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December 5, 2007 News for contractors and the construction industry   Industry Watch    Troops evacuate Oregon town after flooding National Guard troops evacuated the town of Vernonia, Ore., after back-to-back storms caused heavy flooding in the area. The town, located about 35 miles from Portland, had been largely cut off due to landslides that blocked roads. ClipSyndicate (12/5), The Associated Press (12/4) Groundbreaking for Pittsburgh casino planned PITG Gaming plans to hold its official groundbreaking for Pittsburgh's only slots casino on Tuesday. The 480,000-square-foot casino, located on the city's North Shore, is due to open in April 2009. American City Business Journals/Pittsburgh (12/4) Work begins on five-mile Alaska highway makeover Alaska Interstate Construction has started work to make over a five-mile section of the Glenn Highway in Alaska. The $26.2 million project will include realignment and reconstruction of the road and will span nearly three construction seasons. Reed/ACP Construction Data (12/4) Hoar Construction to build SoDo center Hoar Construction LLC has been commissioned to build the SoDo mixed-use project in Orlando, Fla. The $32 million center, being developed by Kimco Realty Corp. and Wood Partners, will include a 487-space parking deck and 172,000 square feet of office and retail space. American City Business Journals/Birmingham (12/4) Unleash the Power of Next-Gen Business Intelligence to Manage your Fantasy Football Team. Powered by QlikView, INSIDER STATS lets Business Professionals use Cutting-Edge Data Analysis Dashboards to Make Winning Decisions. QlikView - Good for Football - Great for Business.   Market Update    As credit woes spread, dollar may rise Central banks around the globe have kept interest rates steady or even raised them, but the Federal Reserve has cut rates. The situation has pushed the American dollar down. However, news this week may show that economic slowdown and credit woes are more than an American problem, and that could boost the dollar. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (12/4) Who's getting one? The Plum Card. The first everything, everywhere trade terms card from American Express OPEN.™ Up to 2% early pay discount or up to 2 months defer pay, interest free.*Terms and conditions apply Application available now at PlumCard.com   Product Innovation & Technology  Pervious concrete lets the water flow Pervious concrete, being used to pave a 3.4-acre park-and-ride lot in Phoenix, usually amazes people due to its ability to make water "disappear." The concrete, sometimes called no-fines concrete, eliminates sand from the mix, creating voids to allow water to pass through. Reed/ACP Construction Data (12/10)   News From Washington  Feds investigate company overseeing WTC workers fund The Homeland Security Department plans to investigate a company overseeing a $1 billion insurance fund that was set up by Congress after Sept. 11, 2001, to cover claims of sick World Trade Center site workers and is instead being used to fight the cases in court. As many as 8,000 individual claims are waiting for judgment in the federal court system, and federal officials say they want to know why the World Trade Center Captive Insurance Company is choosing to litigate all claims instead of settling them when possible. The Associated Press (12/4) Energy bill could be introduced to House today Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is expected to introduce an energy bill to the House floor as early as today that includes provisions that the White House has suggested President George W. Bush is likely to veto. The bill includes legislation that "repeals tax breaks for profit-rich oil companies, and invests that money in clean renewable energy and new American technologies," said a release from the speaker's office. Detroit Free Press (12/5)   Association News  AGC Audio Conference: Third annual economic forecast On Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2-3:30 p.m. ET, AGC offers a glimpse at the "bigger picture" of the economy's direction in 2008. Naturally, what happens in the economy will have a direct impact on what may happen to your company. Find out what factors may impact your bottom line during this annual favorite audio conference. Can the industry keep up the pace in 2008? Will it be dragged down by a slowing economy? What segments and regions are most vulnerable? Join Ken Simonson, Dana Delano and John Cross -- all experts on the economy and construction materials -- as they assess the industry's prospects and take questions from listeners. For more information on the Audio Conference, please visit www.agc.org/EconForecast. For a complete listing of upcoming Audio Conferences and information on previous Audio Conferences, please visit www.agc.org/audioconferences New from AGC: Construction Tool Box Safety Talks Manual Vol. III This manual has been written to assist supervisors in training workers in class and on the job site. It includes 10 chapters and 150 new safety talks. Topics include: Caught in Between, Electrical, Environmental, Excavations, Falls, Health Hazards, Highway Hazards, Scaffolds & Ladders, Steel and Struck By. Includes the full version on CD-ROM. 2007. To purchase copies, visit www.agc.org/bookstore, item #139. Learn more about AGC -> Pressroom  |  Join AGC  |  Legislative Action  |  Bookstore  |  Construction Economics   SmartQuote  If A is success in life, then A equals X plus Y plus Z. Work is X; Y is play; and Z is keeping your mouth shut." --Albert Einstein, German-born Swiss-American physicist   Business Resources   Subscriber Tools       Print friendly format | Web version | Search past news | Archive | Privacy policy Advertise Sales Account Director:  Jim Pataki 202.737.5500 x273 Download Media Kit   Read more at SmartBrief.com A powerful website for SmartBrief readers including: Industry Home Readers' Choice Search Archive Get this RSS Feed Publish your Press Release Download the SmartBrief Android app       Recent AGC SmartBrief Issues: Tuesday, December 04, 2007 Monday, December 03, 2007 Friday, November 30, 2007 Wednesday, November 28, 2007 Tuesday, November 27, 2007     Lead Editor:  Angela Giroux-Scheide Contributing Editor:  Nancy Melville     Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 1100 H ST NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005     © 1999-2011 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information