SfL+a Architects (http://www.sfla.biz), an architectural firm that offers professional solutions to educational institutions, has been recognized as one of the top architectural firms in the Triangle area, ranked on Triangle Business Journal's Architect Firms list. A weekly publication devoted to reporting business news in the Triangle, Triangle Business Journal ranked the companies based on their number of registered architects in the Triangle. SfL+a Architects was previously ranked on the Triangle Business Journal's Architect Firms list in 2011. QUOTES: "We are ...

First quarter sales are on the rise at Beef 'O' Brady's, and Beef's famous Buffalo-style chicken wings don't get all the credit this time. Following a turnaround year in which comp sales improved 2.95 percent system-wide, the 213-unit family sports pub franchise is reporting an 8.3 percent increase in same-store sales over Q1 2011. First quarter performance was anchored by the best sales performance in March since 2005 - a 9.3 percent comp sales increase. Despite the challenging economic climate, Beef 'O' Brady's is growing again. When asked why, CEO Chris Elliott gives ...

David Finch, president and CEO of ATCOM Business Technology Solutions (http://www.atcombts.com), a communications solutions provider, has announced that Roy Bobley has joined the firm as systems engineer. In this role, he will work to manage and implement new IT solutions to clients, and provide them with support through server management and programming. With more than a decade of experience in the IT industry, Bobley is a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and a VCP 4.0 VMware Certified Professional who holds a degree in computer science. QUOTES: "Roy brings ...

Halfpricesoft.com recently updated ezTimeSheet time tracking software with new vacation and leave plan options to give small businesses more versatility when tracking vacation time, sick time and paid time off for employees. The latest version of the software, Version 2.0.7, was released in early March and allows HR managers or employers to set up multiple accrual plans for vacation, paid time off, and sick time. Plans can then be assigned to employees based on their status. Businesses can assign different plans to employees and contractors, or one plan for veteran employees ...

Ralph J. DiLeone, managing partner at The DiLeone Law Group, P.C. (http://www.dileone.com), has announced that the firm has received an A+ letter grade rating from the Better Business Bureau, which gathers and archives information it receives from customers about businesses. Grading elements include type of business, time in business, competency licensing, advertising review, background information, clear understanding of business, mediation/arbitration, revocation and complaint analysis, among others. Points are awarded or deducted based on how businesses meet these elements. ...

Wrexham Food Festival will take place on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th May 2012 on Llwyn Isaf, Wrexham. The event is brought to you by Nightingale House Hospice, in partnership with Local Food First Wrexham, Wrexham County Borough Council and Northern Marches Cymru. It aims to raise valuable funds for the hospice, but also to attract many new visitors to this wonderful part of the world and showcase the fantastic quality of locally produced food. This culinary extravaganza will play out over two days on Llwyn Isaf, a large Green in the heart of town, and will feature ...

Pennsylvania author Rene Daniel's fantasy adventure novel, 'Spear of Seth', is written in the spirit of 'Indiana Jones' and 'House of Anubis'. The novel takes modern day archaeologists into the Egyptian Underworld. 'Spear Of Seth' is a blend of fantasy, legend and adventure. Daniel has termed this new genre 'Falenture'. His next novel, 'Last Secret Of Nikola Tesla', follows the same popular format. "Storylines such as those found in the 'Indiana Jones' series and 'House Of Anubis'," said Mr. Daniels, "never seem to go out of favor with the book buying ...

As a grandmother Genanne D. concerned with what games and entertainment is available for children and families to enjoy together with no alternative to the unwholesome choices available on the internet or to use in family time and sharing with friends. She developed a website to provide tools for Christian entertainment and gaining knowledge of the Bible. These tools are much appreciated by all family members and friends with whom the children share. Genanne felt like family night is important. She felt tired of the inappropriate things that are found on TV and entertainment ...

Financial Considerations for Divorce or Dissolution in Washington Are you contemplating or facing a divorce? Whether congratulations or regrets are in order, many decisions must be made as you prepare to start the next chapter of your life; decisions about children, joint assets, alimony, child custody and finances. Washington is a community property state, meaning that, in general, all property -- and debt -- acquired during the marriage and money made during the marriage will be split equally between the two upon divorce or dissolution of a domestic partnership. ...

Parents Should Be on Their Best Behavior During a Divorce or Separation A recent study confirms what many have suspected: Poor behavior by divorcing parents causes more problems for their children than the divorce itself. Research shows that all children experience some negative effects as their parents separate or divorce but, if a split is particularly traumatic or vicious, the children may suffer the ill effects into adulthood and some never quite recover. If you are facing a separation or divorce from your spouse or domestic partner, the two of you have the power ...

Avoid These Mistakes When Creating or Updating an Estate Plan Few people like to think about death, and planning for a time for after they have passed on often gets put off "for another day." When people do get around to making estate plans, they often end up making some common errors that leave their heirs in as poor of a condition as if they had not planned at all. People should avoid some of the following recurring estate planning blunders. Not Naming Beneficiaries The biggest mistake people can make in estate planning is not to have a plan at all. ...

It's All About Taxes: Variety Is the Reason to Establish an LLC When first introduced as a business entity, Limited Liability Corporations were widely hailed as a great way to shield owners from personal liability for their business obligations. This "corporate veil," as it is known in legal circles, ensures that an owner can operate a business while protecting his or her personal assets from most types of lawsuits and business debts. Well and good, most business owners and entrepreneurs agree. But for many what it really comes down to is taxes. Taxes ...

