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Black News

Blackecommerce.com will post news articles and events that will keep you informed and inspired.

AP Top News At 1:19 A.m. EST

WASHINGTON (AP) President Barack Obama said Tuesday he'll bring in high-tech bounty hunters to help root out health care fraud, grabbing a populist idea with bipartisan backing in his final push to overhaul the system. The White House announcement came as Obama prepared to travel to Missouri on Wednesday, taking his closing argument to [...]

AP Top News At 1:21 A.m. EST

Biden’s West Bank Tour Clouded By Settlement Plans

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) Israel's new plan to build 1,600 homes for Jews in east Jerusalem is overshadowing Vice President Joe Biden's visit to the West Bank. Biden is to hold talks Wednesday with Palestinian leaders in an effort to ease their doubts about the latest U.S. peace efforts. The talks are almost certain to address [...]

7-year-old Calls 911, Saves Family From Attack

NORWALK, Calif. (AP) A dramatic 911 call reveals a terrified 7-year-old boy begging emergency dispatchers to send police to his California home where three armed robbers were threatening his parents. The boy called emergency operators early Tuesday after the gunmen broke into the Norwalk home. He said he was hiding in a locked bathroom with his [...]

Aid Group Attacked In Northwest Pakistan; 5 Dead

ISLAMABAD (AP) Suspected militants armed with grenades attacked the offices of an international aid group in northwest Pakistan on Wednesday, killing five people working for the organization, police said. The attack targeted World Vision, a large Christian humanitarian group helping survivors of the 2005 Kashmir earthquake in Mansehra district. The dead were all Pakistanis and included [...]

Curbing Derivatives Might Hurt, Not Help, Greece

NEW YORK (AP) Derivatives have become a dirty word. The complex financial products helped blow up the U.S. housing market. They all but sank AIG. Now European officials want to crack down on a derivative called a credit default swap. It's an insurance-like product that they say has worsened Europe's debt crisis and could bankrupt [...]

Police Make 3rd Arrest In Calif. Church Shooting

RICHMOND, Calif. (AP) Police say they've made another arrest in a shooting at a Northern California church that injured two teenage brothers. Richmond police Sgt. Bisa French said Tuesday officers arrested 18-year-old Marcel Buggs on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm and other charges. It was unknown if Buggs had [...]

Google Opens Web Store For Business Applications

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Google Inc. will sell the online services of other business software makers in an effort to fill its own product gaps and persuade more companies to rely on applications piped over the Internet. The online store that was announced late Tuesday marks another step in Google's crusade to convert the world to [...]

NH Campaign Finance Activist Granny D Dies At 100

DUBLIN, N.H. (AP) A New Hampshire woman who was known as Granny D and walked across the country a decade ago to publicize the need for campaign finance reform has died. She was 100. Spokeswoman Maude Salinger says Doris "Granny D" Haddock died Tuesday night at her home in Dublin. Salinger, who is also a [...]

China February Exports Jump 45.7 Percent

BEIJING (AP) China's exports rose in February in a new sign of growing global demand that could help persuade officials to let the Chinese currency rise. Exports were up 45.7 percent over a year earlier, the Chinese customs agency reported Wednesday, beating analyst forecasts of 35 to 40 percent growth. Imports surged 44.7 percent, the [...]

China’s February Exports Jump 45.7 Percent

BEIJING (AP) China's exports grew strongly in February in a new sign of a rebound in global demand, government figures showed Wednesday. Exports were up 45.7 percent in February over a year earlier, the Chinese customs agency reported, beating forecasts by private sector analysts of 35 to 40 percent growth. Imports also were up strongly, rising [...]

Owners Of NY Club Where Groom Was Shot Are Charged

NEW YORK (AP) A mother and son who owned a New York City strip club made infamous by a 50-bullet police shooting of an unarmed man there on his wedding day have been charged in a mortgage fraud case. Martina Duran and Robert Arias were each ordered held on $250,000 bail Tuesday after being charged [...]

Soaring China Home Prices Thwart Ordinary Buyers

SHANGHAI (AP) The luxury apartment buildings Yang Xuhua passes on her way to work are a daily reminder of her own frustrated efforts to buy a home. Prices for even modest apartments in Shanghai have soared, putting home purchases out of reach for white collar workers and professionals. Yang and many other young Chinese are [...]

