-0.3%

-0.4%

Sam's Club

2.2%

-1.2%

0.1%

-0.2%

-0.4%

Consumer Spending-Goods

3.1%

3.7%

3.1%

4.5%

2.9%

Source: Wal-Mart and Bureau of Economic Analysis.

The problem for Wal-Mart goes far further than just cyclical swings in retail or a weak economy. Wal-Mart has long been able to lure customers with one-stop shopping and low prices, but consumer trends are now working against that core strategy. For cost conscious shoppers, lower prices can often be found online and more affluent consumers are choosing style and quality products over one-stop shopping. This can be seen clearly by the growth in online retailers like Amazon.com as well as specialty retailers like Williams-Sonoma , Lululemon, and Michael Kors, among others.

Foreign failures don't help the problem
Here's where Wal-Mart's story gets really interesting. Sales in the U.S. are beginning to struggle, but overseas the company's profitability is in downright freefall. I highlighted this in an article a couple of weeks ago and the table below shows just how fast margins are falling internationally.

High margins in the U.S. have masked profit struggles overseas and store growth in some international locations is masking U.S. struggles from the revenue side. So, when you look at Wal-Mart's overall profitability it's hard to see any problems emerging.

But there's only so far you can push margins in the U.S. before you either start losing sales to lower cost competitors or you have to lower prices. So, eventually profits could decline in the U.S. and that's when the warts will truly show.

Wal-Mart's high returns are falling like a rock
The most startling evidence of Wal-Mart's decline comes from Wal-Mart itself. Each year, the company provides a return on investment calculation for investors, which measures the profit Wal-Mart makes from the money it invests in stores, inventory, and other infrastructure.

You can see below that Wal-Mart's ROI is dropping rapidly since 2010, despite the broader economy recovering over that time.

If ROI continues to decline, Wal-Mart could become unprofitable very rapidly. Falling same-store sales and plummeting returns are how Sears, Kmart, or Montgomery Ward, became former retail icons that were eventually overtaken by competitors. These two trends can only last so long before something has to be done.

Is Wal-Mart in serious trouble?
Wal-Mart's traditional supercenter business model is clearly showing major signs of weakness both in the U.S. and overseas. If the retail giant can't adapt to new competition like online, specialty, and local retailers there's a real chance the company is in danger of heading down a downward spiral we've seen so many retailers go down before.

Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market is an effort to move away from the big box to local retail. Source: Wal-Mart.

There are efforts to introduce smaller footprint stores closer to consumers but that's a stretch for a business that's operated one way for decades. Many major retailers have problems adapting to shifts in the way consumers buy products, which is one reason you don't shop at the same stores your grandparents did 50 years ago.

From an investment perspective, I think Wal-Mart is going to be a loser long-term, because of the challenges I've outlined above. Returns are falling, Wal-Mart is struggling overseas, U.S. consumers are shopping elsewhere, and the success of new formats is uncertain.

Time will tell if Wal-Mart can turn around but I'd stay out of the stock and would even consider shorting shares if operations continue to struggle.

Walmart Is Falling Apart Before Our Eyes

Friday, May 9, 2014

"Problem Puppy Mill" List Includes Local Breeders

 

WIFR) -- Two Stateline Dog Breeders make a notorious list.

The Humane Society of the United States listed Caledonia breeder Lettier Kennels and Poplar Grove breeder Christiansen Kennels as two of the group's 101 Problem Puppy Mills in the recently published report.

Christiansen Kennels has cited and fined last year by the Illinois Department of Agriculture for safety and sanitation violations.

The Humane Society report shows the Department of Agriculture states Lettier Kennels is no longer in business.

We attempted to contact Christiansen Kennels by phone and by visiting the owner's home but there was no answer.

Click on the following to see the TV broadcast:  "Problem Puppy Mill" List Includes Local Breeders

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Chrysler's Future: A New Minivan, A New Compact Sedan, And Crossovers - Yahoo Autos

 

Chrysler's plan for the next five years includes a radical shift in its product lineup--one that doubles the number of Chrysler-badged vehicles, while the Dodge brand refocuses on performance.

In a reversal of the past two decades, the Chrysler brand will now be marketed as a mainstream brand--not premium.

ALSO SEE: Dodge Five-Year Plan: Musclecars Rule, Grand Caravan A Goner

In a press conference at its U.S. headquarters in Auburn Hills, Chrysler executives confirmed the following new products will be launched through the 2018 calendar year:

2015: The 2015 Chrysler 200 sedan is the brand's big launch this year; the Town & Country minivan and 300 sedan are carryovers--except the Chrysler 300 SRT, which ends production after the 2014 model year.

2016: A new Chrysler Town & Countryminivan becomes the company's only sliding-door people mover, as the Dodge Grand Caravan is being cancelled. A plug-in hybrid version will get up to 75 MPGe.

In the same year, the Chrysler 100 compact sedan will be added to the lineup. It's unknown if it will live on the same architecture as the current Dodge Dart--which is only four cubic feet smaller inside than the Chrysler 200.

2017: A full-size crossover with plug-in hybrid technology will be introduced, as a sort-of successor to the old Chrysler Pacifica.

2018: A new Chrysler 300 bows, some 13 years after the first version was introduced in 2005. There's no word on what will underpin this new sedan, or if it will remain essentially a rear-wheel-drive car. In the same year, Chrysler will also introduce a new mid-size crossover.

Chrysler's Future: A New Minivan, A New Compact Sedan, And Crossovers - Yahoo Autos