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E.ON Climate & Renewables North America published recently it has acquired $122.2 million of institutional guarantee funding from JPM Capital Corporation and Wells Fargo Wind Holdings LLC in exchange for a partial interest in its recently completed Settlers Trail Wind Farm. JP Morgan acted as lead investor in the business financing.

“EC&R constantly looks to determine the most beneficial economic structures best suited for its projects,” said Dr. Verena Volpert, Senior Vice President Finance, E.ON AG. “For this project, teaming with JP Morgan and Wells Fargo made the most sense.”

The development, the pioneer wind turbine farm within Iroquois County, Ill., is located 10 miles west of Watseka and consists of 94 GE 1.6 megawatt turbines providing more than 150 megawatts (MW) of power, enough to provide clean power to more than 45,000 households in the central Illinois region using North American made wind turbine generators, blades and towers.

“Wind farms generate clean, affordable, homegrown electricity, creating jobs, providing an economic shot in the arm to farmers, ranchers, and rural communities across America,” said Steve Trenholm, CEO, EC&RNA. “JP Morgan and Wells Fargo were natural partners due to their leadership and experience in the tax equity market.”

This particular venture is expected to bring in more than $29 million in local taxes, pay $8 million in local salaries, and earn landowners more than $20 million. At the height of construction, the Settlers Trail Wind Farm project brought more than 200 jobs to the area.

E.ON Climate & Renewables (EC&R) is responsible for the E.ON group’s renewable energy and environmental protection activities around the world. Tapping renewable energy sources offers enormous alternatives, both from a business perspective and for the environment. E.ON Climate & Renewables will be investing euro 7 billion in renewable energy and environmental protection projects over the next five years to expand the share of renewable energy in E.ON’s portfolio for the long term. E.ON has thus taken a leading role in developing alternative energy sources across the globe.

NVR, Inc., one of the country’s premier homebuilding and mortgage banking corporations, announces the grand opening of a brand-new, decorated Clifton Park model home, plus savings of up to $50,000 on new single family homes at Scaleby Farm in West Chester, Pennsylvania. These luxury single family homes are priced from the upper $690′s and offer wooded, 2+ acre homesites in Chester County.

Scaleby Farm is NVHomes’ most recent enclave with executive-style single family residences in West Chester, Pennsylvania, combining prime location, just seconds off scenic Route 52, with luxurious, estate-style residing, providing homeowners more space, inside and outside. With sizeable homesites of at least 2 acres, and wide ranging views of the rolling Chester County countryside, all your family members will have plenty of room to spend time playing and entertain. The local community at Scaleby Farm also is a rapid drive towards shopping, dining and allure of downtown West Chester, and offers uncomplicated commutes to points in Pennsylvania or Delaware.

The new Clifton Park model home at Scaleby Farm is astounding in size with 4 or more bedrooms and 4 or more baths with interiors starting at 4,576 square feet. The list of included features is sizable as well, with architecturally dimensional shingles and beaded siding, stone and stucco accented exteriors, 3-car side-entry garages, hardwood flooring in the foyer, gas fireplaces, optional woodstove hearths, and NVHomes’ Signature Kitchen, with granite countertops, maple Timberlake® cabinetry, stainless steel GE® appliances, hardwood flooring and our unique, European inspired range hood, hidden from view by furniture grade cabinetry.

NVHomes at Scaleby Farm are fully ENERGY STAR® Qualified, yielding monthly utility savings up to 30% more than standard homes, according to the EPA. All NVHomes also carry 10-year structural warranties and are independently inspected for quality by a third-party inspector.

NVR, Inc. operates in two business segments: homebuilding and mortgage banking. The homebuilding unit sells and builds homes under the NVHomes, Ryan Homes, Rymarc Homes and Fox Ridge Homes trade names, and operates in 27 metropolitan areas in 15 states.

You will discover several new technologies obtainable for hair transplant surgeons today. But with lots of technologies available and so many hair transplant physicians professing they’ve got the best hair loss treatment, precisely how can a person identify which one is the best quality? The brand new chairman of the American Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ASHRS), Dr. Marco Barusco, gives his point of view on several of the hottest and upcoming technological advances in this particular field.