MySpace Outlines Makeover After Exec Shake Up

LOS ANGELES (AP) Long-ago lapped by Facebook in popularity and with fast-growing Twitter on its tail, social networking site MySpace is planning a series of updates over the next months that will link its users' posts to those sites more easily and carve out its niche as an entertainment hub more clearly. Those changes, among [...]

Bank Of America Ends Overdraft Fees On Debit Cards

NEW YORK (AP) Bank of America customers will soon be unable to spend more than they have in the accounts linked to their debit cards. It's a step that may become a common move ahead of new regulations limiting overdraft fees. Rules set by the Federal Reserve that will ban banks from charging such fees, [...]

UN Report: Much Of Somalia’s Food Aid Diverted

UNITED NATIONS (AP) A Security Council report has found much of the food aid intended for Somalia's poor is diverted to corrupt contractors, radical Islamist militants and local U.N. workers. The findings, not yet made public, were first reported by The New York Times Tuesday. A UN diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity because the report [...]

Israel Says ‘bad Options’ For Iran Getting Closer

UNITED NATIONS (AP) The two "bad options" for Iran letting the country develop nuclear weapons or using force to destroy its nuclear capabilities are closer than they were a year ago, Israel's U.N. ambassador warned Tuesday. Gabriela Shalev told journalists at the U.N. Israel still hopes diplomatic engagement and sanctions will halt Iran's [...]

AP Top News At 11:21 P.m. EST

AP Top News At 9:43 P.m. EST

Obama Using ‘bounty Hunters’ For Health Care Fraud

Obama Using ‘bounty Hunters’ To Root Out Fraud

Trucker Tells Michigan Jury He Killed 2 Gentlemen

CORUNNA, Mich. (AP) The man who confessed to fatally shooting an abortion protester and a businessman in a small Michigan community told jurors Tuesday he deserves to die for the killings. Harlan Drake testified for hours at his first-degree murder trial in Shiawassee County, about 25 miles west of Flint. He admits killing anti-abortion activist [...]

Dunleavy, Los Angeles Clippers Sever Ties

LOS ANGELES (AP) Mike Dunleavy and the Los Angeles Clippers parted company for good Tuesday, barely a month after he relinquished his head coaching duties to focus solely on being general manager. Now that arrangement is over, with the team announcing his departure in an e-mailed statement. Assistant general manager Neil Olshey will take over [...]

Toyota To Expand Recall Of Tundra Pickups For Rust

WASHINGTON (AP) Toyota said Tuesday it will expand a recall announced last year to fix Tundra pickup trucks with frames that could rust and lead to spare tires falling from the vehicle. Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons said the recall will cover Tundra pickups from the 2000-2003 model years in all 50 states. It would broaden [...]

NYPD: Rooftop Body Casts Are Art, Not Jumpers

NEW YORK (AP) The New York Police Department wants the public to know that the figures soon to be gazing down from buildings near a midtown park are an artist's body casts not residents in distress. Police spokesman Paul Browne said Tuesday that the department was worried the upcoming outdoor exhibit might spark 911 [...]

Wintrust Financial Closes $182.9M Stock Offering

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) Wintrust Financial Corp., which operates community bank subsidiaries, said Tuesday it sold 5.8 million shares in a public offering that netted about $182.9 million. The stock offering was first announced on March 4. Wintrust did not specify how it planned to use the proceeds from the sale. Wintrust said it has granted [...]

Asia Markets Little Changed As China Exports Surge

HONG KONG (AP) Asian stock markets were little changed Wednesday even as surging Chinese exports pointed to a pickup in global trade. The region's major indexes were largely mixed as many markets fluctuated for the second day in a row. Oil prices hovered below $82 a barrel, while the dollar traded sideways against the yen [...]

Asian Stock Markets Trade In Narrow Range Again

NEW YORK (AP) Asian stock markets were little moved in early trading Wednesday after investors in the U.S. seemed to pause and look back on a year of recovery from the market's 12-year lows. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 stock average lost 0.12 percent to 10,555. And the Shanghai composite index fell 0.24 percent to 3,062. The South [...]

Light a Fire to Your Motivation

The discontinuation of incentive plans, expensive job perks, and exorbitant employee benefits is leaving many executives relying on old-fashion self-motivation to sustain their career drive and achievements.

