'Obamacare' likely topic at conservative gathering

BOSTON — President Barack Obama's health care overhaul is coming under renewed attack as some of the nation's leading conservatives gather for a New Hampshire summit thick with presidential implications.

Several potential Republican White House contenders — among them Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee — headline a conference Saturday in Manchester, N.H., hosted by the conservative groups Citizens United and Americans for Prosperity.

Scheduled speakers also include real estate mogul Donald Trump, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Utah Sen. Mike Lee and New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte. The gathering highlights the role of Koch Industries, the giant conglomerate headed by the billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch.

The Koch-affiliated Americans for Prosperity has already spent millions of dollars on health care-related attack ads aimed at Democratic senators in New Hampshire, North Carolina, Alaska, Colorado, Iowa and elsewhere. That's made the Koch brothers a prime target for Democratic criticism.

The summit comes as prospective presidential candidates begin to step up appearances in key states ahead of the 2016 presidential contest, even though New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation-presidential primary isn't planned for another two years. The speakers are expected to bash the Democratic-backed health care overhaul, a central issue in the GOP's midterm election strategy despite reports of strong enrollment figures.

The Obama administration announced this week that enrollment in the health care law has grown to 7.5 million Americans, a figure that exceeded expectations and gave Democrats a surprise success after a disastrous roll-out. It was welcome news for Democrats who've been forced to defend their support for the unpopular law derided by critics as "Obamacare."

As potential presidential candidates jockey for position, the stakes are high for the November midterm elections, where Republicans are fighting to claim the Senate majority. The shift would fundamentally transform the final two years of Obama's presidency.

In a conference call Friday, Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., insisted that "Democrats are not running away from the Affordable Care Act."

Democratic National Committee spokesman Mike Czin noted that Republican opposition to the health care law was the foundation of the GOP's unsuccessful political strategy in 2012. He said that the debate has changed now that the law has been implemented and millions of people are enjoying its benefits.

"That's a debate that we're going to have and we're eager to have," Czin said.

At the same time, Van Hollen, who leads House Democrats' campaign arm, called for Republicans to defend their support for a GOP budget plan introduced this week that would repeal the health care law, transform Medicare, reintroduce the "doughnut hole" for prescription drug costs and enact deep cuts in education.

"Republicans in Iowa and New Hampshire are supporting an agenda that hurts middle-class families, hurts women, and will benefit billionaires like the Koch brothers," Van Hollen said.

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MCCA hiking garage fees

Parking rates at the Boston Common Garage will jump by as much as $6 a day this summer after a traffic consultant told the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority the city's low prices and high demand for spaces justifies the hike.

"There is a danger in not raising your rates enough," said Andy Hill of Desman Associates, claiming the popular garage could become "an attractive nuisance" overflowing with drivers scrambling for cheap spaces each day. He said the garage had to close 110 times in the last half of 2013 because it was full.

Parking on weekdays for less than an hour will increase from $10 to $12, effective this July. Rates will rise from $14 to $18 for 1-2 hours on weekdays; $18 to $24 for 2-3 hours; $23 to $28 for 3-10 hours; and $28 to $32 for 10-24 hours. Monthly reserved parking will soar by $300 to a price tag of $6,000 a year.

"While this raises the rates, it raises it to a level that's still 14 percent below the market in our district," said MCCA Executive Director James Rooney.

The increase will raise between $1.8 and $2.5 million for the MCCA, which is proposing a $1.1 billion expansion of the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. But Rooney told the Herald the money will go toward its operating budget and won't be used for a proposed expansion.

The MCCA Board of Directors unanimously passed the rate hike yesterday, even though a few voiced concerns. Board member Jack Hart, the former South Boston state senator, said the public garage rates should remain affordable, especially as thousands of spaces disappear through the development of areas such as the Seaport.

"If you wanted, you could charge as much money as you wanted to," said Hart. "But I think we have a public responsibility."

Hill, the consultant, said that because of development and demand, 9,393 parking spaces are needed in downtown Boston.

For years, the Menino administration and the Boston Redevelopment Authority had replaced parking spaces with bike lanes and tiny street parks and slashed the required number of parking spaces developers had to provide for big projects.

The rate hike came two hours into the MCCA's monthly meeting yesterday and wasn't specifically listed on the board's agenda.

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VW Tiguan a tiger in crossover class

Mini SUV or maxi hatchback, the 2014 VW Tiguan 4motion fits both descriptions.

I found this spirited, four-door utility vehicle a fun and easy car to drive, particularly to park. The quick and tight turning radius and squared-off front and rear make this a great choice as a city crossover. The smallish dimensions belie a roomy rear seat, comfortable for two, but cargo space runs smaller than competitors, even with the back seats down. The ride is quiet and compliant even on rough roads.

Jump into the driver's seat and you're snug behind the familiar and well-made VW cockpit. All the controls are intuitive and well placed. The updated touch screen radio makes working your way around the dial a lot easier than clunky earlier models. The leatherette seating material was comfortable, very supportive and attractive, but I still find the VW cloth options a little more to my liking.

The SE is well equipped with many of the upgraded features demanded by consumers including Bluetooth, a back up camera, keyless entry and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. The hands-free phone has better audio quality than many I've tested in a while, although the setup through the small dashboard display took a few more steps than some models.

