WASHINGTON -- The Machinists union announced Wednesday that it had reached a tentative four-year labor agreement with the Boeing Company, a development that might end some controversy surrounding the National Labor Relations Board and take away a major Republican talking point on the economy and regulations.
According to the member-run Machinists News blog, union members will vote on a contract extension next week that would assure that Boeing builds its 737 MAX passenger jet in Washington State. Although details haven’t been released, the deal will probably clear the way for production of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner in the company's South Carolina plant, which had been put on hold when the labor board issued a controversial complaint against the company on behalf of unionized workers in Washington earlier this year.
The complaint filed in April alleged that Boeing broke labor law when it tried to establish the production line in South Carolina. The labor board's general counsel claimed that the move amounted to retaliation against Boeing's unionized workers in Washington for having gone on strike in the past.
The complaint also infuriated Republicans, particularly those in South Carolina who believed it might cost the state jobs. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and others pushed legislation that would have scuttled the complaint and even defunded the labor board. For months GOP members have used the Boeing issue to tar both the labor board and the Obama administration as pro-union job killers meddling in corporate decision-making.
Settling the South Carolina issue was apparently a major part of the negotiations between Boeing and the union. But whatever deal was tentatively struck between the parties Wednesday, it won't immediately resolve the complaint filed by the NLRB.
In a statement, the agency's general counsel, Lafe Solomon, said, "The tentative agreement announced today between Boeing and the Machinists Union is a very significant and hopeful development. The tentative agreement is subject to ratification by the employees, and, if ratified, we will be in discussions with the parties about the next steps in the process."
Despite the dire proclamations coming from Republicans, most observers of the labor board believed Boeing and the union would reach an agreement before the South Carolina production line was spiked, considering how high the economic and political stakes are.
2011年11月28日星期一
Colombia's FARC Executes 4 Captives
BOGOTA, Colombia -- Colombia's main rebel group executed four of its longest-held captives during combat Saturday between guerrillas and soldiers searching for the men, the government said.
A fifth captive fled into the jungle and survived.
President Juan Manuel Santos called the killing of a soldier and three police officers "a crime against humanity" and dismissed any suggestions that Colombia's armed forces might be responsible.
"They were held hostage for between 12 and 13 years and wound up cruelly murdered," Santos said.
A senior Defense Ministry official told The Associated Press that government troops were not attempting to rescue the captives but rather trying to locate them based on intelligence indicating the rebels were holding them in the area. The official agreed to discuss the operation only if granted anonymity.
Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon initially announced the deaths, then said hours later that a fifth rebel prisoner, police Sgt. Luis Alberto Erazo, had survived. Erazo, 48, had been held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC for nearly 12 years.
Pinzon said troops had been in the area for 45 days chasing rebels and had intelligence the guerrillas might be holding police and soldiers as captives. No official explained how far the captives were being held from the area of combat. Pinzon did not take questions from reporters.
All four men were killed execution-style, three with shots to the head and one with two shots to the back, Santos told a community meeting in central Colombia.
Pinzon said the bodies were found together, with chains near them.
A fifth captive fled into the jungle and survived.
President Juan Manuel Santos called the killing of a soldier and three police officers "a crime against humanity" and dismissed any suggestions that Colombia's armed forces might be responsible.
"They were held hostage for between 12 and 13 years and wound up cruelly murdered," Santos said.
A senior Defense Ministry official told The Associated Press that government troops were not attempting to rescue the captives but rather trying to locate them based on intelligence indicating the rebels were holding them in the area. The official agreed to discuss the operation only if granted anonymity.
Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon initially announced the deaths, then said hours later that a fifth rebel prisoner, police Sgt. Luis Alberto Erazo, had survived. Erazo, 48, had been held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC for nearly 12 years.
Pinzon said troops had been in the area for 45 days chasing rebels and had intelligence the guerrillas might be holding police and soldiers as captives. No official explained how far the captives were being held from the area of combat. Pinzon did not take questions from reporters.
All four men were killed execution-style, three with shots to the head and one with two shots to the back, Santos told a community meeting in central Colombia.
Pinzon said the bodies were found together, with chains near them.
2011年11月21日星期一
Budget crises make mayors feel like "bad guys": poll
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mayors of U.S. cities and towns feel they are being cast as the "bad guys" as they attempt to address budget crises, often through tax hikes and service cuts, according to a poll released on Tuesday.
