Top business headlines from Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley http://www.mydesert.com en-us Copyright 2013, mydesert.com SaxoTech Online Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 00 Wed, 22 May 2013 10:55:00 00 15 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130521/BUSINESS04/305210036/1003/RSS02 The Coachella Valley's median home price rose by double-digits for the 10th straight month in April, with real estate professionals pointing to low inventory, low mortgage interest rates, an improving economy and relatively robust demand as factors fueling the recovery and 'rebalancing' the local housing market. Wed, 22 May 2013 10:03:00 00 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130521/BUSINESS04/305210036/1003/RSS02 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130521/BUSINESS0302/305210008/1003/RSS02 The Riverside County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved revisions to its embattled solar fee policy, cutting the amount large-scale solar developers may have to pay the county from $450 to $150 an acre. Tue, 21 May 2013 23:35:00 00 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130521/BUSINESS0302/305210008/1003/RSS02 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130521/BUSINESS/305210025/1003/RSS02 Go slowly on Tumblr. That was the key message for Yahoo management by investors and industry watchers as they digest Yahoo's $1.1 billion acquisition of Tumblr that was announced Monday. Tue, 21 May 2013 21:58:00 00 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130521/BUSINESS/305210025/1003/RSS02 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130521/BUSINESS/305210024/1003/RSS02 It's not causing nearly as much angst as a stock market meltdown, but the recent stock price melt-up is stirring concern that the market might overheat. Tue, 21 May 2013 21:57:00 00 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130521/BUSINESS/305210024/1003/RSS02 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130521/BUSINESS/305210023/1003/RSS02 Microsoft unveiled the Xbox One, its next-generation entertainment console, during a presentation Tuesday at its headquarters in Redmond, Wash. Tue, 21 May 2013 21:56:00 00 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130521/BUSINESS/305210023/1003/RSS02 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130521/BUSINESS/305210022/1003/RSS02 Apple CEO Tim Cook defended the tech giant from a scathing Senate panel's report that concluded the company famed for its iPhones and iPads was infamous for corporate tax avoidance. Tue, 21 May 2013 21:55:00 00 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130521/BUSINESS/305210022/1003/RSS02 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130520/BUSINESS01/305200031/1003/RSS02 Call it a perfect storm of springtime activity; events like BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and the White Party in Palm Springs, coupled with spring break, filled hotel rooms across the valley in March, breaking hotel tax collections records in several desert cities. Tue, 21 May 2013 10:46:00 00 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130520/BUSINESS01/305200031/1003/RSS02 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130520/BUSINESS0302/305200030/1003/RSS02 Robert Bruce knelt down by the gas meter at a house on Cottonwood Road in Desert Hot Springs on Friday and quickly took off the plastic casing protecting the dials. Mon, 20 May 2013 22:31:00 00 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130520/BUSINESS0302/305200030/1003/RSS02 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130520/BUSINESS/305200017/1003/RSS02 The Coachella Valley Women's Business Center will present the workshop 'Writing a Winning Business Plan' from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the center's office, 77-806 Flora Road, Suite A, Palm Desert. Mon, 20 May 2013 20:52:00 00 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130520/BUSINESS/305200017/1003/RSS02 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130520/BUSINESS0301/305200016/1003/RSS02 Yahoo is buying online blogging forum Tumblr for $1.1billion as CEO Marissa Mayer tries to rejuvenate an Internet icon that had fallen behind the times. Mon, 20 May 2013 20:50:00 00 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130520/BUSINESS0301/305200016/1003/RSS02 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130520/BUSINESS/305200015/1003/RSS02 For decades, U.S. manufacturers fled the country for China to drive down labor costs, then shipped products halfway around the world to sell to Americans, costing the U.S. millions of jobs. Mon, 20 May 2013 20:49:00 00 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130520/BUSINESS/305200015/1003/RSS02 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130520/BUSINESS/305200014/1003/RSS02 American consumers have denied themselves so much for so long - putting off buying homes, cars and other purchases - that their pent-up demand is poised to kick-start a sluggish economy. Mon, 20 May 2013 20:47:00 00 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130520/BUSINESS/305200014/1003/RSS02 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130520/BUSINESS/305200013/1003/RSS02 Business news and notes from across the United States Mon, 20 May 2013 20:45:00 00 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130520/BUSINESS/305200013/1003/RSS02 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130520/BUSINESS0301/305200012/1003/RSS02 Apple, the tech giant that has made a corporate bonanza by selling iPhones, iPads and iPods to consumers worldwide, has avoided tens of billions of dollars in U.S. taxes on its income and profits, according to a Senate report summary issued Monday and swiftly challenged by the firm. Mon, 20 May 2013 20:43:00 00 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130520/BUSINESS0301/305200012/1003/RSS02 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130518/BUSINESS/305180037/1003/RSS02 When former EPA head Lisa Jackson mounted the pulpit to call for the 'bankruptcy of coal' in January 2012, she released a firestorm of supporters agitating not only against the use of coal for power generation and iron ore/steel conversions, but who are now active in attempting to stop all coal exports. Sat, 18 May 2013 23:54:00 00 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130518/BUSINESS/305180037/1003/RSS02 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130518/BUSINESS0302/305180036/1003/RSS02 Designed by Palm Springs architect Lance O'Donnell, the 2,100-square-foot home the couple moved into last month feels simultaneously new but organically connected to its surroundings, with clean lines, a low-profile and muted off-white exterior. Sat, 18 May 2013 23:52:00 00 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130518/BUSINESS0302/305180036/1003/RSS02 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130518/BUSINESS0302/305180035/1003/RSS02 California's solar rebate program has now put panels on more than 150,000 roofs statewide, not quite the million roofs Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger envisioned when he launched the program in 2007, but noteworthy nonetheless. Sat, 18 May 2013 23:51:00 00 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130518/BUSINESS0302/305180035/1003/RSS02 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130518/BUSINESS0301/305180034/1003/RSS02 With summer right around the corner, I know gas prices will start soaring soon. Are there any tech tools that can help me save on gas? Sat, 18 May 2013 23:50:00 00 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130518/BUSINESS0301/305180034/1003/RSS02 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130518/BUSINESS0302/305180005/1003/RSS02 A 173-foot-long blade broke off a wind turbine and fell to the ground at a 315-megawatt wind farm that supplies electricity near El Centro, it was reported Saturday. Sat, 18 May 2013 13:26:00 00 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130518/BUSINESS0302/305180005/1003/RSS02 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130517/BUSINESS04/305170033/1003/RSS02 Coachella Valley officials heading to Sin City on Sunday hope what happens in Vegas doesn't stay in Vegas. Fri, 17 May 2013 22:50:00 00 http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130517/BUSINESS04/305170033/1003/RSS02