Jul 8, 2008 – Albany Herald   Tuesday
Phoebe hospital "amazed" by antitrust lawsuit
Susan McCord reports that officials at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital said Monday they were “amazed” that a for-profit hospital would accuse Phoebe of trying to monopolize the health care business in Southwest Georgia. “That a for-profit hospital like Palmyra Medical Center, owned by HCA, a corporation valued at $33 billion, would feel like they can’t compete with a stand-alone, non-for- profit community hospital like Phoebe,” said Phoebe Director of Corporate Communications Jackie Ryan — “Frankly, we’re amazed.”

Jul 8, 2008 – Atlanta Journal-Constitution   
Weather Channel gets new family - NBC brass to visit newest property
Kristi E. Swartz reports that it's unlikely that NBC late-night talk show host Jay Leno will start making Weather Channel jokes during his monologue. But now that NBC's parent has agreed to buy the Atlanta-based cable network, tropical storm expert Steve Lyons could show up on the "Today" show if a hurricane is threatening the United States. Or, viewers of NBC's 2008 Olympic coverage could learn whether a thunderstorm is threatening an upcoming 200-meter race from a report "brought to you by the Weather Channel."

Jul 8, 2008 – Atlanta Journal Constitution   
SunTrust hits '95 low, then bounces
Bloomberg News staff reports that SunTrust Banks Inc., the largest bank based in Georgia, and First Horizon National Corp., Tennessee's biggest bank, led a decline of Southern lenders on Monday as investors feared that bad loans to builders will make a rebound in the banks unlikely this year.

Jul 8, 2008 – Chattanooga Times Free Press   
Quinceañeras spur business growth in Dalton area
Perla Trevizo reports that the number of quinceañeras and shops here that cater to the Hispanic coming-of-age celebration for teen girls has grown, and so has the business they stimulate, local residents and store owners say. “I would say the increase has been 100 percent since I arrived in Dalton almost 30 years ago,” said Norberto Reyes, owner of Los Reyes restaurants. “When I first arrived ,there were very few Hispanic families here.”

Jul 8, 2008 – Atlanta Business Chronicle   
Grady Hospital new CEO contenders announced
Urvaksh Karkaria reports that Grady Memorial Hospital's board released the names of the four finalists contending for the 953-bed hospital's top job. The executives have served in C-suites at multiple hospitals. Gregory H. Burfitt, president and CEO of Centura Health in Englewood, Colo. James R. Burkhart, president of UF & Shands Jacksonville Medical Center in Jacksonville, Fla. Michael Keith Butler, interim CEO of Louisiana State University Health Care Services Division. Michael A. Young, president and CEO of Erie County Medical Center Corp. in Western New York. The new Grady CEO could be named as early as the end of July.

Jul 8, 2008 – Atlanta Journal Constitution   
Four named as finalists for top Grady job
Craig Schneider and Andy Miller report that Grady Memorial Hospital officials announced on Monday the four finalists to take the helm of the long-distressed hospital that is struggling to rebuild itself under new leadership. The selection of a new CEO marks a major step in setting Georgia's largest and busiest hospital on a new track, and it is the first significant test for a new board of directors composed of business, medical and community leaders.

Jul 8, 2008 – Savannah Morning News   
Savannah house museums try to pump up visitation
Chuck Mobley reports, amid alarming reports that prominent house museums across the nation are struggling to stay open, several similar Savannah attractions are welcoming a steady stream of visitors to their carefully restored 19th-century environments.

Jul 8, 2008 – Atlanta Journal Constitution   
As complaints spike, Delta cites baggage fee
Kelly Yamanouchi reports that Delta Air Lines had the highest rate of consumer complaints in May among U.S. airlines ranked in a federal report. According to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Atlanta-based Delta's 2.14 complaints per 100,000 passengers boarding planes put it at the bottom of the ranking at No. 19 for the month. Most of the complaints against Delta were about baggage or flight problems, according to the report released Monday.

Jul 8, 2008 – Atlanta Business Chronicle   
Delta splitting a route in Ecuador
Staff reports that Delta Air Lines Inc. is making some changes to its flight schedule to Ecuador. Right now, Atlanta-based Delta (NYSE: DAL) has one daily flight from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to Ecuador that stops in both Quito and Guayaquil before coming back to Atlanta. Starting Sept. 5, Delta will split the route and offer nonstop service in each direction between Atlanta and Quito

Jul 8, 2008 – Atlanta Journal Constitution   
Delta invests in cargo unit
Kelly Yamanouchi reports that although the airline industry is cutting back amid record fuel costs, Delta Air Lines is investing in an area that had been easy to neglect: cargo. Atlanta-based Delta hopes to grow its cargo business to $600 million in revenue this year, from $482 million last year. Among the investments the airline has made is a $2 million set of four giant coolers and infrastructure in Atlanta to store lucrative perishable shipments such as fresh produce and pharmaceuticals.

