Last Update: March 19 @ 7:09 PM
National Headlines
AP - Victory within reach, President Barack Obama set his sights on rallying House Democrats on Saturday for a final health care push as party leaders appeared confident they had overcome a flare-up within their ranks over abortion funding restrictions in the legislation.
AP - Stewart Udall, who sowed the seeds of the modern environmental movement as secretary of the interior during the 1960s and later became a crusader for victims of radiation exposure from the government's Cold War nuclear programs, died Saturday. He was 90.
AP - A powerful storm is blowing through Oklahoma and the southern Plains on the first day of spring, bringing heavy snow and strong winds.
AP - The Boy Scouts of America call them "perversion files," internal documents used to track Scout leaders suspected of sexually abusing young boys, and they have became part of the public record in an Oregon lawsuit.
AP - Thousands of protesters carried signs reading "Indict Bush Now" and flag-draped cardboard coffins on Saturday, urging President Barack Obama to withdraw troops from Iraq on the seventh anniversary of the U.S. invasion.
AP - A 16-year-old boy patronizing a Walmart store in southern New Jersey took over the public-address system and ordered black people to leave, angering customers and prompting company leaders to apologize, police said Saturday.
AP - A 16-year-old boy patronizing a Walmart store in southern New Jersey took over the public-address system and ordered black people to leave, angering customers and prompting company leaders to apologize, police said Saturday.
AP - U.S. Marshals using information from Detroit police have arrested in California a man wanted in a double slaying reported by the 8-year-old daughter of one of the victims.
AP - A city used to fighting floods was confident Saturday that it had done enough to hold back the swelling Red River — even as the water inched higher — but officials stressed that it was too early to celebrate.
AP - When snow falls on this downtown of brick buildings and glass storefronts in southern Oregon, it piles up everywhere but the sidewalks. It's the first sign that this timber and ranching town is like few others.
AP - Liz Carpenter, an author and former press secretary to first lady Lady Bird Johnson, has died. She was 89.
Reuters - German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said only the most extreme circumstances could justify a bailout of a European Union state from within the union, and any such aid would have to be delivered bilaterally.
Reuters - Democratic Republic of Congo could win a deal to wipe out the bulk of its $11 billion debt in time for June celebrations marking 50 years of independence, the International Monetary Fund said on Saturday.
AP - The tense atmosphere surrounding a California police department plagued by booby trap attacks has been stepped up a notch following the latest threat against officers.
AP - Retiree Richard Moore arrived at Heathrow with a suitcase of summer clothes for a Miami cruise only to be sent to Denver. Susan Danby wondered if plans for a joint 50th birthday celebration in Las Vegas would be a losing bet.
AP - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke made a fresh pitch Saturday to retain oversight of small banks, contending that what the Fed learns from that role helps it assess the overall health of the entire U.S. financial system.
AP - Almost a year after worried authorities went door to door warning residents to flee as water carved through a nearby dam, this tiny North Dakota town is facing the possibility of having to evacuate again because of flooding.
AP - The U.S. needs major changes to its financial system so consumers are better protected, banks fortified and the economy safeguarded from sliding into another Depression, President Barack Obama said Saturday.
AP - As one superbug seems to be fading as a threat in hospitals, another is on the rise, a new study suggests.
AP - A federal judge rejected a multimillion dollar settlement for people sickened by ash and dust from the World Trade Center, saying the deal to compensate 10,000 police officers, firefighters and other laborers didn't contain enough money.
AP - Tokyo subway workers observed a moment of silence Saturday to mark the 15th anniversary of a nerve gas attack by a religious cult, Japan's deadliest act of domestic terrorism.
AP - Rapid City's police chief said in a report released Friday that he regrets his department's outing of a lesbian Air Force sergeant led to her military discharge, but that his officers followed department protocol.
AP - A day after a boy's body was found on an island beach in Puget Sound, authorities searched unsuccessfully for his missing mother.
AP - The latest member of a polygamist group whose sprawling West Texas ranch was raided in 2008 has been sentenced to 75 years in prison for sexual assault of a child.
Tri-County Health Department -- the public-health agency for Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas counties, will receive a $10.5 million grant under the federal stimulus program for initiatives to support healthy eating and exercise.
Anheuser-Busch Inc. said Friday it is offering early retirement packages to union workers at its U.S. breweries.
AP - A convicted embezzler who snagged more than $9 million in business tax credits from the state of Michigan has been charged with defrauding an elderly neighbor.
