LPGA Tour boss 'disappointed' with Golf Digest

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — LPGA Tour Commissioner Mike Whan weighed in Friday on Golf Digest's provocative cover featuring Paulina Gretzky.

"Obviously, we're disappointed and frustrated by the editorial direction (and timing) Golf Digest has chosen with the announcement of its most recent magazine cover," Whan said in a statement at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the tour's first major tournament of the year.

"If a magazine called Golf Digest is interested in showcasing females in the game, yet consistently steers away from the true superstars who've made history over the last few years, something is clearly wrong. ... 'Growing the game' means a need for more role models and in these exciting times for women's golf, the LPGA is overflowing with them."

The cover photo shows Gretzky in skintight capris and a bra.

Known for provocative pictures on her social media accounts, Gretzky is former hockey star Wayne Gretzky's daughter and PGA Tour player Dustin Johnson's fiancee.

Former LPGA Tour star Lorena Ochoa in 2008 was the last female pro to appear on the magazine's cover. Golf Digest featured Golf Channel's Holly Sonders in May 2013 and model Kate Upton posed with Arnold Palmer for the December issue.

"It's frustrating for female golfers," third-ranked Stacy Lewis said. "It's kind of the state of where we've always been. We don't get respect for being the golfers that we are. Obviously, Golf Digest is trying to sell magazines. But at the same time you'd like to see a little respect for the women's game."

Jerry Tarde, Golf Digest's editor in chief, released a statement about the cover.

"Sports figures, celebrities and models have appeared on Golf Digest covers since the magazine's beginning," Tarde said. "Paulina ranks at the high end of the golf celebrity scene today, and she has a compelling story to tell. She also might get some new people interested in the game."

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Economy seen back on track

The U.S. economy hit a key milestone in March as it restored all the jobs lost during the recession and continued its steady, moderate improvement, analysts said.

"I thought it was a pretty positive report," said Robert Murphy, an economics professor at Boston College. "It showed what we've been seeing, steady gains in jobs."

The Bureau of Labor Statistics yesterday said 192,000 jobs were added to the workforce, a month after 197,000 jobs were added.

While not eye-popping numbers, the last two months are confirmation, experts said, that the slowdown at the end of last year was due to snow and cold temperatures that hit all over the country.

"It's not a blockbuster report, but certainly good enough to encourage people that the temporary slowdown over the winter months was weather related," said Nigel Gault, co-chief economist of the Parthenon Group. "We're getting back on track here."

Still, some were hoping for a stronger month.

"This is hardly the catch-up number anticipated from months of pent-up demand," said Lindsey Piegza, chief economist of Sterne Agee, in a report. "And at sub-200K, employment continues to fall short of the levels seen in October and November 2013, undermining confidence in reestablishing above-trend momentum in hiring."

A Bloomberg survey of 90 economists projected an increase of 200,000 jobs.

Last month, the number of total private sector jobs in the country rose to 116.1 million, the first time in six years it has been above the pre-recession peak of 116 million.

"It's an interesting side-note, and it's a commentary on how far we dropped and how long it's taken us to come back, but it doesn't really mean much," Gault said.

The population has increased since the downturn, though, and many public sector jobs have not been recovered.

"It in no sense gets us back to where we were," Gault said.

Also in yesterday's report, 500,000 more people were either employed or looking for work. Gault said that increase may mean people are more optimistic about their job prospects.

"The fact that the number of people in the labor force went up was comforting," Murphy said.

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5-year-old finds flaw in Xbox Live security

SAN DIEGO — A 5-year-old San Diego boy has outwitted the sharpest minds at Microsoft — he's found a backdoor to the Xbox.

Kristoffer Von Hassel managed to log in to his father's Xbox Live account. When the password log-in screen appeared, Kristoffer simply hit the space button a few times and hit enter.

Robert Davies tells KGTV-TV (http://bit.ly/1hmrTan ) that just after Christmas he noticed his son playing games he supposedly couldn't access.

Davies, who works in computer security, says he reported the issue to Microsoft, which fixed the bug and recently listed Kristoffer on its website as a "security researcher."

A Microsoft statement says "we take security seriously" and thanks customers for highlighting issues.

It's not the Kristoffer's first triumph. At a year old, he bypassed a cellphone toddler lock by holding down the "home" button.

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Samsung adding anti-theft solutions to smartphones

SAN FRANCISCO — Samsung Electronics will add two safeguards to its latest smartphone in an effort to deter rampant theft of the mobile devices nationwide, the company said Friday.

The world's largest mobile-phone maker said users will be able to activate for free its "Find My Mobile" and "Reactivation Lock" anti-theft features to protect the soon-to-be-released Galaxy 5 S.

The features that will lock the phone if there's an unauthorized attempt to reset it will be on models sold by wireless carriers Verizon and U.S. Cellular. The phones go on sale next week.

"Samsung takes the issue of smartphone theft very seriously, and we are continuing to enhance our security and anti-theft solutions," the company said in a statement.

The announcement comes as San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and other U.S. law enforcement officials demand that manufacturers create kill switches to combat surging smartphone theft across the country.

Earlier this week, California legislators introduced a bill that, if passed, would require mobile devices sold in or shipped in the state be equipped with the anti-theft devices starting next year — a move that could be the first of its kind in the United States. Similar legislation is being considered in New York, Illinois, Minnesota, and bills have been introduced in both houses of Congress.

In July, Samsung officials told Gascon's office that the major carriers were resisting using kill switches. However, Gascon and Schneiderman said in a joint statement Friday that Samsung's latest move sends a strong message that the wireless industry can work together to make consumers safe. The prosecutors have given the manufacturers a June deadline to find solutions to curb smartphone theft.

"More work needs to be done to ensure that these solutions come standard on every device, but these companies have done the right thing by responding to our call for action," the prosecutors said. "No family should lose a mother, a father, a son or a daughter for their phone. Manufacturers and carriers need to put public safety before corporate profits and stop this violent epidemic, which has put millions of smartphone users at risk."

