Columbus CEO Archives

September 2013 Edition

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Drug agents plumb vast database of call records

SEATTLE (AP) - For at least six years, federal drug and other agents have had near-immediate access to billions of phone call records dating back decades in a collaboration with AT&T that officials have taken pains to keep secret, newly released documents show.

Verizon to buy Vodafone's 45 percent stake in Verizon Wireless

LOS ANGELES - In one of the largest deals in global corporate history, Verizon Communications Inc. agreed to pay $130 billion to buy Vodafone Group's 45 percent stake in Verizon Wireless and take full control of the nation's top wireless carrier.

Drug agents plumb vast database of call records

SEATTLE (AP) - For at least six years, federal drug and other agents have had near-immediate access to billions of phone call records dating back decades in a collaboration with AT&T that officials have taken pains to keep secret, newly released documents show.

Ohio veterans groups disregard raffle machines ban

CLEVELAND (AP) - Veterans and fraternal groups across Ohio have continued to set up electronic raffle machines despite an April order from the state's attorney general mandating that all the slots-like devices be removed by Aug. 1.

A look at the largest acquisition deals on record

On Monday, Verizon Communications Inc. agreed to pay $130 billion in cash, stock and other considerations to acquire Vodafone Group's 45 percent stake in the Verizon Wireless business. The deal, if finalized, will be the second largest acquisition on record.

Clarification: Texas Mining-Slave Descendants

DIRGIN, Texas (AP) - In early versions of a story Sept. 1, The Associated Press reported that an East Texas woman, who owns a trailer on a parcel of land that Luminant Mining Co. would like to purchase, said the company in the past few days also offered her, through her mother, a nearby acre of land after initially offering her only a new trailer. The story should have specified that Luminant says it first began conversations with Jacquelin Finley in 2010 and offered her a new trailer and a...

Verizon agrees to stake from Vodafone for $130B

NEW YORK (AP) - Verizon will own its wireless business outright after agreeing to a $140 billion deal to buy the 45 percent stake of Verizon Wireless owned by British cellphone company Vodafone.

Verizon agrees to stake from Vodafone for $130B

NEW YORK (AP) - Verizon will own its wireless business outright after agreeing to a $130 billion deal to buy the 45 percent stake of Verizon Wireless owned by British cellphone company Vodafone.

US probes Nissan Pathfinder fluid leak

NEW YORK (AP) - U.S. auto safety regulators are investigating complaints that transmission cooler lines can leak fluid in some 2013 Nissan Pathfinders and Infiniti JX models, leading to a sudden loss of transmission power.

US probes Nissan Pathfinder fluid leak

NEW YORK (AP) - U.S. auto safety regulators are investigating complaints that transmission cooler lines can leak fluid in some 2013 Nissan Pathfinders and Infiniti JX models, leading to a sudden loss of transmission power.

Pharmacies aim to curtail meth manufacturing

With the growing problem of methamphetamine in the region, some stores are making efforts to curb the problem by placing restrictions on products commonly used in the manufacturing of the highly-addictive drug.

Prosecutors seek arrest warrant for Red Bull heir

BANGKOK (AP) - Thai authorities are seeking an arrest warrant for an heir to the Red Bull energy drink fortune after he failed to appear for his indictment in the hit-and-run death of a policeman, a prosecutor said Monday.

Labor Day: Just the time to give the apps a nap

If there's one weekend that calls for a break, a timeout, an email-free day (or two - or, dare I suggest, three), this is it. Do you really want to be the person who can't stop laboring on Labor Day? Sorry, that's not a badge of honor. I'm not just talking about work-work, either. Managing your digital life - photographing and obsessing over status updates that convey your clever, care-free online persona - has become practically a full-time job.

Ohio sees drop in workplace deaths

Workplace fatalities in Ohio edged down slightly last year, making 2012 the second least deadly year for workers in more than two decades, according to preliminary data released in late August.

Belarus issues arrest warrant for Russian tycoon

MINSK, Belarus (AP) - Authorities in Belarus issued an arrest warrant Monday for a Russian billionaire who co-owns the Moscow-based potash company Uralkali as a power struggle escalated over exports of the fertilizer.

Study finds dire work conditions on Thai trawlers

BANGKOK (AP) - Some workers are sold onto boats by their families, others by unscrupulous employment brokers. Nearly half the workers make less than $160 a month in exchange for back-breaking labor. Some might not see any money at all.

School board committee eyes outside food venture

A Toledo Board of Education committee recently requested proposals to partner with an outside company to manage Toledo Public Schools' food service program, a move one union leader characterized as the first step in privatizing district food service.