The holding company for Denver's MediaNews Group Inc. -- publisher of The Denver Post and more than 50 other U.S. daily newspapers -- said Friday it has emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
AP - Contractor URS Corp. and the state of Minnesota reached a $5 million settlement Friday in the state's lawsuit over the 2007 downtown Minneapolis bridge collapse that killed 13 people and injured 145 others.
AP - A pro-democracy activist jailed for months in Myanmar after trying to visit his sick mother in prison arrived home in the United States on Friday, capping weeks of discussions between the ruling military junta and the U.S. State Department.
Reuters - The U.S. pay czar will slash the number of top General Motors Co executives who will receive base salaries of more than $500,000 this year.
AP - Gardeners and landscapers along the Eastern seaboard are making haste — and money — as spring begins and they pick up the pieces from the region's particularly harsh winter, which toppled more than snowfall records.
Nearly 70 percent of companies surveyed in Rockville plan to hire this year, according to a report presented Friday by Rockville Economic Development Inc.
A variety of Colorado attractions and organizations were honored this week as Colorado Meetings + Events magazine presented its “Best Of Colorado” awards.
AP - Indoor waterpark resort company Great Wolf Resorts Inc. said Friday it plans to offer $225 million of first mortgage notes due 2017.
AP - Police have been overwhelmed since they released more than 100 photos found in a serial killer's storage locker, more than 30-year-old pictures of unidentified girls and women in bell bottoms, bikinis and Farrah Fawcett hair.
Under Armour Inc. CEO Kevin A. Plank earned back his bonus in 2009, after foregoing the perk last year. (UA)
Colorado legislators say they won’t have to continue cutting services or raising fees to balance the state budget for the next year, and bills proposing further revenue increases from businesses could be tabled, after receiving a favorable economic forecast Friday.
Temple University Hospital received a strike notice Friday from the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP), the union representing 1,500 registered nurses and allied-health professionals at the North Philadelphia medical center.
Reuters - Republicans in the House of Representatives on Friday recommended the country's top two mortgage finance companies, the recipients of a massive government bailout during the height of the financial crisis, be phased out in four years in order to restore stability to the housing market.
The Dow ended its eight-day run of advances Friday with a 37-point loss. In Colorado, most stocks lost ground on the session, but Ciber and Vista Gold led actively traded gainers.
The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education said Friday its board of governors has approved a voluntary retirement incentive program as part of a cost-cutting effort.
AP - Discount apparel retailer Syms Corp. on Friday named Joel Feigenbaum chief integration officer.
Two Aetna insurance companies have paid fines totaling $624,000 for market conduct violations, the Colorado Division of Insurance said on Friday.
AOL Inc. continues to bet on local content, establishing a $10 million venture capital fund it will use to make investments in startups focused on local markets. (AOL)
(Crain's) — When Pat Quinn and Doug Oberhelman, Caterpillar Inc.’s incoming CEO, sat down at the state basketball championships last weekend in Peoria, the governor had more than hoops on his mind. After Caterpillar said Thursday it was thinking about building a new plant in the U.S. to ...
AP - Major companies tentatively scheduled to report quarterly earnings next week:
Two additional defendants have been sentenced in what has been called the Dallas City Hall Corruption Case.
Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano’s plan to run a leaner, meaner county government apparently starts at the top. In addition to slashing more than $20 million in salaries and jobs of the rank and file, he’s also cut the number of deputies in his office to fewer than half the number that served under Tom Suozzi. Mangano [...]
A television casting company is looking for “fun businesses and offices” in the New York area whose employees wouldn’t mind a little television exposure. Manhattan-based Twins Talent Casting, run by twin sisters Lisa and Debbie Ganz, needs companies with at least five employees that would be visited for a week by a business consultant. At the [...]
Last week’s heavy winds and rain are proving to be a boon for local hotels, where thousands of local residents, stuck without power for up to five days, took refuge and found warm showers and working hair dryers. They were joined by 2,000 utility workers brought in from as far afield as Tennessee and Canada as [...]
An uptick in the number of CEOs who quit, retired or got canned in February may be the latest sign that the recession is behind us. After a relatively quiet January, 132 chief executives announced plans to move on last month, the highest total since September 2008. And this is good news? Well, yes, according to Challenger, [...]
Small companies in Dallas rank third out of 10 markets in a survey by AT&T of how much they use wireless technology and how important it is to their businesses.
Last week’s Green Economy summit at Molloy College attracted the likes of LIPA chair Kevin Law, NYPA honcho Richie Kessel and Babylon Supervisor Steve Bellone, but the star – as always – was former U.S. Sen. Alfonse D’Amato. D’Amato, now managing director of the lobbying firm Park Strategies, rebuffed an interruption by moderator Neal Lewis with [...]