A Reader's Digest survey found that 48 percent of mayors struggle with the bad guy image and 12 percent said they were frustrated by the lack of appreciation for having to make tough decisions.
Almost all of the 52 mayors of cities of 20,000 people or more said they "are anxiously seeking new revenue sources other than taxes" and 65 percent are considering raising fees for services.
More than half, 52 percent, of mayors anticipate cutting spending in their next budgets.
Services such as maintaining city parks have already been cut in the cities administered by 71 percent of the mayors. Parks were the most sacrificed during recent budget crises - 44 percent said they reduced park maintenance and service - followed by libraries.
Meanwhile, 37 percent say they will provide the same level of spending in their next budget as they have in recent ones, showing it may take some time for civic budgets to begin growing again.
The housing bust, financial crisis and recession created a trifecta of pain for state, county and city governments, and the housing downturn's effects linger, hurting the revenues of many U.S. cities, according to the National League of Cities.
Due to a lag in property valuations used to determine tax bills, the bursting of the real estate bubble hit city revenues hard in 2010, when property-tax revenues dropped for the first time in 15 years.
With states currently pulling back aid to local governments, many cities are preparing for the pain to persist for years to come.
Reader's Digest, which last year turned its attention to funding initiatives and projects that could improve local communities, asked the mayors if they had been "surprised by the depth and length of the current economic crisis."
More than half - 54 percent - were surprised while 23 percent said they were "very surprised."
A Reader's Digest survey found that 48 percent of mayors struggle with the bad guy image and 12 percent said they were frustrated by the lack of appreciation for having to make tough decisions.
Almost all of the 52 mayors of cities of 20,000 people or more said they "are anxiously seeking new revenue sources other than taxes" and 65 percent are considering raising fees for services.
More than half, 52 percent, of mayors anticipate cutting spending in their next budgets.
Services such as maintaining city parks have already been cut in the cities administered by 71 percent of the mayors. Parks were the most sacrificed during recent budget crises - 44 percent said they reduced park maintenance and service - followed by libraries.
Meanwhile, 37 percent say they will provide the same level of spending in their next budget as they have in recent ones, showing it may take some time for civic budgets to begin growing again.
The housing bust, financial crisis and recession created a trifecta of pain for state, county and city governments, and the housing downturn's effects linger, hurting the revenues of many U.S. cities, according to the National League of Cities.
Due to a lag in property valuations used to determine tax bills, the bursting of the real estate bubble hit city revenues hard in 2010, when property-tax revenues dropped for the first time in 15 years.
With states currently pulling back aid to local governments, many cities are preparing for the pain to persist for years to come.
Reader's Digest, which last year turned its attention to funding initiatives and projects that could improve local communities, asked the mayors if they had been "surprised by the depth and length of the current economic crisis."
More than half - 54 percent - were surprised while 23 percent said they were "very surprised."
2011年11月7日星期一
Northeast power outages hit many businesses hard
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Businesses big and small have taken a beating from the power outages caused by the record-setting October snowstorm and the losses are only beginning to be tallied, owners and experts said Monday as tens of thousands of Connecticut homes and companies entered a second week without electricity.
"I think there's going to be a huge trickle-down effect and we may not know the results for several months," said Andy Markowski, Connecticut director for the National Federation of Independent Business. "I don't know of any small business that can afford to lose a week or more of sales. ... We're just literally and figuratively beginning to pick up the pieces."
The Oct. 29-30 storm dumped heavy snow across the Northeast and downed scores of trees and utility wires. Three million homes and businesses lost power at the height of the storm.
Connecticut was hit the hardest, racking up more than 830,000 outages, and more than 37,000 utility customers remained in the dark Monday. New Jersey utilities said everyone was back on line, while Massachusetts power companies were working to restore electricity to about 300 customers.
The storm also is affecting municipal elections Tuesday in Connecticut, where nine cities and towns were moving and consolidating their polling places. Secretary of the State Denise Merrill said some polling locations do not yet have electricity while others have been damaged or are being used as shelters and warming centers.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has called the duration of the outages unacceptable and has launched an independent probe of the utilities' response. He said the state is keeping its legal options open in case there are grounds for recourse in the courts once the circumstances are examined.
When asked how he planned to hold the utilities accountable for the slow recovery response, as he has promised, the governor said it will be through the state's regulatory process.
"We can bring dockets and ask for things to happen with respect to how they conduct their business and what way they conduct their business and what they recover losses for, for instance," said the governor, who said he presumed that the investigation of Connecticut Light and Power, the state's largest utility, would uncover "some degree of malfeasance" and could lead to legal action by the state.