Malaysia cuts fuel subsidies to fund welfare

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - Malaysia's government says it will cut fuel subsidies for the first time in nearly two years to save 3.3 billion ringgit ($1 billion) annually.

Belarus issues arrest warrant for Russian tycoon

MINSK, Belarus (AP) - Authorities in Belarus have issued an arrest warrant for a Russian billionaire who co-owns Uralkali, a Moscow-based potash company that became embroiled in a power struggle over exports of the mineral.

Manila: China set impossible conditions for visit

MANILA, Philippines (AP) - Philippine President Benigno Aquino III canceled a trip to a Chinese trade fair after Beijing demanded that he first withdraw a legal complaint over disputed territories in the South China Sea, Filipino officials said Monday.

Prosecutors seek arrest warrant for Red Bull heir

BANGKOK (AP) - Thai authorities are seeking an arrest warrant for an heir to the Red Bull energy drink fortune after he failed to appear for his indictment in a hit-and-run case in which a policeman was killed.

Counterfeit fragrances showed up at state fair

As customers bought fancy mops, saltwater taffy and telescoping flagpoles, two undercover State Highway Patrol troopers homed in on Sandy's Fragrances in the Bricker Building at the Ohio State Fair.

Beulah Park closing opens up new ideas

The pounding of hoofs and the scent of hay and manure from Beulah Park's stables will be gone in April, ending almost a century of thoroughbred racing in Grove City.

AP Interview: Wang coy on past, confident on canal

BEIJING (AP) - The baby-faced Chinese businessman behind plans to slash a canal through Nicaragua has invested millions in telecommunications and mines. But he won't say how he made his fortune. Wang Jing says he once studied traditional Chinese medicine. At which school? He won't say. Nor can he put a dollar figure on his current business interests.

Rock Mill's waterwheel springs to life at celebration

LANCASTER - For the first time since approximately 1897, the Hocking River will power a waterwheel in Fairfield County Sept. 7 and 8 as part of the Rock Mill Celebration. The event runs from noon until 5 p.m. both days and is free and open to the public. Free public parking and a continuous shuttle will be available at the Liberty Center, 951 Liberty Drive, Lancaster.

Afghanistan backdrop to Xi's Central Asia visit

BEIJING (AP) - The Chinese president visits Central Asia this week amid concerns that a U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan could mean a destabilizing exodus of foreign radical fighters from the war zone to homelands closer to China's borders.

Manila: China set impossible conditions for visit

MANILA, Philippines (AP) - Philippine officials say China demanded that President Benigno Aquino III withdraw a legal complaint over disputed territories for Beijing to welcome him at an annual Chinese trade fair this week, prompting him to cancel his visit.

Surveys: China manufacturing improves in August

HONG KONG (AP) - Chinese manufacturing improved last month, two surveys showed, in the latest sign that a painful and prolonged slowdown in the world's No. 2 economy may be stabilizing.

China's new leaders exert control over oil company

BEIJING (AP) - China's new leaders are asserting their authority over the country's biggest company with a corruption investigation that has netted five former and current top oil executives, including the latest - the former chairman of the company.

THIS IS A HOLD-UP!

"Everybody loves a train robbery and a gunfight!" said Daryl Metcalf, coordinator of the Bandit Hold-Up Train Raid held by Ashtabula Carson and Jefferson (A C&J) Scenic Line.

Pay raises approved for 4 city employees

Rossford's public-works employees will get raises this week and city police will get two new sport utility vehicles in the near future, both approved last week by city council.

Rossford candidate against council pay increases

A candidate for Rossford City Council said he opposes proposed pay raises for elected officials that will be on the November ballot and said council members should not even be in the state's retirement system.

New deadline could mean more demolished houses

A state grant program that provides funding to tear down abandoned structures has been extended, allowing Clark and Champaign counties more time to demolish some of their most unsightly buildings.

JC's 5 Star Outlet store slated to close

JC's 5 Star Outlet - the former JCPenney Outlet Store - has announced it will close all 15 of its stores in 14 states, including its once-popular outlet store on the Far East Side.

300 jobs lost at company receiving Ohio tax credit

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (AP) - More than 300 jobs will be lost in the consolidation of a wireless voice and data business that received a tax credit recommended by Ohio's privatized nonprofit job creation board.

BC-1ST-LEDE-WRITETHRU-BP-TRIAL-HNS

(For use by New York Times News Service Clients)

c.2013 Houston Chronicle< (Editors: corrects amounts of spill estimates in 12th paragraph)

NEW ORLEANS - BP, back in federal court Monday, is fending off allegations it misled U.S. officials on how much oil gushed into the Gulf of Mexico from a blown out deep water well in 2010.

