Have a great weekend.

Joe 

Spectrum Brands said Thursday it came close to transferring its world headquarters and Remington operations to Florida. But the company said it has now dropped those plans and instead will move from Madison's West Side to a new building in Middleton in late 2013.

HOME SALES FROM A HISTORICAL PERSPECITiVE-DEC. 2011 

Here's a look at December Dane County home sales from a historical perspective.  The 241 Dane County home sales recorded in December were 15% higher than the 209 home sales in December of 2010, and 32% higher than the 183 sales in December of 2009. Keep in mind the December totals in 2010 and 2009 were the two lowest totals amongst all Decembers dating back to at least 1991.

ORGANIZERS COLLECT MORE THAN 1 MILLION SIGNATURES TO RECALL SCOTT WALKER  

More than 1 million signatures have been collected to trigger a recall election against Republican Gov. Scott Walker, according to the Wisconsin Democratic Party and the grassroots organization United Wisconsin. The number of signatures is well above the 540,208 that was needed to force an election and is almost equal to the number of votes cast for Walker in the November 2010 election. The 1 million signatures also represents more than 46 percent of the state electorate.

PROPOSAL ADVANCES FOR ST. PAUL'S STUDENT CENTER 

 St. Paul's Catholic Center appears to be closer to moving forward with a new campus student center. A new proposal to build a six-story building at 723 State St. received initial approval from the Madison Urban Design Commission at Wednesday's meeting. St. Paul's original proposal called for a 14-story building that included residential units for students, but the plan was criticized by some students, neighbors and city officials as being too big for its surroundings on State Street Mall. The new proposal includes a multi-level chapel, offices, music rooms, gathering spaces and a multipurpose hall suitable for dining.

WEAK YEAR FOR DANE COUNTY HOMEBUILDING ENDS WITH 21 PERCENT DROP IN DECEMBER

Dane County housing starts dropped in December compared with a year ago and remain at historical lows going back nearly a dozen years. Only December 2008, when there were just 20 starts after a stock market crash that fall, saw a lower total than the one last month. The high point was 210 starts in December 2003. Last month, there were 33 permits for new single-family homes and duplexes, compared with 42 in December 2010, for a 21.3 percent year-over-year decrease, according to MTD Marketing Services of Menasha.

HOTELRED CELEBRATES GRAND OPENING, NEIGHBORHOOD SUPPORT

HotelRED, proposed in 2007, opened in August and is celebrating its official grand opening this week, but the project had anything but a smooth road to completion. Now the hotel, at 1501 Monroe St., has overwhelming support from the Vilas Neighborhood Association.

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CITY LEADERS RECOMMEND BURYING NEW POWER LINE 

OSHKOSH, ICAHN MARSHAL SUPPORT 

Investor Carl Icahn's attempt to shake up Oshkosh Corp. has intensified, with Icahn claiming support from a shareholders advisory firm, while the company says it has support from two advisory firms urging shareholders to reject Icahn's tactics. It all comes to a head Jan. 27 at the company's annual shareholders meeting. Icahn, a billionaire investor who owns nearly 10% of Oshkosh Corp., nominated six of his business associates for the board of directors.

SOUTH SIDE APARTMENTS WIN ZONING APPROVAL

The proposed conversion of a former south side factory into apartments, opposed by the building's industrial neighbors, was approved Wednesday by the Milwaukee Common Council. If the project also obtains financing, the former Milwaukee Paper Box Co. building, at 1560 W. Pierce St., would be converted into 72 apartments by Minneapolis-based developer Sherman Associates Inc. The six-story building is now used for storage. The council unanimously approved rezoning the property after the Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee voted 5-0 to recommend approval.

CEDARBURG MANUFACTURER CONSIDERS EXPANSION

Another small manufacturer in the Grafton-Cedarburg area might be expanding. Ataco Steel Products Corp., 6809 Highway 60, Town of Cedarburg, is considering a plan to add 35,103 square feet to its 44,838-square-foot facility to accommodate its expanding metal stamping and fabrication services, according to a Plan Commission notice. Ataco President Rick Reichertz said the company has asked that the proposal be removed from the commission's Wednesday agenda. He said company executives are still evaluating the possible expansion plan.

POTAWATOMI CASINO ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR HOTEL

Potawatomi Bingo Casino, which has grown to 2,500 employees from its modest launch as a bingo hall in 1991, would add another 230 jobs at a proposed 20-story hotel, while helping Milwaukee draw more overnight tourists, casino officials said Tuesday in announcing their plans. In addition to generating about 1,000 construction jobs, its estimated $97.5 million cost would make the 382-room hotel Milwaukee's largest current development project.