Apple created a similar "activation lock" feature for the popular iPhone last year.

Almost one in three U.S. robberies involve phone theft, according to the Federal Communications Commission. Lost and stolen mobile devices — mostly smartphones — cost consumers more than $30 billion in 2012, the agency said in a study.

CTIA-The Wireless Association, a trade group for wireless providers, has said a permanent kill switch has serious risks, including potential vulnerability to hackers who could disable mobile devices and lock out not only individuals' phones but also phones used by entities such as the Department of Defense, Homeland Security and law enforcement.

The association created a national stolen phone database last year to remove any market for stolen smartphones.

___

Follow Terry Collins at: https://twitter.com/aptcollins

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Fitchburg couple takes over Marshall Farm

FITCHBURG, Mass. — Jim Lattanzi is no stranger to hard work. At 29, he has operated a highly successful food-truck business, started a farm in his Hollis Hills home backyard with wife Allison, and expanded the business to include maple sugaring.

The couple, who are expecting their first child in the summer, are taking their business to a whole new level after purchasing Marshall Farm in Fitchburg, and expanding their services beyond home-grown beef, bacon, chicken, eggs and maple syrup.

In addition to providing those services in the farm's store, they plan on providing apple picking and pumpkins in the fall and full-service breakfast at their state-of-the-art kitchen and restaurant.

The couple had been looking for a place to move their farm for about a year, and Allison Lattanzi said her mother approached her about Marshall Farm being on the market. She said she initially brushed it off, thinking Jim wouldn't be interested.

The next time he saw his mother-in-law, she told Jim about the farm and a light instantly went off in his head, she said.

"My mother is very involved in this farm," she said.

Purchasing the 100-acre farm is like coming home for Jim Lattanzi, he said. When he was first getting his food-truck business off the ground, he used to lease kitchen space at Marshall Farm from the owner.

Their retail store will not only sell products from Hollis Hills farm but from other farms in the area, including Carlisle Honey in Tyngsboro.

"We're looking to revive this place," he said, while noting he and Allison first began pondering the idea in the fall. "The opportunity just presented itself."

The couple closed on the property March 25.

Lattanzi said Marshall Farm has a rich history in the city, and it is his hope to bring back some of the historical charm.

"We're excited to bring this back as an institution to the city of Fitchburg," he said.

He said for many years in recent history, the farm had moved away from being a fully functioning farm and dabbled in other business ventures.

"We're looking to change it back to a fully functioning agricultural farm and provide clean food to the community," he said.

The couple also bought the Marshall homestead, which was built in 1784, and is next to the farm. They plan to move in this spring.

Despite the move, he said, the farm will still have a presence in Lunenburg.

"I still have a ton of crop land in Lunenburg. It's still a vital part of our business," he said. That includes fields he hays and maple taps that provide sap for his maple syrup.

Lattanzi was renting the old Ewen's Sugar Shack in Lunenburg and has since moved the entire operation to the farm and upgraded a lot of the equipment.

The couple said they are appreciative of all they were able to do in Lunenburg and feel they still have a lot to offer.

"We work with excellent landowners in Lunenburg. Lunenburg has always been an agricultural community. You definitely like to see your farm help to maintain that," he said.

Allison Lattanzi said one of the biggest things they focus on when raising their animals is attention to detail.

"We're not pushing out animals for the fastest production," she said. "We maintain our soils and pay close attention to the environment.

She said they use no hormones or antibiotics with their animals.

Jim Lattanzi said that principle has become more and more important now as more and more people want to "see where their food is coming from."

"We're more farm to table, using what you get from us on our farm and use those ingredients in everything we make that we put on the table," he said.

Lattanzi was one of the driving forces in establishing an Agricultural Commission in Lunenburg and helping to write a right-to-farm bylaw for the town, and although he said he still plans on being active in the farming community, this was a chance to help grow his business.

-KATINA CARAGANIS, Sentinel & Enterprise

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World stocks muted ahead of US jobs report

SEOUL, South Korea — European stocks made modest gains Friday and Asian markets meandered as investors looked to the upcoming U.S. job report for a fresh trading cue.

Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.4 percent to 6,674.11 while Germany's DAX added 0.2 percent to 9,645.57. France's CAC 40 was also up 0.2 percent to 4,459.32.

Wall Street appeared set for a day of moderate gains, with Dow Jones futures up 0.1 percent. S&P 500 futures added 0.2 percent.

The U.S. March jobs report will be released early Friday morning in Washington. Many economists think it will show a bounce-back in hiring by employers who held off adding staff during winter.

A strong jobs report would boost confidence that that U.S. economic recovery is on track while also reinforcing expectations that interest rate hikes are in the pipeline after the Federal Reserve ends its bond purchasing program that has provided extraordinary monetary stimulus.

Analysts forecast that employers added 195,000 jobs last month, according to a survey by FactSet. That would be the highest total in four months and up from 175,000 in February. The unemployment rate is predicted to fall to 6.6 percent from 6.7 percent in February.

Earlier in Asia, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 edged down 0.1 percent 15,063.77 and Seoul's Kospi drifted down 0.3 percent to 1,988.09. Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed 0.2 percent to 22,510.08.

But mainland China's Shanghai Composite gained 0.7 percent to 2,058.83 while Australia's S&P ASX/200 added 0.2 percent to 5,422.80. Stocks in Indonesia were the biggest losers, down 0.8 percent ahead of elections. Other Asian markets were mostly flat.

Asia is "a market that is really keen to see a genuine improvement in U.S. data again," IG's Chief Strategist Chris Weston said in a market commentary.

In earlier trading, sentiment was mixed after the European Central Bank did not cut interest rates or announce any new stimulus measures, as some had been hoping.

On Thursday, the ECB decided to leave its main interest rate at a record-low 0.25 percent. ECB President Mario Draghi dismissed fears that consumer prices might fall in countries that use the euro common currency, but stressed that the bank was ready to act if inflation remained low.