And if the oil giant been prepared to respond to an emergency, its Macondo well could have been sealed long before a capping stack stemmed...

Union: FAA furloughs airline safety inspectors

WASHINGTON (AP) - Nearly 3,000 aviation safety inspectors who are being furloughed by the Federal Aviation Administration as part of the government shutdown, the union representing the inspectors said Monday.

Union: FAA furloughs airline safety inspectors

WASHINGTON (AP) - Union officials say the Federal Aviation Administration is furloughing nearly 3,000 inspectors at the heart of the agency's safety operations because of Congress' federal budget impasse.

BC-BP-TRIAL-HNS

(For use by New York Times News Service Clients)

c.2013 Houston Chronicle< NEW ORLEANS - BP, back in federal court Monday, is fending off allegations it misled U.S. officials on how much oil gushed into the Gulf of Mexico from a blown out deep water well in 2010.

And if the oil giant been prepared to respond to an emergency, its Macondo well could have been sealed long before a capping stack stemmed the flow on July 15, 2010, attorneys for spill victims, government...

Marketplace Shoppers Must Pay 1st Premium By Dec. 15

When consumers start shopping for coverage through new federally run health insurance exchanges on Tuesday, they will be asked dozens of questions before they are shown what health plans are available and how much they cost.

GOP demands lawmakers pay more for health care

WASHINGTON (AP) - About 18,000 people - including members of Congress, all their aides, presidential appointees and even the president and vice president - would lose the employer-provided health insurance under the latest Republican condition for averting a government shutdown.

What's changing, what's not, in a shutdown

WASHINGTON (AP) - Campers in national parks are to pull up stakes and leave, some veterans waiting to have disability benefits approved will have to cool their heels even longer, many routine food inspections will be suspended and panda-cams will go dark at the shuttered National Zoo.

Greek gov't insists it will handle privatizations

ATHENS, Greece (AP) - Greece's prime minister and finance minister have both insisted any sale of state assets will be handled by the agency set up for this purpose and not by any firm based abroad and run by foreign management.

Vodafone confirms late-stage talks with Verizon

NEW YORK (AP) - Vodafone says it is in advanced talks to sell its 45 percent stake of Verizon Wireless back to the U.S. cellphone service provider for $130 billion in cash and stock, a deal which would be the second-largest on record if it goes through.

Merkel faces challenger in German election debate

BERLIN (AP) - Chancellor Angela Merkel has touted her government's economic record as she faces off against her center-left rival in their only live televised debate before Germany's Sept. 22 election.

Ford recalls 370,000 cars

NEW YORK (AP) - Ford is recalling 370,000 cars due to potential corrosion to their steering shaft that may result in loss of steering.

Buildings rising over Short North

Whenever Mark Wood strolls along N. High Street in the Short North, past restaurants, coffee shops and construction cranes, he can't help thinking about the future of this booming section of Columbus.

Silicon Valley patent office shelved

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - Silicon Valley's high-tech firms are fighting what they consider a deeply personal federal cut this summer that shelves a planned patent office in this innovation-fueled region.

Mass. still reeling from lab scandal a year later

BOSTON (AP) - The state is still reeling a year after a scandal at a drug lab threw the legal system into turmoil: More than 330 prison inmates have been released from custody and at least 1,1000 cases have been dismissed or not prosecuted because of tainted evidence and other fallout from the facility's closure.

Trustee could bring more claims in 38 Studios case

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - The federal bankruptcy trustee in the 38 Studios case wants to explore opening a second legal front in the bid to recoup losses from the failed $75 million state investment in former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling's defunct video game company.

Silicon Valley patent office shelved

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - Silicon Valley's high tech firms are fighting what they consider a deeply personal federal cut this summer that shelves a planned patent office in this innovation-fueled region.

Workers' protests highlight fast-food economics

NEW YORK (AP) - American fast-food workers often earn about $7.25 an hour to make the $3 chicken sandwiches and 99-cent tacos that generate billions of dollars in profit each year for McDonald's and other chains.

Protester killed by gunfire in southern Thailand

HAT YAI, Thailand (AP) - One protester was killed by gunfire and another was seriously wounded Sunday at the site of a blockade in southern Thailand where rubber farmers have been protesting for more than a week against a steep decline in rubber prices.

The Akron Beacon Journal Betty Lin-Fisher column

Five years ago, as part of an Akron Beacon Journal yearlong project looking at the economic challenges of the middle class, five Akron-area families agreed to talk about their lives and their finances.

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