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ALPENA - A combination of local leaders has submitted a letter of support to the Department of Transportation for the appointment of Sky West Airlines to replace Delta Airlines as the primary air service provider at the Alpena County Regional Airport.

The team, made up of local city and county leaders, as well as Alpena Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jackie Krawczak and Target Alpena's Jim Klarich, are now asking for the community's comments and support, which will be forwarded to the DOT.

The team had talks earlier this year with Sky West, but couldn't convince the airline to bid. Krawczak said talks resumed some time ago and continued through a special conference in Burbank, Calif., which led to the company bidding in the fourth and final government bid effort. Krawczak said the airline, if chosen, would provide two flights a day - one to Detroit Metro Airport and another to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, which both support Delta hubs. Krawczak said there were several key points that led to supporting Sky West.

"It keeps us in a 50-seat regional jet in Detroit and Minneapolis, as well as keeps us connected with flights with code sharing," she said. "Minneapolis is a great hub and we're thrilled to still have Detroit, and this will allow people to have more options, and having more options is always better."

Krawczak said there has been no indication from the DOT in what direction it may decide to go. Sky West requested the most money in Essential Air Service subsidy, but offers services in line to what currently is available at the airport. Krawczak said from the group's talks with Sky West, if it is approved by the DOT, it could take over service in just a few months. She said she has also had communications with customers of Sky West, and they have praised the airline.

"We believe the transition would take place and they would begin flights sometime this fall," Krawczak said. "I have had many people tell me they have taken flights on Sky West before and they tell us and everything went well. It is a reputable company."

The team submitted its request letter, but it still wants comment of support for the proposed airline. Krawczak said a concerted effort and parallel communications are important to helping bring Sky West to Alpena. She said she would be available to help those who want to send communications to the DOT.

"We are looking for community input and support and letter that says we want Sky West," Krawczak said. "The public comment period is open now, but we don't have an exact time line for how long they will accept it as of yet. People can contact me, and I will help them and even send it out for them."

People wishing to submit a comment of support can contact Jackie Krawczak at the chamber of commerce at 354-4181.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached via e-mail at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5689.

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Public comment sought for DOT

RALEIGH -- They are loath to praise her by name, but Republican legislators really do like what Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue has done with the state Department of Transportation.

So they are enshrining in state law a number of Perdue changes that have been credited with making DOT more open and less political.

Public trust in DOT had ebbed when Perdue took office three years ago after ethical abuses by Democratic transportation board members. Two had been forced to resign one after influencing road-improvement decisions that benefited his familys business interests, another after mingling his DOT duties with his role as a Perdue campaign fundraiser.

Perdue issued an executive order in early 2009 that beefed up ethics standards for board members and stripped away their authority to award contracts and make spending decisions. These powers were shifted to the DOT secretary, who is appointed by the governor.

Perdue decreed that DOT would start using clear, objective criteria for deciding how road money should be spent and which projects would be built first, and that local leaders would get a new say in the process.

Her executive order made changes that easily could be reversed by the next governor. Three bills that have sailed through two committees without dissent in the past week would make that less likely, by turning Perdues changes into law. The measures are expected to pass both chambers easily.

Two Republican senators echoed Perdues statements from 2009 Wednesday, but they balked at referring directly to her role in the DOT reforms.

I think theyre great ideas, said Sen. Bill Rabon of Southport, the transportation co-chairman, after his committee approved the changes. What were trying to do is get the politics out of transportation.

Sen. Kathy Harrington of Gastonia, vice chairman of the transportation committee, also focused her comments on the ideas and not their origins.

I support a transparent, data-driven process, Harrington said. I think DOT should be allowed to prioritize projects based on their criteria.

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Republicans want to make Perdue’s DOT changes permanent

28-05-2012 08:40 Tweet me! Polka dots have been popping up everywhere in all different sizes and styles. It's a very feminine and girly look and not something I'd usually go for -- but I've grown to really love adding interest to my outfits with accents of polka dot prints. Items worn: Polka dot collar blouse - Lacepipe Faux leather pants - Melrose Drive Boyfriend blazer - Forever new Nude pumps - Zu Envelope clutch - Seagulls Music from Tags: fashion polka dots trends feminine girly autumn spring fall casual chic how to wear how to style tips ideas looks outfits trending Australia Melbourne guru prints outfit of the day

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OOTD - Polka dots and Leather - Video

The surprising thing about the embarrassing flop of Facebook is that anyone is surprised. Back in 2000, Michael Lewis, the one-time bond trader turned author, wrote an early expose of what went on in the the dot.com bubble at the turn of the millennium.