In energy markets, benchmark U.S. crude for May delivery was up 50 cents to $100.79 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract gained 67 cents Thursday to close at $100.29.

The euro fell to $1.3701 from $1.3720 late Thursday. The dollar was down to 103.87 yen from 103.90 yen.

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Tech giants back Aereo vs. broadcasters

Tech giants have fired back at broadcasters, throwing their support behind Internet TV startup Aereo as a Supreme Court case looms later this month and setting up a showdown between two generations of technology companies.

In a brief filed with the Supreme Court in support of Aereo, the Computer & Communications Industry Association, which includes Google, Yahoo!, Microsoft and Facebook, said a finding against Aereo "would threaten one of the most important emerging industries in the U.S. economy: cloud computing."

Aereo CEO Chet Kanojia has repeatedly said the effects of a negative ruling on the cloud computing industry — which includes everything from Dropbox to cheaper, remote servers targeted toward small businesses — will be significant and "will endanger the thriving cloud computing industry just as it starts to mature."

Groups that filed briefs in support of Aereo also included the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Mozilla, which makes the Firefox browser, and Dish Network.

Aereo is being sued for copyright infringement by major broadcasters, who say the startup illegally transmits content without paying licensing fees. The National Football League and Major League Baseball, among others, are supporting the broadcasters' suit.

Using miniaturized antennae, Aereo receives over-the-air signals and sends them over the Internet. The service starts at $8 per month.

Aereo, headquartered in New York, has a majority of its employees, including its engineering office, in Boston.

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Tasty Burger cooks up Fenway Park deal

Move over Fenway Franks. Boston's famed Fenway Park now has an official hamburger, too.

Local quick-service restaurant chain Tasty Burger has signed a three-year deal to be the Official Burger of the Boston Red Sox, just in time for Opening Day.

Tasty Burger celebrated its new-found status by giving away 2,014 free burgers yesterday at its original Fenway location.

"It feels to us like such a natural fit because Tasty Burger was born right here in the Fenway in the shadow of the ballpark," said Tasty Burger Corp. CEO Dave DuBois, a Cambridge native. "I think it's so cool for somebody with the size and the weight of a brand like the Red Sox and Major League Baseball to tip their hats to a small local brand like ours."

The Fenway faithful will find a new Tasty Burger concession stand in the recently renovated third-base deck, which will sell burgers, fries, milkshakes and Tasty Burger tater tots made exclusively for Fenway Park.

Tasty Burger opened its first restaurant in the Fenway in 2010 and has added locations in Harvard Square and South Boston.

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Boston trumps gaming panel

The state gaming commission yesterday scheduled a meeting next month to decide how much sway Boston will have over proposed casinos in Everett and Revere — a move that will delay the awarding of the area's sole license by at least two months.

The Gaming Commission had hoped to award a license by June to either Wynn Resorts, which wants to build a resort casino in Everett, or Mohegan Sun, which has proposed a casino at Suffolk Downs in Revere, but now that decision likely won't come until August. On the advice of its lawyers, the commission decided to solicit public comment before a May 1 meeting, after which it will decide whether Boston is a "host community," a status that would give Hub voters veto-power over the projects.

"We're bending over backwards to give the city a fair opportunity — a very fair opportunity — to make its case," Chairman Stephen Crosby said. "I think it's the right thing to do. But a big price is being paid by a lot of people to try and accommodate the city."

Mayor Martin J. Walsh has argued that the commission has no power under state law to determine whether Boston is a host community. East Boston residents, who rejected a previous casino proposal, should have the opportunity to vote on the Mohegan Sun project, Walsh has argued, and Charlestown residents should have the chance to vote on Wynn's.

In an email last night, Kate Norton, a spokeswoman for Walsh, said: "The city is now evaluating today's response from the gaming commission and exploring the possible next steps in this process."

Richard McGowan, a Boston College professor and gaming expert, said the commission's decision to schedule the May 1 meeting and put off awarding a license for at least two months is a coup for the mayor.

"They could easily have said, 'You're just a surrounding community,' " McGowan said.

It's also a blow, he said, to Revere and Everett.

"Voters in those two communities said yes (to the projects)," McGowan said, "and right now, the mayor of Boston is calling the shots."

In a statement yesterday, Mohegan Sun said: "Our discussions with Mayor Walsh and the city of Boston have been positive, ... and we will continue to work with the gaming commission on the time line they have established."

A spokesman for Wynn had no comment.

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J.C. Penney teams up with Elle Macpherson for lingerie

NEW YORK — J.C. Penney is hoping that some supermodel magic will win over shoppers in the lingerie department.

The beleaguered department store chain is launching an exclusive lingerie collection in the U.S. with a partnership with Elle Macpherson, who along with Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford and others became part of a new generation of supermodels in the 1980s.

The collection will be in 300 of Penney's 1,100 stores starting April 11. Penney says it will wait to see how the brand fares before deciding whether to roll it out to its other stores.

The collection, called The Body by Elle Macpherson, which refers to her nickname, offers bras and panties in mostly cotton. Its emphasis is on the smoothest, most precise fit that can be worn every day.

The collection builds on Macpherson's lingerie business she founded in 1990 with the launch of an upscale collection of lacy and silk lingerie that's sold at upscale stores here and abroad including Bloomingdale's and Harrod's.

The Body Bras top out at around $50, while bras in the Elle Macpherson Intimates Collection can go as high as $150. The bras have four distinct silhouettes designed to suit varying needs and body shapes: the push up, a sporty demi-cut version, an unlined alternative, and a subtle lift.

"I created this for myself, because I thought there was a gap," Macpherson told The Associated Press. "I really wanted to address this idea of shape."

Macpherson, who is creative director for a series of fashion business ventures, said Penney offers the opportunity to design for a wider audience.

The collection comes as Penney is trying to recover from a botched transformation spearheaded by its former CEO Ron Johnson, who was fired in April 2013 after 17 months on the job. That month, Mike Ullman, Johnson's predecessor, returned to the helm and has restored frequent sales events and basic merchandise to help reverse plunging sales and massive losses.

