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Sir James Matthew Barrie, a Scotish playwright and children’s book author, once wrote: “The life of every man is a diary in which he means to write one story, and writes another.”

There are days when writing is an escape.

And there are others when it can be somewhat torturous.

Yet, after one story comes another and then another still.

There is something comforting in that truth, yet something frightening, too.

There will be the expectation of another column, another story.

But will there be another idea?

When will the well run dry?

This, you see, is my 400th SportsView column for the

.

With hope and health and some good fortune, as well, I begin the journey of 400 more.

Others have written many more columns than this. And I admire their accomplishment.

But this is a pretty big deal to this Kate Schenk Elementary grad, who knew in second grade that he wanted to write.

This is not the journey for the faint of heart.

There are good days and bad in this line of work.

Sometimes you hit a home run.

And sometimes you’re lucky to get one out of the infield.

Along the way, you have to let others calculate your batting average.

Sometimes you close your eyes and smile as soon as the last word is typed.

Sometimes you struggle desperately to put into words what your mind is thinking.

Then there is that constant frustration that comes with the revelation that words have power, but not nearly as much as we wish.

If you are looking to travel this fall, today could be a great day to buy plane tickets for your flight.

, which flies direct from Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport to Chicago and Denver, announced a ticket sale Tuesday that allows customers to buy one-way tickets for as low as $30. Several of Southwest’s competitors –

(NYSE: AMR),

(NYSE: DAL),

(NYSE: UAL),

(NYSE: LCC) and JetBlue Airways (Nasdaq: JBLU) – then matched the Southwest offer, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.

The special fares, which also include $60 and $90 tickets, are available through 11:59 p.m. Wednesday for selected flights Sept. 9 to Nov. 18.

The price customers pay will be based on how far they are traveling. For example, Southwest’s discounted tickets include $30 each way between Milwaukee and Cleveland, Indianapolis, Louisville or St. Louis. Other sample fares include $90 each way between Chicago and Houston; $60 from Burbank, Calif., to St. Louis; and $30 for Baltimore to New York.

The other carriers are offering matching fares on routes that compete directly with Southwest service. Delta, American, United and US Airways all serve Mitchell International.

Southwest is trying to lure passengers as both business and leisure travel decline industry wide.

Newly retired Pinnacle West Capital Corp. CEO Bill Post is the first Lifetime Achievement winner as the Phoenix Business Journal honors its inaugural class of the Valley’s Most Admired CEOs.

Post, along with 25 CEOs of Arizona public and private companies, are being recognized at a dinner Tuesday night and in a special supplement to Friday’s print edition of the Journal.

Editor Ilana Lowery called the local leaders “the epitome of achievement.”

“Their companies are successful; they’ve helped to build Valley business; and they’ve contributed their time and expertise in the community on numerous levels,” she said.

Post, for example, started his career with Pinnacle West subsidiary Arizona Public Service Co. as a draftsman in 1971, moving up the ranks to serve as president and CEO of the parent company for 13 years.

But he also has been a community leader serving as chairman of Greater Phoenix Economic Council, where he helped create a group to study issues key to the region’s economic growth.

J. Doug Pruitt, Sundt Construction Inc.

Doug Parker, US Airways Group Inc.

Jerry Bisgrove, Stardust Cos.

Steve Betts, SunCor Development Co.

Rick Simonetta, Metro light rail

Sharon Harper, The Plaza Cos.

Donald Smith Jr., SCF Arizona

Robert Meyer, Phoenix Children’s Hospital

Kimberly McWaters, Universal Technical Institute

Richard Boals, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona

Susan Frank, Desert Schools Federal Credit Union

Jonah Shacknai, Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp.

Jim Tuton, American Traffic Solutions Inc.

Derrick Hall, Arizona Diamondbacks

Roy Vallee, Avnet Inc.

Todd Davis, LifeLock Inc.

Richard Silverman, Salt River Project

Philip Francis, PetSmart Inc.