Governor: Retain Parole Records On Sex Offenders

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday ordered California corrections officials to keep sex offenders' parole records indefinitely after he learned the files of a man now charged with killing a 17-year-old girl had been destroyed. The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation disclosed the documents on John Albert Gardner III had been destroyed in [...]

Flow International Narrows 3Q Loss

KENT, Wash. (AP) Flow International Inc., which makes water jet machines for cutting and cleaning applications, said Tuesday it narrowed its loss in the third quarter, compared with a year-ago quarter weighed by a hefty charge. For the three months ended Jan. 31, Flow said it lost $747,000, or 2 cents per share. In the [...]

Pratt & Whitney To Move Quickly On Court Appeal

EAST HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) Pratt & Whitney said Tuesday a federal appeals court granted the jet engine maker's request for an expedited appeal of a lawsuit it lost as it tries to move 1,000 jobs out of Connecticut. The subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. filed five proposed issues in its appeal to the 2nd U.S. [...]

Boston Beer 4th-qtr Profit More Than Doubles

BOSTON (AP) Boston Beer Co.'s fourth-quarter profit more than doubled as it shipped out more beer and its profit margin grew and write-downs fell, the company said Tuesday after the market closed. The maker of Sam Adams beer earned $7.5 million, or 52 cents per share, in the three months that ended Dec. 26. That [...]

Bruker To Buy Varian Products To Ease Agilent Deal

BILLERICA, Mass. (AP) Scientific instrument maker Bruker Corp. said Tuesday it has agreed to buy certain product lines that Agilent Technologies Inc. has agreed to sell as part of its previously announced takeover of competitor Varian Inc. Agilent and Varian also make scientific instruments. Bruker said it has agreed to acquire Varian's Australia-based inductively coupled plasma [...]

Prius Driver’s 911 Call: ‘My Car Can’t Slow Down’

EL CAJON, Calif. (AP) The driver of a Toyota Prius that sped out of control on a San Diego County freeway sounded panicked at times as he told a dispatcher about a stuck accelerator. The California Highway Patrol released audio Tuesday of two 911 calls spanning 23 minutes that detail James Sikes' attempts to slow [...]

Poll of the Week

One year ago this week, the Standard & Poors 500 hit a 12-year low of 672.88 as it reached its lowest point during the most recent economic recession. Since that time, the S&P 500 is up 69%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the NASDAQ, of course, witnessed a similarly resilient rebound. Black Enterprise wants [...]

Texas Instruments CEO Pay Up 2 Percent To $9.8M

SEATTLE (AP) Chip maker Texas Instruments Inc.'s CEO's compensation edged up in 2009, according to calculations by the Associated Press, a recession year that proved difficult for the chipmaker. Richard K. Templeton, 51, received a pay package the company valued at $9.8 million, up from $9.6 million in 2008, according to AP calculations based on [...]

Opponent Files Ethics Complaint On La. Sen. Vitter

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) A challenger to Louisiana Sen. David Vitter filed an ethics complaint Tuesday, claiming a fundraising letter for the Republican incumbent's campaign makes illegal use of a government emblem. The complaint with the Senate Select Committee on Ethics alleges Vitter's fundraising plea violated federal law and Senate ethics rules by using a [...]

Kroger, Ruby Tuesday, UAL Are Big Movers

NEW YORK (AP) Stocks that moved substantially or traded heavily Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq Stock Market: NYSE: Kroger Co., down 55 cents at $22.35 A gasoline incentive program boosted sales, but quarterly profit fell 27 percent as promotions and discounts increased. Ruby Tuesday Inc., up 82 cents at $9.88 The restaurant chain said a [...]

AP Top News At 1:35 A.m. EST

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AP Top News At 6:42 P.m. EST

EL CAJON, Calif. (AP) The government sent investigators Tuesday to examine a Prius that sped out of control on a California freeway, and Toyota said it wanted to interview the driver as the besieged automaker dealt with a high-profile new headache that raised questions about the safety of its beloved hybrid. A day after [...]

Bristol-Myers CEO’s 2009 Compensation Down 22 Pct

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) The chief executive of drugmaker Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., James Cornelius, received a 2009 compensation package valued by The Associated Press at $17 million, down 22 percent from 2008, due to the much lower value of his stock awards. The maker of blood thinner Plavix, schizophrenia treatment Abilify and HIV drugs Reyataz and [...]