A key focus: revitalizing its lingerie business. The partnership with Macpherson was forged under Johnson's regime. But under the former Apple executive, Penney got rid of bra specialists and its store brand Ambrielle, a conservative line of lingerie. In February, Penney brought back the specialists and Ambrielle.

Also, more than 600 Penney stores will see their lingerie areas refreshed with new graphics and special fixtures.

Penney executives said Victoria's Secret benefited the most from Penney's woes when it came to lingerie sales.

"By offering the best brands, a greater level of service and an inspiring environment, J.C. Penney is making the necessary improvements to reclaim its market share," said Ivy Spargo, a senior vice president for Penney.

Macpherson's collection will be at the high end of Penney's offerings. Bras are priced anywhere from $40 to $49, while panties will be priced at $12 to $14.

Spargo says Penney shoppers will be able to relate to Macpherson outside of being a celebrity.

"She's a working mom. She's a business owner," she said.

Macpherson, who is based in London but travels around the world, says she's "passionate" about lingerie. It began in 1990 with her partnership with Bendon Limited Apparel, the same manufacturer that is producing the line for Penney. It marked one of the first examples of a model becoming a fashion brand.

Macpherson said she created her original collection back then because she saw a void between European-style lingerie and the comfort that American brands offered.

"As a model, I was constantly getting undressed," Macpherson added. "I wanted to make sure I looked good."

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Bill Hemmer re-ups with Fox News

"America's Newsroom" cohost Bill Hemmer has signed a multi-year contract to stay on with Fox News Channel, Variety has learned.

In addition to his duties surrounding the weekday morning news talk show he hosts with Martha MacCallum, Hemmer has anchored the network's 1 p.m. ET timeslot since September. He will continue in this position until a new show debuts at that hour.

"Bill Hemmer is a fantastic all-around newsman and a tremendous talent," said Roger Ailes, chairman and CEO of Fox News. "One of his great gifts is his ability to work so well with everyone -- there isn't an hour in our news lineup that Bill couldn't anchor. He's the consummate team player."

Hemmer, who joined the politically conservative-leaning 24-hour news network in 2005 after 10 years at CNN, said "There is no better boss in America than Roger Ailes. I'm proud to work for him and my wonderful, hardworking colleagues at FNC."

(C) 2014 Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media; Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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Dish Network backs Aereo in Supreme Court battle with broadcasters

Dish Network, Echostar and the American Cable Assn. are among those supporting Aereo in its showdown with broadcasters in the Supreme Court.

They were among the companies and organizations which filed briefs to the high court on Wednesday, the deadline for amicus briefs in favor of Aereo. Oral arguments in the Supreme Court are scheduled for April 22.

If Aereo is allowed to continue, broadcasters say that cable and satellite operators could merely start their own similar services and bypass having to compensate them for retransmitting station signals, in what is now a multi-billion dollar revenue stream.

Dish and Echostar argue that if the court's decision stands to have implications "far beyond Aereo" and "go so far as to touch technologies like Sling and cloud computing. It might even carry implications for a broad swatch of well-established functionality on the Internet -- for example, Internet hyperlinks or indexed thumbnails."

Dish's legal team wrote in their brief that if the high court decides to rule against Aereo, it should issue a narrow ruling.

"Even if Congress intended to prevent free riding by commercial intermediaries on the public performance right, it never intended to authorize copyright holders to charge the public repeatedly just to access their lawful copy of a work at a different time or place," Dish said in its brief.

The American Cable Assn., which represents small- and medium-sized cable operators, argued that Aereo and other new technologies provide a "modest safety valve against what smaller cable companies consider to be unfair and oppressive retransmission consent rates extracted by threat of blackouts that would leave customers with a 'dark' channel unless untoward price demands are met."

"Congress intended to encourage commercial dissemination of local broadcasts," the ACA said in its brief.

The broadcasters argue that Aereo's technology, in which subscribers receive digital streams of broadcast signals via dime-sized remote antennas, violates the public performance "transmit" clause of the Copyright Act, and in particular the intent of Congress when it was written in 1976. The U.S. Solicitor General sided with broadcasters in a friend-of-the-court brief filed last month.

Aereo contends that the streams are private performances, in that viewers are in control of what streams are delivered to their devices. The broadcasts are not live, but captured by the antennas, recorded and then transmitted to viewers after a short delay of about six seconds.

The Consumer Electronics Assn., which filed a joint brief with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Public Knowledge and Engine Advocacy, argued that the broadcasters were seeking a "copyright expansion" to cover new, potentially disruptive technology. The organizations said that Congress in 1976 "did not foresee that TV viewers would be able to transmit signals over over a communications medium like the Internet for their own personal use."

"Copyright law has never assigned all commercially valuable uses of creative works to rightsholders; many have always been reserved to the public," the organizations said in their brief. "This creates breathing space for technological and business innovation by entrepreneurs who have no affiliation with rightsholders. As history shows, that leads in turn to new markets for creative work, increasing both rewards for authors and access to creative works in the long term."

Also siding with Aereo were the Consumers Union and the Consumer Federation of America, as well as a group of small (in some cases very small), independent broadcasters. The latter includes Block Broadcasting Co., which operates a station with familiar call letters, WKRP in Cincinnati.

(C) 2014 Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media; Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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Josh Elliott on move to NBC Sports: 'Coming here was the best decision for me'

Just days after announcing hismove from ABC's "Good Morning America" to NBC Sports, Josh Elliott joined NBC Sports Group chairman Mark Lazarus for a conference call to discuss the new role.

Elliott, who spent nearly a decade working at ESPN and ABC, began by explaining that making the switch between networks was not an easy decision.

"Coming here was the best decision for me, but it was a decision that was tough to make," Elliot said. "It was bittersweet. It was made with a degree of melancholy and it was made with a heavy heart."

When asked about making the transition from on-air personality to "the last man on the bench," Elliot said being on the air every day was never something he needed.