HypoThermosol™
Perhaps some of the most important technological advances are the ones dealing with tissue preservation. According to Dr. Barusco, once the donor hair is taken from the back of the head the clock starts ticking. “The quicker we re-attach the hair to the scalp the better the chance it will survive”, Dr. Barusco said. Traditionally, surgeons have used regular saline solution to preserve the tissue, but HypoThermosol™ has been showing to have the best composition. It is easy to work with and preliminary observations suggest that it improves hair survival and overall results.

ACell™
ACell™ is used for wound healing and hair growth. It is rich in growth factors and collagen. This technology significantly benefits the patient but given its high cost very few surgeons use this material. When a doctor uses ACell™ the donor area of the scalp heals better, leaving a smaller and thinner scar, and the transplants grow better.

Robotic Surgery
Although much buzz has been given to robotic hair transplant surgery, Dr. Barusco does not see it as a revolution but rather as another tool for hair restoration. The idea behind the robotic surgery is that a robot harvests hair automatically from the patient’s donor area. The doctor and the team still need to perform the rest of the procedure.

Stem Cell Research
Although not yet available, Dr. Barusco believes that the most important technological advance to come is the use of stem cells to “clone” hairs. This is a technology that should be available in the next few years and it is currently on phase II trials. Dr. Barusco believes that this technology will give people who previously weren’t candidates for hair transplant because they lacked enough donor hair, the opportunity to have the surgery since less hair needs to be harvested.

Dr. Marco Barusco is a hair transplant physician with well over 12 years of practical knowledge. Given his devotion to analysis in addition to progress of the industry, Dr. Barusco is not only the chairman of the ASHRS but he also is a member of the Board of Trustees of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery (AACS), a member of the Board of Directors & Examiner of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery, and Chief Section Editor for Hair Restoration of The American Journal of Cosmetic Surgery. Dr. Barusco also founded Tempus Hair Restoration with the goal of providing clients with education about their hair loss and state-of-the-art treatments.

MidSouth Bancorp, Inc. just announced net income available for common investors of $879,000 for the fourth quarter of the year 2011, compared to net revenue available for common shareholders of $1.6 million announced in the fourth quarter of the year 2010. Diluted earnings for the fourth quarter of 2011 were $0.09 per common share, down from the $0.16 per common share for the fourth quarter of 2010.

C.R. “Rusty” Cloutier, President and Chief Executive Officer, commenting on fourth quarter results, remarked “In December, we completed the acquisition and systems conversion of the Beacon Federal branch in Tyler, Texas and First Louisiana National Bank in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. As a result, the fourth quarter included $0.08 per share of merger related expenses. Excluding these non-operating expenses, we had strong operating earnings per share in the quarter of $0.17 versus $0.14 in the third quarter. We are very excited to expand our market presence in Texas and Louisiana and look forward to the positive impact of these acquisitions on our franchise and to future earnings.”

Dividends given on the Series B Preferred Stock totaled $400,000 for the 4th quarter of the year 2011 established on a dividend amount of 5%. In August 2011, the Company issued $32.0 million in Series B Preferred Stock to the Treasury in connection with the Small Business Lending Fund (“SBLF”). The dividend rate on the Series B Preferred Stock going forward will be between 1% and 5% based on the level of qualified small business loans. Linked-quarter net earnings available to common shareholders were impacted by the repayment of $20.0 million in Series A Preferred Stock issued to the Treasury under the Capital Purchase Plan with funds from the U.S. Treasury that were authorized by Congress under the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010.

Jones Walker is very pleased to announce that Michael W. Magner has joined the company’s New Orleans office of criminal law attorneys as special counsel. Mr. Magner practices in the firm’s Business & Commercial Litigation Practice Group. His practice concentrates on preventative and litigation services for businesses and individuals in corporate and white collar criminal law matters. He likewise represents individuals and firms related to grand jury and various other investigations.