Two quotes attributed to the bankers and internet pioneers from that time have never left me. The first and I paraphrase because it is from memory: "I never understand why journalists expect to be told the truth. The share price is far too important for that."

And the second: "You sell a bad company the way you sell a bad movie. The IPO is the premier and the trick is to hype it so much that everyone rushes to see it on the first weekend. By the time word of mouth spreads that it is rubbish they have already parted with their money."

That was then and the people are different now, but I have limited sympathy for anyone who bought Facebook because dot.com mania is not that long ago. The lesson from those days is that the valuation of an internet stock is what the seller thinks he can get away with, and as a further rule of thumb it is normally a bad idea to buy something when an investment bank is the seller because it is always going to know more than you.

But there is a wider economic point made by Warren Buffett, arguably the world's most successful investor. He says the investor should never confuse an innovation which transforms society with the opportunity to make money. Thus successive generations of investors who failed to heed this rule have lost fortunes by trying to get in on the ground floor in automobiles, in radio and television, in airlines, in personal computers and now the internet.

Such failure is predictable, says Mr Buffett, because innovations are glamorous and exciting, and therefore attract far too much capital which leads in turn to intense competition. In such a febrile atmosphere no firm retains an advantage for long, and others leap ahead of it before it has had an opportunity really to make money. Most fall by the wayside. Once there were hundreds of car companies, radio manufacturers and personal computer firms. Long after the event there are two or three winners, but you can never predict which these are likely to be at the beginning of the race.

a.hilton@independent.co.uk

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Anthony Hilton: Facebook flop is really no great surprise. Remember the dot.com debacle?

Small Business: Treasurer Grossman and Rep. Forry toured the Slate Bar & Grill this week, highlighting a small business in the Financial District funded through a Dorchester bank and owned by neighborhood contractors.State officials kicked off National Small Business Week on Monday morning by putting a spotlight on a former ice cream parlor in the Financial District that has been turned into a bar and grill by the same Dorchester contractors who established Ledge Kitchen & Drinks in Lower Mills.

State Treasurer Steven Grossman and state Rep. Linda Dorcena Forry toured the restaurant, called Slate, which received funds through a small business banking partnership that Grossmans office is pushing.

Meetinghouse Bank, which is located in the Lower Mills neighborhood, gave the owners of Slate an extended $500,000 line of credit for the opening and operation of the new business, which opened earlier this year.

The owners are Brendan and Greg Feeney, brothers who are natives of County Sligo in Ireland and who operate Feeney Brothers Contracting.

The Treasurers office initiative behind the $500,000 line of credit provides state cash deposits to community banks that in turn provide loans to small businesses. Since its inception last year, $231 million has been deposited in 44 Bay State banks, according to Grossmans office, with a resulting leverage of 892 small business loans. The Slate loan helped create 32 jobs, Grossmans office noted.

I looked at these two brothers, and I said these are two guys who I have no doubt any small bank would want to partner with, the treasurer told the Reporter after the tour. Noting the wood paneling and high top tables, Grossman gave the restaurant, which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, a good review. The next few times Im going to have breakfast downtown, Im going to say meet me at Slate, he said.

Brendan and I are continuously encouraged by the level of support we have received as small business owners in Boston, Greg Feeney said in a statement. The hands-on and open-door policy approach by our local political and community leaders has created an environment where opportunities for entrepreneurship and small business ownership are flourishing.

In her own statement, Forry, chair of the House side of the Small Business and Community Development Committee, said she hopes the celebration of small businesses will become an annual tradition and is a wonderful opportunity to highlight and reflect on the many important economic contributions of our states nearly 582,600 entrepreneurs and small businesses.

Grossman, who went on a tour of ice cream parlors during his run for treasurer in 2010, pointed out that the Slate building used to house a Brighams. I cant get away from ice cream, he said.

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State/Bank loan helps Dot merchants open Hub eatery