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Restaurants can get a shot at a business makeover as part of Bernalillo County’s Taste of New Mexico event, which takes place October 8 and 9.

Anyone can nominate and vote for their favorite local restaurant online. The deadline is July 31, although that may be extended.

A team will do the makeover and will also work with the nominated restaurants to provide advice and assistance in marketing and branding.

The winning restaurant must be a local business owner who has great food and a passion for what they do. They must also show community involvement and help need help promoting their restaurant.

Local businesses that want to donate labor or materials to these effort should contact Rick Metz at rick.metz@upublic.tv. For more information, call Jesse Lopez in Bernalillo County Economic Development at (505) 468-7818.

The makeover will be based on what a restaurant needs. That could mean renovations or consulting or marketing and social networking.

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Sales at major retailers rose for a 10th straight month in June, but mixed results reported Thursday signaled that consumers are still cautious.

According to sales tracker Thomson Reuters, which looks at monthly sales for 28 leading chains such as Macy’s (M, Fortune 500), Target (TGT, Fortune 500), Costco (COST, Fortune 500) and J.C. Penney (JCP, Fortune 500), June same-store sales rose 3.1%. That was slightly below the firm’s initial estimate for an increase of 3.2%.

Same-store sales, a key gauge of a retailer’s performance, measure sales at stores open at least a year.

While consumers may still be hesitant to open up their wallets, June’s gain was stronger than May’s 2.5% increase and a significant jump from the 4.9% drop in same-store sales reported in June of last year.

"The bottom line is that consumer spending is continuing to grow, but only modestly and not at the fast pace we saw at the beginning of the year," said Scott Hoyt, a retail economist at Moody’s Economy.com.

"Unemployment is still high, wealth is probably falling again with the declines in the stock market, and overall confidence is very low, so there are just a number of constraints on the consumer right now," he added.

Out of the 28 stores, 44% beat analysts’ expectations, while 56% missed.

Sluggish sales: Sales at discount and apparel stores were the most disappointing in June. Discount store sales rose an average of 2.9% last month, compared with an expected 3 pay day loans.6% jump, while sales at apparel stores increased 2.9%, much lower than the 3.5% rise that had been forecast.

Discounter BJ’s Wholesale (BJ, Fortune 500) said sales rose 3.8% in June, missing estimates of a 5.3% increase, while sales at Target increased only 1.7%, lower than the 2.7% jump that had been expected.

In the apparel arena, sales at Gap Inc.’s Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic stores dragged the overall apparel sector down in June. Same-store sales at Gap Inc. (GPS, Fortune 500) stores remained flat on average in June, while analysts had expected a 3.4% gain.

Excluding Gap Inc.-owned stores, apparel retailers gained 3.8% on average, slightly beating expectations of a 3.5% rise.

Biggest gainers: Department stores, boosted by promotions and steep discounts, posted the largest increase last month, gaining an average 5.8%.

JC Penney (JCP, Fortune 500), Nordstrom (JWN, Fortune 500) and Macys were among the best performers, all beating expectations in June.

Teen retailers also fared well last month, posting an overall gain of 3.7%, compared to the forecast 2.4% rise.

Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF), Hollister, Aeropostale and Zumiez (ZUMZ) posted some of the biggest gains, while other teen retailers like the Buckle (BKE) and Wet Seal struggled to lure in back-to-school shoppers.  

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A heated battle between two of the nation’s largest drug chains came to an end Friday after a compromise under which Walgreens will continue participate in CVS Caremark’s pharmacy benefit management network.

The drugstores did not disclose financial terms of the new contract. Shares Walgreens (WAG, Fortune 500) were up about 8% in pre-market trading, and CVS’ (CVS, Fortune 500) stock was 5% higher.

"The agreement makes good business sense, provides the framework we need to operate our business going forward, and assures choice and convenience for the many consumers who look to us for quality pharmacy care," said Walgreens executive vice president of pharmacy Kermit Crawford in a statement.

CVS’s president Per Lofberg added that his company is also "pleased" to have reached a solution.

Earlier this month, Walgreens said it was no longer willing to participate in a new or renewed benefits plan from its rival’s drug benefits unit, citing a list of criticisms including unpredictable drug reimbursement rates.

Another complaint was related to CVS Caremark’s Maintenance Choice plan, which requires patients with chronic conditions to fill prescriptions at CVS or through Caremark mail services, instead of at Walgreens or other pharmacies.

Drug benefits provider Caremark merged with retail pharmacy CVS in 2007, and CVS CEO Tom Ryan promised at the time that the Caremark business would not favor one pharmacy over another. But Walgreens’ gripe about Caremark’s preferential treatment of CVS stores was echoed by other drugstores.