"If a day goes by that I'm not on television, I don't look at it as a lesser day, nor do I look at changing from a news world to a sports world as any sort of step other than a step in a new direction," he explained. "The ability to join this team - to be the rookie on this team - is really what I want for myself personally."

Elliott added that no news role has been discussed with him as of yet and, when asked about the possibility of eventually succeeding "Today" anchor Matt Lauer, he said, "I hope Matt Lauer is here when I step away from this gig 30 years down the road."

While he didn't get into specifics, Elliott said he looks forward to telling stories and providing sports content across NBC's multiple platforms.

Lazarus said that Elliott will be a key player in NBC's Olympics coverage and his duties at the network will begin with the upcoming Kentucky Derby. Lazarus also mentioned that the network is in discussions about its coverage of the French Open, golf majors, the NFL's opening night and the Super Bowl, all of which would involve Elliott.

"He was a journalist, a reporter, a host, an anchor. He's done hard interviews. He's done soft interviews," Lazarus said. "You'll see a mixture of that. You'll see him hosting in some areas and interviews and reporting in other areas. ... It's still early and we're planning."

Elliott expressed confidence in his successor, Amy Robach, and said knowing she would be replacing him made his departure a bit less difficult.

Even so, Elliott hasn't been immune to the media backlash following his network move. While he said this type of reaction was probably inevitable, he also shared that it has been hard to swallow at times.

"It's been difficult to read categorical falsehood after categorical falsehood," Elliott said. "To be in the center of whatever this has been the last couple of days has been incredibly uncomfortable and, at times, very painful."

Elliott said he had no reaction to ABC News prexy Ben Sherwood's comments about their contract negotiations and credited Sherwood with taking a chance on him.

"Ben was crazy to give me a shot. He took a huge gamble," Elliott said. "He is and always will be the reason I'm here."

(C) 2014 Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media; Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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World shares rise on China stimulus, US hiring

TOKYO — World stock markets were mostly higher Thursday as investors took heart from new stimulus in China and evidence of stronger U.S. hiring.

Gains were modest, however, in early European trading, as markets awaited a decision by the European Central Bank on further monetary easing.

Germany's DAX inched up 0.04 percent to 9,628.78 and Britain's FTSE 100 was 0.1 percent higher at 6,659.04. France's CAC 40 slipped 0.03 percent to 4,429.45.

Wall Street looked ready for another day of gains, with Dow Jones and S&P 500 futures both up 0.1 percent.

U.S. stocks gained for a fourth straight day Wednesday after a report on hiring reinforced confidence the economy is emerging from a winter slump.

In a further boost to market sentiment, China's State Council, or cabinet, pledged Wednesday evening to do more to support companies, expand consumer demand and create jobs. The moves include increased railway investments and an easing of controls on property dealings in some cities.

That boosted buying of shares in railways and construction-related companies and helped to push Hong Kong's Hang Seng up 0.2 percent to 22,565.08.

Tokyo's Nikkei 225 stock index rose 0.8 percent to 15,071.88, buoyed by the weaker yen and buying of automakers and machine manufacturers such as industrial robot maker Fanuc Corp.

But Shanghai's Composite Index fell 0.7 percent to 2,043.70, weighed by worries over tightening liquidity and a possible restart of initial public offerings. Blue-chip "A-shares" cannot follow the lead of upbeat global markets, said Jackson Wong, a vice president at Tanrich Securities in Hong Kong.

"They haven't rolled anything out to boost A-shares. They're still worried about IPOs. They've got their own problems," Wong said.

South Korea's Kospi gave up early gains to edge 0.2 percent lower to 1,993.70 following the release of a central bank survey outlining banks' concerns over rising household debt risks.

Elsewhere in Asia, shares rose in Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines, but fell in India, Malaysia and Taiwan.

In currencies, the euro fell to $1.3764 from $1.3768 late Wednesday. The dollar rose to 103.99 yen from 103.87 yen.

Benchmark U.S. crude for May delivery was down 30 cents at $99.32 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It closed Wednesday at $99.62, down 12 cents.

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Applications for US jobless aid up 16K to 326,000

WASHINGTON — The number of people seeking U.S. unemployment benefits rose 16,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 326,000. Despite the increase, the number remains close to pre-recession levels and points to stable hiring.

The Labor Department said Thursday that the four-week average of applications, a less volatile measure, inched up 250 to 319,500.

Applications are a proxy for layoffs. They have fallen back to roughly pre-recession levels, an indication that companies are letting go of fewer workers and expect solid economic growth in the months ahead.

The low level of applications for benefits has boosted optimism about how many jobs employers added in March. Weekly claims for unemployment aid have reached a level that is typically consistent with monthly job gains of more than 200,000.

The Labor Department releases its March employment report Friday. Economists project that employers added 191,000 workers last month, according to a survey by FactSet.

That would be an improvement from February, when employers added 175,000 positions. And hiring in February accelerated after winter weather slowed job growth in the previous two months. Snowstorms and freezing temperatures in January and December shut down factories, kept shoppers away from stores and reduced home buying. That cut into growth and hiring. Employers added 129,000 jobs in January and only 84,000 in December.

The unemployment rate rose to 6.7 percent last month. But the tenth of a percentage point increase happened, in part, for a positive reason: More people entered the job market to look for work. Employers didn't immediately hire most of them, causing the unemployment rate to increase. But the fact that they started job hunting suggests that Americans are growing more optimistic.

More jobs and higher incomes will be needed to spur better overall economic growth. For now, economists estimate that the bad weather contributed to weak growth of 1.5 percent to 2 percent at an annual rate in the January-March quarter. But as the weather improves, most analysts expect growth to rebound to near 3 percent.

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Global growth drives Monsanto's 2Q higher

ST. LOUIS — Monsanto's second-quarter earnings jumped 13 percent on strength from its core seeds and traits business.

The agriculture products company topped Wall Street expectations for both profit and revenue, sending shares higher before the opening bell Wednesday.

Monsanto earned $1.67 billion, or $3.15 per share, 7 cents better than what analysts polled by FactSet had projected. A year ago, the company earned $1.48 billion, or $2.73 per share.