The 2.0 liter 200 horsepower turbocharged engine is a feisty motor offering plenty of pop for this car and highway mileage was about 26 miles per gallon — around town you'll only get about 20 mpg. You have to run high octane to get the best performance out of this engine, but I thought it provided some fun exhaust notes. The all-wheel drive mated to a six-speed automatic really helps keep this tall vehicle on its pins and actually makes for decent handling. It's still a working truck that will get the kids to practice and then let you hit the home goods store for building supplies and yet still be a good commuter.

While many VW's have the striking elan of German styling, the Tiguan is content with its conservative features. There's some gentle body curves that help lead your eye along the car's waist and a small spoiler on the rear that completes the tailgate.

It's tall, giving you plenty of headroom, and it doesn't feel crowded while the squared nose and tail make for nifty maneuvering in tight spots.

In a very crowded field that includes cars such as the Kia Sportage, Mazda 5, Ford Escape and Nissan Rogue, the MSRP of $32,440 delivered pushes toward the high side of the competition.

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Oil pipe leak blamed for tainted water in China

BEIJING — An oil pipe leak caused excessive levels of the toxic chemical benzene in a major Chinese city's water supply, prompting warnings against drinking from the tap and sending residents to queue up to buy bottled water.

The scare, which has affected more than 2.4 million people in the northwestern city of Lanzhou, has once again raised concerns over safety of China's oil pipes.

Last year, a ruptured oil pipeline resulted in explosions in the eastern city of Qingdao, killing 62 people.

In Lanzhou, a crude oil pipeline run by the state-owned China National Petroleum Corp. had a leak that tainted the source water feeding a local water plant, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

Phone calls to the oil company's local and national offices rang unanswered on Saturday.

The city of Lanzhou said it has been monitoring levels of benzene in water pipes to ensure public safety, while local residents have been lining up to stock up on bottled water.

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Obama reiterates call for equal pay for women

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is making his case for equal pay for women — a leading election-year issue for Democrats.

Obama says in his weekly radio and Internet address that it's an embarrassment that women earn less than men even in the same professions and with the same education.

Obama issued an executive order this past week that bars federal contractors from retaliating against employees who discuss their salaries.

Such an order is considered a way for women to become better informed about their pay.

In the Republicans' weekly address, Cathy McMorris Rodgers — a congresswoman from Washington state — says the economy under Obama is hurting women.

She says Republican proposals to help small businesses and increase jobs will benefit all.

___

Online:

Obama address: http://www.whitehouse.gov

Republican address: http://www.youtube.com/user/HouseConference

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At Locke-Ober Cafe, 
a tasteful makeover

You can't eat at Boston's Locke-Ober Cafe anymore, but you can live above it.

The storied 137-year-old restaurant closed two years ago and its six connected Greek Revival-style buildings dating back to 1832 were bought by local developer Origen Ventures for $3.3 million.

The developer has just unveiled the Winter Place Residences, six large condos on the upper three floors, ranging in price from $1.75 million to $3 million.

It's taken 18 months to rehab the building into condos. Three of the units have extensive period details, and the developer created more traditional-looking condos around them.

"Our goal was to keep all the details we could," said Jim Robertson, a partner at Origen.

One of these now available is Unit 3-2, a 2,234-square-foot, two-bedroom condo for $1.75 million. Its dining/living room is called the Camus Room — named after former Locke-Ober manager Emil Camus — and features 
restored Corinthian pilasters, dentil molding and original sconce lighting. The kitchen has white Shaker cabinets, River White granite counters and Wolf, Sub-Zero and Bosch appliances.

A unit on the second floor will feature the 
restored private dining room used by the Kennedy family, including original paneling and wallpaper and the bell used to ring for service.

A downtown financial executive who was a regular at the restaurant bought a unit that listed for $2.7 million and has a 900-square-foot living room that was one of Locke-Ober's 
upper-floor dining rooms.

"The Locke-Ober name is what drew the buyer here, but what got him to buy was the square footage, the quality of construction, and direct elevator access," said Valerie Post of Meridian Property Group, co-listing broker.

The three other units feature more contemporary design, with white quartz counters and striped rosewood cabinets. The 3,357-square-foot, fourth-floor penthouse Unit 4-1, listing for $3 million, has skylights, a private roof deck and two master bedroom suites.

Condo fees will range from $531 to $740 a month. The building doesn't have parking, but owners can buy garage spaces for $75,000 at nearby Tremont on the Common.

Robertson said negotiations are underway to bring a restaurant to the historic, first-floor former Locke-Ober main dining room, which could be announced by the building's mid-May opening.

"We're insisting that the new eatery will respect the grand interior of the restaurant," Robertson said. "Our goal with the entire project is to feel like we did the building justice."

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Health Connector site fix far off

A long-term solution to the state's failed Health Connector website is still months away, according to the Obamacare czar Gov. Deval Patrick put in charge of fixing it.

Sarah Iselin yesterday told the Health Connector board she'll present recommendations next month for how to achieve a functional site before the Nov. 15 start of the next federal open-enrollment period.

"The clock is ticking," Iselin said, "and we've got a lot of work to do."

The possibilities include reconstructing the site, which continues to have technical problems, or trying to use technology that has worked in other states, she said. Functions that may have to be postponed until next year include the ability to pay health insurance premiums through the website after people have selected a plan.

Iselin said she intends to ask the federal government for an extension until Sept. 30 to allow all 260,877 people in subsidized Commonwealth Care and temporary coverage to keep their plans until they can be switched to Affordable Care Act-compliant ones.