If you’re feeling a little less well off, there’s good reason. Americans have lost more than $18 trillion in net worth since the start of the recession, leaving us with a paltry $54 trillion collectively. That still buys a lot of groceries, but it’s a 25 percent decline. The good news is we regained $700 billion in [...]
Philip W. Aliberto Project Manager H2M Aliberto, a project manager in the education architecture division of H2M in Melville, recently received certification from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, which develops and administers standards for the licensure and credentialing of architects. Aliberto, who holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in architecture from the Tulane University School of Architecture, joined [...]
Accounting Eric Altstadter has been named partner-in-charge of the newly established Melville office of Eisner, an accounting and business advisory firm. An audit partner, Altstadter is a member of the firm’s service to public companies group. Financial Services Frank J. Frisone has been named manager of a TD Bank store in Westbury. Frisone, who has 13 years [...]
(AP) — The American Medical Association is announcing its qualified support for President Barack Obama's revised health overhaul legislation. AMA President James Rohack said Friday the pending bill isn't perfect, but it's the next step toward real reform of the nation's health care ...
Joseph Peiser has joined RMI Consulting Inc., a Port Washington-based risk management consulting firm, as partner and chief operating officer. Peiser will oversee the day-to-day management of the firm as well as its purchasing division, RPG Management. Prior to joining RMI, Peiser was the sole proprietor of Silver Lining Insurance Consulting. Previously, he spent two decades [...]
The level of addiction among kids, the corresponding desperation in parents and the lack of available resources has organizations such as the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence working overtime to find an end to the heroin epidemic on Long Island. “The basics of addiction are the same, but the adolescent population is ever-changing,” [...]
With Congress expected to take up the health care vote this weekend, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Speaker of the House Joe Straus have sent a letter to Texas Congressional members advising them to vote against the proposal.
EMC Corp. Chairman and CEO Joseph Tucci last year realized $7.4 million in value after acquiring 750,000 shares through stock option exercises, the company disclosed in a regulatory filing. (EMC)
The executive board of District Council 88 of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees has voted to appoint Tom Tosti director, AFSCME said Friday.
The Federal Aviation Administration is now the subject of a report sent to Congress and President Obama accusing the airline regulator of improper handling of a Southwest Airlines safety issue two years ago. (LUV)
Advertising agency Connelly Partners on Friday broke a new marketing campaign for Italian-restaurant chain Bertucci’s, the agency said on Friday.
(Crain's) — It looks like Charlie Trotter's luck has run out in Las Vegas, as the celebrity chef has closed the namesake restaurant he opened two years ago in the Palazzo Las Vegas hotel and casino. Restaurant Charlie and Bar Charlie went dark on Friday after five months of debate, said ...
(AP) — The list of people interested in becoming the Democratic nominee for Illinois lieutenant governor just keeps growing. The latest name is Susan Garrett, a state senator from the Chicago suburb of Lake Forest. Garrett has spoken to Gov. Pat Quinn about applying. But she said ...
Boston Scientific Corp. reports that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new use for one of its defibrillator products. (BSX)
A daily roundup of senior-level executive hires and board appointments: Friday, March 19
A European company has sued the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, alleging the MBTA has infringed its patents with its “T-Alerts” system as well as its open approach to encouraging software developers to build applications based on its vehicle-tracking systems.
Plano resident Anthony U. Barber pleaded guilty this morning to charges he assisted in the preparation and filing of false tax returns.
BioEnergy Holdings LLC has raised $6.4 million in a new debt round, bringing its total debt investment to $70 million, the cleantech company reported in a regulatory filing posted Friday.
The Maryland Comptroller’s office has published the names of 25 businesses and 25 individuals it calls the state’s top tax scofflaws, which collectively owe more than $7.9 million in unpaid taxes, penalties and interest.
University of Colorado Denver's School of Medicine said Friday that its stem-cell research and treatment programs have been placed under a new regional center.
Capella Hotels and Resorts, an ultra-upscale hotel development company founded by a former Ritz-Carlton executive, will open its latest property in Georgetown.
Greater Boston’s commercial real estate community appears to be among the healthiest in the country, in terms of the percentage of properties that have remained current on their debt payments.
(Crain’s) — CME Group Inc. argued in a court filing Friday that bankruptcy law allows it to keep confidential details about bidders and buyers for former futures and options positions of Lehman Bros. Holdings Inc. that it sold amid the bank’s 2008 collapse. A bankruptcy examiner, Jenner & ...
AFP - The United States said Friday it would host annual talks among trade ministers of 21 economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in the western state of Montana in May next year.
Five months after its CEO died from cancer, the Arts Council of Fairfax has named a new chief.