Mr. Magner’s particular experience is in anti-corruption conformity and Litigation matters on both a domestic and international level. He served as a federal prosecutor in New Orleans for 20 years where he was a key member of the team that successfully prosecuted former Louisiana Governor, Edwin Edwards, following a 5 month trial. He was also the lead prosecutor in the Department of Justice‘s long term investigation and prosecution of judicial and related public corruption in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana known as “Operation Wrinkled Robe.” In recognition of his work, Mike was awarded the Department of Justice‘s highest award for litigation, the John Marshall Award, as well as the Director’s Award for Superior Performance by a Litigative Team.

Mr. Magner stated, “Joining Jones Walker and being able to work with the Jones Walker white collar team is an exciting opportunity. Their law firm has a number of former U.S. Attorneys and Assistant U.S. Attorneys, all of whom have a stellar reputation in representing clients in the defense of government investigations and prosecutions.”

Mr. Magner also has served as a supervisor of the U.S. Attorney’s Office‘s Anti-Terrorism/Crisis Response Unit, Organized Crime Strike Force, and Violent Crime Unit, and has tried over 40 jury trials to verdict, in virtually all sections of the United States District Court for the Eastern and Middle Districts of Louisiana. He specialized in long term, complex white collar investigations and trials, including export control, mail and wire fraud, government contract fraud, bribery, money laundering, police misconduct, civil rights violations, and RICO. In 2011, he served as the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Advisor to the Kenyan Anti-Corruption Commission (“KACC”) in Nairobi, Kenya, where he was embedded in the KACC’s principal headquarters for nearly two months, and provided training to KACC’s investigators, auditors, and attorneys on corruption compliance, investigative, and prosecution matters. He has also trained foreign judges and prosecutors in Central Asia and Africa and has regularly trained federal prosecutors through the Attorney General’s Advocacy Institute.

Preceding working with the KACC, Mr. Magner was with the Department of Justice’s first Counsel for Emergency Management and Crisis Response in the Office of Director, Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys in Washington, D.C. for 18 months, where he represented the DOJ at various White House level emergency exercises and planning meetings relating to the federal government’s response to major criminal events, natural disasters, and pandemics. While with DOJ, Mike was also selected as a trained evaluator of other U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country on various substantive legal areas as well as ethics and professionalism.

Mr. Magner acquired his juris doctor certification from Tulane University School of Law, cum laude; and was Managing Editor of The Maritime Lawyer. His Bachelor of Arts in Political Science/International Relations was earned from The George Washington University.

GS Battery Inc. recently publicized it has begun to provide its ECO R model SLC 70-4 and SLX246-12 batteries for use in Suniva’s Balance of System Solutions. Co-Branded with the Suniva and GS Battery logo, these exceptional capacity electric batteries provide longevity and also superior cycling functionality based on a great deal of expertise throughout Japan.

This collaboration allows Suniva and GS Battery to optimize their alternative energy products to improve the performance and reliability of the entire PV system, thus improving the Levelized Cost of Electricity. Custom engineering support to help meet individual project needs is also available. The ECO R batteries are a significant component to Suniva’s Balance of System Solutions.

“Market interest continues to be very positive for the ECO R batteries and has been aided by Suniva’s introduction of the Balance of System Solutions (BOSS) at Solar Power International,” said Jay Northey, Executive Vice-president and General Manager, GS Battery (USA) Inc. “We are excited to continue our collaboration with Suniva as our co-branded offerings expand globally.”

GS Battery Inc. is an American subsidiary of GS Yuasa Group of Japan, a world leader in automotive, motorcycle and standby storage batteries, which serves the power sports, telecommunications, UPS, and the emergency lighting markets. GS Battery Inc. recently announced that they will enter the renewable energy photovoltaic and storage market in North America.

Suniva® is an American manufacturer of high-efficiency crystalline silicon photovoltaic (PV) solar cells and high-power solar modules used in solar panels. The company uses patented, low-cost manufacturing techniques and industry-leading technology to produce its high-quality products and maintain competitive costs. Headquartered in metro-Atlanta, GA, Suniva sells its advanced PV cells and modules globally.