In response to the Walgreens announcement, CVS dropped the rival from its pharmacy benefits plan last week.  

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NewPage Corp.’s top two executives have resigned, along with a third executive.

The Miami Township-based paper manufacturer announced Tuesday that President and Chief Executive Officer E. Thomas Curley and Chairman Mark Suwyn have left NewPage. Michael Edicola, vice president human resources, also resigned.

Robert Nardelli, CEO of Cerberus Operating and Advisory Co., an affiliate of the controlling stockholder of NewPage, will fill the role of non-executive chairman of NewPage and its affiliates, according to a statement.

NewPage’s board has formed an executive search committee to find a new CEO. The committee will consider both internal and external candidates for the position. The company will broadcast an investor and analyst conference to discuss the leadership changes Tuesday at 11 a.m.

In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, NewPage said it will give Curley $1 low fee payday loans.1 million in severance pay - equal to twice his base pay, as part of his contract - as well as a $165,000 prorated performance bonus.

Suwyn will receive a $2 million severance payout. Edicola will get $650,000 for severance and a $243,000 prorated performance bonus.

The resignations were effective June 11.

The company reported its profit dropped 62 percent in the first quarter of 2010, despite an increase in sales. The company had planned an IPO, but withdrew that in May.

NewPage is the largest coated paper manufacturer in North America. It owns paper mills in Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Nova Scotia, Canada with annual capacity to produce 4.4 million tons of paper. The company has about 7,500 employees, including 400 in the Dayton area.

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Smallwood Drive is no longer the top-rated elementary school in Western New York, but it still ranks first among the region's public elementary schools.

Right behind on the latter list are Maple East of Williamsville, Charlotte Avenue of Hamburg and Ledgeview of Clarence.

Here are the 20 public schools with the highest rankings this year. Each is followed by its position in the overall standings:

• 1. Smallwood Drive School (Amherst), 2nd overall

• 2. Maple East ES (Williamsville), 3rd overall

• 3. Charlotte Avenue ES (Hamburg), 4th overall

• 4. Ledgeview ES (Clarence), 5th overall

• 5. South Davis ES (Orchard Park), 7th overall

• 6. Maple West ES (Williamsville), 8th overall

• 7. Country Parkway ES (Williamsville), 13th overall

• 8. Tapestry CS (Buffalo), 14th overall

• 9. Eggert Road ES (Orchard Park), 16th overall

• 10. Harris Hill ES (Clarence), 18th overall

• 11. Ellicott Road ES (Orchard Park), 20th overall

• 12. Sheridan Hill ES (Clarence), 21st overall

• 13. Forest ES (Williamsville), 22nd overall

• 14. Clarence Center ES (Clarence), 23rd overall

• 15. Prospect ES (Attica), 24th overall

• 16. Dodge ES (Williamsville), 26th overall

• 17. Charles A. Lindbergh ES (Kenmore-Tonawanda), 27th overall

• 18. Errick Road ES (Niagara-Wheatfield), 28th overall

• 19. Armor ES (Hamburg), 29th overall

• 20. Parkdale ES (East Aurora), 31st overall

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The price per gallon of gasoline in Georgia increased 2 cents since last week, AAA Auto Club South reported.

Georgia's average price per gallon is now $2.72, compared with $2.70 last week, $2.65 a month ago and $1.93 a year ago.

The national average price of regular retail gasoline is $2.82.

News of a global economic recovery caused the market to rally on optimism fuel demand will spike this year and pushed the price of crude oil on Thursday to $84.87 on the New York Mercantile Exchange during the shortened trading week last week.

A pick-up in manufacturing jobs and production was reported in the United States, China, Japan, and Europe and is viewed as evidence of a rebound in international trade. In addition, U.S. companies added 162,000 jobs in March, with fewer Americans filing for unemployment according to the U.S. Labor Department.

“We will most likely see crude oil stay above $80 a barrel for quite some time, causing retail gasoline prices to steadily increase into the summer,” said Jessica Brady, AAA spokeswoman, in a statement. “It's a bull market right now and investor confidence is high that fuel demand is on the rise, even though it may be a while before we see if fundamentals support the move higher.”

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Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas is stepping down to run for Arizona attorney general.

Thomas spokesman Jason Rose said the Republican prosecutor's last day in office will be April 6.

Thomas is a close ally of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, backing Arpaio's immigration raids and crime sweeps. The two also have battled with the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and U.S. Circuit Court judges over immigration issues, county budgets and the construction of new court tower in downtown Phoenix.