The performance was particularly strong, given the slow start to a quarter in which winter storms delayed shipments.

Chairman and CEO Hugh Grant said that almost 80 percent of Monsanto's quarterly growth came from its core seeds and traits business.

Revenue climbed 7 percent to $5.83 billion, just edging out Wall Street projections.

The expansion of the company's global corn and soybean businesses drove sales throughout the most recent quarter.

Monsanto Co. has dominated the bioengineered-seed business for years and recently began expanding its footprint in emerging markets like Argentina, Brazil and parts of Asia.

While the vast majority of Monsanto's business comes from genetically enhanced seeds and herbicide, the company is also making investments in computerized tools for the agricultural sector.

Last quarter the company announced a new agreement with U.S agricultural distributor WinField to explore collaborations on agriculture-based information technology. And in October, it spent $930 million to acquire the Climate Corporation, a Silicon Valley startup that uses weather forecasting and data analysis to increase harvest yields.

The St. Louis company reaffirmed its 2014 forecast for earnings of $5 to $5.20 per share. Wall Street is looking for $5.24 per share.

Shares of Monsanto added 86 cents to $114.85 before the market opened.

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Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor makes offer to buy Minneapolis newspaper

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota billionaire Glen Taylor has made a formal offer to acquire the Minneapolis Star Tribune, a purchase that would add the state's largest media company to his diverse business empire.

Taylor said in an interview Tuesday that he has made a cash offer as an individual without any other investors. He declined to say how much he would pay, but emphasized that the Star Tribune is the only media company he is pursuing.

"I'm interested in this one because it's a Minnesota paper," Taylor said. "For the long run if we can continue to have a news media that's consistent, fair, broad-based … I think it's in the interest of our state. I would be proud to be part of that."

Star Tribune Publisher and CEO Mike Klingensmith said Taylor's possible purchase is an exciting prospect because it would give the company a long-term owner with deep roots in Minnesota. "I think both of those things are important," Klingensmith said.

The Star Tribune and Taylor said Tuesday they have signed a letter of intent for a possible deal, pending the outcome of a 60-day review of the company's operations. If that process goes well, both parties expect the sale to close by the end of May.

If the deal goes through, Taylor, 72, said he will not take on a managing role with the Star Tribune, although he might put a family member on its board of directors. The company's current management would remain in place, Taylor and Klingensmith said.

Star Tribune employees, in a companywide meeting after the news was announced, broke into applause when Klingensmith said he would be staying.

The sale would be a pivotal moment for the media company, which emerged from bankruptcy in 2009 with the challenge of reinventing itself for a digital audience while also keeping its print editions robust. Since then, the company has expanded its readership, stabilized its finances and strived journalistically, winning two Pulitzer Prizes in 2013.

"Right now, I think the Star Tribune has great leadership," said Dan Sullivan, Cowles Chair of Media Management and Economics at the University of Minnesota. "They're one of the real success stories in terms of major dailies today."

Taylor is one of several Minnesotans on the annual Forbes list of the wealthiest Americans and has an estimated net worth of about $1.8 billion. He heads North Mankato-based Taylor Corp., a printing and marketing conglomerate that he has spent decades building. It is among the country's largest privately-held companies with annual sales around $1.6 billion. He also owns scores of other companies as well as the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves and the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx.

Taylor would be the latest billionaire to buy a major U.S. newspaper if he acquires the Star Tribune. Last year, Amazon.com founder and CEO Jeff Bezos paid $250 million for the Washington Post, and Boston Red Sox owner John Henry paid $70 million for the Boston Globe and other media properties.

Klingensmith noted that historically most newspapers were founded by families, and the emerging trend is "kind of a return to the model." The Star Tribune was owned for six decades by the Cowles family, who sold it in 1998.

The Star Tribune has emerged as an example of how to manage the difficult transition to news reporting across digital platforms while still producing a quality print product, said Ken Doctor, a news industry analyst at Newsonomics in Santa Cruz. He described a Star Tribune-Taylor alliance as "very positive news."

"It's unusual these days to have a local wealthy owner who is talking about maintaining, sustaining and, hopefully, building a local news company — as opposed to figure out (how) to keep the lights on and doors open," Doctor said.

Despite ongoing challenges in print advertising, the Star Tribune has been "solidly profitable" in every year since its restructuring, Klingensmith said, characterizing the profits as consistently "in the eight digits." The company has reduced a significant amount of its debt, partly through the 2009 bankruptcy and more recently with the sale of five blocks it owned in downtown Minneapolis. That netted the company about $38.5 million and cleared the way for new development next to the Vikings football stadium that's under construction.

Wayzata Investment Partners and GE Capital together own about 75 percent of the Star Tribune shares. The remaining stake is owned by several dozen creditors and other investors. Taylor said his offer is for 100 percent of the shares.

Taylor is a Minnesota business legend. Raised on a dairy farm near the southern Minnesota town of Comfrey, he once aspired to be a math teacher but was sidetracked by a job in college working at Carlson Letter Service, a "job shop" printing company. He eventually bought the company from Bill Carlson in 1975 and turned it into Taylor Corp.

From 1981 to 1990, he served as a Republican senator in the Minnesota Legislature.

Today, Taylor Corp. encompasses about 50 companies employing about 9,000 people. The bulk of the company's $1.6 billion in revenue comes from printing and marketing.

Taylor also owns about 30 companies outside Taylor Corp. The largest is Rembrandt Enterprises, one of the country's largest egg operations.

More recently, he expanded into medical devices by buying a stake in Envoy Medical Corp., a White Bear Lake-based developer of an implanted hearing aid. Taylor also co-owns Northland Securities Inc., a Minneapolis brokerage.

Taylor said Star Tribune Media would remain a standalone company but that he likes to have "various companies in my organization work together."

"I understand that this is a difficult business," he said, responding to a question about the challenges that newspapers face. "I'm in a lot of printing areas and they are all difficult business areas. I have just found out that if you're the best in that area, then you can do quite well."