Herald wire services contributed to this report.

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Boston bests Cambridge again in venture capital deals

Venture capital firms closed more deals with companies in Boston than Cambridge for the second straight quarter, and for the first time in more than a year gave more money to Internet technology companies than health care companies in the first quarter.

"You're seeing another tech renaissance," said C.A. Webb, executive director of the New England Venture Capital Association. "We had our heyday 15, 20 years ago, we're at it again."

A report released yesterday by CB Insights, a venture capital tracking firm, said funding for Internet companies accounted for 32 percent of the roughly $899 million in venture capital investments from January to March. Health care funding accounted for 30 percent.

Webb said the increase in tech money is in no way a reflection on the health care sector, but it shows how strong the tech startup industry has become.

"The entrepreneurial community on both sides continues to thrive," Webb said.

Boston companies saw 32 deals while Cambridge startups saw 17. Still, Cambridge companies raised $260 million, $54 million more than Boston companies.

"It's an expansion of the innovation community," Webb said. "It's a sign that it's truly robust and growing more."

New York also continued its streak over Massachusetts in numbers of deals, topping the Bay State for the fifth straight quarter. Still, Bay State companies raised $898.94 million compared to New York's $842.75 million. But both were far behind California, where companies raised more than $5 billion.

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Reps: Let Boston pay MCCA Tab

Skeptical House lawmakers from the South Coast and Western Massachusetts questioned why statewide hotel tax money should be funneled to Boston to pay for a $1.1 billion convention center expansion — and why Hub taxpayers aren't picking up more of the tab.

"From where I am, 110 miles from the State House, no one wants to keep footing the bill in Boston," said state Rep. Nicholas Boldyga (R-Southwick), one of four members of the 11-member House Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets at yesterday's hearing. "They come here infrequently and they can't even get $10,000 budgeted for a cultural council."

Chairman Antonio Cabral (D-New Bedford) wanted to know why Boston isn't paying more of the expansion costs — like it did in 1997 when it shelled out $157 million to construct the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.

"Would Boston be prepared to again be a partner since it's the city that's probably going to benefit the most out of the expansion?" asked Cabral.

"Boston feels we are partnering in this proposal and that we are a partner at that table," said John Barros, the city's economic development chief.

Barros said Boston used much of the money in 1997 to help acquire the land the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority now owns, and that Boston and Cambridge contribute 98 percent of the money in the convention center fund that will help pay for the construction.

The Herald reported this week that the state hotel tax fund could be used as collateral to secure the bonds for the convention center expansion.

But in a surprise revelation, Colin MacNaught, an assistant state treasurer, told the committee there's a high likelihood the state will have to dip into that hotel tax fund at some point to pay back bondholders.

MCCA Executive Director James Rooney disputed that.

"I would be willing to bet that if that happened, the Legislature would say, 'Wait a minute. Let's solve this another way. We're not using statewide resources for this. Let's look at those revenues that flow into the convention center today and see if we can raise those taxes instead,'" Rooney told the Herald.

Rooney told the committee the state is losing out on major conventions because the BCEC is too small and the South Boston Waterfront lacks enough hotel rooms. The proposal would expand the BCEC by 1.3 million square feet.

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Liquor licenses may get diluted

Gov. Deval Patrick's move to give cities and towns control over the number of liquor licenses they can issue generally is being well-received, but some expressed concern about the potential devaluation of existing licenses.

Obtaining licenses sold for up to $500,000 on the open Boston market poses a barrier to entry for prospective restaurateurs. But issuing new lower-priced licenses could give them a competitive advantage and spell trouble for businesses that used their licenses' values to get financing, said restaurateur Babak Bina.

"It does have a value as a way to secure a loan, and if you take (that) away, I don't know what that does to the bank's collateral," said Bina, whose eateries include Merrill & Co. and Lala Rokh. "It's a touchy subject, and ... devaluing those will be a certain blow."

Patrick made the proposal as part of an economic development package unveiled yesterday. A 1933 law requiring cities and towns to get legislative approval to exceed statutory limits on licenses is hindering development, said Greg Bialecki, secretary of Housing and Economic Development. "For the kind of mixed-use developments that developers and investors are interested in building, restaurants are a key element," he said. "We hear about big real estate projects that can get all of their other permits, but they can't get liquor license permits."

Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley, who's been pushing for a home-rule petition to regain control of Boston's liquor license process from the Legislature, welcomed the move. "Allowing cities and towns to control their licensing process is an important economic development and civil rights issue," she said in a statement.

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The Ticker

Medicare paid some doctors millions

Medicare paid a tiny group of doctors $3 million or more apiece in 2012. One got nearly $21 million.

Those are among the findings of an analysis of physician data released yesterday by the Obama administration, part of a move to open the books on health care financing.

Topping Medicare's list was Florida ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen, who was paid $20.8 million. His lawyer said the doctor's billing conformed with Medicare rules and is a reflection of high drug costs.

The analysis found that a small sliver of the more than 825,000 individual physicians in Medicare's claims database — just 344 physicians — took in top dollar, at least $3 million apiece for a total of nearly $1.5 billion.

Deputy administrator Jon Blum said Medicare will now take a closer look at doctors whose payments exceed certain levels.

"We know there is waste in the system, we know there is fraud in the system," he said. "We want the public to help identify spending that doesn't make sense.