Some homes and businesses weren't expected to get their power back until Wednesday night.
No power and no water meant no work for Angela Campetti, who runs a small house-cleaning business in Simsbury, Conn. All 10,100 electricity customers in the town were without power for several days and nearly half still weren't restored by Monday.
Campetti said she lost a significant amount of money because of the outages and hasn't been able to pay herself or her two employees at First Class Housekeeping.
"I'm not very happy," she said. "All the houses I was supposed to clean the power was out and my employees weren't able to go out and clean. You can't go in there with your vacuum."
The outages have affected a wide variety of companies, Markowski said, including small machine shops, home-based businesses and restaurants that were hit with the double whammy of losing sales and having to throw out food.
Peter Gioia, an economist at the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, said large companies also took big hits to their revenues. Though some businesses such as tree trimming and gas stations did well during the extended outages, many others were forced to shut, he said.
"The net effect is a minus," Gioia said.
He added that the CBIA's incoming email and website visits were down 50 percent during the week when power was out, reflecting that many businesses were not open.
Insurance agents, meanwhile, are reporting higher volumes of claims for business interruption insurance than what was submitted during hurricanes Irene and Lee, said Dan Corbin, director of research at Glenmont, N.Y.-based Professional Insurance Agents.
Business interruption insurance could include payments for lost profit and extra expenses such as moving to a different site that has electricity. To make a claim, the insured must prove property damage.
Insurance typically pays for continuing expenses such as rent or mortgage payments, payroll to avoid laying off workers and replacements of perishable goods, Corbin said.
One place that was not affected was the mall in Manchester, Conn.
General Manager Nancy Murray said that because The Shoppes at Buckland Hills are served by underground wires, they did not lose power and became a magnet for people in search of food, heat and power to charge cellphones and other equipment.
"It especially affected people the first Sunday," she said. "We were packed that day."
"I think there's going to be a huge trickle-down effect and we may not know the results for several months," said Andy Markowski, Connecticut director for the National Federation of Independent Business. "I don't know of any small business that can afford to lose a week or more of sales. ... We're just literally and figuratively beginning to pick up the pieces."
The Oct. 29-30 storm dumped heavy snow across the Northeast and downed scores of trees and utility wires. Three million homes and businesses lost power at the height of the storm.
Connecticut was hit the hardest, racking up more than 830,000 outages, and more than 37,000 utility customers remained in the dark Monday. New Jersey utilities said everyone was back on line, while Massachusetts power companies were working to restore electricity to about 300 customers.
The storm also is affecting municipal elections Tuesday in Connecticut, where nine cities and towns were moving and consolidating their polling places. Secretary of the State Denise Merrill said some polling locations do not yet have electricity while others have been damaged or are being used as shelters and warming centers.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has called the duration of the outages unacceptable and has launched an independent probe of the utilities' response. He said the state is keeping its legal options open in case there are grounds for recourse in the courts once the circumstances are examined.
When asked how he planned to hold the utilities accountable for the slow recovery response, as he has promised, the governor said it will be through the state's regulatory process.
"We can bring dockets and ask for things to happen with respect to how they conduct their business and what way they conduct their business and what they recover losses for, for instance," said the governor, who said he presumed that the investigation of Connecticut Light and Power, the state's largest utility, would uncover "some degree of malfeasance" and could lead to legal action by the state.
Some homes and businesses weren't expected to get their power back until Wednesday night.
No power and no water meant no work for Angela Campetti, who runs a small house-cleaning business in Simsbury, Conn. All 10,100 electricity customers in the town were without power for several days and nearly half still weren't restored by Monday.
Campetti said she lost a significant amount of money because of the outages and hasn't been able to pay herself or her two employees at First Class Housekeeping.
"I'm not very happy," she said. "All the houses I was supposed to clean the power was out and my employees weren't able to go out and clean. You can't go in there with your vacuum."
The outages have affected a wide variety of companies, Markowski said, including small machine shops, home-based businesses and restaurants that were hit with the double whammy of losing sales and having to throw out food.
Peter Gioia, an economist at the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, said large companies also took big hits to their revenues. Though some businesses such as tree trimming and gas stations did well during the extended outages, many others were forced to shut, he said.
"The net effect is a minus," Gioia said.