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©2014 Star Tribune (Minneapolis) Distributed by MCT Information Services

Visit the Star Tribune (Minneapolis) at www.startribune.com

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Coke to soften marketing if unrest hits World Cup

LONDON — Coca-Cola has disclosed contingency plans to adapt its World Cup sponsorship and soften its celebratory tone in Brazil if unrest returns to the streets.

Launching their biggest World Cup marketing campaign, which aims to promote inclusivity, Coke executive vice president Joe Tripodi told The Associated Press the soft drinks giant would react rapidly to any outbreak of protests in an attempt to reflect the mood of the nation.

Demonstrations flashed across the South American country last year as the Confederations Cup started, with Brazilians angry at the high level of spending on the World Cup compared with public services. The protests outside some matches, including the Brazil-Spain final, turned violent with tear gas floating into stadiums.

"That (World Cup) spotlight can act as an opportunity to tell a story of happiness but it can also be a spotlight to tell a story of grievances and concerns that they (the public) have about the direction of the country," Tripodi, the Coca-Cola chief marketing and commercial officer, said in a telephone interview.

"There was tear gas and a little of that waved into the stadium, nothing major," Tripodi recalled of his Confederations Cup trip. "The Brazilian people are going to rise up and support this World Cup in a big way. Do I think there might be some protests? There may well be."

A litmus test of Brazil's attitude now to the World Cup could be when the trophy tour, organized by Coke, reaches its 90th country this month and begins a six-week tour across Brazil.

"We hope there is no unrest," Tripodi said from Atlanta. "But we recognize these things happen. You always have to be smart to have all kinds of Plan Bs, Plan Cs and Ds to prepare for any contingency. And if certain things happen you might have to change the tonality of your marketing or communications ... to make sure our messaging better reflected the mood in a particular country."

Coke is aware the same social media channels it harnesses to engage with consumers to enhance its market position can quickly be used to create a backlash against corporations or organizations such as FIFA.

"The worst thing is you can be complicit by silence," Tripodi said.

"The world we live in now is full of massive disruption, frequent chaos and change all the time," he added. "So as a company and as a brand if you are not prepared to respond ... then you aren't going to survive."

Coke's advertising has appeared in World Cup stadiums since the tournament was last staged in Brazil in 1950, and it has been an official FIFA sponsor since 1978.

The latest marketing campaign features fans across the world, from a Japanese region hit by the 2011 earthquake-tsunami to the West Bank, collecting cup tickets.

Rival PepsiCo is relying on the allure of soccer stars, with Argentina star Lionel Messi and Netherlands forward Robin van Persie performing tricks on the streets of Rio de Janeiro in a campaign released on Wednesday.

"Are you going to get the occasional ambush marketing? It's more of a nuisance that probably gets overhyped," Tripoldi said. "It's not something we obsess over."

___

Rob Harris can be followed at www.twitter.com/RobHarris

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Greece: Talks on debt relief could start in May

ATHENS, Greece — A senior official in the Greek government says long-awaited negotiations with creditors to try and make the country's national debt sustainable could start as early as next month and would likely last to the fall or beyond.

The official spoke Wednesday after a meeting of European finance ministers in Athens and asked not to be identified because the two sides are still awaiting the official publication of Greece's 2013 budget deficit figures later this month.

Experts say Greece could, among other things, get more time to repay its bailout loans or lower interest rates.

Greece said Tuesday it plans to return to bond markets in the first half of the year, while eurozone countries backed the payment of a delayed rescue loan installment worth 8.3 billion euros ($11.4 billion).

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Survey: US companies add 191K jobs in March

WASHINGTON — A private survey shows that U.S. companies increased hiring at a healthy pace last month, suggesting that the jobs market is recovering from a brutal winter.

Payroll processer ADP says private employers added 191,000 jobs in March. ADP also revised February's job creation up to 153,000 from an originally reported 139,000.

The construction industry added 20,000 jobs in March, up from an average 16,000 the previous three months. Financial firms added 5,000 jobs, the most since November. Hiring was healthy across most industries and businesses of different sizes.

The numbers suggest that the government's jobs report for March, to be released Friday, will show stronger hiring. Economists forecast the government will report that employers added 195,000 jobs last month. That would be the strongest one-month gain since November.

The ADP numbers cover only private businesses and often diverge from the government's more comprehensive report.

The economy appears to be gaining some momentum after an unusually cold and snowy winter. On Tuesday, the Institute for Supply Management, a group of purchasing managers, reported that U.S. manufacturing grew at a slightly faster pace last month as factory output bounced back from disruptions caused by severe winter weather.

U.S. auto sales rose 6 percent to 1.5 million vehicles last month, far outpacing analysts' expectations. The sales pace was the fastest since November, according to Autodata Corp.

Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, which prepares the ADP numbers, said the hiring last month was "very consistent with the kind of job growth we were getting before the winter months and is suggestive of economic growth of somewhere around 3 percent" at an annual rate. The economy grew a sluggish 1.9 percent last year.

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Monday is the deadline to sign up for health law

Monday is the deadline to sign up for private health insurance in the new online markets created by President Barack Obama's health care law. So far, about 4 out of every 5 people enrolling have qualified for tax credits to reduce the cost of their premiums.

Here's what you need to know:

— The sign-up website stumbled on deadline day. Visitors to HealthCare.gov on Monday morning saw messages that the site was down for maintenance. At times the visitors were also directed to a virtual waiting room — a feature designed to ease the strain on the site during periods of heavy use. Officials attributed the problem to a software bug.

— The deadline is at midnight EDT for the states where the federal government is running the sign-up website; states running their own exchanges set their own deadlines.

— You can sign up online by going to HealthCare.gov or your state insurance exchange. If you don't know what your state marketplace is called, HealthCare.gov will direct you.

—You can call 1-800-318-2596 to sign up by phone or get help from an enrollment specialist.

—Check online for sign-up centers that may be open locally, offering in-person assistance.