'Heartbleed' bug is security headache

A computer bug called "Heartbleed" is causing major security headaches across the Internet as websites scramble to fix the problem and Web surfers wonder whether they should change their passwords to prevent theft of their email accounts, credit card numbers and other sensitive information.

The breakdown revealed this week affects a widely used encryption technology that is supposed to protect online accounts for a variety of online communications and electronic commerce. Security researchers who uncovered the threat are worried because it went undetected for more than two years.

TODAY

 Labor Department releases weekly jobless claims.

 Freddie Mac, the mortgage company, releases weekly mortgage rates.

 Treasury releases federal budget for March.

TOMORROW

Labor Department releases the Producer Price Index for March.

THE SHUFFLE

Kaloutas Painting, a commercial painting company headquartered in Peabody, announced the appointment of Douglas Blake of Salem to the newly created position of director of the Industrial Flooring Division. The appointment follows Kaloutas Painting's recent acquisition of Ipswich-based sister companies Clean World Floors and Res-Stone Industrial Flooring. Blake, who had an ownership stake in the companies, will lead Kaloutas Painting's effort to expand its scope of services into the commercial flooring arena.

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Family Dollar to cut jobs, close about 370 stores

MATTHEWS, N.C. — Family Dollar plans to cut some jobs and close about 370 underperforming stores as it tries to reverse sagging sales and earnings. The discount store operator will also lower prices on about 1,000 basic items.

Family Dollar did not provide details on how many jobs were expected to be eliminated.

The chain said the store closings and job cuts should reduce annual operating expenses by $40 million to $45 million, starting with the fiscal third quarter. Family Dollar Stores Inc. currently has more than 8,100 stores in 46 states.

The job cuts and store closings are estimated to result in an approximately $85 million to $95 million restructuring charge during fiscal 2014's second half.

The Matthews, N.C., company also said it will slow new store openings beginning in fiscal 2015 to bolster its return on investment. It now anticipates opening 350 to 400 new stores. In fiscal 2014 it had about 525 new stores.

The announcement came as Family Dollar reported its profit and revenue declined in the fiscal second quarter, which was hampered by bad winter weather.

Chairman and CEO Howard Levine said in a statement that the poor weather led to numerous store closings, disrupted merchandise deliveries and higher-than-expected utility and store maintenance expenses.

The quarter that ended March 1 included the critical holiday shopping season, which Levine said was "challenged" because shoppers had tighter financial constraints and rivals were more promotional.

Family Dollar reported that its net income dropped to $90.9 million, or 80 cents per share, from $140.1 million, or $1.21 per share, a year earlier. Revenue fell to $2.72 billion from $2.89 billion. Analysts surveyed by FactSet expected earnings of 90 cents per share on revenue of $2.77 billion.

Last year's quarter included one extra week.

Family Dollar said it believes the bad winter weather hurt its earnings by at least 5 cents per share.

Sales at stores open at least a year, a key gauge of a retailer's health, declined 3.8 percent. This figure excludes results from stores recently opened or closed.

Levine said the company's quarterly performance was below its expectations and that it's started a review of the business to increase operational efficiencies and boost its financial performance. Levine said the price cuts, store closings and job eliminations are part of actions it is taking immediately to lift its performance during the review.

Looking ahead, Family Dollar anticipates third-quarter adjusted earnings of 85 cents to 95 cents per share. Fourth-quarter adjusted earnings are expected in a range of 75 cents to 85 cents per share. Fiscal 2014 adjusted earnings are predicted between $3.05 and $3.25 per share.

Wall Street is calling for third-quarter earnings of 98 cents per share, fourth-quarter earnings of 84 cents per share and full-year earnings of $3.38 per share.

Shares of Family Dollar fell 92 cents to $58.15 in premarket trading on Thursday.

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Auto recalls in high gear

Recalls by General Motors, Ford and, just yesterday, Toyota have put automakers on a record pace this year as they scramble to avoid bad publicity, government fines and criminal prosecution.

Since January, at least 
9 million vehicles have been recalled in the United States. At that rate, the auto industry could break the record of 30.8 million vehicles recalled in 2004.

"Right now, we're poised to beat that," said Jeremy Acevedo, an analyst at Edmunds.com, a resource for auto information.

Yesterday alone, Toyota announced it was recalling 6.4 million cars and trucks worldwide, including nearly 1.8 million vehicles in the U.S., to fix faulty air bags and a spate of other problems.

The announcement came two weeks after the Justice Department skewered the automaker for covering up problems that caused unintended acceleration in some cars, beginning in 2009. To settle that case, Toyota agreed to pay $1.2 billion, but federal prosecutors still can resurrect a wire fraud charge if the company fails to comply with the terms of the settlement.

The Toyota recall comes in the wake of rival General Motors' recall of 6 million vehicles and as GM faces a Justice Department investigation on the heels of congressional hearings about faulty ignition switches that have been linked to at least 13 deaths and what lawmakers have called a cover-up.

"That can be a real game-changer," said Clarence Ditlow, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety. "There's nothing that changes corporate behavior as much as criminal prosecutions."

Ditlow said he expects smaller recalls in the future as companies move quickly to fix parts and limit the impact of a problem.

"Automakers certainly see value right now in initiating a recall rather than having one imposed on them," 
Acevedo said.

The high number of recalls could also be attributed to the use of "the same engineering, the same parts, the same suppliers," by some automakers, said Rosemary Shahan, president of the nonprofit Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety.

