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Show he KaltLakeTribune BUSINESS CONSUMER CORNER, B-5 Mi UTAHBRIEFS, B-5 [MB BUSINESS GLANCE, B-7 MARKET Indicators X =a a CLOSE: 9,762.86 NYSE aot 1,913.44 P50 S&! T iE CLOSE: ‘ 570.54 ~e rows ae CLOSE: =f = 1,113.57 Utah’s Top Performers The Bloomberg Page B-4 ; “has become /O Reaser, chief economist at in the United States, rose 0.2 Separately, the Commerce Department announced that the U.S. economy grew Managementin St. Louis. The news of GDP growth gave a boost to a flagging cember, after a 1.3 percent decline in the previous three months, the Commerce De- BY KEN MORITSUGU Fy eee WASHINGTON -— The Federal Reserve stopped reducing interest rates on Wednesday after nearly 13 forecasters who had expected a second straight quarterly decline. However,private analysts andtheFed, the U.S. central bank, remained cautious about recovery prospects. “It is good news, but we federal funds rate at 1.75 percnt The Dow Jones Indusial Average rose 144.62 points to close at 9,762.86. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index gained 20.45 points to finishat1,913.44. The gross domestic prod- sulted from an unanticipated jump in federal, ‘gues andlogcvernmen analysts said. Without the jump, GDP would have dropped ata 1.4 percent annual rate — what manyforecasters had predicted. outlook for an economic an goods and services produced See GDP, Page B-5 Markets move higher Sromane" . Fed on news despite y forgoing arate cut i more ef JANUARY 31, 2002 Banc of America Capital percent from October to De- slightly in the last three stock market despite the partment reported. months of 2001, surprising Fed's decision to keep itskey The upturn in the GDP re- months of cuts and said the need broader-based signs of uct,a broad measure ofall the upturn,” said Lynn ao se seme’ NYC Ready for Economic Forum Debate Sought nr ‘ Utah Index e ires the stock 198.60. “onruce RE disisit MCh ANALYSIS The Federal Reserve gave Wall Street the positive economic outlookinvestors have been seeking, and stocks rallied even though the central bank declined to lowerinterest rates again. OnElecting ee ia Con ofsecurity, city sees Utility Board eye BY STEVEN OBERBECK gathering as a boon ‘THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Sen. Ed Mayne, D-West Valley City, wants the Legislature to debate whether Utah’s top ay BY KATHERINE ROTH Judge: Media Can Listen To Microsoft Depositions Thejudge in the Microsoft antitrust case ruled Tuesday that news organizations can listen to lawyers question technology executivesin pretrial depositions unless Microsoft can prove the sessions would reveal confidential information. Theruling byU.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said Microsoft, which argued that depositions shouldtakeplace privately, wasseeking “an exclusion of the public that plainly exceeds”limits underanotherjudge’s earlier orders. Utah andeightother states oppose a landmarksettlement between Microsoft and the Justice Department, and they want Kollar-Kotelly to impose harshersanctionsagainst the companythanthe Bush administration already has accepted. Newsorganizations sought continued access to pretrial depositions undera 1913 law permitting public access to witness depositions in U.S. antitrust lawsuits. Reporters attended several depositionsin the spring of1999, including a dramatic standoff between Microsoft’s lawyers and Steve Case, now chairman of AOL Time-WarnerInc. Microsoft argued in court papers. earlier this month that, since the Justice Department, along with nine otherstates, negotiated an endto the historic case, the 1913 statute no longer applies. ‘THE ASSOCIATEDPRESS. regulators millions in added security. ee city still expects to come out “Tt not only brings in dollars, butit also brings in a sense of awareness that participants can broadcast to their home communities andtocities abroad — that New YorkCity is open for business,” said Cristyne Nicholas, head of NYC & Company, thecity’s tourism agency. “That’s the type of Small Business Awards TheSalt Lake Area Chamberof Commerce announced winners ofits 2002 GiantStep Small Business Awards, whichwill be presented at a banquetMarch 27. ‘The winners are: @ Small Business of the Year: Absolut! Restaurant & Brasserie @ Entrepreneurial Success Award: HaveParty Will Travel ® Community Service Award: Cameron Construction