David McIntyre Jr., TriWest Healthcare Alliance

Mike Ahearn, First Solar Inc.

Neil Irwin, Bryan Cave LLP

Rhonda Forsyth, John C. Lincoln Health Network

Brad Casper, Henkel Consumer Goods Inc.

Dave Dexter, Sonora Quest Laboratories

Linda Hunt, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center

“It wasn’t easy narrowing down the Valley’s Most Admired CEOs to just 25,” Lowery said. “But as we shine the spotlight on this year’s winners, keep in mind that a strong business community is key to developing future leaders.”

Selections were made based on feedback solicited from the Journal’s newsroom, peers and others in the business community.

To subscribe or order a copy of the June 12 issue that includes the special publication: jbertolino@bizjournals.com.

Denver residents pulled 1,234 free building permits for $6,283,957 in home-improvement construction during the two-week free permit program that ended June 15.

The free permits issued under the city’s “Home Renovation Bonanza” program saved residents an estimated $85.774 in fees, officials said. Building-permit fees normally range from $20 to several thousand dollars, depending on the value of the project.

The program aimed to boost the local economy by encouraging home-improvement projects. The free permits, available June 1-15, are for common improvement projects involving single-family homes and duplexes.

“We wanted a bonanza and it seems we got one,” Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper said in a statement. “We hoped to stimulate the local economy by offering an incentive for residents to make improvements to their property. This is a good sign that people are moving forward and doing what they can to get our economy back on track.”

The permits are valid for 180 days.

Robert Bennett is no longer the chancellor of the , but he is still a man with a mission.

The Town of Tonawanda resident headed the 17-member board for seven years before stepping down in March. Yet he didn’t retire. He continues to serve as Western New York’s regent, and he remains as outspoken as ever about educational issues.

One of his pet topics is the sheer number of local school systems. There are too many of them, he says, and their enrollments are generally too small.

“Why do you need 28 school districts in Erie County?” he asks. “I’d like to see something like five districts in the county instead of 28. I’d even like to start talking about a countywide school district, like they have in North Carolina and a few other states.”

Bennett’s stand is buttressed by a report released last December by the State Commission on Property Tax Relief.

“New York State has too many school districts,” the report says flatly. It suggests that districts with fewer than 1,000 students should be required to merge with adjacent systems, and districts with enrollments between 1,000 and 2,000 should be encouraged to follow suit.

Such proposals hit home in Western New York, where 66 of the region’s 98 school districts have enrollments below 2,000, including 38 with fewer than 1,000 students from kindergarten through 12th grade.

The heart of this issue is a matter of benefits and costs -- pitting the perceived advantages of combining two or more districts against the potential loss of local control and self-identity.

Advocates maintain that mergers allow consolidated districts to be more cost-effective, construct better schools and offer a wider range of challenging courses.

“It’s not only a financial issue. To me, it’s a matter of equity,” says Bennett. “If you had a regional high school, maybe serving seven or eight of the (current) districts, it would give kids the opportunity to work with each other -- and to have the best of the best.”

But opponents contend that mergers bring more bureaucracy, longer bus rides for students and diminution of local pride.

“In this community, the world revolves around this school,” says Thomas Schmidt, superintendent of the 478-pupil Sherman Central School District in Chautauqua County. “If the school went away, Sherman, N.Y., would lose a great deal of its identity.”

School consolidation has been a volatile, emotional issue for a century. The state was crosshatched by 10,565 districts in 1910, many of them centered on one-room schoolhouses. A push for greater efficiency reduced that number to 6,400 by the outbreak of World War II, then swiftly down to 1,300 by 1960.

New York now has 698 districts. Statewide enrollment works out to 2,540 pupils per district, which falls 25 percent below the national average of 3,400, according to the State Commission on Property Tax Relief.

The gap is even larger in Western New York, which had 104 districts when Business First began rating schools in 1992. Mergers have since reduced that number to 98 school systems. They educate an average of 2,268 students, 33 percent below the U.S. norm.