"To try to cut costs, they are making the same mistakes," Shahan said.

Herald wire services contributed to this report.

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Jane Pauley to join CBS News as contributor to 'Sunday Morning'

Former "Today" anchor Jane Pauley has agreed to become a contributor to CBS News' "Sunday Morning." The news was disclosed at the start of a panel held as part of an annual symposium held at Texas Christian University's Schieffer School of Journalism by "Face the Nation" anchor Bob Schieffer.

Pauley may be best known for her 13-year tenure as co-anchor of NBC's "Today," where she held a seat from 1976 to 1989 alongside Tom Brokaw and Bryant Gumbel. She has also served as a host of NBC's "Dateline" and as a daytime talk-show host.

'We're really, we're really really happy to have you," Schieffer said during the panel, according to a transcript provided by CBS NEws. "And I can't think of a better place for you to tell a story. Because you're a great storyteller - and Sunday Morning is one of my favorite, favorite broadcasts."

A date for Pauley's first appearance on the program could not be immediately determined.

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

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Applications for US jobless aid dip 32K to 300,000

WASHINGTON — The number of people seeking U.S. unemployment benefits dropped to the lowest level in almost seven years, falling 32,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 300,000.

The Labor Department said Thursday that the four-week average of applications, a less volatile measure, fell 4,750 to 316,250.

Fewer Americans sought benefits last week than at any point since the Great Recession began at the end of 2007. Applications are at their lowest level since May of that year.

Applications are a proxy for layoffs. The decrease suggests that employers expect stronger economic growth in the coming months and are holding onto their workers.

But Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, cautioned that the drop-off might be smaller than it appears. He noted that the Easter holiday, which moves from year-to-year, might have distorted the seasonal adjustments.

"We need to see a few more weeks' numbers before we can be sure where the trend now stands," Shepherdson said in a client note. "Our core view is that claims are drifting gently downwards."

Employers added 192,000 jobs in March, the Labor Department said last week. That follows gains of 197,000 in February, as the unemployment rate stayed at 6.7 percent for the second straight month.

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 144,000 jobs in January and only 84,000 in December.

More jobs and higher incomes will be needed to spur better overall economic growth. For now, economists expect 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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NC sides with Duke in appeal of coal ash ruling

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina regulators are joining with Duke Energy in appealing a judge's ruling on cleaning up groundwater pollution leeching from the company's coal ash dumps.

The state Environmental Management Commission filed notice Monday that it intends to appeal a March 6 ruling by Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgeway.

The commission and Duke contend North Carolina law does not give the state the authority to order an immediate cleanup. Ridgeway ruled the state had been misinterpreting the law for years.

Environmentalists say the decision to file an appeal directly conflicts with public statements from Gov. Pat McCrory suggesting his administration is getting tough with his former employer after a Feb. 2 coal ash spill that coated 70 miles of the Dan River in toxic gray sludge.

McCrory, a Republican, worked for Duke more than 28 years prior to retiring to run for governor. The nation's largest electricity company and its employees have remained generous political supporters to McCrory's campaign and GOP-aligned groups that support him, providing more than $1.1 million in support since 2008.

Though the governor directly appointed eight of the commission's 15 members, McCrory spokesman Josh Ellis said the panel operates independently of the administration. The remaining seven members were appointed by state House Speaker Thom Tillis and Senate leader Phil Berger, both Republicans.

"The commission does not report to the governor," Ellis said.

Ellis declined to say whether the governor disagreed with the decision made by his appointees.

Charlotte lawyer Benne C. Hutson, whom McCrory appointed as the commission's chairman in July, said Tuesday that he recused himself from the special April 3 closed-session meeting where Ridgeway's ruling was discussed. Hutson said his law firm represents Duke, which presented a conflict of interest.

Vice Chairman Kevin C. Martin, a McCrory appointee who presided over the meeting, said he couldn't discuss matters under pending litigation or any legal advice the commission received. However, he said a concern with Ridgeway's ruling is that it wouldn't just affect Duke, but potentially thousands of other state-permitted wastewater lagoons in North Carolina.

He said staff from the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources advised the commission without taking a position on the issue.

"No one told us how to vote," he said.

On the same day the state commission met behind closed doors, Duke filed its notice appealing Ridgeway's decision. The company also asked the judge to delay enforcement of his order until the N.C. Court of Appeals rules. Ridgeway declined.

The latest legal tussle comes after a coalition of environmental groups moved last year to sue Duke under the federal Clean Water Act over its groundwater pollution.

After state officials met with the company's chief lobbyist, the state environmental agency used its authority to file environmental violations against all of Duke's 33 coal ash pits across the state. The agency, represented in court by the office of Democratic Attorney General Roy Cooper, then quickly proposed a settlement that would have fined Duke $99,111 over pollution at two of its plants with no requirement that the $50 billion company take action to clean up its pollution.

Environmentalists criticized the deal, which they contend was intended to shield the company from harsher penalties it would have likely faced in federal court. McCrory has denied his former employer received any preferential treatment from his administration.

The state agency withdrew from its proposed agreement with Duke following increased public scrutiny in the wake of the Dan River spill.