Calif. Test-taking Case Shows Gap In Visa Security

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) A ring accused of helping people from the Middle East obtain student visas by taking their proficiency exams and classes has exposed vulnerability in the nation's security tracking system for foreigners who attend U.S. schools, experts said Tuesday. The bust unsettled immigration authorities and federal lawmakers who implemented the sophisticated Foreign [...]

Test-taking Ring Shows Gap In US Visa Security

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) A ring accused of helping people from the Middle East obtain student visas by taking proficiency exams and classes for them has exposed a vulnerability in the nation's tracking system for foreign students. Janice Kephart, who helped with the 9/11 Commission report, said Tuesday the case raises red flags about how [...]

Michigan’s Jan. Jobless Rate Dips To 14.3 Percent

LANSING, Mich. (AP) Michigan's unemployment rate hasn't changed much since the middle of last year, state officials said Tuesday. The state's seasonally adjusted January jobless rate was 14.3 percent, down from a revised 14.5 percent in December. The jobless rate has remained fairly stable since July, ranging from 14.2 percent to 14.5 percent, based on [...]

Massa Denies He Sexually Groped Male Staffer

WASHINGTON (AP) Former New York Congressman Eric Massa says he groped a staffer but denies it was sexual. Massa's comments came Tuesday on conservative commentator Glenn Beck's Fox News Channel show. The Washington Post, citing anonymous sources, first reported that the House ethics panel is investigating allegations Massa groped multiple male staffers in his office. [...]

How AP-Gfk Poll On Health Care Was Conducted

The Associated Press-GfK Poll was conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media from March 3-8. It was based on landline and cell phone telephone interviews with a nationally representative random sample of 1,002 adults. Interviews were conducted with 702 respondents on landline telephones and 300 on cellular phones. Digits in the phone numbers dialed were [...]

Abbott To Pay $450 Million For Facet Biotech

NEW YORK (AP) Drug and medical products company Abbott Laboratories said Tuesday it will buy Facet Biotech Corp. for about $450 million in cash, expanding the company's access to biotechnology drugs, including a potential treatment for multiple sclerosis. Facet and its partner Biogen Idec plan to move the potential multiple sclerosis drug daclizumab into late-stage [...]

Fawcett Omission From Oscar Segment No Accident

LOS ANGELES (AP) The executive director of the film academy said Tuesday that Farrah Fawcett wasn't included in the Academy Awards' In Memoriam segment because the actress was better known as a TV star. It was a difficult decision for the committee that assembles the segment to omit Fawcett, said Academy of Motion Picture Arts [...]

Roberts: Scene At State Of Union ‘very Troubling’

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts said Tuesday the scene at President Barack Obama's State of the Union address was "very troubling" and the annual speech has "degenerated to a political pep rally." Responding to a University of Alabama law student's question, Roberts said he wonders whether justices should attend the address. "I'm not [...]

Retired NY Police Leader’s Replacement Now Leaving

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) The replacement for the New York State Police superintendent who retired amid the scandal enveloping Gov. David Paterson announced his own retirement Tuesday after just a week in the top job. Acting Superintendent Pedro Perez said he was stepping down after 28 years in the agency, following former Superintendent Harry Corbitt out [...]

Goodyear CEO Gets Compensation Worth $14 Million

NEW YORK (AP) An Associated Press analysis shows that Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.'s chairman and outgoing chief executive received a pay package valued at $14 million in 2009, a 40 percent increase from the year before. Robert Keegan's raise came mostly from his performance-linked bonus, which was more than double what he received in [...]

Summary Box: Job Openings Rise Sharply

HIRING ON RISE: Job openings rose by 190,000, or 7.6 percent, to 2.7 million in January, the Labor Department said Tuesday. That's the most since February 2009 and evidence that employers are ramping up hiring. STILL FAR TO GO: About 5.5 unemployed people, on average, are vying for each job opening, down from more than 6 [...]

AirTran Launches Fare Sale Through November

DALLAS (AP) AirTran Airways announced a sale Tuesday with fares as low as $44 one way plus taxes and fees, although the discount carrier didn't say how many seats would be sold at the cheaper prices. The sale runs through Thursday and covers travel from March 19 through Nov. 16. Several airlines had matched AirTran [...]

AirTran Launches Sale For Flights Into November

DALLAS (AP) AirTran Airways announced a sale Tuesday with fares as low as $44 one way, plus taxes and fees, for travel from March 19 through Nov. 16. Several airlines matched AirTran on routes where they compete, said Tom Parsons, CEO of travel site BestFares.com. HGe said the sale doesn't include Fridays and Sundays, and there [...]