He added that the CBIA's incoming email and website visits were down 50 percent during the week when power was out, reflecting that many businesses were not open.
Insurance agents, meanwhile, are reporting higher volumes of claims for business interruption insurance than what was submitted during hurricanes Irene and Lee, said Dan Corbin, director of research at Glenmont, N.Y.-based Professional Insurance Agents.
Business interruption insurance could include payments for lost profit and extra expenses such as moving to a different site that has electricity. To make a claim, the insured must prove property damage.
Insurance typically pays for continuing expenses such as rent or mortgage payments, payroll to avoid laying off workers and replacements of perishable goods, Corbin said.
One place that was not affected was the mall in Manchester, Conn.
General Manager Nancy Murray said that because The Shoppes at Buckland Hills are served by underground wires, they did not lose power and became a magnet for people in search of food, heat and power to charge cellphones and other equipment.
"It especially affected people the first Sunday," she said. "We were packed that day."
2011年11月3日星期四
5 ways to make your Windows computer lightning fast
Nobody enjoys using a slow computer. You want your computer to be fast and responsive, whether it's brand spanking new or four years old. Follow our tips to keep you zooming along the information superhighway, regardless of your PC's age!
1. Run the essentials
The most basic thing you can do to speed up your computer is also one of the fastest changes you can make — close unneeded applications! If you're working in Excel, the odds that you'll need Word open at the same time are slim. Limit open software to what you are using at the time. This also cuts down on distractions and helps you get your work done more quickly.
If you have a stubborn application that won't close, treat it as a frozen application and kill it via Task Manager by hitting Ctrl+Alt+Del and selecting Start Task Manager.
Your computer automatically starts some programs when you turn it on. Some of these are necessary parts of the Windows operating system, but you may be able to disable some applications. Open the program in question and go into Properties or Options. Usually, auto-start options are found under General or Launch settings and will be labelled "Launch when Windows starts." Uncheck the check box and save the setting change to keep the application from coming back up the next time you reboot.
If you don't find an option like that, there's one more place to look for applications that auto-start. Be forewarned, this option is for advanced users — disabling essential startup items can have catastrophic results. Don't kill the auto-start settings for anything you don't recognize!
1. Run the essentials
The most basic thing you can do to speed up your computer is also one of the fastest changes you can make — close unneeded applications! If you're working in Excel, the odds that you'll need Word open at the same time are slim. Limit open software to what you are using at the time. This also cuts down on distractions and helps you get your work done more quickly.
If you have a stubborn application that won't close, treat it as a frozen application and kill it via Task Manager by hitting Ctrl+Alt+Del and selecting Start Task Manager.
Your computer automatically starts some programs when you turn it on. Some of these are necessary parts of the Windows operating system, but you may be able to disable some applications. Open the program in question and go into Properties or Options. Usually, auto-start options are found under General or Launch settings and will be labelled "Launch when Windows starts." Uncheck the check box and save the setting change to keep the application from coming back up the next time you reboot.
If you don't find an option like that, there's one more place to look for applications that auto-start. Be forewarned, this option is for advanced users — disabling essential startup items can have catastrophic results. Don't kill the auto-start settings for anything you don't recognize!
2011年11月2日星期三
Protests shut Oakland port, tensions flare in streets
OAKLAND, Calif (Reuters) - Protesters shut down operations at Oakland's port and blocked traffic on Wednesday in demonstrations against economic inequality and police brutality that turned tense as the night wore on.
The protest by some 5,000 people fell short of paralyzing the northern California city that was catapulted to the forefront of national anti-Wall Street protests after a former Marine was badly wounded during a march and rally last week.
But as evening fell, an official said maritime operations at the Oakland port, which handles about $39 billion a year in imports and exports, had been "effectively shut down".
"Maritime operations are effectively shut down at the Port of Oakland. Maritime area operations will resume when it is safe and secure to do so," the port said in a statement.
A port spokesman said officials hoped to reopen the facility on Thursday morning.
Protesters, who streamed across a freeway overpass to gather in front of the port gates, stood atop tractor-trailers stopped in the middle of the street.
Others climbed onto scaffolding over railroad tracks as a band played a version of the Led Zeppelin song "Whole Lotta Love," using amplifiers powered by stationary bike generators.
"The reason I'm here is, I'm sick and tired of trying to figure out where I should put my vote between the lesser of two evils," student Sarah Daniel, 28, said at the port.
