Inside East Valley Business

  Hometown airline US Airways plans to give out reading/workbooks aimed at the kindergarten crowd on flights throughout March.

 Pint-sized passengers or adult travelers with a tot in mind can snag a copy of “Come Fly with Maisy” en route to their destination.

 Maisy is a friendly mouse that is a fiction favorite of the pre-school set. Author Lucy Cousins took excerpts from her Maisy tales to compile the book for Reading is Fundamental, an early childhood literacy campaign..

 The organization’s Read with Kids Challenge encourages people to read with children during March, April and May in hopes of logging 1 million reading minutes nationwide.

 Those who do can log in their reading times online at RIF.org and qualify for a drawing with a grand prize of a Disney World family vacation.

 Besides giving away an expected  80,000 books, US Airways plans to stage reading rallies in hub cities, including Phoenix.

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Although much has been written about the possible demise of the traditional landline telephone, Valley residents aren’t quite ready to give up their landline phones yet, according to a study by WestGroup Research, a Phoenix-based research firm that has been tracking telephone trends since 1971.

Although 86 percent of respondents in its January poll said that someone in their household has a cell phone, 65 percent said they are not likely to discontinue landline service during the next 12 months and just use their cell phone.

The explosive growth in cell phone use can’t be denied, with more than a quarter of respondents saying that three or more members of their household have cell phones. It’s just that most people still see it as an added service rather than the one they want to use exclusively, WestGroup said.

Other phone findings:

• About 15 percent of residents use Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service;
• As income increases, so does the likelihood that residents own a cell phone;
• One in three (34 percent) of cell phone users say they use the text-messaging feature;
• One in six cell phoners use their mobile phones to check e-mail or access the Internet.

The study was based on a random sample of 404 adults in the metro
Phoenix area with a 5 percent margin of error.

A group of independent Dairy Queen restaurant owners in Arizona joined a lawsuit against the company.
The Arizona Dairy Queen Operators’ Association teamed up with franchisee groups around the country in asking a U.S. District Court judge to prevent International Dairy Queen and its U.S. subsidiary – American Dairy Queen – from forcing them to convert to the company’s new brand, DQ Grill & Chill and DQ/Orange Julius.
Lawyers from Schwartz Cooper, the firm representing the franchisees, say the required changes associated with the new branding would cost tens of thousands of dollars and could lead the small businesses into financial ruin.

A note this morning says the Make Mine a Million Movement is coming to Scottsdale March 4.

The event, billed as the “American Idol for local women entrepreneurs,” is a non-profit effort to help female business owners reach $1 million in revenue.

Thousands of women across Arizona are signing up now and 20 finalists will be chosen to compete for prize packages that include $50,000 in financing and mentoring.

Attendees, organizers say, will also have a chance to network, get business tips and apply for free business coaching. 

The event takes place at 9 a.m. at the Scottsdale Center for the Arts. Gov. Janet Napolitano and celebrity apprentice, Nely Galan, will be keynote speakers.

Registration can be done at www.makemineamillion.org

Every spring, homeowners clean out and un-clutter their garages, closets and junk drawers to streamline their lives. TeamLogicIT, a Mesa-based computer efficiency consultant, said small- and medium-sized business owners should do the same with their computer systems.

The firm will host a lunchtime open house from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21 when local business owners and chamber members can mingle and learn more about evaluating their systems and networks for internal bugs and viruses. TeamLogicIT is located at 1959 S. Val Vista Drive, suite 131, Mesa.

For more information, call Mike Long, (480) 240-2969. 

Bark Busters, a dog training service with more than 240 franchises nationwide, including more than a dozen in the Valley and more than 400 offices in 10 countries, is offering a list of 10 dog-and-pet friendly tips to owners via the Internet. The idea is to keep your pets - and you - healthy.  Here they are:1: Make sure your pet sees a veterinarian at least once a year.2: Give your pet prescribed medication only as directed, including a year-round, monthly heartworm preventative and regular use of flea/tick prevention.3: Get your pet some sort of identification such as a tag or microchip.4: Pay attention to your pet, otherwise they may get bored and destructive.5: Pay attention to your pet’s hygiene. For example, trim long nails, scoop your pet’s litter box daily and change the litter at least once a week.6: Spay or neuter your pet.7: Make sure collars fit properly and check them often.8: Keep poisons in locked cabinets and electrical cords out of reach; don’t leave strings or ribbons for a cat to swallow.9: Try to learn traits of a breed before buying it.10: Donate money or items to your local animal shelter. (For more insight go to www.BarkBusters.com or call 1-877-500-2275)  

Planning to e-file your income tax returns soon? Don’t make the mistake of choosing a service that can only e-file your federal return and not your state return.

The Internal Revenue Service’s Free File program, at www.irs.gov, includes a list of online tax preparers that offer free tax preparation and e-filing for taxpayers with an adjusted gross income of $54,000 or less.The software does all the calculations, and taxpayers can e-file their federal return free of charge. Some taxpayers may be eligible to e-file their state returns free of charge, while others are charged a fee ranging anywhere from $8 to $20.To avoid a headache, make sure before you register and begin inputting information that the preparer you select can e-file both your federal and
Arizona return. There are preparers that can e-file only your state return if you’ve already e-filed your federal return, but it’s easier to get it done all at once with one preparer. The Arizona Department of Revenue’s Web site, www.azdor.gov, provides information on e-filing your state return

Encore Creative, a Tempe-based event-staging company, has received the Arizona resale and rental rights for the FogScreen projection system.

The system developed by Helsinki, Finland-based FogScreen Inc. uses ultrasonic waves and ordinary tap water to create a thin film of dry fog on which corporate logos, photos and other graphics can be displayed – and appear to float in midair.

The patented technology allows individuals and objects to pass through the screen without getting wet, opening up possibilities for unusual special effects at trade shows, corporate meetings and special events. Speakers and presenters can use the screen to literally write their messages in the air, the company said.

More information is available at www.encorecreative.com.

A Massachusetts woman who created the Web page “PaulMcMannSucks.com” has the right to use the name of the Boston-area builder in the URL of her Internet “gripe” site, an international arbitrator has decided.

An arbitrator with the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center found that the anonymous woman’s First Amendment rights protect her use of the Internet domain names “PaulMcMannSucks.com” and “PaulMcMann.com.”

The WIPO center, which is based in Geneva, Switzerland, was set up to mediate disputes over Internet domain names.

The arbitrator cited two previous court rulings that were decided against Paul McMann, a commercial builder in the Boston area. A third suit filed by McMann is pending.

Public Citizen, which represented the woman at the WIPO, argued that her non-commercial use of McMann’s name was not an attempt to commandeer his customers and therefore was protected speech.

The case has Arizona connections. The domain name was registered by Scottsdale-based GoDaddy.com and McMann filed a suit in Maricopa County Superior Court to force GoDaddy to reveal the identity of his Web site tormentor. A Superior Court judge denied that request in January.