Former Student Convicted of Bias Intimidation for Webcam Spying In a case that has garnered national controversy, a jury has convicted a former Rutgers University student of bias intimidation, invasion of privacy and evidence tampering, convictions that could bring as many as 10 years in jail. Dharun Ravi, the student convicted, was born in India and also likely faces deportation. The charges, and subsequent conviction, arose from an incident where Ravi used a webcam to spy on his gay roommate. Shortly after seeing Ravi's tweets about the incident, his roommate, Tyler ...

New Jersey Bans Synthetic Marijuana New Jersey's Division of Consumer Affairs has banned all forms of synthetic drugs that mimic marijuana's effects. Previously, five types of synthetic marijuana had been banned in the state, but New Jersey has joined three other states in banning all forms of the drug. Most states ban some form of the substance, as does the federal government. The all-inclusive ban is the latest attempt by New Jersey to crack down on drug crimes. Synthetic marijuana is a mixture of synthetic compounds chemically similar to THC, the active ingredient ...

Connecticut Dog Bite Liability There are approximately 800,000 dog-bite injuries requiring medical treatment each year in the U.S. Another one to two million bites annually do not get reported, according to the Turlock Journal. Many of these incidents can be prevented, but some aggressive dogs are simply uncontrollable. When dog attacks lead to injuries, Connecticut law can provide a way for victims to obtain the compensation they need to recover and get back on their feet. Potentially Liable Parties Victims of dog biteslikely have legal claims if another person's ...

How Bankruptcy Affects Car Loans Many people considering bankruptcy have questions about how the process will affect their vehicle loans. Unlike credit card debt, medical bills and other forms of unsecured debt, which are often dischargeable in bankruptcy, car loans are usually secured debts. This means that the vehicle itself is used as collateral in the loan agreement, allowing the lender to repossess the vehicle in lieu of payment if the buyer fails to pay off the debt. Secured loans are generally more difficult to discharge through bankruptcy than unsecured debt. ...

Florida Rolls Out Significant Personal Injury Protection Changes Big changes to Florida's personal injury protection, or PIP, insurance system are coming soon. Several legislators say the state, medical providers and consumers have all suffered from too much fraud in recent years and that the new law will return PIP to its original purpose of providing benefits for emergency treatment after auto accidents. The new law is intended to lower insurance rates and ease the burden of PIP litigation on Florida courts. Auto Insurance Premiums According to The News-Press, ...

Mediation -- It's up to You Using mediation in divorce and family law disputes can result in settlements that stand the test of time. Studies show that mediated agreements result in the least number of reappearances in court. In divorce mediation, the divorcing couple uses a neutral third party to negotiate between themselves on issues such as property division, child custody and alimony. Mediation is not for everyone, however. Some situations demand zealous representation by a Massachusetts divorce lawyer because of the emotionally charged nature of divorce cases. ...

Uncovering Hidden Assets in Divorce While no one likes to think they could be defrauded by their spouse, even under the worst circumstances, asset concealment during divorce is relatively common. Some spouses hide assets for purely financial reasons, perhaps fearing that they will not have enough to get by on after the divorce; others engage in asset concealment for other reasons, such as feelings of entitlement or a desire to seek revenge. Divorcing spouses hide assets from one another in a wide variety of ways, ranging from highly sophisticated to deceptively simple. ...

Texas Department of Transportation Encourages Drivers to Share the Road Hundreds of motorcyclists are killed every year in Texas, and that number is tragically rising. Because motorcyclists have very little protection other than a helmet (if even wearing one) motorcycle riders have a disproportionally higher fatality rate than drivers of other motor vehicles. A motorcycle rider is 25 times more likely to die in an accident than other vehicle drivers, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHSTA data shows that nearly 90 percent of motorcycle ...

Tired Truckers May Create Big Problems for Others on the Road According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adults should get between seven and nine hours of sleep every night. While being drowsy during the workday is an issue for many people, sleep fatigue among commercial truck drivers can result in deadly consequences. A recent study conducted by the National Sleep Foundation measured the sleep health of transportation workers like truckers, pilots and train engineers and compared their results to employees outside of the transportation industry. ...

Saving Gas vs. Driving Safely During the choke of the nation's first major oil crisis, the National Maximum Speed Law provision of the 1974 Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act was drafted. More than four decades later, many states have taken advantage of the federal government's deregulation of national highway speed limit standards and abandoned the 55 mph limits on most interstate roads; however, recent studies reveal that 55 may again be the magic speed to save energy as the nation continues to face energy supply and conservation challenges. According to ...

Some Cities Step in Where New Texas Traffic Laws Fall Short Updates to Texas traffic laws in September 2011 brought a number of changes for drivers in the state, including speed limit adjustments and a new law requiring drivers to slow down or move over when approaching a tow truck on the side of the road. Significantly absent from the overhaul, however, was a measure that would have banned texting while driving for all drivers in Texas. A proposed state-wide texting ban had been approved by state legislators in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, but ...

Teen-Driver Car Accident Fatalities Increase Nationally Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for 16- to 19-year olds, and statistics show that they are on the rise nationally. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, the most recent preliminary data available -- for the first half of 2011 -- shows that the number of both 16- and 17-year-olds killed in car accidents is increasing. New Jersey Fatal Car Accidents In New Jersey, the trend is the opposite, but that does not necessarily mean the state is a model of superior highway safety. ...

New Jersey's Drug Courts Offer Road to Rehabilitation New Jersey's drug court system recognizes the fact that people who struggle with drug abuse should not be imprisoned but should be treated like folks with any other disease. Fortunately, Gov. Chris Christie favors the drug court system in the state and plans to expand the number of participants by making participation in the program mandatory, not voluntary. In New Jersey, the drug court is essentially a treatment program led by the drug court judge who coordinates the steps of the program with court staff, probation ...