| After leap breaks body, a miracle renews spirit
On the evening of Sept. 28, at an apartment complex in King of Prussia, a tragedy and a miracle occurred 2.5 seconds apart. The tragedy took place when Jordan Burnham, 18, a senior just nominated to the homecoming court at Upper Merion High School, jumped out his ninth-floor window. The miracle happened 90 feet below, when he hit the ground at 50 m.p.h. - and survived. Jordan has no recollection of going out the window. Even though he was suffering from depression, neither he nor anyone close to him ever expected him to do something so impulsive, so lethal. "I had everything to live for," he says now. Today, 114 days later, Jordan's body remains badly broken. With the help of three therapists, he stood on his right leg last week for 60 seconds.
Shalmy leaving post as exec at Sierra Pacific Resources
When Walt Higgins, chairman of Sierra Pacific Resources and a former submarine officer, encountered the "perfect storm" six years ago, he turned to Donald "Pat" Shalmy. Shalmy was a former Clark County manager and former president of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce but had no experience with electric utilities. Higgins told Shalmy the company already had plenty of electrical engineers, accountants and regulatory experts. The utility chief wanted Shalmy to help the company restore good relations with major customers such as Strip casino operators, state regulators and political officials. And he wanted Shalmy to boost employee morale. Shalmy joined the company as senior vice president of public policy and external affairs. Within two months, he was given added responsibility as president of subsidiary Nevada Power Co.
Ask the PCWA for water conservation rewards
Water costs are on the rise and the Placer County Water Agency can do more to empower customers to avoid future costs through economic incentives. Residents of Auburn have recently been faced with the increasing costs of water, both on the supply side (PCWA) and the wastewater disposal side (city of Auburn). While these cost increases may have shocked many, the inescapable fact is these costs primarily reflect what we, the customers, demand — sufficient quantity and quality of water supplied to our homes and sufficient capacity of our sewage treatment plant to treat wastewater flows. Objecting to proposed cost increases is too late in the game to avoid increased costs. Changing what we, the customers, demand is the more effective way of heading off the future shock of water costs.
DEVELOPMENT: LV land prices rise in quarter
Land values in Las Vegas rose 21.8 percent during the fourth quarter to an average of $1.51 million an acre for 452 acres sold compared to the previous year's quarter, Las Vegas-based research firm Applied Analysis reported. The price was down 25 percent from $2.01 million an acre in the third quarter. Fourth-quarter sales included 13 acres of resort property, such as former sites for failed high-rises Ivana Las Vegas, Icon and Majestic. Those sites averaged $20.1 million an acre. Excluding land sales around the Strip, the average price was $939,400 an acre, still a 20.1 percent increase from the fourth quarter of 2006. .
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