Co. @ Minority Small Business Award: Chung and Associates Home-Based Business Success Award: Cartwright Communications LotSellers Told to Stop The Utah Divisionof Real Estate has ordered Soldier Summit Recreation and DevelopmentCo. LLC and representative Lee Dahl tostop selling lots in Soldier Summit Homesteads, a Utah Countysubdivision. The order stems from the company’s failure to register with thedivision underthe Utah LandSales Practices Act, the division said. ‘Thedivision said Soldier Summit | violated the act from June 2000 to January 2002. ‘Theorderremainsin effect antil the subdivisionis registered with the real estate division or receives an exemptionfrom registration. Daw Stock Is Delisted Daw Technologies Inc.saidits stock has been delisted from the Nasdaq National Market. The Utah companyfailed to presenta plan that would enableit to comply with all listing requirements within a reasonable period of time, the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Panelsaid in a notice to Daw. The company, which makes clean rooms for computer chip manufacturers, said it intends to appeal the decision sioners typically serve beyond the Estimateson both sides of the led- terms of the governors who appointed them. If there is a trend among states, ger are rough atbest. NYC & Companysays the dele- gates will spend between $13 million itis toward appointed, not elected Chairman and $19 million on food, lodging, transportation and shopping. Butthe agency says economic benefits from thefive-day conference could reach as high as $100 million once high-priced He fears thatif members of the PSC were elected, utility rate case decisions would be politicized. parties for participants, spending on “T can’t imagine how anyone could campaign {for a seat on the PSC] without promising rate cuts,” Mecham said. side events, and food and lodging for thousandsof protesters are counted. “A lot of these protesters are pro- fessional protesters. They fly here. Consumer advocate Claire Geddes of Utah Jegilarive Watch said the idea of elected commis- Theyare housed in hotels. It’s amazing, but they makea livelihood outof creating demonstrations,” Nicholas sioners is “outrageous.” said. There's the catch. All those pro- guard againstthestreet violence that has marred international meetings in Seattle; Quebec City, Canada; Genoa, Italy; and elsewhere in recent years. Police say the security cost has yet to be calculated,butofficials say at least 4,000 officers have been assigned to summit security. As a measure of how much security can cost, last year, then Mayor Rudy Giuliani asked for $25 million in federal reimbursement for security costs surrounding the United Nations’ three-day Millennium Summit. The bill for police overtime alone cameto about$11 million. Police have taken several mea- Robert Mecea/The Associated Press Julie Blumenthal of the group “Another World is Possible” paints a prop Tuesday in New York forprotests against the World Economic Forum. Waldorf-Astoria hotel. Traffic in the area is all but frozen, thanks to checkpoints screening cars nearing the hotel. Police also are using handheld metal detectors to check pedestrians entering restricted areas. Throughoutthecity, officers are sta- tioned outside Starbucks coffee shops and other chain businesses targeted by vandals in pastprotests. “Today I had to argue with police just to get to work here,” said Ettore Hilj, who works at Cinquanta, an sures designed to defuse the combus- Italian restaurantona closed section of East 50th Street. “If I had a hard tible confluence ofaffluent forum at- time, I wonder how guests will get tendees and wedemonstrators in midtown M: Officers abahave staffed concrete and metal barricades forming a security zone around the be are appointed to six-year, staggered terms, meaning commis- media coverage we would never be ableto afford to purchase.” testers mean hefty police overtime to should rather than appointed ne the governor. But Mayne said the issue promises to be so controversial and important to consumers that it would be best if it were studied for a year and then brought up in the 2003 session. “We need to be extremely cautious and makesure this would be in the best interest of consumers before any legislation is proposed,” Maynesaid. “Tit isn’t, we should do n Only13states elect their utility regulators. In Utah, members of the Public Service