A comprehensive effort to push regional enrollment up to the national average would require the elimination of 33 Western New York districts. That process would be complicated, messy, rancorous -- and extremely unlikely.

There is no shortage of candidates for consolidation, to be sure. Business First easily came up with 13 hypothetical mergers, most of them based on standards proposed in last December’s report. These unions would involve districts from all eight counties.

for a summary of these 13 potential consolidations.

It should be stressed that this list is fantasy, not reality. State officials lack the power to force districts to consolidate. Initiative must be taken at the local level, which happens infrequently. Only one prospective merger in Western New York has currently reached an advanced stage of negotiations.

Brocton and Fredonia began consolidation talks last year, eventually commissioning a feasibility study at the beginning of winter. If they decide later this year that a merger makes sense, voters in both districts would be given their say in a referendum.

Yolo County’s total gross valuation for agricultural commodities rose 16 percent in 2008 over the previous year, with the processing tomato crop once again leading the way.

Together, the crops were valued at $527.3 million, with the tomatoes making up $105.1 million of that, a 5 percent increase despite a decrease in acreage. Agricultural commissioner Rick Landon attributed the increase to price and yield.

The No. 2 crop, alfalfa hay, increased 41 percent to $73.4 million, attributed to a 34 percent increase in price. Rice came in at No. 3, valued at $57.8 million. Wine grapes were fourth at $42 million and seed crops were fifth at $35.2 million.

“These production figures only partially reflect the overall measure of the economic impact agriculture has on Yolo county’s economy,” Landon said in a news release. “Field labor, processing, transporting, marketing and other farm-related services significantly multiply the value agriculture has to our county. When the multiplier effect of related industries is considered, agriculture contributes well over $1.5 billion to the economy of Yolo County.”

So far, Boston business leaders are generally positive or remaining neutral about Gov. Mitt Romney's push to make individuals legally responsible for obtaining their own health insurance.

Some business groups and executives are rallying behind the idea as a viable alternative to employer mandates. But others aren't taking a position until they can closely study Romney's proposal, which would include a withholding of income tax refunds or potential wage garnishing to pay the costs of uninsured individuals who are deemed otherwise able to afford it.

Richard Lord, president and CEO of

, a business group with more than 7,500 company members, said Romney's idea makes sense because it offers a logical, affordable step toward filling coverage gaps.

"A universal mandate is the most efficient way to do that," he said. "Right now we have 450,000 people without health insurance, many of whom could afford to purchase it but chose not to, but then do get (free) coverage if they show up in the emergency room."

Individual mandates will likely be necessary anyway if Massachusetts legislators want to achieve health coverage for every resident, said Alan Macdonald, executive director of the

, a 75-member business group that offers managerial perspectives on public policy.

Macdonald called Romney's plan fair because it includes subsidies or Medicaid for residents who can't afford coverage. About 150,000 residents who could afford insurance but don't buy it would be most affected by the mandate, he said, representing about 2.5 percent of the state's total population.

"We do want to get to full coverage, and this is an opportunity to take a step in that direction," Macdonald said.

For now, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce says it's considering Romney's latest proposal without taking a position yet.

Jim Klocke, the group's executive vice president, said individual mandates are a fairly new concept so the idea needs further study. But he said the portion of Romney's proposal that would offer subsidies for lower-income residents who buy health insurance is a good one.

"We think that's needed," Klocke said, adding that the measure would likely bring more flexibility into the individual health insurance market and get a lot of people covered.

With more than 450,000 Massachusetts residents lacking health insurance, Romney's plan announced last week would mandate all residents have a minimum level of coverage or show that they have enough money to pay their health care costs without insurance. Residents who can't afford coverage would either qualify for subsidies to go along with high-deductible, low-cost insurance plans or for Medicaid coverage.

Those without insurance, but deemed (based on minimum salary guidelines) to be able to afford it, would risk penalties such as having their income tax refund placed in a state personal health care account, with wage garnishing covering any costs beyond that.

