Orascom Hotels and Development – a sister company to the Egyptian firm that recently received $110 million in state tax incentives to build a fertilizer plant in southeast Iowa – was featured in Sunday's New York Times for its construction of a $1.92 billion exclusive Swiss resort for the world's wealthiest jet set.

Orascom Hotels and Development, part of Orascom Group, is building the five-star resort at Andermatt, Switzerland, and the first of five hotels will have a 4,500-square-foot penthouse that will rent for $43,000 a night, according to the Times article. Prices for villas in the development start at $1 million for a studio or one-bedroom of about 732 square feet, the Times reported.

Lee Enterprises - owner of the Quad City Times - reported Monday it lost $7.7 million in its fourth quarter ended Sept. 30, an improvement over the same period a year ago when the Davenport-based firm had an $8.8 million loss, or 20 cents per share.

For the company's fiscal year ended Sept. 30, Lee posted a $21.3 million loss (43 cents per share) compared with a loss of $147 million ($3.27 per share) for fiscal 2011.

The Iowa League of Cities will get its day in court next week to argue the U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) revised municipal sewage treatment regulations without proper rule-making and has sought to avoid judicial review of "illegally revised regulatory requirements."

Attorneys for the league and the EPA will make their oral arguments before the three-judge U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit in St. Louis Tuesday, November 13, more than a year after filing suit to challenge the EPA's regulation of so-call "bypass" sewage.

Get full detailed results of today's election direct from the source.

• For the latest local (Scott County) election results, click here for the Scott County Auditor's web site.
• For the latest Iowa election results, click here for the Iowa Secretary of State's web site.

The status of the planned Interstate 74 Bridge project through downtown Bettendorf will held from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday (Nov. 7) at Bettendorf City Hall, 1609 State Street. Specific items on the meeting agenda are the status of the right-of-way acquisition for the project, timing of construction and the status of the realignment of State and Grant Streets.

New housing starts in Bettendorf were up 8 percent in the third quarter compared with 2011, while new construction home sales for the Iowa Quad Cities jumped 20 percent compared with the third quarter last year.

That's according to statistics compiled by Ruhl & Ruhl Realtors of Bettendorf in its quarterly market update.

Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer Virginia McDowell could receive up to 857,143 shares of the company's stock if she's able to boost shareholder returns and the gambling firm's stock price over the next three years.

The restricted stock options would be worth more than $5 million at today's stock price of $6.08.

McDowell was awarded 545,455 in restricted stock options Oct. 24, according to the filing with the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission.

The Rising Knights youth football program was told to look at reducing the number of teams using Bettendorf's Meier Park next season and to obtain a special event permit for any park use at least a month before the start of practice next year.

The directive by the Bettendorf Park Board at its September meeting came in response to neighborhood complaints about the three Rising Knights football teams using the park three and four times each week during the fall.

Residents will have a chance to meet and hear from candidates running for the two Iowa House seats in the November election at a forum Thursday, Oct. 18, hosted by the Iowa Quad City Rotary Club at the Bettendorf Public Library, 2900 Learning Campus Drive.

The forum begins at 7 p.m. and will be moderated by Quad City Times Editorial Page Editor Mark Rudolfi. Democrat Maria Bribriesco, a retired attorney, is challenging Republican Linda Miller in House District 94. Republican Mark Nelson, a real estate appraiser, is running against incumbent Democrat Phyllis Thede, an employee of the Davenport School District.

MidAmerican Energy's two-year $115-million surcharge to recover added environmental and coal fuel costs has received approval from the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB).

Electric customers of the state's largest utility have been paying a portion of the higher rates since last March under an interim rate increase provided under IUB rules.

The settlement, issued Monday by the IUB, allows MidAmerican to collect $38.7 million in electric revenue in 2012, and $76 million in electric revenue in 2013.