The Maryland Comptroller’s office has published the names of 25 businesses and 25 individuals it calls the state’s top tax scofflaws, which collectively owe more than $7.9 million in unpaid taxes, penalties and interest.
Private-sector employment declined in January in all of America’s 100 biggest labor markets, according to figures released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
(AP) — An Aon Corp. unit said Friday it agreed to buy a division of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.'s retirement unit for an undisclosed amount. Aon Consulting is buying JP Morgan Compensation and Benefit Strategies, a division of JP Morgan Retirement Plan Services LLC that provides compensation, ...
The Denver Office of Economic Development says funds are available for metro-area businesses through the federal stimulus program to subsidize wages for newly hired workers up to $8,000.
Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Hospital have agreed to pay the Maryland Department of the Environment $370,000 as part of a settlement regarding alleged radiation violations.
Gov. Martin O’Malley’s proposed tax credit for businesses that hire the unemployed appears likely to become law, having passed the House of Delegates on Friday.
The historic Senator Theatre in Northeast Baltimore will be preserved regardless of the group selected to acquire and renovate the structure, according to the city’s top economic development official.
James Henderson is returning to Kodiak Oil & Gas Corp. as chief financial officer after two years at Aspect Energy LLC.
(AP) — Aerospace and defense company EADS said Friday it is considering a new bid for a $35 billion Pentagon contract for mid-air refueling tankers but wants an extended deadline. A consortium of EADS and Northrop Grumman pulled out of the bidding for the long-awaited, 179-tanker contract ...
Baylor Health Care System, Texas Oncology PA, Pathologists Biomedical Laboratories LLP and US Oncology have joined to create a new company integrating advanced laboratory services and clinical trials services in Lewisville.
A recently formed REIT bought the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Boston for $112 million in cash, the buyer reported in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Friday.
Resident Acting Co.— a key part of the programming offered through the Dallas Theater Center — is changing its name after receiving a $1 million donation from arts patrons Diane and Hal Brierley.
Hotel owner Hersha Hospitality Trust said Friday that it plans to raise $102 million in a public offering of common shares of beneficial interest. (HT)
(Crain's) — Morningstar Inc. has agreed to acquire credit research company Realpoint LLC for $52 million, including $42 million in cash and $10 million in restricted stock. Morningstar plans to complete the purchase in the next few months, the Chicago-based investment research company said in ...
Vienna-based MicroStrategy Inc. has seen its stock more than double in the last year, and that boost in market value will land it on the S&P SmallCap 600 Index. (MSTR)
The Federal Aviation Administration is now the subject of a report sent to Congress and President Obama accusing the airline regulator of improper handling of a Southwest Airlines safety issue two years ago. (LUV)
Herndon-based SteelCloud Inc., which has hitched its wagon to the popularity of the BlackBerry, saw sales fall as it narrowed its focus, though it reported significantly lower losses for its latest quarter.
(AP) — Boeing will speed up production plans for its 777 and 747 models in anticipation of greater demand from commercial airlines in a couple of years. Both are wide-body planes capable of carrying more than 300 passengers and flying longer routes. They're also more fuel-efficient than other ...
(Crain’s) — Mayor Richard M. Daley tapped John S. Gates Jr. to head McCormick Place’s interim board and named his former chief of staff to the panel. Mr. Gates currently is chairman of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, which runs McCormick and Navy Pier. The mayor also ...
Pennsylvania’s unemployment rose from 8.8 percent to 8.9 percent in February as its nonfarm job count fell by 16,000 to 5,548,900, according to seasonally adjusted figures released late Thursday by the state Department of Labor and Industry.
WestonSolutions Inc. has bought Taiwan-based China Environmental Consultants Ltd.
(Crain’s) — Some Metra trains were delayed as much as 45 minutes this morning because of an Amtrak switching problem at Union Station. The problem was resolved about 8:15 a.m. and Metra is now trying to get caught up, a spokesman for the commuter rail agency said Friday morning. The delays ...
Competition concerns aside, GameStop Corp. is in a good position this year due to the expected launch of new games, new gaming equipment and counter-cyclical demand, said analyst Tony Wible with Janney Capital Markets. (GME)
GSI Group Inc., a developer of laser-based technologies who filed for bankruptcy protection in November, said the Nasdaq Stock Market has moved to formally delist the company’s shares from its international exchange.
First Mariner Bancorp shareholders on Friday approved the sale of up to $2.6 million in stock to CEO Edwin F. Hale Sr. and other company executives, a key part of the company’s plans to pay down debt and boost capital levels at its First Mariner Bank subsidiary. (FMAR)
Maryland rockers O.A.R. and Grammy Award winning country group Zac Brown Band will headline this year’s Preakness InfieldFest May 15, marking the second straight year music is replacing beer cans at the historic event.