Not every executive supports Romney's proposal.

Philip Edmundson, chairman and CEO of the 170-employee

insurance brokerage in Boston, says the plan isn't practical or enforceable.

"Imagine trying to garnish the wages of someone who is disabled from a heart attack, diabetes or cancer," said Edmundson, who is also active in Health Care For All, a nonprofit group that supports some sort of employer mandate instead. "There is no enforcement plan to collect the bulk of the dollars spent."

An estimated 36,000 more students in Texas will have access to $186 million worth of financial aid from the TEXAS Grants program over the next two years.

Next Tuesday, State Rep. Mike Villarreal, D-San Antonio, will announce details of the Texas Legislature’s recent move to increase financial aid across Texas. He will be joined by

President Ricardo Romo, Texas A&M San Antonio Director Maria Hernandez Ferrier and Rick Hernandez, director of financial services for the Alamo Colleges.

Villarreal sits on the committee that writes the budget for the Texas House. During the most recent legislative session, he worked to include the additional funds for the TEXAS Grants program over the next biennium.

“In these difficult economic times, I’m proud that we’re investing in education, giving more students an opportunity to succeed, while improving our long-term economic position,” Villarreal says.

In 2008, a national report on higher education gave Texas an “F” on college affordability, based on the average amount of family income that is dedicated to college tuition after financial aid. The Texas Legislature’s Select Commission on Higher Education concluded that Texas is not globally competitive and will face a downward spiral in both quality of life and economic competitiveness if the state fails to educate more people.

Standard & Poor’s has taken a brighter view of the business at , raising credit ratings on the provider of orthotics and prosthetics.

Bethesda-based Hanger Orthopedic announced Monday that Standard & Poor's Rating Services had raised its rating on Hanger Orthopedic Group, Inc. to "B+" from "B;" raised the issue level rating on Hanger's senior secured debt to "BB-" from "B+;" and raised the senior unsecured debt rating to "B-" from "CCC+." Standard & Poor’s outlook for Hanger is “stable.”

"We are extremely pleased with the S&P upgrade especially given the current economic environment," said Hanger Orthopedic chief financial officer George McHenry. "The upgrade reflects, among other things, our consistent performance over the last three years, solid liquidity as well as no significant near-term debt maturities."

In its latest quarter Hanger Orthopedic (NYSE: HGR) reported that net income increased 27 percent to $4.5 million as revenue increased 7 percent to $169.1 million.

has decided to end its manufacturing partnership as a way to continue cutting its costs in a tough economy.

After a year and a half, the Gaithersburg biotech has terminated its contract June 29 with

, the United Kingdom-based company that had been producing the local company’s main product, an anticancer treatment called TNFerade in its final stage of clinical trials.

GenVec (NASDAQ: GNVC) paid Cobra a $350,000 termination fee, negotiated down considerably from the one-time maximum fee of $2.3 million to terminate the contract. Originally signed in January 2008, the manufacturing agreement called for GenVec to pay Cobra $1 million in advance and as much as $9.4 million depending on the services rendered. Last year, GenVec said it paid Cobra $3.4 million and, in March, said it would pay Cobra an additional $1.8 million this year.

GenVec, which said it doesn’t need further batches from Cobra to complete its TNFerade trials and had been low on cash, has been searching for a larger partner to fund those clinical studies and anticipated launch.

After making significant cuts to its head count, GenVec raised $6 million in late May in a discounted stock offering that garnered a 19 percent drop in the company’s share price from disappointed investors that day. GenVec’s stock price has since inched back up to its former price levels, even topping $1 since the offering.

, has been tapped to design renovations for The 19th Century Club, home of one of the oldest and longest running women’s clubs in the South.

The building, which was originally a private home, was built in the late 1800s by a lumber baron and became home to the 19th Century Club, a women’s organization dedicated to philanthropy and education. Over the years, the Club was involved in supporting the forerunners of

and The .

