D3 Sports to open near 31st and Iowa

A new sportswear store is banking on a high-visibility storefront to establish a winning tradition in a competitive market.

D3 Sports LLC is expected to open by the end of the month at 2052 W. 31st St., above.

The store, established by two former Jock’s Nitch managers, will occupy 2,200 square feet in one of two free-standing buildings in the parking lot adjacent to On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina, near Best Buy and The Home Depot.

“The first thing they tell you is, ‘Location, location, location,’ ” said Doug Dobbins, who co-owns the business with David Timmons. “The fact that the first day we open our doors, we’ll have customers — that’s priceless.”

The store will sell apparel and collectibles. Dobbins expects first-year sales of up to $350,000.

The Mattress Firm, a Houston-based bedding retailer, plans to occupy another 5,000 square feet in the building.

Taxes

Property assessment forms due Tuesday

Signed assessment forms for business equipment and other personal property are due Tuesday to the Douglas County Appraiser’s Office.

Forms should include a list of each owner’s personal property. For businesses, that’s everything from office chairs to factory machinery; for individuals, that includes boats, trailers, mobile homes, airplanes, Jet Skis, large trucks, mo-peds and business equipment.

The appraiser’s office mailed 9,500 such forms to property owners in January. Taxpayers who did not receive a form may pick one up from the office at the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Mass. For more information, call 832-5289.

Property owners missing the 5 p.m. Tuesday filing deadline will be charged a late penalty, officials said.

Tax bills will be mailed to owners in November.

Wall Street

Stocks slip on volatile oil prices

Volatile oil prices and a weak dollar sent stocks sliding Wednesday as the prospect of inflation and rising interest rates sank in on Wall Street. Yields on long-dated Treasuries surged to an eight-month high and the Dow Jones industrial average skidded 107 points.

A gradual acceleration of inflation and a rally in commodities have made investors increasingly nervous about stocks, as many on Wall Street predict a slowdown in corporate profits for 2005. The feeble dollar and bearish bond market combined with a rise in gold and oil prices created a storm of selling.

Oil futures came within 2 cents of their all-time intraday high, but fell back late in the session, settling up 6 cents at $54.65 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.