Woman Delivers Surprise Baby, Picks Up Other Son

HARRODSBURG, Ky. (AP) A 32-year-old Kentucky woman who said she didn't know that she was pregnant delivered her newborn son on the floor of her laundry room by herself and even cut the umbilical cord. Kelly Bottom told The Advocate-Messenger that she also picked up her other son from school and stopped in at [...]

2nd Ex-New Orleans Cop Charged In Katrina Coverup

NEW ORLEANS (AP) A second ex-New Orleans officer charged in a conspiracy to cover up a deadly police shooting of unarmed residents after Hurricane Katrina is expected to plead guilty. A person familiar with the case unsealed Tuesday against former detective Jeffrey Lehrmann said his guilty plea is expected later this week in federal court. [...]

Michelle Obama Donates Ball Gown To Smithsonian

WASHINGTON (AP) Michelle Obama said Tuesday that she'll always cherish the moment she slipped into her inaugural ball gown, a one-shouldered, white chiffon design she wore for her first Cinderella-like spins on the dance floor as first lady. She'll have to hold on to the memories, because the gown isn't exactly hers anymore. In keeping with [...]

Pa. Woman Accused Of Recruiting Jihadists Online

PHILADELPHIA (AP) A suburban woman "desperate to do something" to help suffering Muslims has been accused of using the Internet to recruit jihadist fighters and help terrorists overseas, even agreeing to move to Europe to try to kill a Swedish artist, prosecutors said Tuesday. Authorities said the case shows how terror groups are looking to [...]

Pa. Woman Charged With Recruiting Jihadists Online

PHILADELPHIA (AP) A Pennsylvania woman has been charged with using the Internet to recruit jihadist fighters and help terrorists overseas. A federal indictment charges the woman with agreeing to kill a Swedish citizen on orders from the terrorists and traveling to Europe to carry out the killing. It doesn't say whether the Swede was killed. U.S. [...]

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EL CAJON, Calif. (AP) A Toyota Prius that sped out of control on a California freeway was towed to a dealership Tuesday while federal and company inspectors converged on the car to determine whether a stuck gas pedal was to blame. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration sent two investigators to examine the car [...]

AP Top News At 5:57 P.m. EST

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At Airports, Keep Taking Those Shoes Off _ For Now

ATLANTA (AP) You'll still have to take off your shoes when you go through airport security for the foreseeable future. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Tuesday that technology currently available doesn't allow screeners to adequately examine what is in someone's shoes while the person is wearing them. While that could change one day, for now [...]

Envelope With Powder Sent To Montana State Office

HELENA, Mont. (AP) An envelope containing a suspicious powder burst open Tuesday while being handled by state workers in a Montana government office. Three Department of Labor workers and a Helena city police officer were isolated while a state lab tested the substance. Other workers on the third floor of the Walt Sullivan building were [...]

Probation Report Cites Predatory Traits Of Suspect

LOS ANGELES (AP) A decade-old probation report on a sex offender accused of murdering Southern California teenager Chelsea King says a psychiatrist concluded he had "significant predatory traits" toward underage girls. The report released by a San Diego court on Tuesday was prepared in 2000 for the sentencing of then-20-year-old John Albert Gardner III after [...]

Oil Ends Lower, Ending Brief Rally

Oil prices trimmed some early losses, but still ended lower Tuesday, after rising steadily since the end of last week. A stronger dollar and concerns about rising crude inventories pushed oil prices down. Here's a breakdown of how energy prices traded Tuesday: On the New York Mercantile Exchange: Crude: fell 38 cents to settle at $81.49 a barrel. Gasoline: [...]

Summary Box: Grains Fall Ahead Of USDA Crop Report

THE CROP REPORT: Grain prices fell Tuesday, a day ahead of the Agriculture Department's update on foreign and domestic grain production. ADDED UNCERTAINTY: The USDA doesn't usually update prior-year production levels for U.S. grains this late. That has added some volatility and uncertainty to trading. SUGAR SLIDE: The price of sugar continued to plummet and is now [...]

Correction: Cooper Earnings Stories

PLEASANTON, Calif. (AP) In headlines for a March 4 story and headlines and a story March 5 about Cooper Companies Inc., The Associated Press reported erroneously the fiscal period for the company's earnings. The company reported fiscal results for the first quarter, not the fourth quarter. The March 5 story was datelined New York.