During its heyday, the club had 1,400 members. Now, says the club’s second vice president in charge of restoration, Heather Koury, it has 100. Koury says once she found out the club’s history she became more interested in reviving it. But the first order of business involved plans to renovate the building at 1433 Union, which boasts the first indoor shower in Memphis.

Joey Hagan, a principal with Architecture, Inc., is estimating the project will cost about $1.5 million. He says the priorities are fixing water leaks, water damage and bringing the four-story, 20,000-square-foot building up to code and Americans with Disabilities Act standards. But the shower will stay.

“There are certain things you just can’t do,” Hagan says. “The electrical is from the early 1900s, so you can’t imagine some of the stuff that’s in that place. It leaks like a sieve.”

The building’s basement looks like an old-time , Koury says. The property’s swimming pool made it a popular summer destination. Hagan says his firm’s design will revive the “neighborhood country club” feeling of the facility.

Funding for the project will come from a capital campaign that will start this summer, Koury says, adding that seed money is in place for the discovery phase of the design.

“There are no historical drawings or documents, so we’re recreating a lot of things,” she says.

Despite the condition of much of the building, Italian marble and other materials from England and France are still in good condition.

Koury says the renovations and capital campaign should help promote the building and spur interest in the club.

Hagan says the project will be done in phases, with the idea that the design and finished product will be as close to the original design of the building as possible. The first phase will focus on general maintenance, while the second will focus on aesthetics, such as painting, repair and restoration of architectural elements and repairing the roof. That phase will also include repairs to the fencing, landscaping and parking access. The final phase will update the catering kitchen, which was added in the 1960s.

has been selected as the contractor on the project.

“It’s a labor of love because everybody loves the building,” Hagan says. “We all want to make sure it’s done right.”

Legislation that would fund the deepening of the St. Johns River necessary to bring a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to Naval Station Mayport came a step closer to being passed Tuesday.

However, the attempt to get the authorization of the $46.3 million deepening of the river has been sidetracked after Virginia politicians added an amendment to the U.S. House’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act that stripped the funding. There is still a good chance that local senators will be able to get the funding for the project authorized so that when the two bills are merged Mayport funding is included.

“The Navy has made it clear it wants an alternate East Coast location for a nuclear carrier 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in case of an emergency,” said Congressman Ander Crenshaw in a news release. The dredging project and Charlie Pier upgrades make that national security goal possible.”

It is possible for the deepening project to go forward even if it only receives the funding through the Fiscal Year 2010 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Affairs Appropriations bills and doesn’t get the okay through the defense act. But it will make the process more difficult. The final version of the act is expected to be passed in October.

In its current form, the following projects will also receive funding through the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Affairs Appropriations bill:

• $26.3 million for a Naval Station Mayport fitness training facility.

• $3.7 million for the port operations center at the U.S. Marine Corps Blount Island Command.

• $11.5 million to replace fuel tanks at the Jacksonville Defense Logistics Agency Fuel Farm.

• $5.9 million to modify Naval Air Station Jacksonville’s new P-8A hangars.

Bizjournals set out to find the mid-range metropolitan areas that score highest for quality of life. Here are the details:

Goal: The study

Ewa and James Powell are classic risk-taking entrepreneurs, fearlessly reinventing their business and moving into new markets.

Their , founded in April 2007, embodies their adventuresome spirit.

The couple moved to Lincolnton in 2002 from the Midwest to be near the N.C. mountains.

James, a furniture designer and fabricator, started picking up extra fabric at the furniture plants he visited along Interstate 40 simply because he liked the modern designs. It also bothered him that the fabric would otherwise end up in a landfill.

The couple initially tried selling the remnants on E-Bay but found little success. Capitalizing on Ewa’s Web-design skills, however, they started an online venture, www.modern-fabrics.com, to sell the fabric from a 7,500-square-foot warehouse in Lincolnton.

Their Web site attracted customers who bought the remnants, measuring up to 80 yards in length and discounted at $12 to $30 per yard.