"Just a week after the state publicly abandoned its sweetheart deal with Duke and promised to 'enforce' the law, it has appealed a judicial ruling that confirmed the state's legal authority to enforce a real solution for coal ash contamination," said D.J. Gerken, a lawyer for the Southern Environmental Law Center. "We're disappointed that this administration remains so determined to delay through litigation rather than move forward to stop ongoing pollution of North Carolina's rivers, lakes and groundwater."

Federal prosecutors have filed at least 23 grand jury subpoenas as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into the relationship between state regulators and the company prior to the spill.

___

Follow Associated Press reporter Michael Biesecker at Twitter.com/mbieseck

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Toyota recalls about 6.4 million vehicles globally

TOKYO — Toyota Motor Corp. is recalling 6.39 million vehicles globally for a variety of problems spanning nearly 30 models in Japan, the U.S., Europe and other places.

No injuries or crashes have been reported related to the recalls announced Wednesday. But two reports of fires are linked to one of the problems, a defective engine starter that can keep the motor running.

Some vehicles were recalled for more than one problem. The recall cases total 6.76 million vehicles for 27 Toyota models, the Pontiac Vibe and the Subaru Trezia, produced from April 2004 through August 2013.

The Pontiac Vibe, which is a General Motors Co. model, is also involved because Toyota and GM made cars at the same plant in California and the recalled model is the same as the Toyota Matrix. It was recalled for a problem with a spiral cable attached to an air-bag. It is unrelated to a separate GM recall over ignition switches linked to at least 13 deaths.

Subaru is partly owned by Toyota, and the model was the same as the Toyota Ractis.

For the recall, Toyota also reported problems with seat rails, the bracket holding the steering column in place, the windshield-wiper motor and a cable attached to the air-bag module.

The recalls affect a large range of models, including the Corolla, RAV4, Matrix, Yaris, Highlander, and Tacoma.

By region, the latest recall affects 2.3 million vehicles in North America, 1.09 million vehicles in Japan and 810,000 vehicles in Europe. Other regions affected by the recall include Africa, South America and the Middle East.

Toyota was embroiled in a massive recall crisis in the U.S. starting in late 2009 and continuing through 2010, covering a wide range of problems including faulty floor mats, sticky gas pedals and defective brakes. In response, it has become quicker to recall cars and

Last month, the Japanese automaker reached a settlement with the U.S. Justice Department to pay a $1.2 billion penalty for hiding information about defects in its cars. It earlier paid fines of more than $66 million for delays in reporting unintended acceleration problems.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration never found defects in electronics or software in Toyota cars, which had been targeted as a possible cause.

The focus in the U.S. auto industry has recently shifted to another major recall problem, this time with defective ignitions in compact cars made by GM.

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Follow Yuri Kageyama on Twitter at twitter.com/yurikageyama

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Medicare database reveals top-paid doctors

WASHINGTON — Medicare paid a tiny group of doctors $3 million or more apiece in 2012. One got nearly $21 million.

Those are among the findings of an Associated Press analysis of physician data released Wednesday by the Obama administration, part of a move to open the books on health care financing.

Topping Medicare's list was Florida ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen, whose relationship with Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., made headlines last year after news broke that the lawmaker used the doctor's personal jet for trips to the Dominican Republic. Medicare paid Melgen $20.8 million.

AP's analysis found that a small sliver of the more than 825,000 individual physicians in Medicare's claims data base — just 344 physicians — took in top dollar, at least $3 million apiece for a total of nearly $1.5 billion.

AP picked the $3 million threshold because that was the figure used by the Health and Human Services inspector general in an audit last year that recommended Medicare automatically scrutinize total billings above a set level. Medicare says it's working on that recommendation.

About 1 in 4 of the top-paid doctors — 87 of them — practice in Florida, a state known both for high Medicare spending and widespread fraud. Rounding out the top five states were California with 38 doctors in the top group, New Jersey with 27, Texas with 23, and New York with 18.

In the $3 million-plus club, 151 ophthalmologists — eye specialists — accounted for nearly $658 million in Medicare payments, leading other disciplines. Cancer doctors rounded out the top four specialty groups, accounting for a combined total of more than $477 million in payments.

Overall, Medicare paid individual physicians nearly $64 billion in 2012.

The median payment — the point at which half the amounts are higher and half are lower — was $30,265.

AP's analysis focused on individual physicians, excluding about 55,000 organizations that also appear in the database, such as ambulance services. None of those entities was paid $3 million or more.

The Medicare claims database is considered the richest trove of information on doctors, surpassing what major insurance companies have in their files. Although Medicare is financed by taxpayers, the data have been off limits to the public for decades. Physician organizations went to court to block its release, arguing it would amount to an invasion of doctors' privacy.

Employers, insurers, consumer groups and media organizations pressed for release. Together with other sources of information, they argued that the data could help guide patients to doctors who provide quality, cost-effective care. A federal judge last year lifted the main legal obstacle to release, and the Obama administration recently informed the American Medical Association it would open up the claims data.

"It will allow us to start putting the pieces together," said Dianne Munevar, a top researcher at the health care data firm Avalare Health. "That is the basis of what payment delivery reform is about."

Doctors' decision-making patterns are of intense interest to researchers who study what drives the nation's $2.8-trillion-a-year health care system. Within the system, physicians act as the main representatives of patients, and their decisions about how to treat determine spending.

The American Medical Association, which has long opposed release of the Medicare database, is warning it will do more harm than good.

The AMA says the files may contain inaccurate information. And even if the payment amounts are correct, the AMA says they do not provide meaningful insights into the quality of care.

