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Don't Get Blindsided by Alternative Minimum Tax
Wednesday, December 15, 2004"NEW YORK -- With the growing threat of the alternative minimum tax (AMT), many unsuspecting individuals may face an unpleasant surprise when they file their 2004 returns, cautions John Battaglia, a director in the Private Client Advisors practice of Deloitte Tax LLP. The AMT, originally established to ensure that wealthy taxpayers could not escape the income tax through means of special loopholes, now affects taxpayers that it was never intended for -- families who earn middle- to upper-income salaries and reside in states with high income taxes.
Online Retailers Report Rise in Holiday Buying
Wednesday, December 15, 2004"WASHINGTON -- Though the year is far from over, many online retailers have already declared this holiday season a success. The 2004 Shop.org/BizRate.com Online Holiday Mood Study found that 91 percent of merchants have seen online growth this holiday season, with 17 percent experiencing sales more than twice as high as a year ago. Due to the last-minute mentalities of many shoppers this year, retailers are beefing up staffing levels and shipping programs to ensure that orders arrive in time for Christmas.
City Council Approves Acquisition of Phar-Mor Land
Wednesday, December 15, 2004"YOUNGSTOWN -- City Council has approved the purchase of the land beneath the Phar-Mor Centre downtown. Council voted unanimously at last night's meeting to proceed with the purchase the land only -- not the building itself -- for $850,000.The land was originally owned by the Wick family, who leased the property to the Strouss-Hershberg Co., which in the 1940s assigned the lease to the May Co. During the 1980s, May assigned the lease to the city of Youngstown, which in turn assigned it to Strouss Building Associates.
"McKelvey, Council Members Lambast Business Journal Article"
Wednesday, December 15, 2004"YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Second Ward Councilman Rufus Hudson has only one piece of advice for businessman Bruce Zoldan: "Either put up or shut up."Hudson made the comments at last night's City Council meeting.
Points of View
Wednesday, December 15, 2004The Real Polar ExpressThis train is magic for kids and grown-ups alike.The train is called the Polar Express and during the holiday season it promises a magic ride to the North Pole. Every evening before 7 o'clock, families with little children congregate at the old Rockside Station in Independence where they wait to board this old-fashioned pufferbelly.Without fail, the train chugs in on time as it pulls eight cars -- six passenger coaches (one offering souvenirs) and a dining car with a modest menu.
Wire Service
Wednesday, December 15, 2004Don't Get HookedWe've all found them -- the official-looking e-mail message that reads something like this:"During our regular update of our Internet banking accounts, we could not verify your current information. As a result, your access to use our service has been limited.
Media Scope
Wednesday, December 15, 2004WYTV Breaks the MoldThe rap on local TV news -- here, there and just about everywhere -- is it's shallow, derivative, unable and unwilling to delve into complex issues.So much for generalities.WYTV Channel 33's new periodic series, "Government in Crisis," is worthy of high praise -- not only for breaking the November ratings mold (deadly salad bar exposes) but also for reducing into simple sentences the labyrinth of Mahoning County's archaic system of tax financing.The series is drawing accolades from the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, which e-mailed members an advisory urging them to wat
Journal Opinion
Wednesday, December 15, 2004224: Can Anything Be Done?Boardman Township has been Mahoning County's commercial center since the Southern Park Mall opened in 1970. Commercial development along its U.S. Route 224 corridor, which began when the Boardman Plaza went up in the early 1950s, increased steadily ever since, then exploded in the early 1990s with the development of the Shops at Boardman Park and neighboring projects.Today big-box retailers, restaurants, office buildings and strip plazas line the Boardman segment of 224 and its side streets.
Success Story
Wednesday, December 15, 2004Holiday Inn Raises Bar for ServiceBoardman hotel wins an unprecedented 11th award from Holiday Inn chain.By Dan O'BrienBrent Reynolds will miss coming to work each day at the Holiday Inn Boardman. He remains confident, however, that the hotel will continue to prosper and build on its reputation as one of the best in the franchise.Reynolds has spent his career, 15 years, at the Boardman inn where he was hired as a desk clerk while a student at Youngstown State University.
Employees Just Want to Have Fun
Wednesday, December 15, 2004MENLO PARK, Calif.-- Most professionals attend year-end office bashes to have fun -- not to hobnob with the higher-ups, a new survey by The Creative Group shows. Some 39% of workers polled said their primary purpose at holiday gatherings is to have a good time, compared with 3% who go to impress their managers. But in their quest to enjoy themselves, some workers may go overboard.