A few months ago, they identified a way to extend that business, opening a retail shop on East Tremont Avenue in Charlotte’s South End.

“Neither of us has retail experience, but it’s a good time to learn the ropes in difficult times,” James says. “If we can make it now, we can make it any time.”

James initially wanted to locate the store in Asheville, but “people didn’t return calls and (couldn’t) care less,” he says.

So the couple chose Charlotte instead.

Says James: “The business owners around here have been more than helpful and have been very encouraging.”

QUICK DID YOU KNOW?

• Modern Fabrics’ store in South End is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Customers include designers as well as do-it-yourselfers.

• Ewa Powell also operates a Web-design firm, Winkbox.

The operator of paid security lanes at , plans to shut them down late Monday because its parent company failed to come to terms with a major creditor.

New York-based , the operator of registered travel service CLEAR, said the paid security lanes at its member airports would cease operations because the company “has been unable to negotiate an agreement with its senior creditor to continue operations,” according to a statement posted on the company’s Web site, www.flyclear.com.

Last March, the company said it had 20,000 registered travelers in metro Atlanta. As of last year, the company had more than 200,000 CLEAR members, who paid up to $199 for an annual membership for access to designated security lanes at participating airports nationwide. Members provided biometric data, which was encoded on a card, for the promise of a speedier and convenient trip through airport security.

The service targeted business travelers who routinely travel by air. The company was founded by

founder Steve Brill.

CLEAR lanes opened at the airport about the same time as an expansion of the main security lanes at Hartsfield-Jackson. The new additions included lanes designed specifically for experienced travelers.

Airport officials have said the added lanes have kept security wait times below 10 minutes on average, which might have made CLEAR lanes less advantageous to consumers.

An application to relocate the to Hamilton, Ontario, was filed Monday by Jim Balsillie, the only formal bidder so far to buy the fledgling franchise.

The application was filed on behalf of PSE Sports and Entertainment LP, which Basillie owns, and seeks consent from the National Hockey League to transfer the Phoenix Coyotes Club from Glendale to southern Ontario.

The document highlights the financial struggles of a team, which never attracted a strong fan base in the desert. According to information submitted by representatives of Coyotes’ owner Jerry Moyes, the team has recorded cumulative EBITDA (before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) losses exceeding $316 million. The application states that even with the most optimistic assumptions, the five-year horizon in Glendale projects further losses topping $40 million.

Former Canadian Football League Commissioner Tom Wright, who wrote the application, is scheduled to address reporters at a conference call Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. Pacific Time.

Lawyers for the NHL and Moyes have a Friday face-off in bankruptcy court to present written arguments on whether the team can be moved as part of a sale. A hearing in front of judge Redfield T. Baum is scheduled for June 9.

Raleigh developer Greg Hatem has dropped his effort to develop one of downtown’s most ambitious projects – a 21-story building with offices, condos and a hotel.

Hatem told the Raleigh City Council Tuesday that his firm,

, is unable to secure financing for the project at this time, given the economic conditions. City council members immediately voted to sever ties with Empire.

“We should have done this (pull the plug) last year,” Hatem says. “It was disappointing before, but now I am relieved.”

Empire signed a deal with the city in 2007 after the city decided to sell the land for $1.44 million (about $70-a-foot) along Salisbury Street, and the development company agreed to specific benchmark deadlines to finish the project. The developer missed a deadline in 2008, at which time Raleigh City Manager Russell Allen recommended that the city cut its ties with Empire without any extension.

Under terms of the agreement, Hatem never actually bought the property. The city now will consider re-issuing a request for proposals for the project.

“Asking the developer to agree to a schedule that was detached from the realities of the economy was at best flawed,” Hatem told the city council. “ But the nail in the coffin was eliminating the possibility of any future extension. Even in a good economic climate, it is virtually impossible to secure the funding necessary, knowing that the agreement would be canceled at a time certain without discussion. “

The two-phase $50 million project, called

, was meant to be a big piece of downtown Raleigh’s revitalization efforts, with the hotel an important piece in helping the new $220 million

book events.

