Avista boosts energy assistance fund
Avista Corp. donated an extra $350,000 to an emergency energy assistance fund as higher heating bills squeeze poor families in Washington, Idaho and Oregon.
The donation brings the company’s total Project Share donation to $565,000. The money comes from the corporate treasury – not money collected from ratepayers, according to a press release.
Project Share dollars help several thousand families in the three-state region pay for heating fuel, whether it is electric, coal, wood, propane or natural gas.
The fund is administered by community action agencies such as the Spokane Neighborhood Action Program, or SNAP. The average grant given to households last year through the program was $160.
Scott Morris, president of the company’s utility division, said the larger donation reflected the company’s commitment to the region.
Avista ratepayers separately gave $368,000 to the program in 2005.
Avista donates to a number of similar programs at the state and federal level, along with conservation initiatives that provide money for better weatherization and home heating system upgrades.
In a press release, the company asked people struggling to pay their bills to call 1-800-227-9187.
Comcast shuffles cable channel lineup
Comcast cable subscribers in Spokane are reprogramming their remotes after the cable firm relocated one of its most popular channels.
Earlier this month Comcast shifted the ESPN sports channel from 33 to channel 11. Company spokesman Walter Neary said the change fits an ongoing effort to locate more popular channels lower in the menu.
The change caused some disruption among fans of Gonzaga University basketball. Some Zags broadcasts appear on ESPN.
Subscribers who receive Comcast’s extended lineup get the channel at no extra cost. Those who sign up for the limited lineup – the least expensive cable option available through Comcast – still don’t get ESPN, Neary said.
The cable company tried to inform subscribers of the change ahead of time, he added. Neary said the company paid for a display ad on the cover of the weekly newspaper TV schedule. TV spots on channel 11 and on the Golf Channel – which was moved to channel 33 – notified viewers of the change.
“We understand, in the long run, viewers can appreciate the convenience of finding ESPN early on the lineup and having Golf Channel with its sports neighbors,” Neary wrote in an e-mail reply to questions.
Burlington Coat Factory agrees to buyout
Trenton, N.J. After 34 years as a family-run business, Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corp. has agreed to a $2.06 billion cash buyout offer from private equity firm Bain Capital Partners LLC.
Under terms of the deal announced Wednesday, Bain Capital of Boston will pay $45.50 for each Burlington share, a 2 percent premium to its closing price Tuesday. Burlington shares fell 36 cents to $44.22 in afternoon trading Wednesday on the New York Stock Exchange.