May 27 2014

Businessman Lewis Katz Buying Philadelphia Newspapers

The Philadelphia Inquirer-Daily News Building in Philadelphia, PA. Taken from North Broad and Callowhill Streets. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Businessman Lewis Katz and philanthropist H.G. “Gerry” Lenfest will take over Philadelphia’s two largest newspapers from their partners with an $88 million auction bid.

Katz and another businessman, George Norcross, had bought The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News and the Philly.com news website for $55 million in 2012. But they began feuding and competed to take control at Tuesday’s auction.

Katz made his fortune investing in the Kinney Parking empire and the Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network in New York. He supports the investigative reporting favored by current Inquirer editor Bill Marimow.

May 15 2014

Authorities: Casey Kasem Found In Washington State

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Casey Kasem was located in Washington state on Thursday, three days after a Los Angeles judge expressed concerns about the ailing radio host’s whereabouts and safety.

Kasem’s condition was not immediately known, although his children rejoiced after days of uncertainty and said in a statement that locating their father was the first step in bringing him back to the Los Angeles area.

Santa Monica police Sgt. Mario Toti said Kasem was located by the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Department on Wednesday, hours after Kasem’s children filed a missing person’s report. Kasem’s daughter Kerri, who was appointed his temporary conservator at a court hearing on Monday, had to wait for court filings before she was able to file the report.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Daniel S. Murphy ordered adult protective services and court investigators to try to locate Kasem after an attorney for his wife told the court that the former “Top 40” host was no longer in the United States but he did not know where he was.

Apr 15 2014

Rival Owners Of Philly Newspapers Pledge $77M Bids

The Philadelphia Inquirer-Daily News Building in Philadelphia, PA. Taken from North Broad and Callowhill Streets. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Rival owners fighting for control of Philadelphia’s two largest newspapers have each pledged $77 million to take control of the company.

The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News are being sold as investors who bought them in 2012 argue over newsroom management and corporate strategy.

Wealthy businessmen George Norcross and Lewis Katz lead the rival factions, and testified at a hearing underway in Delaware this week to determine who can bid at the planned auction.

“There are people interested in this newspaper,” Katz testified Tuesday. “Whether or not they will come forward to bid is, in my mind, still problematic.”

Apr 3 2014

NJ’s Largest Paper, Star-Ledger, Cuts 40 News Jobs

The Star-Ledger (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) – New Jersey’s largest newspaper is cutting about 170 jobs, including 25 percent of its newsroom positions, as it moves to consolidate operations and cut costs.

The Star-Ledger reported Thursday on NJ.com that the cuts will mean the loss of 40 of the 156 newsroom staffers at the paper.

Other journalists at the newspaper are being offered jobs at NJ Advance Media, a new company being created by parent company Advance Publications to provide content, advertising and marketing services to all of its papers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Mar 29 2014

After Sandy, Feds Mull Plan For Artificial Islands

Map of New Jersey (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

SEASIDE HEIGHTS, N.J. (AP) – A string of artificial islands off the coast of New Jersey and New York could blunt the impact of storm surges that proved so deadly during Superstorm Sandy, according to a proposal vying for attention and funding as the region continues its recovery.

It’s a big proposal that would cost $10 billion to $12 billion. But it’s also the kind of innovative idea that federal officials requested as they consider how best to protect the heavily populated region from future storms.

“We’ve discussed this with the governor’s office of Recovery and Resiliency and the Department of Environmental Protection, and they all look at me like, ‘Whoa! This is a big deal!” said Alan Blumberg, a professor at New Jersey’s Stevens Institute of Technology. “Yes, it is a big deal. It can save lives and protect property.”

The “Blue Dunes” proposal is part of Rebuild By Design, a competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to come up with novel ways to protect against the next big storm. It is one of 10 projects that will be evaluated and voted on next week, but there’s no guarantee any of them will receive funding. Other ideas include building sea walls around cities, re-establishing oyster colonies in tidal flats to blunt wave action and creating water-absorbent nature and recreational preserves.

Mar 28 2014

McDonald’s Offers Free Coffee For Breakfasters

Logo of McCafé (McDonald’s). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

NEW YORK (AP) – McDonald’s is offering free coffee to its customers for a limited time as competition for the breakfast crowd intensifies.

The world’s biggest hamburger chain announced Friday that participating U.S. locations will offer small cups of McCafe coffee at no charge during breakfast hours from March 31 through April 13.

McDonald’s said that this is the first time it’s ever had a free coffee event nationwide. Its McCafe product line, which also includes iced coffees and other drinks, debuted in the U.S. in 2009.

Mar 6 2014

Staples To Shutter 225 Stores As Sales Move Online

Staples (Canada) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

FRAMINGHAM, MA (AP) – Staples will close up to 225 stores in North America by the end of next year as it seeks to trim about $500 million in costs annually by 2015.

The nation’s largest office-supply retailer said Thursday that nearly half of its sales are now generated online, so it will aggressively cut costs to become more efficient.

