Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

Business

Business

Flash Index of Illinois economy climbing, U. of I. economist says

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The University of Illinois Flash Economic Index continued its strong performance, rising to 106.9 in July from its 106.5 level in June. A year ago, the Index was at 100, the dividing line between economic growth and decline. It now stands at the highest level since May 1998. “Despite this good news, […]

Business

Governors’ pact on electricity transmission a sensible step, expert says

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – An agreement by Midwest governors to coordinate policies for electric transmission lines is a positive move to improve the reliability of the electric supply system, a University of Illinois energy expert says. “This is a welcome development because the transmission problem will only be solved on a wide regional basis,” said George […]

Business

Waning economy, increasing numbers of lawyers fuel litigation in Japan

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – It’s a cliché that has outlasted its value – the picture of Japan as a culturally harmonious country whose inhabitants value peace and consensus over the clash of lawsuits and lawyers. The 1980s and 1990s saw a burst of litigation, which undercut the notion once shared by many Western observers that Japan […]

Business

Malpractice litigation wrongly blamed for inconsistent health care

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Conventional wisdom holds that malpractice lawsuits are the bane of modern medicine, with high insurance premiums driving doctors from the profession and the threat of lawsuits discouraging health-care employees from reporting and correcting medical mistakes. Examining these claims in a lengthy article in the Cornell Law Review and a shorter article in […]

Business

U. of I. law library acquires prized Blackstone legal commentaries

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – After five years of looking, the University of Illinois College of Law has acquired the first American edition of Blackstone’s Commentaries on the Law, completing its collection of original Blackstone editions. The law library is now one of four libraries nationwide to possess all of the major editions of the seminal work […]

Business

Program helps small businesses save energy and money

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Businesses in Illinois are now able to cash in on energy savings, thanks to a new technical-assistance program administered through the School of Architecture and the Office of Continuing Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In response to growing energy costs and in support of small businesses, Illinois Gov. Rod […]

Business

Former president: governing boards ‘need to be re-examined, reformed’

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The composition of governing boards of most U.S. public universities does not reflect the expanded mission, programs and sources of support of higher education, the former president of the University of Illinois writes in an article. Stanley O. Ikenberry, president of the University of Illinois from 1979 to 1995 and currently the […]

Business

U. of I. Flash Index continues upward trend

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The University of Illinois Flash Economic Index continued to climb last month, rising to 106.5 from its 105.9 level in May. The state economy has performed extremely well over the last year, especially in the first six months of 2005. A year ago last June, the Flash Index was at 100.3. It […]

Business

DVD-editing software raises ire of Hollywood, interest of courts

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – What Hollywood studios call censorship and copyright infringement, software companies call freedom and parental choice. Any wonder that the legal issues raised by new film software is winding up in the courts and before Congress? The technology that has Hollywood angry allows consumers to skip over scenes and mute words of copyrighted […]

Business

Changes advocated in license renewals for elderly drivers

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Senior citizens not only drive more these days, but have sped past teenagers as the age group with the highest number of traffic accidents per mile. These and other sobering statistics highlight the need for changes in state driver’s license renewals to address the risks that elderly drivers pose to other drivers […]

Business

Property-tax relief for elderly now freighted with political baggage

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Are property-tax relief programs for the elderly justified in an age of shrinking government revenues and scaled-back public services? The question has taken on sharp political overtones as partisans from both sides of the issue have made themselves heard in town halls and legislative chambers around the country. “This issue looms larger […]

Business

Gambling expert decries Indian tribes’ attempts to get land for casinos

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – In testimony before a congressional committee, an expert on gambling at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign denounced efforts by some Indian tribes to acquire land for casinos across state lines. “Reservation shopping” is what John W. Kindt, Illinois professor of business and legal policy, called requests by tribes to set up […]

Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

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