National US News

MIAMI, Fla. -- Bank Foreclosures Sale, an online leader in the foreclosure listings and information industry, reported new statistics for the first quarter show foreclosures are up 7 percent from the most recent quarter, and almost 16 percent from the first quarter of 2009. While the first two months of the year saw relatively low foreclosures, filings surged 19 percent in March, largely accounting for the overall quarterly increase.

ATLANTA, Ga. -- The economy may be in a slump, but 13 members of the Georgia Association of Business Brokers (GABB) helped enough business owners buy and sell $30 million worth of businesses to earn membership to the organization's prestigious Million Dollar Club for 2009. Each year the GABB, the state's only professional association dedicated to buying and selling business, recognizes the state's outstanding business brokers.

REDMOND, Wash. -- Respondus, Inc. announces the availability of two mobile solutions for its StudyMate Class application, enabling students to access interactive study materials from their online courses. Collectively, the mobile offerings for StudyMate Class support the iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Palm Pre, iPod touch, and iPad devices.

BOSTON, Mass. -- Building Engines, provider of a comprehensive Web-based operations management solution for owners and managers of all property types, today reports continued long-term system adoption within Related Management, a division of The Related Companies, Inc., a world-renowned real estate developer, owner and manager based in New York City. The announcement comes after a successful year of adoption and usage across commercial office, retail, and hospitality properties.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- James Monk, a 38 year veteran of the HVAC industry in Central Arkansas has started a new company, Aircon Experts, Inc. to service the heating and cooling needs of commercial clients throughout Central Arkansas. With a focus on commercial projects only, Aircon Experts, Inc. will provide services for new construction, remodels and retrofits.

SONOITA, Ariz. -- Kief-Joshua Vineyards is celebrating their Second Annual Arizona Wine and Music Festival with the release of three new wines on May 1 and 2, 2010, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. To mark the occasion, the winery is hosting a wine festival, featuring wine tasting and tours, live music performed by Jeordie, from noon to 2 p.m. and Andy Hersey, from 2 to 5 p.m. The day's events will also include numerous vendors from the Sierra Vista Farmer's Market.

BALLINGER, Texas -- Mueller, Inc., a leading manufacturer of steel buildings and residential metal roofing, wants to extend a helping hand again this year to a Texas non-profit in need of a new facility. The campaign is called 'Helping Hands.' One organization will be selected to receive a new Mueller steel building up to 4,000 square feet through applications received by June 1, 2010.

ATLANTA, Ga. -- CMI, a full-service marketing research company, has added three new professionals to its project management team: Alisa Hamilton as senior project manager, and Matt Orenstein and Nicole Stover as assistant project managers. CMI is a full-service marketing research company that creates competitive advantages for clients by turning research data into strategic insights and recommendations that drive business results.

MARSHALL, Mo. -- The Missouri Alliance for the Development of Entrepreneurship announced today that the deadline for the 2010 MADE In Missouri State Entrepreneurship Competition, an event that will highlight new and aspiring businesses through a competitive and educational business development process, has been extended to accept preliminary submissions until May 8th, 2010.

HOUSTON, Texas -- Brian Gavin, fifth generation diamond cutter and creator of his internationally renowned Signature Hearts and Arrows diamond brand, has launched a new state-of-the-art and visually exciting Web site that offers diamond buyers the perfect balance between a highly personalized shopping experience and an extensive selection of quality original and custom jewelry designs.

MIAMI, Fla. -- 'Papal Rogues' (ISBN: 978-1936183029), the debut thriller by author Ron Wilk is now available on Amazon.com, ronwilkfiction.com, and through book stores nationwide. Papal Rogues is published by Langdon Street Press and draws the reader into the clandestine underbelly of corporate America, the U.S. Military and most shockingly -- the Vatican.

ATLANTA, Ga. -- Buying or selling most businesses requires a license, and Robert Love, chair of the Georgia Real Estate Commission, will speak to the Georgia Association of Business Brokers about state licensing requirements at the group's monthly meeting on Tuesday, April 27, at 10:30 a.m.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- International Document Services (IDS) and Primary Capital Mortgage have teamed up to minimize the lender's RESPA-related initial disclosures and closing document challenges. IDS is a mortgage document preparation vendor for closing documents, initial disclosures and reverse documents. Primary Capital Mortgage is an Atlanta based residential mortgage banking firm.

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Data published by ForeclosureListings comparing March 2010 to February 2010 shows that Florida and Georgia had an important increase in foreclosure rates at 21.26 percent and 20.14 percent respectively. Michigan, one of the economically hardest-hit by the recession and a leading state in the number of foreclosure states surprisingly had only a .44 percent rise in foreclosures for the same time period.

TORRANCE, Calif. -- Neotrope today announced it has joined in sponsoring the second annual Self-Publishers Online Conference (SPOC), a three-day virtual event that features a total of 15 expert speakers, and which will take place May 12-14, 2010. Neotrope's Send2Press(R) Newswire service will be providing both promotional services for the event, as well as discounts on book promotion packages for attending book authors and small publishers.

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- Sample Digital has announced that Michael J. Lam has come aboard as VP, Account Development. Previously President of ClearStory Systems, the media asset management company, Lam has long experience in the technology field, with a focus on business systems. He is based in New York and will be working closely with the company's West Coast headquarters.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Online-based recording industry publication adds noted music producer, recording artist, and on-air radio personality Danielle Egnew to its editorial staff. Egnew will contribute expertise on issues related to the business of music, album production, and independent film. Music Industry Newswire(TM) is a publication of Neotrope(R) Entertainment, established in California in 1983.

CINCINNATI, Ohio -- For those managers and supervisors who need an in-depth overview of today's environmental regulations, Lion Technology Inc., the nation's leading regulatory compliance training firm, will soon be presenting its Complete Environmental Regulations workshop in the area. Key topics include air quality, water quality, chemical controls, and waste management. Students will learn how to comply with new requirements, including new reporting responsibilities under the 261-page greenhouse gas rule.

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- EASEUS, the provider of affordable, scalable partition management, data recovery and disaster recovery utilities, today announced the immediate availability of EASEUS Partition Master 5.5.1 -- a comprehensive partition tool and system optimization software for Windows and Windows server. Built upon the popular EASEUS Partition Master 5.0.1, this latest version helps rebuild MBR, wipe disk and defragment and is simply the most powerful partition management utility available today.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- For those who seek meaning, connection, and want to make a difference as they travel, a San Francisco-based cultural and philanthropic tour company offers a unique Zulu 'empowerment' volunteer tour into KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa in September of 2010. This three-week trip, offered by The Cultural Explorer, gives volunteer travelers the rare opportunity to immerse themselves in the vibrant Zulu culture while participating in a variety of service-oriented projects.