Devon Energy Corp. Unveils Bold Moves to Sharpen its Focus

Talk about a merger Monday for Devon Energy (NYSE:DVN). The North American-focused driller, and its affiliates EnLink Midstream Partners (NYSE:ENLK) and EnLink Midstream, LLC (NYSE:ENLC), announced not one, but three separate transactions all designed to bulk up the company’s core position in two emerging energy basins. In addition to that the company also announced that it will subsequently trim away some of its non-core positions so that it doesn’t diminish its solid financial position amid the worst downturn in the oil market in years. With these deals Devon has secured compelling positions to drive growth today and in the future.

Details on the deals
Reports surfaced last week that something was brewing at Devon Energy with Reuters reporting that Devon was in talks to buy privately held Felix Energy for around $2 billion in cash-and-stock. That deal was subsequently finalized and announced on Monday with Devon shelling out $1.9 billion for Felix, which would give it access to another 80,000 net acres in the STACK play within the Anadarko Basin of Oklahoma. However, in addition to that deal, Devon Energy also announced that it was acquiring 253,000 net acres in the Powder River Basin for $600 million. In total, the company is issuing $1.35 billion in equity to the sellers and $1.15 billion in cash to seal these two deals. For the full article click here 

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Spokane Selected for National Smart City Program

SPOKANE, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today, Spokane has been selected to be among the first 10 cities in America to participate in a program sponsored by Envision America. As part of the selection, Spokane will join 9 other cities in an intensive workshop as well as a yearlong technical support program. Spokane is being recognized for its efforts in becoming a safer, stronger and smarter city. Formation of Envision America, a national nonprofit, was announced in September of this year during a White House event in which the Administration announced a new “Smart Cities” Initiative to help communities tackle local challenges and improve city services. Envision America, based on the success of Envision Charlotte, focuses on challenging America’s cities to become smarter by accelerating deployment of innovative technologies that tackle energy, water, waste, and air challenges.We are proud to be a founding partner in this effort that is helping Spokane drive innovation and create new opportunities for the community,” said Philip Mezey, President and CEO of Itron. “This selection highlights the resourcefulness being applied in Spokane while demonstrating the development potential of the University District.” For the full article click here 

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Terrorism prevention app comes to New York state

In an effort to expand security measures across the state, the “See Something, Send Something” app will now allow New Yorkers to report suspicious activity with their phones, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced last month.

The app was created by My Mobile Witness, a company that partners with law enforcement agencies to connect the agencies with citizens in order to create a more secure environment. This is not My Mobile Witness’s first venture into apps that allow users to report suspicious activities. They released “Safer Ohio,” an app that allowed Ohio residents to report suspicious activities to Ohio Homeland Security, on April 4, 2014.

The app has been adopted by Colorado, Louisiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia since its debut on the Google Play Store on Jan. 14, 2015. New York is the sixth state to use the app. For the full article click here 

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Cyber Pearl Harbor: A date that will live in infamy, and the marketing machine that hijacked it

On Monday, December 8, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared the previous Sunday would be “a date which will live in infamy,” after the Empire of Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.

Sadly, the attacks 74 years ago that pushed a nation into war are now used as sales and marketing tools in the information security industry and other markets.

When FDR made his speech to Congress on December 8, 1941, Pearl Harbor was still recovering, and the news reports were just starting to catch-up on the events. The speech was brief, intentionally so, because it was supposed to jolt the American public into taking immediate action.

Just over an hour later, Congress declared war against Japan and the U.S. was officially involved in World War II. For the full article click here 

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Honeywell to unveil smart building technology

Honeywell, an industry leader in wireless and scanning technologies used in home, building, and industrial application, is set to unveil its next generation of smart building technology, at the 2015 Internet of Things World Forum (IoTWF) which opens tomorrow (December 6) in Dubai, UAE.

An exclusive annual event, IoTWF brings together the world’s best and brightest thinkers, practitioners, and innovators from business, government, and academia to accelerate the market adoption of the Internet of Things.

Honeywell is launching its key smart building solutions including the command and control suite, for the first time in the Middle East at three-day forum to be held at the Dubai World Trade Centre. For the full article click here 

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Chamber applauds federal transportation funding act

Since the Jobs Conference that was held in 1979, Memphis has targeted logistics to leverage our world-class infrastructure and geographic location.

We now are home to the largest cargo airport in North America, over 100 million square feet of warehouse space and tens of thousands of jobs in that logistics sector. However, to leverage these accomplishments and compete with international challengers to our position, we must continue to invest in our regional and national infrastructure.

Thanks to Congress, a new transportation bill and the fate of freight movements in our country has passed. This reauthorization of our nation’s surface transportation programs presents an opportunity to make critical investments that support domestic manufacturing, agriculture and other goods moving sectors. For the full article click here 

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New steps to keep sewage from Passaic River

During heavy rains, Bergen and Passaic county towns along the Passaic River are the recipients of raw sewage swirling down the river from Paterson.

That’s because the rainwater rushes down the city’s streets and into storm drains, where it joins sewage from homes and businesses flowing into a sewage treatment plant. And the extra surge of rainwater can overwhelm the aging system, dumping the toxic mix of pollutants swept from the streets as well as the sewage through 24 overflow pipes directly into the river.

Paterson officials have estimated that to fix the system — ripping up streets and laying lines to handle sewage and rainwater separately — could cost $1 billion, money the city doesn’t have. For the full article click here 

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