KRAFT TO SPLIT CUT 1,600 JOBS IN NORTH AMERICA 

The Northfield, Ill.-based food company said Tuesday that it plans to eliminate the positions throughout the U.S. and Canada during the coming year. The cuts will be made among its sales, corporate and other business units. About 20% of the job eliminations are currently open positions. Kraft has roughly 127,000 employees worldwide, including 46,500 in North America. The company announced in August that it would split into two independent companies: a global snacks business and North American grocery business. Kraft said the moves are needed to help the businesses run more effectively.

IRON BLOCK TO BE RENOVATED FOR DENTAL PRACTICE HEADQUARTERS

Downtown Milwaukee's historic Iron Block Building has been sold to Wauwatosa-based Dental Associates, which will move its headquarters there. Dental Associates, Wisconsin's largest group dental practice, also plans to open a clinic at the Iron Block, at E. Wisconsin Ave. and N. Water St., said owner Thomas Manos. The four-story building needs extensive repairs for its namesake iron facade, along with additional remodeling, to accommodate Dental Associates.

APRTMENTS PLANNED FOR FORMER FACTORY WIN ZONING APPROVAL

The proposed conversion of a former south side factory into apartments, opposed by the building's industrial neighbors, was approved Wednesday by the Milwaukee Common Council. If the project also obtains financing, the former Milwaukee Paper Box Co. building, at 1560 W. Pierce St., would be converted into 72 apartments by Minneapolis-based developer Sherman Associates Inc. The six-story building is now used for storage. The council unanimously approved rezoning the property after the Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee voted 5-0 to recommend approval.

NEVADA BREWERY PLANS OPERATION IN FRANKLIN

A Nevada-based craft brewer plans to open a second brewery in Franklin to help it serve new markets in the Midwest and Northeast. Joseph James Brewing Co. plans to operate the brewery at 9750 S. Oakwood Park Drive, in Franklin Business Park. The company will lease around 6,000 square feet within the Oakwood Commerce Center, a light industrial building. Along with making beer and soda at the facility, the company plans to operate a tasting room and gift shop, according to Joseph James' application for zoning approval. The Franklin Community Development Authority is to consider the application at its Thursday meeting.

MSOE PARKING STRUCTURE PLAN FOR PARK EAST MOVING FORWARD

Milwaukee School of Engineering's plan to build a parking structure, topped with a collegiate soccer field, in the Park East area is finally moving forward, over a year after being proposed. The university announced in November 2010 it wanted to buy a county-owned parcel in the Park East area for the project. That lot would be sold once the county-owned tract and an adjacent tract, owned by BMO Harris Bank through its recent purchase of M&I Bank, were reconfigured to create two parcels with regular shaped boundaries. The university would then buy around 2.5 acres, north of E. Knapp St. and west of N. Broadway.

SCHLITZ PARK REDEVELOPMENT EFFORT LANDS OFFICE TENANT 

Schlitz Park's redevelopment effort has landed AECOM Technology Corp., which is leasing 21,000 square feet, and will move to the downtown office park from two other Milwaukee locations. AECOM, a tech consulting firm, will move around 90 employees to the office park's RiverCenter, 1515-1575 N. River Center Drive, from the firm's offices at 1020 N. Broadway and 11425 W. Lake Park Drive. The move is to occur July 1.

AIRCRAFT MAKER KESTREL TO EMPLOY 600 IN WISCONSIN

LANDOWNER PLANS ON BUILDING SMALL WELL AHEAD OF CONTROVERSIAL HIGH END WELL 

A Crawford County landowner who wants to drill a controversial high-capacity well says he first will install a smaller test well in hopes of easing the fears of neighbors and environmentalists. "We're going to put science over personal opinion," said Darrell Long, who is seeking state approval for the high-capacity well. Long proposed the high-capacity well in October of 2010, saying he would tap it only sporadically to sell bulk water in times of emergencies, such as after a terrorist attack or a natural disaster. Opponents fear he's trying to launch a large commercial water-bottling venture, and they're concerned the well will draw down the area's water table and hurt trout fishing.

BANKERS: WISCONSIN'S ECONOMY IMPROVING SLOWLY  

Most Wisconsin bank executives believe the state's economy has hit the bottom of the recession and that improvement is coming, albeit slowly, according to a new survey by the Wisconsin Bankers Association. Eighty-six percent of the 144 executives who completed the survey said that the state's economy has hit the bottom of the economic slowdown, which is 10 percentage points higher than the survey found in January 2011, the WBA said Monday.

HOME SALES RISE IN THE MILWAUKEE REGION 

Home sales jumped 21.6 percent in December in the four-county metropolitan Milwaukee area, marking the sixth consecutive month of sales increasing by double-digits, according to the latest monthly report by the Greater Milwaukee Association of Realtors (GMAR). For the year, 2011 home sales in the region finished 4.2 percent ahead of 2010. Between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, brokers reported that the end of 2011 was finishing strong, and the numbers back up their accounts.

 $45 MILLION SENIOR LIVING CAMPUS PLANNED IN CALEDONIA