- Home
- NEWS
- REGIONAL
- THIS WEEK'S PAPER
- BLOGS
- Multimedia
- OPINION
- A&E
- LISTS
- PEOPLE
- EVENTS
- Classifieds
- Subscribe
Insurance
Flexible spending extension expected to be little-used: Planners say total elimination of use-it-or-lose it rule would increase
participation, make plans more useful
September 26, 2005
Tracy DonhardtreporterA new Internal Revenue Service rule relaxes the "use it or lose it" rule in flexible spending accounts by extending the period
during which expenses may be incurred beyond the end of the plan year. Health care flexible spending accounts allow participants
to set aside at the beginning of the year a predetermined amount of pretax money to be used for medical, dental and vision
expenses not covered by insurance. Dependent care spending accounts do the same thing for child...
MoreAre you prepared for DISASTER?: Despite warnings, many businesses fail to plan for the worst
September 26, 2005
Scott OlsonAre you prepared for Despite warnings, many businesses fail to plan for the worst Frank Hancock didn't have a disasterrecovery
plan when a tornado tore past his east-side printing company two years ago, causing $5 million in damage. Severe wind gusts
from the Sept. 20, 2003, storm shredded Sport Graphics Inc.'s 5-month-old warehouse and manufacturing facility and tore 13
1,800-pound air-conditioning units from the roof, dumping them on the parking lot below. One was never recovered. Amid the
mayhem that...
MoreFAMILY BUSINESS: Are you protecting your business from potential disasters?
September 26, 2005
Eric ManterfieldThe recent news from New Orleans and Mississippi points out the need for family businesses to have disasterrecovery plans.
Fortunately, we have little in Indiana to worry about from hurricanes, but other disasters are not uncommon. Consider the
possi ble catastrophes that might strike your business. What have you done to protect the business against the consequences?
Business-continuation and other insurance can mitigate the consequences of a wholesale destruction of your business facilities
after a tornado or other natural disaster....
MoreBEHIND THE NEWS: Investors face long odds in latest Conseco class action
September 26, 2005
Greg AndrewsClass-action attorneys hit the jackpot three years ago when Conseco Inc. agreed to settle securitiesfraud litigation for $120
million. At the time, it was the 10thbiggest settlement for a case of its kind. This time around, attorneys, and the investors
they represent, appear likely to go home empty-handed. Indianapolis federal Judge David Hamilton in July quietly dismissed
a securitiesfraud case filed three years ago on behalf of investors who held Conseco stock between April 2001 and August 2002,
a span...
MorePocket-protector crowd to preach quality: Group plans first conference to promote better practices in information technology
September 19, 2005
Chris O\'malleyBecause of them, people stocked basements with food, guns and ammo. Others fell prostrate on hilltops and sang Kumbaya. There
was fear software developers would inadvertently destroy the world with the infamous Y2K computer glitch, in the opening hours
of 2000. These days, however, it is the developers who are worried-about things like how a glitch can give hackers access
to customer credit card and Social Security numbers. Or get companies in trouble when software doesn't capture information
required by...
MoreOpportunity ... .. or Albatross?: Winona bankruptcy creditors move toward sheriff's sale
September 19, 2005
Tom MurphyA sheriff's sale to the highest bidder may be the fate of the once-bustling Winona Memorial Hospital. Bankruptcy creditors,
frustrated that they haven't found a buyer for the vacant near-northside property, plan to seek a foreclosure that clears
the way for public auctions of the hospital and an adjacent nursing home. A sale and renovation of the properties could boost
the neighborhood surrounding Winona, a part of town that has struggled but is riding a wave of good news the...
MoreEYE ON THE PIE: Let's build a new New Orleans
September 12, 2005
Morton MarcusAt the moment, rescue and relocation are the primary concerns along the Gulf Coast ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. In time,
restoration will become the leading issue. Most property owners from Mobile to New Orleans will want their buildings repaired
or replaced. They will seek to recreate the past instead of looking to the future. A more comprehensive approach is appropriate.