Thomas' entry sets up a GOP primary race for attorney general against Tom Horne, the state's superintendent of public instruction.

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An increasingly likely playoff berth and fan interest in hockey after the Vancouver Olympics could be accounting for the increase in attendance at Phoenix Coyotes games.

The Coyotes, which have won two straight games, drew a crowd of just under 15,000 on Saturday against the Anaheim Ducks and 12,400 on Thursday against the Colorado Avalanche. The Coyotes average a National Hockey League attendance low of 11,200 fans per game.

The team is in fourth place in the NHL's Western Conference. The top eight teams make the playoffs, and the Coyotes are getting close to assuring themselves a spot. The team has not made the playoffs since 2002.

Strong performance on the ice and fan interest in hockey during the Olympics could help bolster the Coyotes. The team could have moved to Canada in the offseason while they were in Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The Coyotes even are promoting Stanley Cup playoff ticket deals to season ticket holders.

The 15,000-fan draw for the Coyotes also comes on a night when they were competing directly with the Phoenix Suns and Cactus League baseball for fans. The Suns drew 18,200 for their win over the Indiana Pacers.

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President Obama was stumping once again Tuesday for his plan to reimburse homeowners who invest in energy efficiency and create jobs.

But the president’s plan offered less money than had been previously hoped.

‘It’s going to be politically difficult to get this done," Obama said at a speech at Savannah Technical College in Georgia. "But it’s the right thing to do."

The plan, officially known as Home Star, would give rebates of 50% up to $3,000 for energy saving purchases like new appliances, furnaces, or insulation.

Consumers would get the rebate from a store, contractor, or utility.

It would also offer a larger rebate for homeowners who performed a more comprehensive energy audit of their home. Under that plan, homeowners could be reimbursed for up to half the cost of hiring contractors to do things like add insulation, swap out old appliances, and caulk leaky windows and doors.

Rebates depend on a home’s energy savings. Cut energy use by 20% and homeowners could get back half the money they shell out, up to $3,000. Homeowners who cut more than that might get up to $8,000, depending on how much they cut, according to people familiar with the plan.

A typical home energy audit and retrofit costs $5,000 to $8,000, and generally shaves 20%-40% off the monthly energy bills.

Unlike the Energy Department’s Weatherization program, which is targeted to low-income people and has been criticized for taking too long to get going, this plan would be available to everyone.

The $8,000 rebate is less than the $12,000 proponents originally wanted, and the $6 billion proposed for the program is less than the $10 billion originally hoped for creditreport.

Nonetheless, environmentalists praised the idea.

"Even the most basic upgrade puts money in our pockets, puts Americans back to work and puts energy waste on the run," Lane Burt, manager of Building Energy Policy at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said in a statement. "It’s a triple play on a more efficient future."

The program, dubbed "cash for caulkers" by some, has been touted by the president for months. It even won a mention in his State of the Union Address.

But whether it becomes reality is far from certain.

Congressional Democrats are also behind the idea and have said it is a part of their larger job creation strategy. But it was not included in a recent jobs bill, which focused more on extending current tax breaks rather than enacting new programs.

And it faces likely opposition from lawmakers concerned about rising government spending.

"Democratic leaders in Congress will still need to test the level of support for ‘cash for caulker’ programs relative to other jobs priorities," Whitney Stanco, an energy policy analyst at the brokerage firm Concept Capital, said in an e-mail.

The plan could appear in another jobs bill, or in separate energy legislation expected later this year.  

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Bank Indonesia is “confident” the country will meet the central bank’s inflation target this year, Senior Deputy Governor Darmin Nasution said today.

The projection takes into account rising prices and a recovery in the global economy, Nasution said in Jakarta. Consumer-price gains are expected to average 4 percent to 6 percent in 2010, he said Jan. 6.

Indonesia’s central bank kept its benchmark interest rate at 6.5 percent for a fifth month Jan. 6, saying it wasn’t concerned about inflation pressures in the first half. Consumer prices in Southeast Asia’s largest economy held near a decade low in December, giving the bank more time before it joins other Asian policy makers in raising borrowing costs fast cash now.

Indonesia’s inflation will probably be “relatively tame” at about 5.3 percent this year, Helmi Arman, an economist at PT Bank Danamon Indonesia, said in a research note Jan. 18. Economic growth will probably be “close to 5.2 percent,” Arman said in the note.

“The odds are rising for the BI rate to stay at 6.5 percent this year, which paves the way for a smoother recovery of commercial bank credit growth,” Bank Danamon said.

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