The Casper Journal :: Casper's Community Newspaper

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has introduced two new free online finance courses to help small business owners with the basic principles of finance and borrowing.

The new self-paced courses are “Finance Primer: Guide to SBA’s Loan Guaranty Programs” and found at http://app1.sba.gov/sbtn/registration/index.cfm?CourseId=29, and “How to Prepare a Loan Package” is at http://app1.sba.gov/sbtn/registration/index.cfm?CourseId=28.

The classes walk business owners through steps that answer questions about what debt financing is, loan programs that are available, what small businesses should know about borrowing money, how to prepare a loan package and how loan requests are reviewed by lenders.

The finance courses can help entrepreneurs avoid some of the common mistakes made, such as securing the wrong type of financing, miscalculating the amount of financing required, and underestimating the cost of borrowing money.

Course participants who complete the 30-minute online training programs can earn a certificate of completion from the SBA, with their name, date and course title.

These courses have been added to a menu of more than 26 online tutorials offered by the SBA, through its virtual training campus at the Small Business Training Network (SBTN) at www.sba.gov/training.

Equality State Book Fest receives grants

The Casper College/ARTCORE Equality State Book Festival recently received grants totaling more than $48,722, enhancing the college’s support for the program.

The festival will be held Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 18-20, at the college and other venues around Casper.

According to Tom Rea, Equality State Book Festival director, the event will include readings, signings, panel discussions, writing workshops and author visits to the public schools.

There also will be a daylong book fair with displays by publishers and archives, a banquet on Sept. 19, and a late-night poetry slam later that evening.

All events are free and open to the public, with the exception of the workshops and banquet.

Grants have been received from the Natrona County School District ($11,000), the Wyoming Cultural Trust ($10,000), the Natrona County Board of Cooperative Educational Services ($8,200), the Casper Area Convention and Visitors’ Bureau ($7,022), Wyoming Community Foundation’s Schneider Fund ($5,000), the Rocky Mountain Power Foundation ($4,000, and the Wyoming Arts Council ($3,500).

The National Historic Trails Center in Casper also is sponsoring a day of history related programs on Friday, Sept. 19.

The festival continues the tradition of celebrating books and readers begun in Casper in 2006 with the first Equality State Book Festival.

The tradition continued in the fall off 2007 with the Wyoming Book Festival, in Cheyenne, sponsored by the Wyoming State Library.

This is the 22nd year that Casper College and ARTCORE have collaborated on a fall literary event, Rea said.

About 35 writers from all genres are slated to appear, including Alexandra Fuller, C.J. Box, Laurie Kutchins, Gary Ferguson and John Gierach.

Any author with a book in print is welcome to give a 15-minute reading. Booksellers, archivists, publishers and museums are welcome to rent tables at the book fair for a nominal fee.

For more information on the Equality State Book Festival, log on to www.equalitystatebookfest.com.

Wheeler to serve on stroke committee

Casper neurologist Dr. David Wheeler, Ph.D., has been chosen to serve on the Stroke Committee for the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (Pacific/Mountain Affiliate).

Wheeler is the medical director of the award-winning stroke program at Wyoming Medical Center.

The program recently was recognized by the American Heart Association and featured in US News and World Report’s “Best Hospitals Issue” in July 2007.

The WMC program is now being used as a model for stroke treatment programs throughout the state.

As a member of this committee, Wheeler will collaborate with other members to advise the American Stroke Association on the programs, products and messaging needs of those who treat stroke or those who are affected by stroke.

He also will serve as an advocate in the advancement of stroke issues and act as a resource for those needing stroke information.

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