FDA Panel Favors Approval For InterMune Drug

WASHINGTON (AP) Federal health advisers on Tuesday voted in favor of an experimental drug from InterMune Inc., despite mixed evidence of whether it provides significant benefits for patients with a rare lung disease. The Food and Drug Administration's panel of lung experts voted 9-3 to recommend approval of the company's drug pirfenidone. That recommendation followed [...]

FDA Panel Narrowly Backs Benefit Of InterMune Drug

WASHINGTON (AP) Federal health advisers say an experimental drug from InterMune Inc. provides a meaningful benefit for patients with a rare lung disease. The Food and Drug Administration's panel of lung experts narrowly voted 7-5 in favor of the benefits of the company's drug pirfenidone. The FDA is not required to follow the group's advise, though [...]

NYC Chef Creates Breast Milk Cheese

NEW YORK (AP) Breast milk cheese, anyone? A Manhattan chef has posted a recipe on his blog for what he calls "My spouse's mommy milk cheese." Daniel Angerer co-owns Klee Brasserie with his wife Lori Mason. A photo on his blog features the cheese encrusted with maple caramelized pumpkin and Concord grapes. They had [...]

Texas Lottery Officials Move Ahead With Bidding

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Bidding for a new lucrative Texas lottery contract should move forward because there's no evidence that state consultant Gartner Inc. and the lottery's current operator GTECH Corp. improperly shared information about the process, a lottery official said Tuesday. A review of the two companies' relationship found "no evidence of any actual conflict [...]

Biden Says New Israeli Housing In E Jerusalem Is ‘kind Of Step That Undermines’ Trust, US

WASHINGTON (AP) Biden says new Israeli housing in E Jerusalem is 'kind of step that undermines" trust

Summary Box: Snowy Weather Cuts Into BK Sales

SNOWY SALES: Burger King said back-to-back months of winter weather will drag down its fiscal third quarter results. The weather cut a key sales measure by 8.2 percent in January and February as storms buried much of the central and eastern U.S. in snow. LAST YEAR: During the same months last year, the measure of sales [...]

Coast Guard Begins Hearing On Texas Oil Spill

PORT ARTHUR, Texas (AP) The captain of an 800-foot tanker that collided with a tugboat in a Gulf of Mexico waterway, causing the worst Texas oil spill in 15 years, was apparently unaware until moments before the crash that his ship was too far off course to prevent the collision, according to testimony Tuesday [...]

Obama Pushes Senators For Climate Bill

WASHINGTON (AP) President Barack Obama made a renewed push for a long-stalled climate and energy bill Tuesday, urging lawmakers at a White House meeting to pass a comprehensive bill this year. Fourteen senators from both parties including several who remain undecided on the climate bill met for more than an hour with Obama, [...]

White House Hosts Meeting On Energy, Climate

WASHINGTON (AP) President Barack Obama is meeting with Cabinet members and key senators from both parties in a bid to move forward on a long-stalled climate and energy bill. A bill sponsored by Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., aims to cut emissions of pollution-causing greenhouse gases by 17 percent [...]

Biden Condemns New E. Jerusalem Settlements

WASHINGTON (AP) Vice President Joe Biden is condemning Israel's approval of 1,600 new settlement homes in disputed East Jerusalem and says the timing undermines the peace process the United States is attempting to revive. Biden, visiting the region on Tuesday, said timing of the announcement is "precisely the kind of step that undermines the trust [...]

White House Condemns New E. Jerusalem Settlements

WASHINGTON (AP) The White House says the United States condemns Israel's approval of 1,600 new settlement homes in disputed East Jerusalem. Spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters Tuesday that Vice President Joe Biden, visiting Israel, would issue a detailed statement shortly. Gibbs says President Barack Obama's position on the settlements is known by both the Israelis [...]

‘Nobel Of Computing’ Goes To Early PC Designer

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) A Microsoft researcher has won the $250,000 Turing Award, one of technology's most coveted prizes, for his work helping design and build what is widely considered the first modern personal computer. While at Xerox Corp.'s famed Palo Alto Research Center, or PARC, in the 1970s, Charles Thacker led the hardware development [...]

