The UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation Golf Tournament will be a four person scramble. Awards for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place teams will be given.
James Lee Witt
GlobalOptions Group, Inc. a provider of domestic and international risk management services, today announced that James Lee Witt Associates (JLWA), its Crisis Management and Preparedness Division, has obtained a one-year contract by the U.S. Virgin Islands Office of Homeland Security (VIOHS) to provide subject matter expertise on a range of disaster preparedness, protection, response and recovery activities.
Witt Associates will assist the U.S. Virgin Islands in updating their current emergency operations plan as well as lead efforts to create both a continuity of operations plan (COOP) and a continuity of government (COG) plan to increase the territory’s ability to prepare for and respond to future disasters. In addition, Witt Associates will provide technical assistance and guidance when the territory’s emergency operations center is acti vated. Three Witt Associates subject matter experts in the areas of recovery mitigation, as well as a homeland security policy and emergency center operations will be available to the territory before, during and/or after a disaster occurs.
Valero Energy
Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE: VLO) announced today that it has completed the sale of its Krotz Springs, Louisiana refinery to Alon USA Energy Inc. (NYSE: ALJ) to be effective for financial reporting purposes July 1.
Valero received $333 million plus $143 million as part of an initial payment toward working capital, which will be settled with a final adjustment payment within 90 days of closing. Valero also received an earn-out provision, which the company has hedged to lock-in a value of approximately $200 million.
Valero had announced earlier this year that it would explore strategic alternatives for the Krotz Springs refinery. JPMorgan served as financial advisor to Valero in this transaction.
BHP Billiton announced today that first oil and natural gas production has commenced from the Neptune development in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. The single-column tension leg platform (TLP) is designed to handle up to 50,000 barrels of oil per day and 50 million cubic feet per day of natural gas.
The facility has recently undergone remediation to strengthen the structural components inside the hull’s pontoons. This work was carried out with the engineering contractor that designed the hull.
“The start-up of the Neptune project after several years of drilling, construction, and with the recent remediation work, is a significant accomplishment for BHP Billiton,” said J. Michael Yeager, Chief Executive BHP Billiton Petroleum.
Neptune, located approximately 120 miles (195 kilometers) off the Louisiana coastline, is the first standalone deepwater production platform in the Gulf of Mexico operated by BHP Billiton.
“BHP Billiton has made significant investments in multiple projects in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. We’re now realizing the rewards of that investment with first production late last year from Atlantis and Genghis Khan, now with Neptune, and next year when the BHP Billiton operated Shenzi development is expected to come online,” Yeager added.
The Neptune TLP was installed in 4,250 feet (1,300 meters) of water on Green Canyon Block 613. Field development includes six initial subsea wells tied back to the TLP. Further development wells are expected to be drilled after interpretation of new seismic data, which will be obtained in the latter half of 2008.
The Neptune field comprises five blocks: Atwater Valley 573, 574, 575, 617 and 618 where water depths range from 4,200 to 6,500 feet (1,275 to 2,000 meters). Crude oil from Neptune is transported to markets via the Caesar pipeline (in which BHP Billiton has a 25% equity share), while natural gas is exported via the Cleopatra pipeline (where BHP Billiton has a 22% equity share).
BHP Billiton is the operator with a 35% interest. Partners include Marathon Oil Company (30%), Woodside Energy (USA) Inc. (20%), and Maxus (U.S.) Exploration Company (5%).
Hurricane Bertha
Bertha has became the first hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane seasonaccording to the NationalHurricaneCenter.As of 5 a.m. ET, Bertha was 845 miles east of the northern Leeward Islands and was moving toward the west-northwest near 17 mph plowing through the Atlantic with 75miles per hour winds.Forecasters expect the hurricane to strengthen.Should the hurricane approach the Americas, it could impact the already high cost of energy and insurance.
Microsoft Yahoo
According to various press reports, Microsoft Corp. is interested in restarting talks to acquire parts of or all of Yahoo Inc., not if the current board is still around.According to
The disclosure came as activist shareholder Carl Icahn said Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer "made it abundantly clear" to him in recent days that Mr. Ballmer won't negotiate any deal with Yahoo's current board.
Albert Schweitzer
New Orleans, LA - The New Orleans Albert Schweitzer Fellowship (ASF) has announced 12 new fellows for the 2008-09 year. The following are recipients of the 2008-09 Albert Schweitzer Fellowships:
David Canales, a student at TulaneUniversityLawSchool, will work with the New Orleans Pro Bono Project and offer bilingual legal counsel to the immigrant worker community that arrived post-Katrina on issues such as wage claims, divorce, foreclosures and bankruptcy.
Emily Donaldson-Fletcher, a student at Tulane University School of Medicine, will work with the New Orleans Healthy Start Program to decrease the incidence of low birth weight babies in New Orleans.
Valerie Fontenot and Tyra Toston, both from the LSU Health Sciences Center School of Public Health, will work to provide health education that focuses on responsible sexual behavior for at-risk adolescents in the Greater New Orleans Area, specifically minority female populations.
Jonathan Howe from the LSU Health Sciences Center School of Public Health will introduce dance intervention, teaching hip hop dancing to at-risk and high-risk, overweight, and obese adolescents and young adults (ages 17-22).
Erika Lindholm from the LSU Health Sciences Center School of Medicine will continue to develop CORE, a student organization designed to offer medical students opportunities to be involved in projects that would improve community health, as well as dedicate 100 hours to participate in new direct service activities with CORE.
Adenike Onagoruwa, a student at Tulane University School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine will work with the Tulane Xavier National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health (TUXCOE) and the New Orleans Women’s Health Clinic to develop an inter-generational health education program for young mothers and their own mothers with a focus on nutrition, reproductive health and maternal, infant, and child health.
Kemi Olaide Orekoya, a student at Tulane University School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine will start an after school program for female adolescents to learn about their bodies through a Health and Reproductive Female Initiative Project at a charter school in New Orleans.
Kaari Riley, a student at TulaneUniversityLawSchool, will provide a mentoring and job readiness program that includes tutoring for middle school and high school students who actively attend school or are in a GED program.
Holly Scheib from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine will work with the Latino Health Access Network to coordinate bilingual training opportunities in parenting and early childhood development for Hispanic parents and childcare providers.
Rohini Singh from the LSU Health Sciences Center School of Medicine will work to improve the emotional, behavioral and physical health of children with special health care needs through “Creative Outlets Promoting Empowerment, Project COPE.“
Deshawn Stevenson, a student at Xavier University School of Pharmacy, will work with the pharmacy at the new Daughters of Charity Clinic to counsel patients on their medications, organize a health fair, and distribute flyers promoting the clinic and health information around the neighborhood.
The Schweitzer Fellowship aims to help underserved or uninsured communities, while simultaneously enhancing the education of health professionals in the area.
New Orleans represents the newest of ten Schweitzer Fellowship Programs across the country and it was recently established in New Orleans in response to the escalating health needs of the local community. The twelve newly selected 2008-2009 New Orleans Schweitzer Fellows will collectively provide 2,400 hours of direct service addressing the health priorities in New Orleans.
