Boston Herald - Boston Herald

3 more plead guilty in probe of Pilot Flying J

Associated Press — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:48:03 -0400

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Three more employees of the truck stop chain owned by the Cleveland Browns' owner and Tennessee's governor have pleaded guilty in what authorities call a scheme to cheat trucking firms out of rebates.

Regional sales manager Kevin Clark pleaded guilty to mail fraud in federal court in Knoxville on Tuesday.

Knoxville media report that Holly Radford, an account manager, and salesman Jay Stinnett entered similar pleas later in the day.

Suit: McDonald's wages put on costly debit card

Associated Press — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:42:12 -0400

PHILADELPHIA — Would you like fees with that?

A Pennsylvania woman has filed suit to avoid fees she may be charged to get her McDonald's wages from a debit card.

Single mom Natalie Gunshannon has filed suit over bank fees that allegedly include $1.00 to check her balance, $1.50 to withdraw cash and $15 to replace a lost card.

The 27-year-old Gunshannon, who lives near Wilkes-Barre, says the JPMorgan Chase payroll card was her only payment option.

Treasury unveils Lew's improved signature

Associated Press — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:38:05 -0400

WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew won't win any prizes in penmanship, but his official signature which will go on the nation's currency is at least a slight improvement over the loopy scrawl he had a few months ago.

The Treasury Department unveiled the new signature on Tuesday. It takes the Bureau of Engraving and Printing about 18 weeks to put new engraving plates into production. That means Lew's signature will not show up on the various currency denominations until sometime this fall.

Chrysler agrees to recall of Jeeps at risk of fire

Associated Press — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:11:50 -0400

DETROIT — Chrysler abruptly agreed to recall 2.7 million older model Jeeps Tuesday, reversing a defiant stance and avoiding a possible public relations nightmare over fuel tanks that can rupture and cause fires in rear-end collisions.

In deciding on the recall, Chrysler sidestepped a showdown with government safety regulators that could have led to public hearings with witnesses providing details of deadly crashes involving the Jeeps. The dispute ultimately could have landed in court and hurt Chrysler's image and its finances.

Study finds housing bias against same-sex couples

Associated Press — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:09:32 -0400

WASHINGTON — Same-sex couples are treated less favorably than heterosexual couples when seeking information about rental housing advertised over the Internet, according to a first-of-its-kind national study from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The study, released Tuesday, found that gay and lesbian couples were less likely to receive a response to e-mail inquiries about rental properties than straight couples. It also found that gay couples experienced discrimination slightly more often than lesbian couples.

NY regulators fault Deloitte's bank consulting

Associated Press — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:05:28 -0400

ALBANY, N.Y. — New York regulators reached an agreement Tuesday for Deloitte Financial Advisory Services to pay $10 million and cease new consulting for one year at state-regulated banks to settle an investigation into misconduct.

The probe involved Deloitte's work for the New York branch of Standard Chartered Bank in 2004 and 2005.

Fox News sued over airing suicide of chase suspect

Associated Press — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:04:27 -0400

PHOENIX — A woman sued Fox News Network for airing live footage last fall of a carjacking suspect in a police chase committing suicide in the Arizona desert and not using a time delay that would have prevented the death from being broadcast on national television.

The lawsuit alleges the children of 33-year-old suspect JoDon Romero have suffered emotional distress from having seen the video of their father fatally shooting himself on Sept. 28 at the end of an 80-mile car chase.

US safety agency investigating Suzuki small SUVs

Associated Press — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:03:44 -0400

DETROIT — U.S. safety regulators said Tuesday that they are investigating problems with air-bag sensors in the seats of some small Suzuki SUVs.

The probe covers 205,000 vehicles including Grand Vitaras from the 2006 through 2011 model years and SX4s from 2007 through 2011.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on its website that 128 owners have complained about problems with sensors in the front passenger seats that should turn off the air bag when a child is sitting there.

NYC to offer free phone-charging stations in parks

Associated Press — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:59:46 -0400

NEW YORK — It's a message busy New Yorkers hate to get: the low-battery message on your cellphone when there's no charger in sight.

Now that could be a thing of the past. New York City has teamed up with AT&T to install 25 solar-powered charging stations for public use, available for free in parks and beaches across the five boroughs over the summer. The program launched at Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn on Tuesday.

The "Street Charge" stations will be in place in New York until September, but if the pilot goes well they could become a permanent fixture.

MGM, AEG to develop 20K seat Las Vegas Strip arena

Associated Press — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:38:09 -0400

LAS VEGAS — Years of talk about building an arena capable of hosting professional sports and big-name concerts yielded an announcement Tuesday that casino giant MGM Resorts International and entertainment company AEG will build a privately financed 20,000-seat indoor venue on the Las Vegas Strip.

Construction on the $350 million arena should start next summer on land that MGM Resorts owns between the New York-New York and Monte Carlo resorts, the two companies said in a joint announcement. Completion is expected by spring 2016.

