Existing home sales in Dane County were down nearly 16 percent in July, according to a report by the South Central Wisconsin MLS. The county's 688 sales during the month were down from 818 a year ago. The median sale price of $220,000 was down 1 percent from last year.

Existing home sales also were down in Columbia, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Rock and Sauk counties, but up slightly in Grant County.

Red Brick School project is recognized

Gorman & Co., a real estate development firm, on Friday received the Wisconsin Historical Society's Historic Preservation Award for transforming the historic Oregon's Red Brick School into the company's headquarters. The annual award recognizes the best effort to preserve a historic property in the state.

Heckel's Marina closes Sun Prairie location

Just over a year after opening, Heckel's Marina has closed its Sun Prairie location.

The company, based in Eagle River and with another location near Wausau, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in August. Heckel's opened early last year in a former Pamida Store on West Main Street in Sun Prairie. The business closed about two weeks ago, according to a manager at the Eagle River store.

Culver's signs 5-year sponsorship of UW athletics

Culver's has agreed to a five-year sponsorship with UW-Madison athletics.

Badger Sports Properties, the sports marketing arm for the university and a property of Learfield Sports in Dallas, owns and manages Wisconsin's multimedia rights and secured the Culver's sponsorship on behalf of the school.

The agreement, which runs through 2013, includes in-store product promotions, product giveaways and special events at various men's and women's sports. Culver's initial sponsorship began in 2000.

Culver's, based in Prairie du Sac, is a chain of 380 independently owned and operated restaurants in 17 states.

BRIEFLY

Public hearings on Wisconsin Power & Light's rate-change requests will be held in Madison, Janesville and Fond du Lac on Wednesday. The Madison utility company is asking the state Public Service Commission for approval to increase its electric rates 9.2 percent and reduce natural-gas rates by 0.3 percent. Hearings are scheduled for 3 and 6:30 p.m. at the PSC building, 610 N. Whitney Way; at the UW-Rock County in Janesville; and at UW-Fond du Lac. Citizens can also file comments at http://psc.wi.gov, under Public Comments, through Tuesday.

All three Steve & Barry's locations in Madison will remain open, according to the company. The national clothing retailer recently was purchased out of bankruptcy by BH S&B Holdings, an affiliate of investment firms Bay Harbour Management and York Capital Management. BH S&B Holdings said it will reduce the chain from 276 stores to 170. Steve & Barry's has locations at East Towne and West Towne malls and 636 State St.