"We believe that the broad data dump ... has significant shortcomings regarding the accuracy and value of the medical services rendered by physicians," AMA president Ardis Dee Hoven said. "Releasing the data without context will likely lead to inaccuracies, misinterpretations, false conclusions and other unintended consequences."

The AMA had asked the government to allow individual doctors to review their information prior to its release.

Over time, as researchers learn to mine the Medicare data, it could change the way medicine is practiced in the U.S. Doctor ratings, often based on the opinions of other physicians, would be driven by hard data, like statistics on baseball players. Consumers could become better educated about the doctors in their communities.

For example, if your father is about to undergo heart bypass, you could find out how many operations his surgeon has done in the last year. Research shows that for many procedures, patients are better off going to a surgeon who performs them frequently.

The data could also be used to spot fraud, such as doctors billing for seeing more patients in a day than their office could reasonably be expected to care for.

Medical practice would have to change to accommodate big data. Acting as intermediaries for employers and government programs, insurers could use the Medicare numbers to demand that low-performing doctors measure up. If the data indicated a particular doctor's diabetic patients were having unusually high rates of complications, that doctor might face questions.

Such oversight would probably accelerate trends toward large medical groups and doctors working as employees instead of in small practices.

Melgen, the top-paid physician in 2012, has already come under scrutiny. In addition to allowing the use of his jet, the eye specialist was the top political donor for Menendez as the New Jersey Democrat sought re-election to the Senate that year.

Menendez's relationship with Melgen prompted Senate Ethics and Justice Department investigations. Menendez reimbursed Melgen more than $70,000 for plane trips.

The issue exploded in late January 2013, after the FBI conducted a search of Melgen's West Palm Beach offices. Agents carted away evidence, but law enforcement officials have refused to say why. Authorities declined to comment on the open investigation.

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Associated Press writer Kelli Kennedy in Miami contributed to this report.

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House votes to freeze unemployment insurance rates

BOSTON — A one-year freeze on unemployment insurance rates for Massachusetts businesses is closer to passage in the Legislature.

The House on Tuesday unanimously approved the measure, which would be retroactive to Jan. 1. The Senate is expected to follow suit, marking the fourth consecutive year that rates have remained frozen.

Both branches had previously included a freeze as part of broader legislation calling for an overhaul of the state's unemployment insurance system, but disagreements and procedural disputes threatened to hold up passage of a bill. So lawmakers opted to strip out the freeze and vote on it separately.

Business groups, including the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, have warned that employers would otherwise be facing a $500 million rate increase and that Massachusetts would have the nation's highest unemployment insurance tax.

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Massachusetts Governor: Minimum wage hike on track

BOSTON — Gov. Deval Patrick says he's confident House and Senate lawmakers will hammer out a compromise on minimum wage legislation that has run into parliamentary roadblocks on Beacon Hill.

Patrick said the difference between the House and Senate bills isn't great.

The House bill would increase the hourly wage from $8 to $10.50 over two years. The Senate would bump it to $11 per hour over three years.

The Senate bill would automatically link future increases to the rate of inflation, something the House bill doesn't do.

Patrick said linking future minimum wage increases to inflation is something that could work, but his immediate concern is getting a higher minimum wage in place.

Patrick said he's talked to House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Therese Murray about the need to craft a compromise bill.

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American, US Airways tweak fees, mileage rules

DALLAS — If you use miles to get a free ticket on American Airlines, you may have to pay to check your suitcase.

American and US Airways announced changes Tuesday to their policies on checked-bag fees and redeeming miles for free flights.

Passengers traveling on American on miles they earned or who paid full price for an economy seat won't get to check two bags for free anymore. Some elite-level frequent fliers on both airlines will get one less free bag than before.

As for redeeming miles for free flights, US Airways is ending blackout days. American will change the number of miles to get an unrestricted free flight — more on popular travel days, fewer on less-busy ones.

The two carriers merged in December and formed American Airlines Group Inc.

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UK scientists make body parts in lab

LONDON — In a north London hospital, scientists are growing noses, ears and blood vessels in the laboratory in a bold attempt to make body parts using stem cells.

It is among several labs around the world, including in the U.S., that are working on the futuristic idea of growing custom-made organs in the lab.

While only a handful of patients have received the British lab-made organs so far— including tear ducts, blood vessels and windpipes — researchers hope they will soon be able to transplant more types of body parts into patients, including what would be the world's first nose made partly from stem cells.

"It's like making a cake," said Alexander Seifalian at University College London, the scientist leading the effort. "We just use a different kind of oven."

During a recent visit to his lab, Seifalian showed off a sophisticated machine used to make molds from a polymer material for various organs.

Last year, he and his team made a nose for a British man who lost his to cancer. Scientists added a salt and sugar solution to the mold of the nose to mimic the somewhat sponge-like texture of the real thing. Stem cells were taken from the patient's fat and grown in the lab for two weeks before being used to cover the nose scaffold. Later, the nose was implanted into the man's forearm so that skin would grow to cover it.

Seifalian said he and his team are waiting for approval from regulatory authorities to transfer the nose onto the patient's face but couldn't say when that might happen

The potential applications of lab-made organs appear so promising even the city of London is getting involved: Seifalian's work is being showcased on Tuesday as Mayor Boris Johnson announces a new initiative to attract investment to Britain's health and science sectors so spin-off companies can spur commercial development of the pioneering research.