The atmosphere turned tense after a protester was apparently struck by a car in downtown Oakland, and incorrect reports spread that the person had died. Acting Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan later said the pedestrian was taken to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
As the night wore on, small groups were seen in local TV images running through the streets, trying to start small fires or climbing on top of moving television news vans.
At one point, several people appeared to force open the driver's-side door of a news van, but after a few tense moments the door closed again and the van drove away safely.
The anti-Wall Street activists, who complain bitterly about a financial system they believe benefits mainly corporations and the wealthy, had aimed to disrupt commerce with a special focus on banks and other symbols of corporate America.
The demonstrations centered at Frank Ogawa Plaza adjacent to city hall, scene of a tug-of-war last week between police who cleared an Occupy Oakland encampment there and protesters who sought to return, and ultimately succeeded in doing so.
Protesters, prior to marching on the port, had also blocked the downtown intersection of 14th street and Broadway, where ex-Marine Scott Olsen was wounded during a clash with police on the night of October 25.
BANK WINDOWS SMASHED
Windows were smashed at several Oakland banks and a Whole Foods market, with pictures of the damage posted on Twitter.
Few uniformed police officers were spotted at the rallies, but Jordan said demonstrators would not be allowed to march beyond the gates of the port. He blamed the vandalism and unruliness on a small group he identified as anarchists.
Local labor leaders, while generally sympathetic to the protesters, said their contracts prohibited them from proclaiming an official strike.
Oakland Unified School District spokesman Troy Flint said more than 300 teachers had stayed home, most of those having made formal requests the night before.
"We did have to scramble a little bit to cover the extra absences," Flint said, adding that some classes were combined but no students were left unsupervised.
Other residents like Rebecca Leung, 33, who works at an architectural lighting sales company, went about their ordinary activities. Leung said she generally supported the protests.
"I don't really feel striking is necessary. I work for a small company, I don't work for Bank of America," she said.
The owner of a flower shop near the plaza protest site, meanwhile, said weeks of noisy rallies and ongoing encampment had only served to hurt his small business.
"Business has not been the same. Everything has gone downhill around here, the noise, the ambience and the customers," the man, who identified himself as Usoro, told Reuters. "I can't afford to close down."
It was the wounding of Olsen, a former Marine turned peace activist who suffered a serious head injury during protests last week, that seemed to galvanize protesters and broadened their complaints to include police brutality.
He remains in an Oakland hospital in fair condition.
Protest organizers say Olsen, 24, was struck by a tear gas canister fired by police. Jordan opened an investigation into the incident but has not said how he believes Olsen was hurt.
Elsewhere, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg told Wall Street protesters he would take action if circumstances warranted, saying that the encampments and demonstrations were "really hurting small businesses and families."
In downtown Seattle, about 300 rain-soaked protesters blocked the street outside the Sheraton hotel where Jamie Dimon, chief executive of the biggest U.S. bank, JPMorgan Chase & Co, was speaking at an event.
Earlier in the day, five protesters were arrested for trespassing after chaining themselves to fixtures inside a Chase bank branch, Seattle police said.
In Los Angeles, several hundred protesters marched through downtown in solidarity with their Oakland counterparts, while in Virginia protesters sought alarm whistles at their encampment in a public park in Charlottesville because women were concerned about their safety overnight.
"You're seeing people who don't really care about the Occupy movement, who are doing their own thing," Zac Fabian, a spokesman for Occupy Charlottesville, said.
(Additional reporting by Dan Whitcomb, Mary Slosson, Steve Gorman, Emmett Berg, Matthew Ward, Bill Rigby and R.T. Watson; Writing by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Jerry Norton and Cynthia Johnston)
The protest by some 5,000 people fell short of paralyzing the northern California city that was catapulted to the forefront of national anti-Wall Street protests after a former Marine was badly wounded during a march and rally last week.
But as evening fell, an official said maritime operations at the Oakland port, which handles about $39 billion a year in imports and exports, had been "effectively shut down".
"Maritime operations are effectively shut down at the Port of Oakland. Maritime area operations will resume when it is safe and secure to do so," the port said in a statement.
A port spokesman said officials hoped to reopen the facility on Thursday morning.
Protesters, who streamed across a freeway overpass to gather in front of the port gates, stood atop tractor-trailers stopped in the middle of the street.
Others climbed onto scaffolding over railroad tracks as a band played a version of the Led Zeppelin song "Whole Lotta Love," using amplifiers powered by stationary bike generators.