Company shares dropped more than 10 percent before markets opened.

The recession did heavy damage to the industry, which is now under increasing pressure from online retailers as well as discount stores.

Feb 6 2014

UTILITIES SCRAMBLE TO RESTORE POWER IN PA., MD.

Editor’s note: Ash, you’re a class act!

HARRISBURG, PA (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of people spent a second day without electricity Thursday as utility crews from as far away as Canada and Arkansas scrambled to restore power lost when ice took down trees and limbs in the mid-Atlantic. Forecasters said a bone-chilling cold would remain in place for days.

Nearly a half-million customers lacked power in Pennsylvania and Maryland. In Pennsylvania, where most of the outages were located, officials likened the scope of the damage to a hurricane. Some who might not get power back for several days sought warmth — or at least somewhere to recharge their batteries — in shopping malls, public libraries and hastily established shelters.

One cafe in downtown Pottstown gave about 15 free meals to people without power, encouraged them to plug in devices and even let a few get a warm shower.

“It’s just kind of giving back to the community — there’s no other purpose of this,” said iCreate Cafe owner Ashraf Khalil.

Dec 9 2013

Paul Walker Memorial In California Draws Thousands

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (AP) — The sounds of high-performance car engines filled the air Sunday as thousands of fans, friends and car enthusiasts headed to the Los Angeles suburb of Santa Clarita to pay tribute to Paul Walker at the site where the “Fast & Furious” actor died in a car crash.

The memorial, planned through social media, was scheduled to begin at noon, but mourners began arriving hours beforehand to leave flowers, candles, stuffed animals and other tributes.

By afternoon, about 5,000 people, including entire families with children, dropped by, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Capt. Mike Parker said, adding that the gathering was mostly peaceful. A man was arrested after deputies spotted him carrying a partially hidden, loaded gun, and 40 citations were issued for illegal parking, Parker said.

Many arrived in cars built for speed, and the sounds of engines revving echoed close to where Walker and his friend died on Nov. 30. The event concluded Sunday evening with a cruise through the area 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

Dec 6 2013

York Area Teen’s Christmas Display Attracting National Attention

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting York County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

YORK, PA (AP) — Caleb Linburg’s hobby lights up the neighborhood for the holidays.

Caleb, 15, is presenting his fifth annual “Linburg Lights” display, which features more than 30,000 Christmas bulbs flashing on and off to the beat of holiday songs.

The display can be seen on his home at 1195 Hambletonian Way in Manchester Township.

People can hear the music by tuning to the 87.9 FM radio station.

They also can use a “jukebox” feature on their smartphones to select which of the songs they want to hear, Caleb said.

To see a 2 1/2 minute video and read the rest of the article, click here: http://www.timesherald.com/general-news/20131206/york-area-teens-christmas-display-attracting-national-attention

Sep 6 2013

US Employers Add 169K Jobs; Rate Falls To 7.3 Percent

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers have yet to start hiring aggressively — a trend the Federal Reserve will weigh in deciding this month whether to slow its bond buying and, if so, by how much.

Employers added 169,000 jobs in August but many fewer in June and July than previously thought, the Labor Department said Friday. Combined, June, July and August amounted to the weakest three-month stretch of job growth in a year.

The unemployment rate dropped to 7.3 percent, the lowest in nearly five years. But it fell because more Americans stopped looking for work and were no longer counted as unemployed. The proportion of Americans working or looking for work reached its lowest point in 35 years.

All told, the report adds up to a mixed picture of the U.S. job market: Hiring is steady but subpar. Much of the hiring is in lower-paying occupations. And many people are giving up on the job market in frustration.

Jun 27 2013

Closing Of Newark Star-Ledger Possible

The Star-Ledger (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

NEWARK – Owners of the Star-Ledger plan to close New Jersey’s largest newspaper by year’s end if production unions don’t make concessions in contract negotiations, the publisher said Wednesday.

In a letter to staff, publisher Richard Vezza said the company felt “pushed into a corner” by the unions, whose contracts expire in July. Vezza said they have until Sept. 27 to make compromises or else the paper will shut down.

“This is not a threat. This is reality,” Vezza said in an interview.

The paper’s website, www.nj.com, is owned by a separate company and will continue to publish “no matter what happens with the Ledger,” Vezza said.

May 21 2013

Oklahoma Twister A Top-Of-The-Scale EF-5

Map of Oklahoma highlighting Cleveland County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

MOORE, OK (AP) — The National Weather Service says the tornado that hit Moore, Okla., was a top-of-the-scale EF-5 twister with winds of at least 200 mph.

Spokeswoman Keli Pirtle said Tuesday the agency upgraded the tornado from an EF-4 on the enhanced Fujita scale to an EF-5 based on what a damage assessment team saw on the ground. The weather service uses the word “incredible” to describe the power of EF-5 storms.

The weather service says the tornado’s path was 17 miles long and 1.3 miles wide.