—If you started an application by Monday but didn't finish, perhaps because of errors, missing information or website glitches, you can take advantage of a grace period. The government says it will accept paper applications until April 7 and take as much time as necessary to handle unfinished cases on HealthCare.gov.

—Be prepared for the possibility of long wait times.

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Couple who paid off $127,000 in debt explains their strategy

Six years ago, Cherie and Brian Lowe decided they'd had enough with being in debt. The couple, who live in Greenwood, Ind., owed more than $127,000 in student loans, credit card bills, auto loans and more. With a second child on the way, they worried about how they would make ends meet.

"I knew what we were doing wasn't going to work with another child," Cherie Lowe said.

So in April 2008, the Lowes added up everything they owed and devised a plan for how to chip away at the debt.

The couple is not unlike many young people who find themselves deep in debt early in adult life — even when you have a college degree and a good-paying job.

According to a recent study that looked at the personal finances of college-educated millennials, 81 percent of these young adults have some form of long-term debt, such as student loans, a mortgage or car loan.

Managing that debt is a big concern. In the study, 47 percent of those with student loans are worried about their ability to pay off the balance, according to TIAA-CREF Institute and the Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center, which published the findings in February. (Millennials are defined as those ages 23 to 35.)

It took nearly four years, but Cherie and Brian Lowe, now 37, are debt-free. Cherie Lowe, who has given herself the nickname "the Queen of Free," documented the couple's quest on her website, QueenOfFree.net, and is writing a book, "Slaying the Debt Dragon," to be published this fall. For millennials struggling to get out of the red, Lowe talked about some of the strategies that worked for her family.

START SMALL: To get started, the first thing the Lowes did was adjust the tax withholding from Brian Lowe's paycheck. In doing so, the couple gave up the possibility of collecting a refund when they filed a tax return in April, but it gave the couple an extra $100 per month to apply toward debt.

The Lowes started small, using the newly found cash to pay off a store credit card. Financial advisers often recommend putting extra money toward the highest interest-rate debt first, but Cherie Lowe said eliminating one balance right away helped the couple to build momentum.

"It gave us the first little boost of confidence," she said.

Once the store card was gone, the couple turned to the next-largest balance and added $100 to the monthly bill. They repeated the process again and again, rolling over the sum of their monthly payments plus the extra cash as each balance was eliminated.

"Eventually the amount snowballs and you start to take big chunks out of the more sizable debt," Lowe said.

Their progress became infectious. "The more success we had, the more excited we were and the more sacrifices we were willing to make," she said.

BUILD A SAFETY NET: At the same time, the Lowes were determined to scrape together $1,000 for an emergency savings fund.

"It's never a question of 'if' your water heater blows up or if the brakes on your car go, but 'when,' " Cherie Lowe said. To pay for those costs without having to use credit cards, the Lowes decided they needed to build some savings, which they accumulated by selling jewelry, books and other items, as well as banking small windfalls, such as birthday money.

It was a smart move. Young adults with big liabilities may be more likely to rely on credit cards to cover day-to-day bills. According to the TIAA-CREF and GFLEC study, 53 percent of millennials who have both a credit card and long-term debt carry a balance on their credit card.

Adding debt on top of debt will not help you get out of the red. "Saving that $1,000 was one of the first things we did," Lowe said. "It was key."

———

©2014 Chicago Tribune

Visit the Chicago Tribune at www.chicagotribune.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services

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Appeal against Salem power plant dropped

SALEM, Mass. — Two Salem residents have dropped their legal appeals to a proposed $800 million natural gas-fired power plant in the city, leaving just one lawsuit in place.

Footprint Power has proposed a 692-megawatt plant at the site of the defunct Salem Harbor Station.

Salem residents Michael Furlong and William Dearstyne, who had appealed decisions by the Salem Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals allowing the project to move forward, said in a Land Court filing last week that they do not oppose Footprint's motion to dismiss the case.

That, in effect, ends those appeals.

The Salem News (http://bit.ly/1fFE9TQ ) reports that Footprint must resolve a federal appeal filed by four other Salem and area residents with the Environmental Appeals Board of the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington.

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Information from: The Salem (Mass.) News, http://www.salemnews.com

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Panel to hold meeting on Springfield casino plan

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The state gambling commission is headed to Springfield to hear from residents and local officials about MGM Resorts' plan to build an $800 million resort casino.

The hearing on Tuesday comes just weeks before the panel is expected to award the sole western Massachusetts casino license.

The Springfield proposal is the only one vying for the regional license.

The commission says the meeting at the MassMutual Center will allow members of the community to express concerns or ask questions. The project is slated for an area of downtown Springfield heavily damaged in a June 2011 tornado.

A host community agreement with MGM approved by Springfield voters promises the city annual payments of $25 million if the casino is built.

Residents of surrounding communities also are invited to offer comments at the hearing.

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Health care website stumbles on last day

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration's health care website stumbled, falling out of service for nearly four hours on deadline day for new sign-ups.

Visitors to HealthCare.gov on Monday morning saw messages that the site was down for maintenance. At times the visitors were also directed to a virtual waiting room — a feature designed to ease the strain on the site during periods of heavy use.

Administration spokesman Aaron Albright said the website undergoes "regular nightly maintenance" during off-peak hours and that period was extended because of a "technical problem." He did not say what the problem was, but a statement from the Department of Health and Human Services called it "a software bug" unrelated to application volume.

Albright said consumers seeking to sign up will be able to leave their email were to be "invited back" when the system got up and running again.

Officials said the website wasn't hacked. The site, which was receiving 1.5 million visitors a day last week, received about 2 million a day over the weekend.

Albright said the website is typically down for maintenance during the period from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. EDT, and that as a result of the technical problems the site was down for close to four additional hours before returning to full strength Monday morning.

The sign-up website had been taken down briefly Friday, with consumer interest surging. Lately the site has been getting about 1.5 million visits a day.

A recent analysis for The Associated Press by the performance-measurement firm Compuware found that the government site runs slow compared with health insurance industry peers.

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