"The reason I'm here is, I'm sick and tired of trying to figure out where I should put my vote between the lesser of two evils," student Sarah Daniel, 28, said at the port.
The atmosphere turned tense after a protester was apparently struck by a car in downtown Oakland, and incorrect reports spread that the person had died. Acting Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan later said the pedestrian was taken to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
As the night wore on, small groups were seen in local TV images running through the streets, trying to start small fires or climbing on top of moving television news vans.
At one point, several people appeared to force open the driver's-side door of a news van, but after a few tense moments the door closed again and the van drove away safely.
The anti-Wall Street activists, who complain bitterly about a financial system they believe benefits mainly corporations and the wealthy, had aimed to disrupt commerce with a special focus on banks and other symbols of corporate America.
The demonstrations centered at Frank Ogawa Plaza adjacent to city hall, scene of a tug-of-war last week between police who cleared an Occupy Oakland encampment there and protesters who sought to return, and ultimately succeeded in doing so.
Protesters, prior to marching on the port, had also blocked the downtown intersection of 14th street and Broadway, where ex-Marine Scott Olsen was wounded during a clash with police on the night of October 25.
BANK WINDOWS SMASHED
Windows were smashed at several Oakland banks and a Whole Foods market, with pictures of the damage posted on Twitter.
Few uniformed police officers were spotted at the rallies, but Jordan said demonstrators would not be allowed to march beyond the gates of the port. He blamed the vandalism and unruliness on a small group he identified as anarchists.
Local labor leaders, while generally sympathetic to the protesters, said their contracts prohibited them from proclaiming an official strike.
Oakland Unified School District spokesman Troy Flint said more than 300 teachers had stayed home, most of those having made formal requests the night before.
"We did have to scramble a little bit to cover the extra absences," Flint said, adding that some classes were combined but no students were left unsupervised.
Other residents like Rebecca Leung, 33, who works at an architectural lighting sales company, went about their ordinary activities. Leung said she generally supported the protests.
"I don't really feel striking is necessary. I work for a small company, I don't work for Bank of America," she said.
The owner of a flower shop near the plaza protest site, meanwhile, said weeks of noisy rallies and ongoing encampment had only served to hurt his small business.
"Business has not been the same. Everything has gone downhill around here, the noise, the ambience and the customers," the man, who identified himself as Usoro, told Reuters. "I can't afford to close down."
It was the wounding of Olsen, a former Marine turned peace activist who suffered a serious head injury during protests last week, that seemed to galvanize protesters and broadened their complaints to include police brutality.
He remains in an Oakland hospital in fair condition.
Protest organizers say Olsen, 24, was struck by a tear gas canister fired by police. Jordan opened an investigation into the incident but has not said how he believes Olsen was hurt.
Elsewhere, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg told Wall Street protesters he would take action if circumstances warranted, saying that the encampments and demonstrations were "really hurting small businesses and families."
In downtown Seattle, about 300 rain-soaked protesters blocked the street outside the Sheraton hotel where Jamie Dimon, chief executive of the biggest U.S. bank, JPMorgan Chase & Co, was speaking at an event.
Earlier in the day, five protesters were arrested for trespassing after chaining themselves to fixtures inside a Chase bank branch, Seattle police said.
In Los Angeles, several hundred protesters marched through downtown in solidarity with their Oakland counterparts, while in Virginia protesters sought alarm whistles at their encampment in a public park in Charlottesville because women were concerned about their safety overnight.
"You're seeing people who don't really care about the Occupy movement, who are doing their own thing," Zac Fabian, a spokesman for Occupy Charlottesville, said.
(Additional reporting by Dan Whitcomb, Mary Slosson, Steve Gorman, Emmett Berg, Matthew Ward, Bill Rigby and R.T. Watson; Writing by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Jerry Norton and Cynthia Johnston)
Frank McCourt, MLB agree to sell Dodgers in auction
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Frank McCourt, MLB agree to sell Dodgers in auction
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LOS ANGELES (AP) – Embattled Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt and Major League Baseball reached an agreement late Tuesday to sell one of the sport's most storied franchises, ending a seven-year term that saw the team's return to the playoffs but was mired in legal troubles capped by its filing for bankruptcy protection.
* Frank McCourt, seen here Sept. 14, has recently gone through a long and contentious divorce with his now ex-wife Jamie. McCourt has agreed to put the Dodgers up for auction.