Pirtle says Monday’s twister is the first EF-5 tornado of 2013.

For more stories and video directly from Oklahoma, click here: http://newsok.com/oklahoma-twister-a-top-of-the-scale-ef-5/article/3828315

May 21 2013

TV Program On Reading’s Future Takes First Place

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Berks County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A program produced by WFMZ-TV and Reading Eagle Company took first place in the public affairs category over the weekend at the Pennsylvania Associated Press Broadcasters Association awards banquet for 2012 in Harrisburg.

It was previously announced that “From Poverty to Prosperity: Reading Looks to the Future” finished in the top three in the category for medium-market TV stations, but its exact finish was not announced until the banquet.

The program was a joint effort between print and television media, sponsored by M&T Bank in collaboration with United Way of Berks County and hosted by Reading Area Community College.

Aug 27 2012

Social Security Worth Higher Tax, Most In Poll Say

Seal of the United States Social Security Administration. It appears on Social Security cards. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

WASHINGTON – Most Americans say go ahead and raise taxes if it will save Social Security benefits for future generations. And raise the retirement age, if you have to.

Both options are preferable to cutting monthly benefits, even for people who are years away from applying for them.

Those are the findings of a new Associated Press–GfK poll on public attitudes toward the nation’s largest federal program.

Social Security is facing serious long-term financial problems. When given a choice on how to fix them, 53 percent of adults said they would rather raise taxes than cut benefits for future generations, according to the poll. Just 36 percent said they would cut benefits instead.

Aug 14 2012

110-Year-Old Pa. Widow Gets WWI Benefits Boost

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Cambria County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

EBENSBURG, Pa. (AP) — A 110-year-old Pennsylvania widow is getting a benefits boost because of her husband’s World War I service.

Family members say Alda Collins is now getting about $1,000 a month to assist with her stay at a nursing home near Ebensburg. She had been getting $36 a month.

Her son tells the Daily American of Somerset (http://bit.ly/OURXLU) that Collins lived by herself in a trailer until she was 106. She can use a walker, feeds herself and knows the Pirates are in second place.

Aug 13 2012

Boy Scout Leader Recovering After Rabid Beaver Attack In Pennsylvania

Editor’s note: This is becoming a little too common!

PINE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) – A Boy Scout leader from New York who was attacked by a rabid beaver while swimming in the Delaware River is recovering.

The Poughkeepsie Journal reports that 51-year-old Normand Brousseau, of Pine Plains, was swimming in eastern Pennsylvania on Aug. 2 when a beaver swam through his legs and bit him in the chest.

Jul 16 2012

Mariah Carey In The Mix For ‘Idol’ Judge

NEW YORK, NY (AP) — “American Idol” may be getting a worldwide idol as a judge — Mariah Carey.

A person familiar with the show’s negotiations say Carey is being pursued to join the judging panel of the Fox talent competition. The source requested anonymity because of the private nature of negotiations, which were termed as serious. Carey has also been courted by other talent competitions, and her name has been thrown out in the past for “Idol” and other shows.

There are two openings: Both Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tylerannounced last week that they were leaving as judges after two seasons. Randy Jackson, who is a manager, producer and friend of Carey’s, is the only judge left. There are reports that Jackson’s role may shift as well.

Jul 3 2012

Beloved Actor Andy Griffith Dies In NC At Age 86

Andy Griffith, Tony Award-nominated and Emmy Award-nominated American actor, producer, writer, director and Grammy Award-winning southern gospel singer. Image taken as President George W. Bush presents him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

RALEIGH, NC. – It was all too easy to confuse Andy Griffith the actor with Sheriff Andy Taylor, his most famous character from “The Andy Griffith Show.”

After all, Griffith set his namesake show in a make-believe town based on his hometown of Mount Airy, N.C., and played his “aw, shucks” persona to such perfection that viewers easily believed the character and the man were one.

Griffith, 86, died Tuesday at his coastal home, Dare County Sheriff Doug Doughtie said in a statement.

“Mr. Griffith passed away this morning at his home peacefully and has been laid to rest on his beloved Roanoke Island,” Doughtie told The Associated Press, reading from a family statement.

Apr 17 2012

Gannett Posts 25% Decline In Earnings

McLEAN, Va. (AP) — The Gannett Company reported a 25 percent decline in first-quarter profit on Monday, as advertising in its newspapers continued to decline.

The company, which owns 82 newspapers in the United States, including USA Today; 23 broadcast television stations; and several digital media properties, said it earned $68.2 million, or 28 cents a share, in the quarter, down from $90.5 million, or 37 cents a share, a year earlier.

Revenue in the period, which ended March 25, fell 2.6 percent to $1.22 billion from $1.25 billion last year.

Results were helped by strong TV advertising and growth in digital products like the CareerBuilder Web site. Even so, overall revenue came in below analysts’ expectations. Analysts had expected $1.24 billion in revenue, according to a poll by FactSet.

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