Commission NEW YORK City leaders expect the World Economic Forum to pump millions into the local economy. At the sametime, the 3,000 heads of state, and business, cultural andreligious leaders and their entourages — will cost New York’s government through.” letter from Police Commissioner Ray Kelly to businesses in the area warned that“during protests in other cities, protesters posed as diners in the restaurants near summit venues [and] caused disruptions there.” Leaders ofleft-wing labor, student and environmental groups insist that daily demonstrations demanding “global justice” for the poor and for developing nations will be loud but peaceful. “We don’t want to harm people,” said YvonneLiu, a Columbia University student. Thepolice department has granted permits to several groups allowing them to protest in designated areas. Thefirst scheduled protest, by a coalition of labor groups, is set for this afternoonoutside a Gapstore on Fifth Avenue. The biggest demonstrations are expected Saturday, when two ina- jor protest groups plan successive rallies on Park Avenue near the Waldorf. ano look at otherelections, it often the candidate who is the best at raising money who gets elected,” Geddes said. “It would make me nervous to think the person who stands the best chance ofgetting elected to the PSC would also be the one best at raising moneyfrom theut Utahns have done “reasonably well” with an appointed commission, added Roger Ball, adminis- trative secretary for the Committee ofConsumer Services. Hesaid elected commissioners spend a lot of time on political matters, delegating many of their duties to staffers. “Here we have a commission that is very engaged in each case that comes up,” Ball said. Whether commissioners are appointed or elected, Qwesthas to do what they say, company Senne Caroline Roemer steve@sltrib.com Feeling On-The-Job Stress? Consider Taking a Toy Break BY SEKAI K MUTUNHU GANNETT: ERVICE Walk into Peter VonDerLinn’s office and you'll see a voodoo doll propped up on his desk. When the stress of the job gets too much, VonDerLinn takes a deep breath andsticks a pin into oneof the doll’s energy points. “Tt alleviates stress to somedegree, but mostof allit creates laughter, and that is oneof the best stress alleviators,” says the 35-year-old creative director of Eric Mower and Associates, a marketing communications agency in Penfield, N.Y. {30 TbeWerle Whether it’s shooting hoops by the water cooler, squeezing a foam brain during a conference call or playing a round of miniature golf in the hall, office toys can provide fast andeffective relieffrom on-the-job stress and anxiety. With the country in a recession and employees taking on the workof laid-off colleagues, many are anxiousfor a reprieve from the additional burdens. “It's extremely importantto cope constructively with stress, and there is something lighthearted abouttoys,” says Elaine Greene,a licensed clinical psychologist in Brighton, N.Y. “When we are in a relaxed state, we can deal more effectively with negativerealities.” Marianne Szymanski, president and founder of Toy Tips Inc., a marketing companythattests toys, saysthere are two importantrules to follow when it comes to office-toy etiquette: “Toys should not be bigger than a briefcase, and they shouldn't be so noisy that they distract other workers.” Office toys aren't a new phenomenon. Newton's cradle is that classic desk toy with hanging steel balls that drop against each other and swing back and forth. Manyof the newer gadgets are more so- phisticated. Web sites geared toward kids-at-heart advertise everything from a desktop BMW motorcycle to a kinetic sculpture with a movable stick figure in a hang glider balancing offa wire. “Yo-yos, Slinkys and Rubik’s Cubes — all of those provide a levelofdistraction and stressrelief andan outlet for mental block,” says Shannon Eis, assistant communications director for the Toy Industry Seasin New York City. Gregg Sayre, 51, associate general counsel oa Frontier andCi Citizens Communications, has spent the past i8years btn pa i war cesot Kevin Mann ‘Annette Letn/Gannett NewsService in his office at Eric Mower and N.Y, to alleviate anxiety, teens “ metimes if we have a long meeting, they will Play around with them,”Sayre says. “Anything to reduce little bit of stress or take your mind off problems so you can focus on the bigger Precip eo anon ioe busine: V > |