By Jason Redmond, AP
Frank McCourt, seen here Sept. 14, has recently gone through a long and contentious divorce with his now ex-wife Jamie. McCourt has agreed to put the Dodgers up for auction.
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By Jason Redmond, AP
Frank McCourt, seen here Sept. 14, has recently gone through a long and contentious divorce with his now ex-wife Jamie. McCourt has agreed to put the Dodgers up for auction.
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A joint statement said there will be a "court-supervised process" to sell the team and its media rights to maximize value for the Dodgers and McCourt. The Blackstone Group LP will manage the sale, which could include Dodger Stadium and the surrounding parking lots.
The announcement comes as the Dodgers and MLB were headed toward a showdown in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware at the end of the month as mediation between both sides was ongoing.
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BLOG: More on McCourt's ownership of the Dodgers
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MORE: MLB says McCourt looted $190M from Dodgers
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STORY: McCourts settle feud and Dodgers' fate
McCourt and baseball Commissioner Bud Selig have traded barbs since MLB took control of day-to-day operation of the team in April over concerns about the team's finances and the way it was being run. McCourt apparently realized a sale of the team he vowed never to give up was in his best interest and that of the fans.
"There comes a point in time when you say, 'It's time,' " said a person familiar with the situation who requested anonymity because details of the negotiations had not been made public. "He came to that realization at the end of today."
McCourt filed for bankruptcy protection in June after the league rejected a 17-year TV contract with Fox, reported to be worth up to $3 billion, that he needed to keep the team afloat. Selig noted that almost half of an immediate $385 million payment would have been diverted from the Dodgers to McCourt.
The franchise's demise grew out of Frank McCourt's protracted divorce with Jamie McCourt and the couple's dispute over the ownership of the team. The divorce, which played out in public in court, highlighted decadent spending on mansions and beach homes and using the team like it was their personal credit card. They took out more than $100 million in loans from Dodgers-related businesses for their own use, according to divorce documents.
In bankruptcy filings, attorneys for MLB said McCourt "looted" more than $180 million in revenues from the club for personal use and other business unrelated to the team.
"The Dodgers are in bankruptcy because Mr. McCourt has taken almost $190 million out of the club and has completely alienated the Dodgers' fan base," the baseball attorneys wrote.
As the former couple continued to fight over ownership of the team, the Dodgers' home opener against the rival San Francisco Giants kicked off a year of even worse publicity. A Giants fan, Bryan Stow, was nearly beaten to death in the parking lot. Stow's family has sued the Dodgers and his attorney said medical bills could reach $50 million.
In the outpouring of public sympathy, attention focused on cutbacks in security at Dodger stadium and fans turned their animosity toward Frank McCourt. Scores of police were dispatched to patrol the stadium after the attack.
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Dodgers attorneys claimed Selig deliberately starved the club of cash and destroyed its reputation in a bid to seize control of the team and force its sale.
"As the commissioner knows and as our legal documents have clearly shown, he approved and praised the structure of the team about which he belatedly complains," the team said in a statement.
The team was asking Judge Kevin Gross in Delaware to approve an auction of the team's television rights as the best path to exit bankruptcy. But the league wanted to file a reorganization that called for the team to be sold.
Last month, Jamie McCourt cut a deal with her ex-husband to settle their dispute over ownership of the team they bought in 2004 for about $430 million.
The terms of the agreement weren't disclosed publicly, but a person familiar with it who requested anonymity because it's not meant to be public told the Associated Press that Jamie McCourt would receive about $130 million. She also would support the media rights deal worth up to $3 billion.
That removed her from the number of opponents Frank McCourt was facing in bankruptcy court because Jamie McCourt had initially lined up behind MLB and Fox in asking the bankruptcy court to reject Frank McCourt's bid to auction Dodgers television rights.
All the bad publicity appeared to drive fans away. There was a 21% drop in home attendance from last season and it was the first time in a non-strike year since 1992 that the Dodgers drew fewer than 3 million people.
A new owner would be the third since Peter O'Malley sold the team to News Corp. in 1998. The Dodgers had remained in the O'Malley family since Walter O'Malley moved the team from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958.
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Frank McCourt, MLB agree to sell Dodgers in auction
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LOS ANGELES (AP) – Embattled Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt and Major League Baseball reached an agreement late Tuesday to sell one of the sport's most storied franchises, ending a seven-year term that saw the team's return to the playoffs but was mired in legal troubles capped by its filing for bankruptcy protection.
