BUSINESS BRIEFS
Inouye labeled a 'prolific porker'
Advertiser Staff and News Services
More than $180 million in earmarks added by Sen. Daniel Inouye to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act prompted a Washington, D.C., watchdog group to call him one of Congress's "five most prolific porkers."
Inouye, Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee chairman, ranked third on the list, having added appropriations totaling $182 million to the bill, according a report by to Citizens Against Government Waste. Among Inouye's appropriations were $23 million for the Hawaii Federal Healthcare Network, $10 million for the Hawaii Technology Development Venture and $3.6 million for Intelligent Decision Exploration.
Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), the ranking minority member on the subcommittee, topped the the list with $204 million in appropriations. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), the ranking minority member on the Senate Appropriations Committee, was second with $198 million in appropriations.
Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, mismanagement and abuse in government.
CVS-LONGS TENDER OFFER ENDS TODAY
CVS Caremark Corp. is reminding stockholders of Longs Drug Stores Corp. that its tender offer for the company will expire at 6 p.m. Hawai'i time today.
The company is offering $71.50 a share for Longs, a Walnut Creek, Calif.-based company that is the biggest drug store chain in Hawai'i.
CVS wants to take over Longs in a $2.7 billion purchase. Longs operates more than 500 drug stores in four Western states, including 39 in Hawai'i.
PHOENIX HEALTH HIRED ON BIG ISLAND
North Hawaii Community Hospital on the Big Island has selected Phoenix Health Systems Inc. to provide information technology management services.
"Phoenix will partner with NHCH to eliminate the operational risk associated with the transition to new clinical information and financial management systems, effectively manage overall IT cost, establish service level metrics and key performance indicators, ensure NHCH has consistent access to professional IT resources, and also a stable and predictable IT environment over time," the companies said in a news release.
North Hawaii Community Hospital is a full-service, 40-bed acute care hospital centrally located in Waimea.
Phoenix Health Systems is a national information technology and business process services provider offering an integrated set of professional and technical services to healthcare organizations.
BEST WESTERN CONVENTION SATURDAY
Executives, managers and hotel owners from major hotel chain Best Western International will gather at the Hawai'i Convention Center from Saturday through next Wednesday for their 2008 North American Convention.
This is the second time that Best Western International has held this event at the Center. The first was in October of 2000.
This event is expected to draw 2,900 participants from around the world. Statewide spending is projected to be more than $13.6 million and generate more than $1.3 million in tax revenue. The Convention Center also projects a benefit to hotels, with 23,000 rooms booked.
Best Western International Inc. is based in Phoenix. Best Western offers more than 315,000 quality guest rooms in 80 countries and territories throughout North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the South Pacific.