BusinessWeek - Ooh la la! Our family's INSEAD MBA (INSEAD Full-Time MBA Profile) experience feels like one intense Twilight Zone episode. Time has lost all value, and it's difficult to pinpoint when my husband, Mark, actually attended his first lecture. Was it four months ago or four days ago? Or has it been four years now? Standard calendars confirm the program commenced in September 2009, but the whirlwind of events that has transpired since then has aged me several years. ...
AFP - Leading shares rose in early deals on Friday, boosted by state-rescued bank Lloyds' forecast of a return to profit in 2010 after two years of losses.
(Crain) — Chicago-area retail sales plummeted at a record rate last year. Local retail sales fell 8.7% to $92.9 billion in 2009, according to the latest local report from Melaniphy & Associates Inc. The 2009 decrease is the biggest on record since the Chicago-base retail consultancy ...
(Reuters) — CME Group Inc. Chief Executive Craig Donohue earned $4.7 million in 2009, up 16 percent from the previous year, as the company battled a decline in trading volumes and the perception that looming regulatory changes could hurt the business. The figure includes salary, cash bonuses, ...
(Crain's) — Kraft Foods Inc. landed in the company of artisanal cheesemakers when the food conglomerate earned first place for some of its products in a worldwide contest. The Northfield-based owner of the Cheez Whiz and Velveeta brands won in the mozzarella, fresh mozzarella and spreadable ...
North Texas home foreclosure postings rose to a new record monthly high with 6,168 foreclosure notices filed for the upcoming April auction.
Sterling Banks Inc. said Thursday it has agreed to be acquired by Roma Financial Corp. for $14.7 million in cash, or $2.52 per share. The deal is expected to close in the third quarter. (STBK) (ROMA)
The Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP) said Thursday they will deliver a strike notice to Temple University Hospital on Friday.
Arlington-based ICx Technologies Inc., which makes detection systems used in airports and other secured settings, cut its annual loss and forecasts that 2010 will be its first profitable year. (ICXT)
Enterprise Bancorp Inc. said it recently changed its by-laws to give existing board members more flexibility on where they live and work.
Blockbuster’s CEO Officer James Keyes says don’t count Blockbuster out just yet.
(Crain's) — Delta Air Lines Inc., the nation’s largest carrier, is moving its Chicago-to-New York service from Midway Airport to O'Hare International Airport starting in June. As part of the switch, the Atlanta-based airline is turning up the pressure on the popular business route by ...
(Crain’s) — Consumer prices in the Chicago metropolitan area edged slightly higher in February. The consumer price index for the Chicago-Gary-Kenosha metro area rose 0.2% last month on a non-seasonally adjusted basis, according to the Illinois Bureau of Labor Statistics. The increase was ...
The District is saving a bundle in interest expenses thanks to last week’s new bond sale, but the city’s chief financial officer warns the benefits are near term and future borrowing may be in jeopardy.
Don’t expect to find a seat at ESPN Zone’s bar during March Madness.
The region's manufacturing sector is showing continued signs of expansion and optimism for the future, according to firms polled for the Philadelphia Federal Reserve’s monthly Business Outlook Survey.
Maryland developers are fighting for a change in state stormwater regulations, paying for a study authored by local economist Anirban Basu that shows millions of dollars of potential costs.
(Crain's) — The Chicago Network, an organization of women in leadership roles, named a former Schiff Hardin LLP partner its new executive director. Kate Bensen, 51, will start with the Chicago Network on April 19. She is replacing Amy Osler, who is retiring after 29 years with the ...
Maryland's House of Delegates is considering a bill that would make permanent the so-called millionaires' tax, which is currently set to expire this year.
(AP) — The third and final Boeing 747-8 Freighter to take part in the new jet's flight test program flies for the first time. Boeing Co. says the plane took off from Everett's Paine Field on Wednesday afternoon for a two-and-a-half-hour flight before landing at Boeing Field in Seattle. ...
(AP) — Owners of the nation's oldest nuclear power plant are threatening to shut it down rather than build cooling towers mandated by New Jersey environmental regulators. Exelon Corp. says the $800 million it would cost to build the towers is more than the 40-year-old Oyster Creek Nuclear ...
(Crain's) — Caterpillar Inc.’s sale of heavy equipment showed signs of improvement in February. While North American retail sales of machinery were still down 30% last month from the year before, that was an improvement over declines of 40% in January and 46% in December, the company said ...


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