* Frank McCourt, seen here Sept. 14, has recently gone through a long and contentious divorce with his now ex-wife Jamie. McCourt has agreed to put the Dodgers up for auction.
By Jason Redmond, AP
Frank McCourt, seen here Sept. 14, has recently gone through a long and contentious divorce with his now ex-wife Jamie. McCourt has agreed to put the Dodgers up for auction.
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By Jason Redmond, AP
Frank McCourt, seen here Sept. 14, has recently gone through a long and contentious divorce with his now ex-wife Jamie. McCourt has agreed to put the Dodgers up for auction.
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A joint statement said there will be a "court-supervised process" to sell the team and its media rights to maximize value for the Dodgers and McCourt. The Blackstone Group LP will manage the sale, which could include Dodger Stadium and the surrounding parking lots.
The announcement comes as the Dodgers and MLB were headed toward a showdown in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware at the end of the month as mediation between both sides was ongoing.
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BLOG: More on McCourt's ownership of the Dodgers
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MORE: MLB says McCourt looted $190M from Dodgers
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STORY: McCourts settle feud and Dodgers' fate
McCourt and baseball Commissioner Bud Selig have traded barbs since MLB took control of day-to-day operation of the team in April over concerns about the team's finances and the way it was being run. McCourt apparently realized a sale of the team he vowed never to give up was in his best interest and that of the fans.
"There comes a point in time when you say, 'It's time,' " said a person familiar with the situation who requested anonymity because details of the negotiations had not been made public. "He came to that realization at the end of today."
McCourt filed for bankruptcy protection in June after the league rejected a 17-year TV contract with Fox, reported to be worth up to $3 billion, that he needed to keep the team afloat. Selig noted that almost half of an immediate $385 million payment would have been diverted from the Dodgers to McCourt.
The franchise's demise grew out of Frank McCourt's protracted divorce with Jamie McCourt and the couple's dispute over the ownership of the team. The divorce, which played out in public in court, highlighted decadent spending on mansions and beach homes and using the team like it was their personal credit card. They took out more than $100 million in loans from Dodgers-related businesses for their own use, according to divorce documents.
In bankruptcy filings, attorneys for MLB said McCourt "looted" more than $180 million in revenues from the club for personal use and other business unrelated to the team.
"The Dodgers are in bankruptcy because Mr. McCourt has taken almost $190 million out of the club and has completely alienated the Dodgers' fan base," the baseball attorneys wrote.
As the former couple continued to fight over ownership of the team, the Dodgers' home opener against the rival San Francisco Giants kicked off a year of even worse publicity. A Giants fan, Bryan Stow, was nearly beaten to death in the parking lot. Stow's family has sued the Dodgers and his attorney said medical bills could reach $50 million.
In the outpouring of public sympathy, attention focused on cutbacks in security at Dodger stadium and fans turned their animosity toward Frank McCourt. Scores of police were dispatched to patrol the stadium after the attack.
USA TODAY Sports on Twitter!
To get the latest sports news from USA TODAY, including game results, columns and features, follow us on Twitter at @USATODAYSports.
Dodgers attorneys claimed Selig deliberately starved the club of cash and destroyed its reputation in a bid to seize control of the team and force its sale.
"As the commissioner knows and as our legal documents have clearly shown, he approved and praised the structure of the team about which he belatedly complains," the team said in a statement.
The team was asking Judge Kevin Gross in Delaware to approve an auction of the team's television rights as the best path to exit bankruptcy. But the league wanted to file a reorganization that called for the team to be sold.
Last month, Jamie McCourt cut a deal with her ex-husband to settle their dispute over ownership of the team they bought in 2004 for about $430 million.
The terms of the agreement weren't disclosed publicly, but a person familiar with it who requested anonymity because it's not meant to be public told the Associated Press that Jamie McCourt would receive about $130 million. She also would support the media rights deal worth up to $3 billion.
That removed her from the number of opponents Frank McCourt was facing in bankruptcy court because Jamie McCourt had initially lined up behind MLB and Fox in asking the bankruptcy court to reject Frank McCourt's bid to auction Dodgers television rights.
All the bad publicity appeared to drive fans away. There was a 21% drop in home attendance from last season and it was the first time in a non-strike year since 1992 that the Dodgers drew fewer than 3 million people.
A new owner would be the third since Peter O'Malley sold the team to News Corp. in 1998. The Dodgers had remained in the O'Malley family since Walter O'Malley moved the team from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958.
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