Hatem has renovated several buildings in downtown Raleigh in recent years and also owns several restaurants in the area including the Duck & Dumpling,

, The Pit and soon-to-opened Gravy.

Hatem told the council that Empire has created more than 200 jobs in downtown Raleigh and has invested more than $80 million in the local economy. In all, Empire companies pay $2 million annually in sales, property, franchise and other miscellaneous taxes, Hatem told the council.

“ As I walk, people form across the world and across town through the streets of downtown Raleigh these past few months, one thing was clear: This ambitious project is not possible at this time,” Hatem told the council.

Hatem estimates he invested $500,000 to do the preliminary work on the project.

More than 30 business groups, including

and , are opposing myriad tax hike proposals that Oregon lawmakers will consider this month.

The said it opposes changes to the corporate minimum tax, a new corporate income tax and a new personal income tax. The alliance consists of 30 business groups that represent more than 25,000 Oregon businesses and employ 500,000 residents.

Raising the taxes could cause the state to lose 6,000 jobs, according to state revenue office estimates.

“These proposals ignore the stark realities of our current recession,” the group said in a news release sent by J.L. Wilson, a lobbyist with Associated Oregon Industries. “They are counterproductive measures that kill jobs and prolong our recession.”

The corporate minimum tax and corporate income tax proposals would collectively harm companies with small profit margins as well as businesses looking to invest more in capital equipment, the group said.

The alliance called on lawmakers to instead focus on private-sector job retention and creation.

“We believe strongly that increased taxes are detrimental to job growth,” Wilson said in the news release. “An increased tax burden will hurt the ability of our members to create desperately needed jobs. It is the wrong approach to balance the state’s budget.”

Other groups signing the letter include Associated Oregon Loggers, Independent Community Banks of Oregon, the Northwest Food Processors Association, Oregon Association of Realtors, the Oregon Automobile Dealers Association, the Oregon Bankers Association, the Oregon Home Builders Association, the Oregon Restaurant Association and the Oregon Trucking Association.

Oregon’s House and Senate members hope to adjourn by July 1. Lawmakers must address a $4.2 billion budget shortfall before they adjourn or in a series of special sessions throughout the rest of the year.

Single-family home prices on Oahu fell 15 percent last month compared to last year, while condominium prices dipped as well.

The median price for a single-family home was $550,000 in May compared to $649,500 a year ago, according to data from the

. It also was the second lowest price in the past 12 months.

The median price was based on 225 sales, down 11 percent from the same month in 2008, when 252 houses were sold, but far better than the first four months of 2009.

“The Oahu residential housing market is still weak but there are indications that we may be near the bottom,” said board President Sandra “Sam” Bangerter. “Single-family home sales rebounded a bit in May and the sales speed of 49 days was faster than at the same time last year.”

Bangerter noted that while single-family home prices dipped, “the condominium median price has been holding quite steady at just over $300,000. These are just some of the signals that our housing market may be starting to return to normalcy.”

The median price of a condo on Oahu in May was $305,000, which was 10 percent less than $337,300 in May 2008. That was based on 263 sales, down 31 percent from the 382 sales in May 2008, but the highest monthly number since October 2008.

The median condo price in May was on a par with March, January and December, and higher than two of the past 12 months.

“Mainland cities have experienced significant inventory bloat and, with limited demand, this is the culprit in their falling prices,” said Harvey Shapiro, the board’s research economist. “The fact that Oahu’s inventory of available properties continues to be low is the important factor that is keeping our prices more stable.”

Shapiro noted that single-family home prices in Hawaii Kai and Mililani decreased by only 7 percent, and that prices for condos in Kapahulu, Ala Moana-Kakaako and Kailua actually rose last month.

“In an otherwise lackluster housing market, these positives may predict a turnaround for real estate, even as the state’s economic conditions continue to deteriorate,” he said.