Jul 8, 2008 – Atlanta Journal-Constitution   
AirTran to trim 480 jobs
Kelly Yamanouchi reports that AirTran Airways said it plans to cut 300 flight attendants and 180 pilots from its work force through voluntary exits and furloughs. AirTran, which is based in Orlando and has its hub in Atlanta, said it plans to cut about $16 million from annual costs through the pilot and flight attendant job cuts. AirTran has about 2,000 flight attendants and 1,450 pilots.

Jul 8, 2008 – Atlanta Journal Constitution   
Dunwoody: Businesses say cityhood too costly
David A. Markiewicz reports, for months, the campaign to make Dunwoody a city has sailed along with relatively little vocal opposition. Public forums were dominated by audiences and speakers touting the benefits of incorporation. Yard signs and bumper stickers urged a "yes" vote on the July 15 referendum. Even the north DeKalb County community's Fourth of July Parade featured a pro-cityhood group. On Monday, some prominent opposition surfaced when the board of directors of the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce, a countywide business group, announced it would oppose the Dunwoody referendum on next Tuesday's special election ballot.

Jul 8, 2008 – Athens Banner-Herald   
Agri-Cycle owner cleaning up plant
Merritt Melancon reports that it may take a year or more, but the owner of Talmo grease recycler Agri-Cycle plans to rehabilitate the plant's 5 acres and turn them into a usable agricultural site. Richard Harville said Monday that he had started the process of cleaning up the site before the Georgia Supreme Court essentially closed the plant for good in a ruling last week. However, turning what basically was a wastewater treatment plant into a usable agricultural site will take some time, Harville said.

Jul 8, 2008 – Marietta Daily Journal   
Report sealed in Cobb EMC legal conflict
Marcus E. Howard reports that Cobb Superior Court Judge Stephen Schuster ordered the sealing of a report by a special litigation committee appointed by Cobb Electric Membership Corporation in the midst of its ongoing legal battle against it and its for-profit affiliate, Cobb Energy, by a group of plaintiffs accusing them of wrongdoing. During a hearing Monday, Schuster said he will keep the report's findings sealed from public view until July 21, when attorneys on both sides can make their appeal as to whether it should be unsealed or not.

Jul 8, 2008 – Atlanta Journal Constitution   
Cobb EMC told: Clear up conflicts
Ken Foskett and Margaret Newkirk report that Cobb EMC should collect more than $13 million from its business affiliate, Cobb Energy, and clean up conflicts of interests between the two entities, a special committee reported Monday. The committee found the electric utility's board never properly approved increasing a management fee paid to Cobb Energy in 2005. The fee was raised from 6 percent to 11 percent that year. The co-op should recover the difference between the two percentages, about $2.5 million per year, for four years, the committee said.

Jul 8, 2008 – Athens Banner-Herald   
Banner-Herald publisher announces retirement
Jim Thompson reports that Jeff Wilson, publisher of the Athens Banner-Herald since 1995, is retiring and will be leaving that post sometime near the end of this year, he announced to the newspaper's staff Monday morning.

Jul 8, 2008 – Atlanta Business Chronicle   
Hartsfield-Jackson shows on-time improvements in May
Staff reports that Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport's percentage of on-time arrivals and departures rose in May, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Air Travel Consumer Report published July 7. Hartsfield-Jackson, the world's busiest airport, had 34,572 arrivals with an on-time percentage of 84.3 and 34,576 departures with an on-time percentage of 85.3 in May.

Jul 8, 2008 – Dalton Daily Citizen   
City approves freeport vote
Charles Oliver reports that the Dalton City Council voted 3-0 on Monday to place a referendum on the Nov. 4 ballot asking voters to approve a freeport tax exemption on inventory. The referendum will actually be three questions covering various types of materials held in inventory. Council member George Sadosuk was absent, and Mayor David Pennington votes only in the event of a tie.

Jul 8, 2008 – Atlanta Journal Constitution   
Radiant Systems buys Austrian company
Chris Megerian reports that Alpharetta-based Radiant Systems said Monday it paid $30.85 million for an Austrian company that makes devices for ordering food wirelessly at restaurants and other locations.

Jul 8, 2008 – Cartersville Daily Tribune   
Steeplechase aims to boost attendance with date change
Marie Nesmith reports that effective April 25, the Atlanta Steeplechase will claim the last weekend in April for its annual "Best Lawn Party in Georgia." Moving the date from the second weekend in April is expected to increase the number of spectators from 17,000 to 30,000. "The whole point of doing this is we have had a conflict with the Masters for years and with Spring Break," said India Watson, marketing and sales director for the Atlanta Steeplechase.