Let's consider the Gulf Coast as a region, centered on New Orleans, that stretches from Florida to Texas. This area...
MoreState unrolls insurer-friendly plan: New strategy aims to recruit, nurture insurance businesses; watchdogs wary of approach
September 5, 2005
Tom MurphyThe state of Indiana is aggressively courting the insurance industry to add high-paying jobs to the economy, a strategy that
comes with a touch of controversy. The Indiana Economic Development Corp. announced late last month the appointment of Mike
Chrysler as Indiana's first-ever director of insurance initiatives. Chrysler then hit the ground driving. He's already visited
the Fort Wayne market and plans to reach several other corners of Indiana to let insurers know the state appreciates their
business and wants...
MoreContractors work to resurrect historic church: Buggs Temple being rebuilt from inside out into entertainment venue
September 5, 2005
Tammy LieberWhen a team of developers took on the renovation of downtown's Buggs Temple in fall 2003, most windows in the historic church
were missing, the roof was riddled with holes, and much of the sanctuary floor was in the basement. Almost two years later,
it's difficult to gauge the progress of the project by sight. The floor is entirely gone, as are the balcony, the doors and
the few windows that remained. In that time, however, the building on West...
MoreECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Rising health care costs killing jobs and income
September 5, 2005
Patrick BarkeyMost of us have been in a doctor's office, and many of us have had conditions that require treatment. But few of us are likely
to hear any information presented on the cost of different treatment options along with their benefits, especially if we are
one of the 170 million people covered by employer- or governmentprovided health insurance. It is an amazing fact that nearly
$3 trillion of health care goods and services are ordered off a menu that has...
MoreNOTIONS: The power of nature and the perils of human nature
September 5, 2005
Bruce HetrickSome colleagues and I drove south into Evansville last week just as the remnants of Hurricane Katrina blew in from the north.
As we pulled into the parking lot of our destination, we watched workers battling wind and rain on the walk from their cars
to the office. Twice, we saw sturdy umbrellas, held nearly horizontal against the oncoming gale, collapse upon their users.
The drenched souls fumbled with the resulting maze of metal and fabric as they struggled across...
MoreBEHIND THE NEWS: Here's a Blues performance that won't get you down
September 5, 2005
Greg AndrewsAnthem Inc.'s $1.9 billion initial public offering in late 2001 set all kinds of records. It was the biggest IPO for a U.S.
health care company ever, and the biggest IPO for a Hoosier company of any kind. But that company, now known as WellPoint
Inc., was puny compared with its size today. Then, it had a market value of $3.9 billion; now, thanks to acquisitions and
a surging stock price, it's worth $45 billion. WellPoint shares were trading last...
MoreCity's mall gamble paid off: After 10 years, Circle Centre at core of rejuvenated downtown
September 5, 2005
Greg AndrewsIn February, Goldsmith suspended construction while he and advisers analyzed options. Within months, he gave Circle Centre
the green light, and construction resumed-but not because he was convinced the project would succeed. "In the end, we decided
job creation in the urban core and the psychological survival of the city were dependent on some development occurring downtown,"
recalled Goldsmith, now a professor at Harvard University. "We went forward with the mall with great anxiety." Today, 10 years
after the September...
MoreVOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: The world might be flat, but construction costs aren't
September 5, 2005
Don AltemeyerFor the most part, construction has been a local story, a story about local workers building buildings in our community. But
the story isn't so local anymore. Global economic forces have begun to intersect with local issues at the construction site.
The result: a significant and ongoing increase in construction costs across central Indiana and the rest of the United States-an
increase that shows no signs of slowing. Through the first quarter of 2004, construction costs increased at a calm...