Greece's public TV still off despite court ruling

Associated Press — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:54:56 -0400

ATHENS, Greece — State TV channels in Greece remained off-air Tuesday as the political storm over the future of public broadcaster ERT raged on, despite a court ruling that the prime minister's decision to pull the plug was wrong.

The threat of a snap general election was averted late Monday after a meeting between Conservative Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and his center-left coalition partners, who strongly oppose his June 11 decision to close ERT and fire its staff of nearly 2,700.

Medicare: Cost-saving changes coming for diabetics

Associated Press — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:55:54 -0400

WASHINGTON — Medicare begins a major change next month that could save older diabetics money and time when they buy crucial supplies to test their blood sugar — but it also may cause some confusion as patients figure out the new system.

On July 1, Medicare opens a national mail-order program that will dramatically drop the prices the government pays for those products but patients will have to use designated suppliers. The goal is to save taxpayers money but seniors should see their copays drop, too.

'Time to make the doughnuts' ad is over

Associated Press — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:53:33 -0400

NEW YORK — Don't expect to see Dunkin' Donuts revive its famous "Time to make the doughnuts" ad campaign anytime soon.

Paul Carbone, chief financial officer for Dunkin' Brands Group Inc., said at the Jefferies Global Consumer Conference Tuesday that the company gets asked all the time when it's going to bring back the ad starring the perpetually tired baker who gets up early every morning to make doughnuts.

Lawsuit filed in Puerto Rico slaying of US banker

Associated Press — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:45:38 -0400

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The widow of a U.S. banking executive slain in a drive-by shooting in Puerto Rico has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the bank's CEO and other high-ranking officials.

The federal lawsuit marks the first time that a potential motive has been given for the high-profile killing. The suit comes two years after Maurice Spagnoletti, an executive vice president at Doral Bank, was repeatedly shot as he drove his Lexus on one of San Juan's busiest highways.

Portland, Maine: 'Life's good here'

Associated Press — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:44:46 -0400

PORTLAND, Maine — Everyone knows that what happens in Las Vegas "stays in Vegas." Maine's largest city is betting they also will come to know "life's good here."

The city launched a new marketing campaign Tuesday under the slogan: "Portland, Maine. Yes. Life's good here." Besides the city, local groups and businesses plan to use the slogan, adapting it, for instance, with the sayings: "Portland. Yes. Coffee's good here" or "Portland. Yes. Printing's good here."

Sprint sues to stop Dish Clearwire buyout

Associated Press — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:36:01 -0400

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Sprint is suing to stop Dish Network's buyout of wireless data network operator Clearwire. The nation's third-largest cellphone carrier said the proposed deal violates the rights of Sprint and other Clearwire shareholders.

Dish has offered to pay $4.40 per share for Clearwire, which has recommended that its shareholders approve the offer. That reverses its earlier stance in support of a takeover bid by Sprint, its majority shareholder.

FDA investigates Zyprexa Relprevv patient deaths

Associated Press — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:23:37 -0400

Federal regulators are investigating the deaths of two patients who received injections of a longer-lasting version of Eli Lilly's antipsychotic Zyprexa.

The Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that the patients died three to four days after receiving an appropriate dose of the drug known as Zyprexa Relprevv. They had very high levels of olanzapine in their blood. That is the chemical compound behind Zyprexa.

High levels of olanzapine can lead to cardiac arrest, irregular heartbeats, sedation or comas.

United adds spending requirement for elite status

Associated Press — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:18:19 -0400

CHICAGO — United Airlines is making it a little harder to get a higher frequent-flier status.

That status used to require flying 25,000 miles per year. Now, United is adding a requirement for at least $2,500 in spending, too, to qualify for status in its MileagePlus program.

Most frequent fliers would spend that much anyway if they are earning 25,000 miles. But those who buy discounted tickets might be affected.

Travelers like to get so-called "elite" status because of seat upgrades and other perks.

Techne to buy Bionostics for $104M in cash

Associated Press — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:08:25 -0400

MINNEAPOLIS — Techne Corp., which makes medical testing and diagnostic products, said Tuesday that it reached a deal to buy Bionostics Holdings Ltd. and its operating subsidiary Bionostics Inc. for $104 million in cash.

Bionostics develops, manufactures and distributes products that verify the proper operation of in vitro diagnostic devices mainly used in blood glucose and blood gas testing. The company has supply relationships with the vast majority of in vitro diagnostic device manufacturers, Techne said.

Grains futures mixed, beef prices fall

Associated Press — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:04:00 -0400

CHICAGO — Grains futures rose or were flat Tuesday in early trading on the Chicago Board of Trade.

Wheat for July delivery was flat at $6.805 a bushel; July corn rose 7.75 cents to $6.7625 a bushel; July oats were flat at $3.965 a bushel; while July soybeans rose 11.5 cents to $15.24 a bushel.

Beef prices fell, while pork prices rose on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

August live cattle fell 0.45 cent to $1.1880 a pound; August feeder cattle fell 0.47 cent to $1.4405 a pound; July lean hogs added 0.60 cent to 98.55 cents a pound.