The law practice of Lee Tran & Liang has earned yet one more Ninth Circuit appeal; this will be its 4th consecutive win inside the Ninth Circuit since 2009. On January twenty-six, 2012, the 9th Circuit affirmed a grant regarding summary judgment of which LTL procured for its client, the accused in a copyright and trade dress court action. Firm principle partner Enoch H. Liang – as well as lawyer Daniel Taylor – defended Bedrosian’s (in Orange County) and Hirsch Glass Company (in New Jersey) both before the District Court and the Ninth Circuit. The complaintant has been represented by revered intellectual property specialist Christie Parker & Hale.

As reported in LTL’s June 2010 press release, the District Court granted LTL’s motion for summary judgment on Plaintiff’s trade dress claims in mid-2009. Then, in September 2009, less than 4 days before a jury trial was scheduled to begin, the District Court also dismissed Plaintiff’s 17 copyright claims. In July 2010, Plaintiff appealed to the Ninth Circuit, arguing that the District Court erred in both holding that the scope of Plaintiff’s copyrights were “thin,” and finding that “there is no substantial similarity (much less virtual identity) insofar as the protectable items are concerned as between Plaintiff’s copyrighted products and Defendants’ glass tiles.”

After extensive briefing, on January 13, 2012, LTL Partner Enoch Liang argued the case, defending the District Court’s ruling. Fewer than 2 weeks soon after the oral argument, the Ninth Circuit Judges W. Fletcher, Fisher, and Zouhary—issued their unpublished opinion. The Ninth Circuit held that “protection over designs is thin.” The Court further held that the defendants’ designs “are not ‘virtually identical’ to because the streaking effect, color blends, and appearance of randomness in designs are different…”

This decision reaffirms the need for a two-pronged strategy in copyright infringement actions. Often, the issue of infringement is determined by the “scope” of the copyright that the court determines as a matter of law. Hence, in litigating copyright matters, plaintiffs should pay particular attention to avoid falling into various limiting doctrines that may limit the scope of their copyrights. Defendants should do the opposite.

Lee Tran & Liang, APLC is a California based law firm focusing exclusively on business litigation. The firm’s partners have practiced at prominent law firms, and are graduates of top law schools including Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, and Michigan. Primary practice areas, as outlined by the firm itself and every attorney directory, include business disputes (breach of contract, aggrieved investors and professionals, and commercial disputes) intellectual property litigation (patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets), and employment litigation (defense). Specifically what sets the firm apart is its objective of aligning itself with its customers’ needs, by supplying a number of imaginative payment plans in suitable concerns.

The U.S. Small Business Administration is reminding small enterprises that Feb. 24 is the application deadline regarding federal government financial damage catastrophe loans offered in Lee and Scott counties in Virginia. The SBA proclaimed a natural disaster because of intense storms, tornadoes, straight-line gusts of wind along with floods which began on April 23, 2011.

In addition, the Small Business Administration stated in the week that federal government economic damage catastrophe financial loans are available to small companies, small farm cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and the majority of private non-profit organizations of any size based in the counties of Dillon and also Horry in South Carolina as a result of Hurricane Irene which took place in August.

“When the Secretary of Agriculture issues a disaster declaration to help farmers recover from damages and losses to crops, the Small Business Administration issues a declaration to assist eligible entities affected by the same disaster,” said Frank Skaggs, director of SBA’s Field Operations Center East in Atlanta.

Under this declaration, the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program is accessible to qualified farm-related in addition to nonfarm-related businesses that suffered financial losses as a direct result of this disaster. Aside from aquacultural organizations, agricultural producers, farmers along with ranchers are definitely not eligible to apply to SBA.

Financing for small business can be up to $2 million, with interest rates of 3 percent for non-profit organizations and 4 percent for small businesses. Terms can be up to 30 years. The SBA decides eligibility based on the size of the applicant, type of undertaking and its financial assets. The agency identifies loan amounts as well as terms dependent on each and every applicant’s financial condition. SBA small business loan may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills that could have been paid had the disaster not occurred. These particular small business loans are not developed to take the place of already lost sales or business earnings.

Involved in the wake of the darkest court budget cuts in California’s history, plaintiffs’ trial lawyer Michael Alder of AlderLaw, P.C. in Beverly Hills assumed the office of president of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA), the nation’s largest local association of plaintiffs’ attorneys, that’s consisted of almost 3,000 attorneys.