MoreInsurers thinking younger: Healthy, uninsured and 20? WellPoint, Golden Rule, others would like to sell you a policy
August 29, 2005
Tracy DonhardtreporterWellPoint Inc. and other insurers think they've found a hot new market-offering high-deductible individual health insurance
policies to uninsured people who are young and healthy. It's a market insurers historically may have overlooked, based on
the misconception that uninsured people are poor and in bad health, said Dana McMurtry, vice president of health policy and
analysis at WellPoint. Nationally, more than half the 45 million uninsured earn more than $25,000 a year and more than one-quarter
top $50,000 annually, according...
MoreEYE ON THE PIE: How home buyers step off a cliff
August 29, 2005
Morton MarcusWhy does Indiana have such high bankruptcy and mortgage foreclosure rates? No one knows. Many say the economy in Indiana has
been responsible for our troubles, but other states have been hit as hard and not had the same bankruptcy and foreclosure
problems. Perhaps we are a state of dreamers, people who want to own a home but do not understand the obligations we assume.
Our dreams are encouraged by the federal government, which allows mortgage interest and property tax...
MoreECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Don't make too much of July economic data
August 22, 2005
Patrick BarkeyThere are dates on the calendar that make some of us tremble. The Ides of March was a bad one, as I recall, for a certain
Roman emperor long ago. Stock market traders know and fear those triplewitching days when futures and options contracts expire.
But for those of us who track the regional economies around the state, it's really a whole month that makes us sweat. It's
the month of July, thanks to the screwy data we receive for...
MoreSoldiers confront insurance obstacles: Health providers reluctant to accept Tricare coverage due to low reimbursement
August 22, 2005
Tom MurphyKaren Welch had plenty of reasons to break out the worry beads last year, even before she dealt with Tricare, her new health
insurance provider. The Zionsville resident was a month pregnant with her first child when she watched her husband, Travis,
leave for Afghanistan with his Indiana National Guard unit. Then she learned she had to find a new primary care physician
who would accept Tricare. She also needed an obstetrician/ gynecologist and a pediatrician in the netwowrk for...
MoreQuestions follow Standard into new arena: Company boosts health services with several purchases
August 22, 2005
Tom MurphyStandard Management Corp. followed the sale of one of its staple insurance businesses with a flurry of purchases this summer
aimed at shifting its focus to health care services. Despite all the change, some constants remain for the struggling Indianapolis
holding company: seven-figure quarterly losses and questions about its new direction. Standard completed the sale of Standard
Life Insurance Company of Indiana to Louisville-based Capital Assurance Corp. in June for $79 million, then wasted little
time spending some of the...
MoreEYE ON THE PIE: Let's turn our children into assets
August 15, 2005
Morton MarcusCould we reduce some of the major costs in our society if we had fewer children and more immigration from abroad? Think about
it. Children, particularly those 15 to 19 years of age, are a major disruptive and expensive aspect of our nation. They establish
behaviors that lead to lifelong misery for themselves and expenses for the rest of us. Teens get into all sorts of costly
trouble. They lead police on dangerous chases because they will not obey the...
MoreNOTIONS: The faulty presumption of perpetual accessibility
August 15, 2005
Bruce HetrickI was in pain. I lost lots of blood. My blood sugar skyrocketed (I'm diabetic). In the wee hours that Friday morning, nurses
pumped me full of morphine, injected me with insulin and watched my vital signs while doctors pressed and squeezed, pushed
and prodded, and talked it all over in hushed tones. An hour before surgery, an anesthesiologist visited. He asked lots of
questions about allergies and dental work. Then he warned me of potential doom-perhaps even death on...
MoreSafety Resources Inc.: Safety pays off for ex-engineer Clients look to local firm for training, advice
August 15, 2005
Jo EllenClients look to local firm for training, advice Robert Baldwin repeatedly describes his business as keeping people safe and
alive. At Safety Resources Inc., that translates to making sure workplace policies and practices meet or exceed government
standards and clients' employees are trained in the safest ways to work. That can mean anything from the proper operation
of heavy construction machinery to the right floor wax to reduce slip-andfall accidents. After several years as a chemical
engineer, Baldwin, 50, saw...
