plus 4, Kick-Off Time - Emporia gazette.com

---

• Kick-Off Time - Emporia gazette.com
• Text Size - Chicago Tribune
• Universal Technical Institute's 4Q profit rises - Kansas City Star
• DiMora Motorcar Launches Custom Motorcycle Division - PRLog (free press release)
• Earnings roundup: Universal Technical, Landauer - Kansas City Star

Kick-Off Time - Emporia gazette.com Posted: 02 Dec 2009 08:10 AM PST E-mail story to a friend Comments on this story iPod friendly version Supporters of Camp Alexander gave parade-goers a pop quiz in local history Tuesday evening as the camp's entry rolled down Commercial Street in the 32nd annual Christmas parade. Some of the onlookers may have guessed that the team of sturdy gray mules pulling a wagon and driven by a black man represented a slice of the life of Edward J. Alexander, who drove through Emporia regularly, selling the fruits and vegetables he'd grown on his small farm outside the city. Though he died in 1923 and left his money to serve the poor children and orphans of the area, his generosity was not completely fulfilled until Emporia attorney James Putnam discovered Alexander's will, probated it and created Camp Alexander as a lasting memorial to its benefactor as well as a recreational haven for the children in the community. On Tuesday, children were well-represented, whether they were packed onto floats, marching in bands, or lining the crowded streets to watch the parade with their parents. Nine-month-old Marley Harter, like others lucky enough to be related to Commercial Street business owners, watched the goings-on from inside the warm offices of Grandma Dorine Harter's insurance and financial services company. "Aren't we lucky it was yesterday instead of today?" Chamber President and Chief Executive Officer Jeanine McKenna remarked this morning. McKenna was exceptionally pleased with the quality and the quantity of the parade entries, as well as the weather. A silvery full moon that glowed through the light cloud cover above the parade route added another element of parade magic for the young and the young at heart. Parade Marshal Evora Wheeler, following military and police escorts, led the parade in style atop the back seat of a Jaguar convertible driven by Steve Haught. Approximately 95 more entries followed, many of them strictly adhering to the Christmas Vacation theme with elaborately lit props and trimmings. Palm trees, sunshine, and floats surrounded by cut-out blue waves showed the popularity of cruises to warmer destinations. Lord's Lambs Preschool used a homonym to get its point across and to emphasize the reason for the season: "Soak up the Son," its banner recommended. Waters True Value's "Cabo-bound" float-builders had made a boat, the "HMS Waters," to illustrate a Christmas vacation in the Gulf of Mexico. Vektek, meanwhile, went for the real thing, towing a large speedboat, with a youngster trailing behind, surrounded by cardboard waves and holding on to a ski rope. A shoe skate large enough to make the cartoon character waving from the top appear small anchored the float for Rollers, and PunkinDoodles featured a New York skyline for its Christmas vacation hotspot. The Flinthills Mall entry, pulled by Elton Jensen on his antique tractor, depicted sledding down Prairie Street hill as part of its Festival of Trees float; it was followed by the Flint Hills Antique Power Association's breast-cancer awareness tractor, painted pink to symbolize the cancer theme. The Village Elementary School flatbed trailer was crammed with all the children it could hold and other students, along with their teachers, trailed alongside and behind the float. The Peabody-Burns High School Marching Band, which traditionally appears in the Emporia parade, obviously had spent weeks, if not months, rehearsing not only its Christmas music but the choreographed dance steps that went along with it. The Emporia Recreation Commission's float entry came with a bonus — two people dressed in white fencing uniforms and black masks who stopped occasionally to put on a brief fencing demonstration. The Lyon County Historical Society loaded its old-fashioned sleigh onto the back of a flatbed as the centerpiece of its entry, while the Polar Bear Plunge committee's entry featured a bigger-than-life replica of Snoopy piloting a magnificent snow-covered Sopwith Camel down Commercial Street. A replica of Sertoma Club's miniature train at Soden's Grove was the centerpiece of the club's parade entry. The B & B Railroad featured two colorfully lit railcars carrying children away on vacation. Lyon County Republicans went for a Christmas Safari vacation, with emphasis on a manmade elephant decorated with lights. Parade-goers who weren't hungry when the parade started surely were by the time the Big Green Egg float and the Flint Hills Beef Fest floats passed down the street, leaving trails of barbecued meat behind them. The Egg float included two people sitting in a hot tub while a third person grilled food. Not far behind, the Beef Fest float depicted people seated around picnic tables, being served beef as it came off hot from two industrial-sized grills. This year's parade brought an unusually large number of business entries with an assortment of snowmen and decorated trees, antique cars, motorcycles, a contingent of Arctic cats, fire trucks, three Arab Shrine units, horses, burros and even a llama. Several groups walked down Commercial, though none were dressed with more of a flourish than a small Knights of Columbus unit decked out in plumed hats and capes. Fewer decorated trucks may have rolled along the parade route, but the ones that did were overwhelmingly large and brightly lit, like the Flint Hills Towing entry and a Redline refrigerated truck with a cab that seemed about the size of a small house. The crowd favorite, at least at Seventh Avenue and Commercial Street, was the Emporia High School Spartan Pride Marching Band. Cheers and applause erupted from both sides of the street as the band passed near the parade's end. A playhouse built as a cooperative project by several businesses and individuals will be raffled off this month to raise money to buy replacement drums for the band. The house, styled to resemble the White House, also was part of the parade, pulled along by a truck from one of the project sponsors, Williams Automotive. This content has passed through fivefilters.org. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Text Size - Chicago Tribune Posted: 02 Dec 2009 05:11 AM PST POLAR EXPRESS The Polar Express pulls into the National Railroad Museum in Ashwaubenon, Wis., Dec. 4, 5 and 6. The annual trip to the North Pole will be made at 3, 5 and 7 p.m. each day and include a dramatic reading of the Christmas story about a boy who is not sure whether he believes in Santa Claus. Standard class fares are $12 for adults and $8 for kids 2 through 12. Fares in premium class--a restored 1950s streamline buffet-lounge-observation car, are $25 for lounge seating and $18 for table seating. Reservations are required. Call 920-437-7623, ext. 10, or visit www.nationalrrmuseum.org. HAPPY HOLIDAY RAILWAY Take a train ride through holiday light displays and visit with Santa Claus and his elves at the Illinois Railway Museum Dec. 5 and 6, 12 and 13 and 19 and 20. Children on Santa's "good" list will recieve a gift. Trains run every two hours at the museum in Union. Visit www.irm.org or call 815-923-4000 or 800-BIG-RAIL (244-7245). TOYS FOR TOTS The 32nd annual Chicagoland Toys for Tots Motorcycle Parade begins at 9:30 a.m. Dec. 6 at Dan Ryan Woods, 85th Street and Western Avenue, Chicago. The parade will proceed up Western to the Marine Reserve Center at Foster Avenue and Troy Street. Participants can gather at 8 a.m. and should bring an unwrapped new toy or game -- but no plush toys. Visit www.chicagolandtft.org or call 773-866-TOYS (8697). TOY SHOW The annual Tinley Park Holiday Toy Show is set for Dec. 6 at Tinley Park High School, 6111 W. 175th St. The show, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., will feature diecast cars and models. Admission is $6. Call Jim at 262-246-7171. LISLE POLAR EXPRESS Lisle is hosting two Polar Express trains Dec. 9. They leave the Metra Station at 9:45 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. Santa will be on hand along with clowns, activities and goodies. Fares are $14, and tickets are required in advance. They're on sale at The Nook on Main Street, 7-11 at Ogden and Main and Lisle Savings Bank. Call the Lisle Convention Bureau at 800-773-9811. MOTORCYCLE SWAP The Walneck Motorcycle Swap Meet is set for Dec. 20 at the Kane County Fairgrounds in St. Charles. Admission to the meet, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., $6 with vendor booths $40. Visit www.walneckswap.com or call 630-985-2097. BOAT SHOW The 80th annual Chicago Boat, RV and Outdoors Show sails into McCormick Place North Jan. 13 through 17. Hundreds of the latest product s and accessories will be featured along with the Huck Finn Trout Pond and green boating zone. Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Jan 13, 14 and 15; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Jan 16 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan 17. Admission is $10 for adults, $4 for kids 13-15 and free for those 12 and younger. Seniors 65 and older will get $2 off Jan. 13. Visit www.ChicagoBoatShow.com . STRICTLY SAIL Strictly Sail Chicago will be held Jan. 28 through 31 at Navy Pier. The event will include the latest sailboats and products, along with seminars and a kids activity center. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Jan 28 and 29, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Jan. 30 and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 31. Adult admission is $12 Jan. 28 and 29 and $15 Jan. 30 and 31. A two-day adult pass is $24. Children 15 and younger are free when accompanied by an adult. Visit www.StrictlySailChicago.com. AUTO SHOW BLACK TIE The Chicago Auto Show's First Look for Charity will be held from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Feb. 11 on the show floor at McCormick Place. Eighteen Chicago-area charities benefit from the black-tie event. Tickets cost $225 each. Visit www.chicagoautoshow.com. CHICAGO AUTO SHOW The 102nd Chicago Auto Show hits McCormick Place North and South Feb. 12-21. Hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Feb. 12-20 and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Feb. 21. Tickets cost $11 for adults, $7 for seniors 62 and older and children 7-12 and free for kids 6 and younger with a paid adult. Visit www.chicagoautoshow.com. Having a public event? Rides would like to list it. Please send the information--event name, time, place, admission/fees and contact information--to What's up, Rides, 435 N. Michigan Ave., 4th Floor, Chicago, IL 60611 or e-mail to transportation@tribune.com at least two weeks before the event. Submissions will be accepted in writing only. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Universal Technical Institute's 4Q profit rises - Kansas City Star Posted: 02 Dec 2009 03:38 AM PST Universal Technical Institute Inc., a trade school for automotive, motorcycle and boat repair, said Tuesday its fiscal fourth-quarter profit soared as a record number of students enrolled amid the economic slump. Net income of $76 million, or 32 cents per share, climbed from $551,000, or 2 cents per share, in the same quarter last year. Revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 30 jumped 18 percent to $99.5 million. The results topped estimates of analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters, who expected Universal Technical Institute to earn 19 cents per share on revenue of $95.4 million. The Phoenix-based company said student enrollment was a record 18,800 in the fourth quarter, helping it return to double-digit operating margins. For the full year, Universal Technical Institute earned $11.7 million, or 48 cents per share, up 43 percent from $8.2 million, or 32 cents per share. Revenue rose to $366.6 million from $343.5 million. Analysts expected the company to earn 35 cents per share on revenue of $362.5 million, on average. The company did not provide an outlook for fiscal 2010. But it said it expects student contracts, student starts and average undergraduate full-time enrollment for the year to increase on a percentage basis in the low- to mid-teens. It cautioned that due to the seasonality of its business and fluctuations in student populations, quarterly results could be volatile. Shares fell 54 cents, or 2.9 percent, to close at $18.35. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