“Consumer lawyers are vital, now more than ever, to protecting the civil rights of people who’ve been left without access to judicial relief, which is just about everyone except the super-rich,” said Alder. “Legal bills add up to astronomical sums very quickly, because litigation is such an intensive process. Without lawyers who work on a contingency fee basis, which means they risk their own money instead of the clients’ and agree not to be paid unless they win the case, even people with big incomes quickly find their resources drained when faced with the large legal bills that result from a contested matter. Consumer lawyers must be prepared to provide leadership, vision and most of all integrity.”

Alder is known as the steadfast advocate of plaintiffs’ couselors, also called consumer lawyers, working to raise public awareness of their importance at a time of corporate fraud and abuse. He’s been a member of CAALA for 14 years and spearheaded a city-wide billboard campaign to fund billboards that highlight the good that consumer lawyers do for society. He also is one of five founding members of the Trial Lawyers Charities, a non-profit enterprise which gives money and legal services to men and women in need within Los Angeles.

Alder is at this time accomplishing some of the very most cutting-edge litigation work in the state. He’s tried upwards of seventy court cases within his professional career and obtained in excess of $140 million in verdicts and settlements for his valued clients in the year 2011 alone. Recently, in Dec 2011 he gained a nearly $33 million decision for Concept Chaser, Co., Inc. in the advertising fraud case Concept Chaser Co., Inc. v. Pentel of America Ltd.

CAALA officially installed Alder as its 2012 president on Jan. 21 at its 63rd Annual CAALA Installation & Awards Banquet at the Four Seasons Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills. The group also announced its new officers and Board of Governors. For more information, visit www.caala.org.

AlderLaw, P.C. is a Los Angeles criminal attorney and plaintiffs’ law firm that represents plaintiffs in personal injury, business tort and employment litigation nationwide. The firm was founded in 2000 by attorney Michael Alder, current president of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA) and past CAALA Trial Lawyer of the Year. Alder has tried more than 70 cases in his career, and works with a team of seven associate attorneys. AlderLaw, P.C. obtained more than $140 million in verdicts and lawsuit settlements for its clientele last year. For information, visit www.alderlaw.com.

Juhl Wind Inc, leading the way in Community Wind Energy, has announced the official commercial start-up and operation of the two wind turbine project regarding Gundersen Health System in Winona County, MN. The 4.95 megawatt project may be the first-of-its-kind throughout The United States to be created specifically to handle the alternative energy concerns of a big regional health care firm, in this instance, Gundersen Health System.

“This unique wind project represents the continued activity by Juhl over the past two years and highlights our strength and diversity in the community wind energy market,” outlined Corey Juhl, Vice President of Development for Juhl Wind Inc. “We are seeing an increased demand for large commercial and industrial organization projects such as Gundersen’s as they fit extremely well within Juhl Wind’s area of expertise. This community-based project will provide significant economic benefits to the region. As one piece of their Envision program, the wind farm project will help Gundersen Health System achieve their goal of becoming 100% energy independent by 2014.”

“This is an exciting time for Gundersen and our Envision program. This community wind project we have done with Juhl Wind was about two years in the making, and we’re happy to report that the turbines are now creating energy,” noted Jeff Rich, executive director, GL Envision, LLC.

Juhl Wind is an established innovator in Community Based Wind Power advancement and management, focused on wind farm projects throughout the United States and Canada. Juhl Wind pioneered Community-Based wind farms, developing the currently accepted financial, operational and legal structure providing local ownership of medium-to-large scale wind farms. To date, the Company has completed 21 wind farm projects and provides operations management and oversight across the portfolio of renewable resources. Juhl Wind services every aspect of wind farm development from full development and ownership, general consultation, construction management and system operations and maintenance. With its consolidation of the Valley View, Winona County and Woodstock Hills wind farms, the Company has now invested in and operates 21.7 MWs of wind power through its independent power producer subsidiary, Juhl Renewable Asset, Inc. Through its Next Generation Power Systems subsidiary, Juhl Wind also provides total sales along with service to smaller, on-site wind turbine and solar panel ventures besides the company’s larger Community Wind Farms.