MoreSourwine planning to sweeten its local office offerings: Second-generation real estate firm has two new buildings in the works
that could nearly double its holdings
August 15, 2005
Tracy DonhardtreporterWhen Jim Sourwine was 4 years old, he would sit outside the closed door to his father's home office and play with his toy
cars. Barred from entering the adult-only world, sounds of paper shuffling and adding machine clacking piqued his interest
in his family's real estate business. "I wanted in," Sourwine recalls. By the time he was old enough to file and wash windows
for the firm, his father had moved Sourwine Real Estate Services out of his home...
MoreState bundles media buying: Firms here question whether small Fort Wayne-based agency can handle $10M contract
August 15, 2005
Anthony SchoettleIn a move that has rankled some central Indiana advertising agencies, Gov. Mitch Daniels' office this month awarded a $10
million-$12 million media buying contract encompassing all state agencies to Fort Wayne-based Asher Agency. Asher in turn
promised to save the state $900,000 in the coming year. The contract, a one-year deal with a oneyear renewal option, calls
for Asher to place television, radio, print and outdoor advertising for the Hoosier Lottery, Indiana State Fair, Indiana Criminal
Justice Institute, Office...
MoreIndustry groups spar over audit proposal: Using parts of Sarbanes-Oxley Act to toughen financial reporting would be costly,
unnecessary, NAMIC says
August 8, 2005
Scott OlsonInsurance groups are choosing sides in a brewing battle over whether private insurance companies should be forced to adopt
elements of the controversial Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Kansas City-based National Association of Insurance Commissioners has
proposed adding parts of the 2002 federal legislation to its audit rules. Public companies are already required to follow
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which imposes stricter financial disclosure rules. The NAIC represents insurance regulators from all
50 states and is working jointly on the amendment with the...
More
Sponsored by
ADVERTISEMENT
on Facebook & Twitter
on Facebook & Twitter
 Follow IBJ's Tweets on these topics: |
||
| @IBJNews | @Propertylines | @IBJTheScore |
| @IBJArts | @IBJHealthcare | @IBJDining |
| @IBJLists | @IBJSmallbiz | |
ADVERTISEMENT
Back to TopCopyright © All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use.
Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing.
Additional Hosting & Delivery by
First, the Athenaeum is going to have to get past the hurdle with the Lockerbie residents and the agreement that the parcel would be residential. Second, and in my opinion, this prime piece of property should include parking, PLUS, a black box theater(s), some market rate and affordable artist housing and a plan to renovate and reconfigure the second story theater. I would negotiate to add the DeHaan property surface parking lot into the development mix, place a one story surface parking garage on the DeHaan lot on the street level (for the Dehaan tenants use during the daytime) and add a second story to the garage that would become an addition to the current second story theater and then change the direction of the theater by moving the stage across the alley and on top of the DeHaan lot parking. You can add all the stage elements that are currently missing from the Athenaeum stage to make it more attractive for use by Ballet, Opera and traveling productions. Plus, the theater changes would probably help solve some of the soundproofing issues. Alas,it does not seem to be a part of the strategic plan to conduct a study to determine best use of the property. Seems like the current plan is a quick and easy move that ignores the property best use/potential and any strategic property planning for the effect on future generations.
I recall that MSA's pilings are still in the ground and hard to remove. It’s not likely any proposal will include significant underground construction/parking because of this. Start adding 2 floors of retail, 8 floors of parking and 5-10 floors of possible hotel, and/or 10-20 floors of residential, and you are at 30 floors already with possible expansion of all the uses. But then again I could be wrong.
Accoriding to their website there is no deadline to the Do Not Call list. What is this article referring to??
On what planet are they entitled to this largesse from the stockholders? These people make multi-million dollar salaries: Pay for your own personal travel.
It matters because they're already paid enormously fat salaries: Pay for your own personal travel. Being "taxed on it" isn't a valid excuse--so what? They're still being gifted a raft of luxury perks from somebody else's money on top of an enormous, lavish salary.