Kroger 4Q Earnings At Glance

Cincinnati-based Kroger Co. reported fourth quarter and annual earnings Tuesday: THE QUARTER: Net income was $255.4 million, or 39 cents per share, down from $349.2 million or 53 cents, a year ago. Sales rose 7 percent to $18.6 billion. Analysts expected 34 cents per share on $17.73 billion. Sales at stores open at least 15 months, [...]

Texas Co. Gets Contract For Food Service Software

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) The West Virginia Department of Education has awarded a contract to a Texas company to improve its food service operations at schools across the state. Houston-based Cybersoft Technologies Inc. said Tuesday that its Primero software suite will be implemented on a centralized state database. The software will help school cashiers determine when a [...]

Ex-Detroit Mayor Arraigned On Probation Violation

DETROIT (AP) Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has been arraigned on a probation violation and released on a $10,000 personal bond pending another hearing. A Wayne County Circuit Court judge entered a not guilty plea on Kilpatrick's behalf on Tuesday. The judge ordered Kilpatrick to stay in Michigan until Thursday's hearing, when he rules on a [...]

After Slow Start, Tornado Season Under Way

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Forecasters say a wetter-than-usual winter and a jet stream dipping deep into Tornado Alley could lead to an active spring for tornadoes. The 2010 tornado season has had a slow start with one twister reported in California in February. A strong twister ripped through Hammon in western Oklahoma Monday night, [...]

White House Condemns Israel’s Approval Of 1,600 New Settlements In Disputed East Jerusalem, US

WASHINGTON (AP) White House condemns Israel's approval of 1,600 new settlements in disputed East Jerusalem.

Foot Locker Sets New Strategy, Financial Plan

NEW YORK (AP) Athletic shoe and clothing chain Foot Locker Inc. set a series of strategic and financial goals on Tuesday that it said will help it grow and build on recent improvements to its business. The company said it plans to reach annual sales of $6 billion and net income margin of 5 percent [...]

Aflac CEO Receives $13.2 Million In 2009 Pay

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Aflac Inc. CEO Daniel Amos' pay rose 22 percent in 2009, according to an Associated Press calculation of figures disclosed in a regulatory filing. Amos received a compensation package valued at $13.2 million last year, compared with $10.8 million in 2008. Amos' 2009 pay package came during a year when the Columbus, Ga.-based [...]

Commercial Delinquency Lower Than Other Mortgages

WASHINGTON (AP) Commercial mortgages were among the best-performing loans and leases held by banks and thrifts in the fourth quarter of last year, the Mortgage Bankers Association said Tuesday. Overall, 7.3 percent of the debt held by banks and thrifts was past due 30 days or longer at the end of 2009, the association reported. [...]

Millenials Seek Work’s Benefits: Leisure, Money

GEN Y AT WORK: Millenials want more vacation and time for themselves away from the job than young people did 30 years ago, and they also value compensation more, according to a recent study. That may be setting them up for intense disappointments in today's labor market. Those born starting in the early 1980s put a bigger [...]

Grain Prices Fall Ahead Of Key Crop Report

NEW YORK (AP) Grain prices fell Tuesday, a day before a Department of Agriculture report that will revise production estimates for both U.S. and foreign farmers. "It's pre-crop report jitters," said Richard Feltes, senior vice president and director of commodity research at MF Global. Feltes predicted the USDA will say that more soybeans and corn were [...]

FACT CHECK: Lawmaker Quits Amid Changing Stories

WASHINGTON (AP) New York congressman Eric Massa resigned his House seat this week under a sexual harassment cloud, claiming fellow Democrats forced his ouster to keep him from voting against their health care bill. It's the latest claim in a changing stream of explanations that have propelled him from a relatively obscure Democratic lawmaker to [...]

Delta Talking To Other Carriers About Alliances

ATLANTA (AP) Delta Air Lines Inc., still smarting from its failed bid to lure Japan Airlines into a partnership, is talking to other carriers about expanding its global alliances, a senior executive said Tuesday without giving specifics. President Ed Bastian told investors at the JP Morgan Aviation, Transportation & Defense Conference in New York that [...]

Delta Says Feb. Storms Cut Revenue By $65M

ATLANTA (AP) Delta Air Lines says it lost $65 million in revenue because of the repeated winter storms in February, which forced it to cancel roughly 7,000 flights. The airline provided the figures in a regulatory filing ahead of an investor conference on Tuesday. Other airlines also have reported large revenue hits due to the storms. Delta, [...]