Articles

Cook wins patent tussle with California rival

Bloomington medical device maker Cook Medical has won a lawsuit brought by Edwards Lifesciences Corp. over patents on Cook’s devices for fixing aneurysms. Edwards, based in Irvine, Calif., claimed four of Cook’s Zenith endovascular stent-grafts infringed its patent. The stents are used to treat abdominal aortic aneurysms and thoracic aortic aneurysms.

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Lafayette psychiatric hospital plans to reopen

The psychiatric unit of Home Hospital in Lafayette is expected to reopen in the next week after being closed for the past 14 months, according to the Journal & Courier of Lafayette. Home Hospital, which is operated by Lafayette-based St. Elizabeth Regional Health, closed in January 2007 when three psychiatrists stopped providing inpatient services at […]

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Delta slashes 95 more jobs in Greensburg

Delta Faucet Co. has cut 95 blue-collar workers at its plant in Greensburg, leaving about 662 employees. The Carmel-based company blamed ongoing sluggishness in the housing market, according to the Greensburg Daily News. Earlier layoffs at the plant have claimed about 100 workers, and about 30 jobs at the Camel offices. Delta is owned by […]

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Wind farm considered for Kokomo area

Houston-based Horizon Wind Energy LLC is eyeing as many as 15,000 acres east of Kokomo on which to build wind generators, according to the Kokomo Tribune. The area could receive 100 generators, which could turn out 200 megawatts, enough to power about 66,000 houses. The area has plenty of open land, wind and transmission lines. […]

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Workers to take over GE plant in Bloomington?

Rather than seeing the General Electric Co. refrigerator plant in Bloomington close, the Monroe County Economic Development Commission plans to study whether it would make sense for the employees to buy and operate the site. About 900 workers will lose their jobs next year if GE goes ahead with the plan it announced in January. […]

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WellPoint sued over lowered earnings estimate

Two law firms have sued WellPoint Inc., claiming the company and its officers misled investors for weeks before the company lowered its earnings estimates this month. The lawsuits claim WellPoint officers knew their medical costs were rising and their customer rolls were growing more slowly than predicted, but did not tell investors. After WellPoint disclosed […]

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Judge sides with Case retirees

About 3,500 retired employees of J.I. Case Co. – which had a plant in Terre Haute until 1987 – and surviving spouses of retirees have won a lawsuit that provides them with health care benefits for life. The company, now called CNH American and based in Pennsylvania, also must reimburse those covered by the lawsuit […]

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Report: Mead Johnson parent seeking buyer

Evansville-based Mead Johnson Nutritionals could get a new owner if parent Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. succeeds in finding a buyer. The Financial Times reported Sunday that Bristol-Myers is “quietly sounding out potential bidders” for the baby formula maker. Mead Johnson’s value is estimated at $7 billion to $9 billion. Quoting unnamed sources familiar with the discussions, […]

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Indiana Business Bank swings to profit

Indiana Business Bancorp, the Indianapolis-based parent of Indiana Business Bank, reported $14,159 in profit for 2007. That compares with a $675,954 loss of a year earlier. Growth in loan and investment portfolios pushed net interest income up 29 percent, to $2.6 million. Service charges and other fee income increased nearly three-fold, to $180,289. The bank, […]

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Slide in home sales stops in February

Pending house sales in the Indianapolis area increased in February for the first time since April 2007, prompting one expert to say the soggy market might be finding a bottom. The sales, which have been accepted but not closed, increased to 2,132 from 2,113 a year earlier, according to F.C. Tucker Co., which uses data […]

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Duke CFO Cohoat resigns

Duke Realty Corp. Chief Financial Officer Matthew Cohoat has resigned. Cohoat, 48, wanted to “reduce his travel schedule and spend more time with his family,” the Indianapolis-based real estate company announced today. He will remain to help with the transition. A replacement wasn’t named. Cohoat held the post since 2004. He also is on boards […]

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Bloomington tech parks could conflict

A tech park in downtown Bloomington that has been slow to land tenants since receiving state certification in 2005 may have a harder time filling up now that another tech park is on the drawing board for a nearby site, according to The Herald-Times of Bloomington. Indiana University is considering opening a certified tech park […]

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Auto parts strike claims 250 more workers

Pilkington North America Inc. has temporarily laid off 250 workers at its Shelbyville plant as General Motors Corp. slows production due to a strike at another one of its suppliers, Detroit-based American Axle and Manufacturing Inc. The Shelbyville glass-making plant, which employs 400, might shut down through April 1, according to the Shelbyville News. Pilkington […]

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Obama to appear at Plainfield school gym

Presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama plans to speak at a town hall meeting Saturday at the Plainfield High School gymnasium, the campaign said today. Tickets for the 12:30 p.m. event are all taken.

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Shelbyville firm pinched by American Axle strike

About 26 of the 700 workers at Ryobi Die Casting Inc. in Shelbyville have taken voluntary layoffs due to the ripple effect of the two-week American Axle and Manufacturing Holdings Inc. strike. The plant machines parts for General Motors Corp. GM has slowed production and shut down plants as inventories of parts supplied by Detroit-based […]

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Carlyle Capital collapse continues

Troubles for Carlyle Capital Corp. Ltd., a unit of Carlyle Group, a Washington D.C.-based private equity group, have worsened after it said it can’t meet demands of more than $400 million in margin calls from lenders, according to Bloomberg. The fund had defaulted on about $16.6 billion of debt as of yesterday and expects additional […]

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Whirlpool, smokers snuff smoking conflict

A lawsuit Whirlpool Corp. filed against a union at its refrigerator plant in Evansville has been dismissed after the parties reached a settlement, according to the Evansville Courier & Press. Terms were not disclosed. Whirlpool sued after an arbitrator forced the Benton Harbor, Mich., company to reimburse insurance surcharges for employees who smoke. A decade […]

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UPDATE: Steak n Shake stock loses gains

Shares of Steak n Shake Co. ended the day largely unchanged at $8.06 after rising nearly 3 percent through mid-day trading. The Indianapolis company early this afternoon announced that two outside shareholders bumped two directors off the board, including the chairman and acting CEO. Sardar Biglari and Phillip Cooley, who represent the Texas-based Lion Fund, […]

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Indiana job numbers flat-line in January

Employment was about the same in January as December, according to the latest figures from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. The state had 2,994,800 jobs, down 200 from December. The figures, taken from surveys of employers, are adjusted for seasonal fluctuations. January figures arrived about a month late due to government statisticians’ needing additional […]

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Vontoo lands $2 million in private funding

Vontoo Inc., the Indianapolis startup that’s developing audio marketing messages, has attracted $2 million in private funding. The company was started in 2006 to help bring personalized voice mail messages that can include nuance that’s difficult to convey in an e-mail. A key financial backer is Robert Compton, an angel investor living in the Memphis […]

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