DiMora Motorcar Launches Custom Motorcycle Division - PRLog (free press release) Posted: 02 Dec 2009 03:31 AM PST PR Log (Press Release) – Dec 02, 2009 – Palm Springs, California – DiMora Motorcar, maker of the $2 million Natalia SLS 2 sport luxury sedan, today announced the launch of its motorcycle division, DiMora Custom Bikes. The division's first models will be unveiled this weekend at the Cycle World International Motorcycle Show in Long Beach, California. Founder and CEO of DiMora Motorcar, Alfred DiMora offered, "In building the Natalia SLS 2 sport luxury sedan, we have been working with the finest technologies, companies, and engineers in the world to deliver the ultimate in advanced automotive engineering. We wanted to offer some of what we have learned in an immediate and accessible way by building what we know will become the best motorcycles in the world." About DiMora Motorcar and DiMora Custom Bikes Based in Palm Springs, California, DiMora Motorcar crafts automobiles designed to exceed expectations in every aspect of automotive engineering. It is the first auto company to reveal the design, production, and testing of its automobiles via the Internet so that people around the world can learn about and participate in the process. DiMora Custom Bikes takes the DiMora passion for technological innovation and devotion to uncompromising quality that are the hallmarks of the Natalia SLS 2 and brings them to the motorcycle world. Its products will be available worldwide through the DiMora dealer network now being established. When asked about his decision to launch a motorcycle division and its timing, DiMora added, "This country was built by inventors, pioneers and entrepreneurs. It is time we showed the world what Americans can do again, and we don't have any time to waste." DiMora Custom Bikes will display three softail models at the show, which runs from December 4 to 6 in the Long Beach Convention Center. The DiMora 180 Night Move is a classic pro street springer. The DiMora 250 Dragon's Breath is an upper range softail chopper. For the finest custom ride anywhere, the DiMora 300 ZTango is the ultimate easy rider softail chopper when price is no object. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Earnings roundup: Universal Technical, Landauer - Kansas City Star Posted: 01 Dec 2009 10:38 PM PST Among the earnings stories for Tuesday, Dec. 1, from AP Financial News: PHOENIX - Universal Technical Institute Inc., a trade school for automotive, motorcycle and boat repair, said its fiscal fourth-quarter profit soared as a record number of students enrolled amid the economic slump. GLENWOOD, Ill. - Radiation monitoring consultant Landauer Inc. reported a fiscal fourth-quarter profit that met analyst expectations, sending shares higher. WALL, N.J. - New Jersey Resources Corp. posted a loss for its fiscal fourth quarter as gas prices dropped, but the natural gas utility raised its dividend. This content has passed through fivefilters.org. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

You are subscribed to email updates from Add Images to any RSS Feed To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610