Xcel offers free light bulbs
Xcel Energy unveiled an energy-efficiency program Tuesday in which customers can receive a free compact fluorescent light bulb if they buy seven of the low-energy bulbs.
Although compact fluorescent bulbs are more expensive than typical incandescent bulbs, they use up to 75 percent less electricity and often last six to 10 years.
By replacing one incandescent bulb with a compact fluorescent, customers can lower their energy bills by up to $50 over the life of the bulb, Xcel said. The bulbs offered by Xcel range in price from $3.99 to $13.99 depending on size, wattage and type of fixture.
Compact fluorescents offer the greatest energy savings in lights used often and for long periods of time such as kitchen and living room lights, and outdoor porch or post lamps.
Information on the promotion is available at 1-877-535-0350 or www.xcelenergy.com/homelighting.
Compact fluorescent bulbs also are widely available at home-improvement stores and other retailers.
COLORADO SPRINGS
T. Rowe Price plans announcement today
T. Rowe Price, the Baltimore-based investment adviser, has scheduled a news conference for today at 2:30 p.m. in Colorado Springs. Area economic officials described the announcement as “major” but declined to provide specific details. Several of the company’s executives will be on hand, including Edward C. Bernard, chairman of T. Rowe Price Investment Services.
DENVER
Linhart to handle PR for Wild Oats chain
Denver-based Linhart McClain Finlon Public Relations announced Tuesday that it has been selected by Wild Oats Markets Inc. as its national public-relations firm.
Boulder-based Wild Oats has 113 natural-foods stores in the U.S. and Canada, and annual sales of more than $1.1 billion.
NEW YORK
New research center targets identity theft
An alliance of businesses, colleges and federal crimefighters will combine their expertise at a new research center that will study the problems of identity theft and fraud.
Founding partners of the Center for Identity Management and Information Protection include LexisNexis Inc. and IBM Corp., the U.S. Secret Service and the FBI. Participating schools include Carnegie Mellon University, Indiana University and Syracuse University.
HIGHLANDS RANCH
Bono among speakers at leadership summit
U2 singer Bono, civil rights leader James Meeks and author Jim Collins will participate in the Leadership Summit 2006, a motivational event to be broadcast live via satellite Aug. 10-12 to the Cherry Hills Community Church in Highlands Ranch.
The event will originate from South Barrington, Ill., and is expected to draw more than 70,000 participants worldwide.
WASHINGTON
Stock-options timing worries Treasury pick
Henry Paulson, President Bush’s nominee for Treasury secretary, said Tuesday he is troubled by reports that dozens of U.S. companies may have manipulated the timing to stock options to enrich their managers.
DENVER
DIA bonds upgrade will save “millions”
Denver International Airport said an upgrade by Fitch Ratings to A+ from A for $3.6 billion in outstanding airport revenue bonds will save the airport “millions of dollars” in future interest payments after refinancing.
Fitch gave the bonds a ratings outlook of “stable” and assigned the rating to a $285 million Series 2006A bond offering scheduled to be sold the week of July 24 to refinance the city’s outstanding airport bonds.
Fitch cited DIA’s ability to reduce costs, United Airlines’ emergence from bankruptcy, the entrance of Southwest Airlines, growth of United and Frontier and a recent agreement to transfer A gates from United to Frontier and write off United’s automated-baggage-system debt. Earlier this month, Moody’s Investor Service upgraded DIA’s outstanding bonds to A1 from A2.
BOULDER
Noodles & Co. decides to move headquarters
Boulder-based Noodles & Co. will relocate its headquarters to Broomfield in November.
The company has leased a 23,000-square-foot former retail space at 520 Zang St. in the Main Street at Flatiron development. The new offices will accommodate roughly 100 employees.
BOULDER
New mall to display scientific exhibits
The developer of the Twenty Ninth Street retail project in Boulder has partnered with seven scientific entities to create educational displays throughout the development.
The exhibits will showcase the work of the National Center for Atmospheric Research; the University of Colorado’s JILA organization; the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration; the National Institute of Standards and Technology; the Space Science Institute; the National Renewable Energy Lab; and the University of Colorado’s Laboratory of Astronomical Space Physics.
DOUGLAS COUNTY
Starz to feature 47 new, classic concerts
Starz Entertainment Group said Tuesday it has reached a deal with Norwalk, Conn.-based Northstar Media to license 47 full-length new and classic concerts and music documentaries for Vongo, its Internet-based movie service.
The additional content will debut Saturday and include “No Doubt: Rock Steady Live” (2003) and “David Bowie: Love You ‘Til Tuesday” (1969).
COLORADO SPRINGS
General takes over at Space Command
Four-star Gen. Kevin Chilton on Tuesday assumed command of Air Force Space Command in Colorado Springs. Chilton replaces Gen. Lance Lord, who retired April 1, and will oversee nearly 40,000 space and missile professionals.
WASHINGTON
Morgan Stanley fined $10 million by SEC
Morgan Stanley, the second- largest U.S. securities firm by market value, was fined $10 million Tuesday by the Securities and Exchange Commission because it failed to guard against illegal insider trading for at least eight years.
The fine was the biggest ever for a violation of surveillance rules. The New York-based brokerage didn’t adequately monitor employee accounts to detect insider trading as far back as 1997.