The polymer material Seifalian uses for his organ scaffolds has been patented and he's also applied for patents for their blood vessels, tear ducts and windpipe. He and his team are creating other organs including coronary arteries and ears. Later this year, a trial is scheduled to start in India and London to test lab-made ears for people born without them.

"Ears are harder to make than noses because you have to get all the contours right and the skin is pulled tight so you see its entire structure," said Dr. Michelle Griffin, a plastic surgeon who has made dozens of ears and noses in Seifalian's lab.

"At the moment, children who need new ears have to go through a really invasive procedure involving taking cartilage from their ribs," Griffin said, adding that taking fat cells from patients' abdomens to add to a lab-made ear scaffold would be far easier than the multiple procedures often necessary to carve an ear from their ribs. Griffin added they plan to eventually create an entirely synthetic face but must first prove their polymer scaffolds won't accidentally burst out of the skin.

"Scientists have to get things like noses and ears right before we can move onto something like a kidney, lungs or a liver, which is much more complicated," said Eileen Gentleman, a stem cell expert at King's College London, who is not involved in Seifalian's research.

"Where Seifalian has led is in showing us maybe we don't need to have the absolutely perfect tissue for a (lab-made) organ to work," she said. "What he has created is the correct structure and the fact that it's good enough for his patients to have a functional (windpipe), tear duct, etc. is pretty amazing."

Some scientists predicted certain lab-made organs will soon cease to be experimental.

"I'm convinced engineered organs are going to be on the market soon," said Suchitra Sumitran-Holgersson, a professor of transplantation biology at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. She has transferred lab-made blood vessels into a handful of patients and plans to offer them more widely by 2016, pending regulatory approval. Still, she acknowledged doctors will have to watch closely for any long-term side effects, including the possibility of a higher cancer risk.

Seifalian estimated about 10 million pounds ($16 million) has gone into his research since 2005 but said he hoped lab-made organs would one day be available for a few hundred dollars.

"If people are not that fussy, we could manufacture different sizes of noses so the surgeon could choose a size and tailor it for patients before implanting it," he said. "People think your nose is very individual and personal but this is something that we could mass produce like in a factory one day."

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Owners of burned wedding venue vow to rebuild

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The owners of a century-old wedding venue in Foxborough that was destroyed in a fire last weekend moments after a couple said "I do" vow to rebuild.

The 108-year-old Lakeview Pavilion was torn down following a three-alarm fire Saturday that investigators think was started by a cigarette butt tossed into the mulch outside. No one was injured.

Owners Natalia Kapourelakos and Anastasia Tsoumbanos tell The Sun Chronicle (http://bit.ly/R0iK2B ) they are "absolutely committed" to rebuilding.

But they say their first priority is taking care of the people who put down deposits for weddings and receptions as far as ahead as next year. The owners say they had about 200 events planned. Deposits, some as much as $12,000, will be returned.

They are also working with people to find new venues for their receptions.

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Information from: The (Attleboro, Mass.) Sun Chronicle, http://www.thesunchronicle.com

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Ming Dynasty 'chicken cup' sold for record $36M

HONG KONG — A Shanghai collector bought a rare Ming Dynasty cup that's touted as the "holy grail" of China's art world for $36 million at a Hong Kong auction on Tuesday, smashing the previous world record price for Chinese porcelain.

Sotheby's said Liu Yiqian was the winning bidder for the small white cup, which measures just 8 centimeters (3.1 Inches) in diameter and is more than 500 years old. The vessel is known as a "chicken cup" because it's decorated with a rooster and hen tending to their chicks.

It was made during the reign of the Ming Dynasty's Chenghua Emperor, who ruled from 1465 to 1487. Sotheby's said there are only 17 such cups in existence, with four in private hands and the rest in museums.

"There's no more legendary object in the history of Chinese porcelain," said Nicholas Chow, Sotheby's deputy chairman for Asia. "This is really the holy grail when it comes to Chinese art."

For such a prized item, bidding was limited to a handful of wealthy collectors and when the winning bid was hammered down at HK$250 million ($32.2 million), the standing-room only crowd broke into applause. The auction house's commission brought the total to HK$281.2 million ($36.1 million). A pre-sale estimate had estimated a maximum sale price of HK$300 million.

Sotheby's said the previous record for Chinese porcelain was set in 2010 when a gourd-shaped Qianlong vase sold for $32.4 million.

It's the latest of several records set at the auction house's Hong Kong spring sales, indicating that the region's super-rich are still spending despite fluctuating economic growth. At Sunday's sale of modern and contemporary Asian art, Asian collectors bought nine of the top 10 priciest lots.

"Definitely the mood in Hong Kong at this moment, in Asia, is buoyant," said Chow.

Chow said the cup would likely go on display in Liu's Long Museum in Shanghai, which he and his wife, Wang Wei, opened in 2012.

Liu is a middle-school dropout who drove a cab before becoming a multimillionaire. Forbes estimates his fortune at $900 million, making him the 200th richest person in China.

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Follow Kelvin Chan at twitter.com/chanman

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IMF: World economy is stronger but faces threats

WASHINGTON — The global economy is strengthening but faces threats from super-low inflation and outflows of capital from emerging economies, the International Monetary Fund warned Tuesday.

The lending organization expects the global economy to grow 3.6 percent this year and 3.9 percent in 2015, up from 3 percent last year. Those figures are just one-tenth of a percentage point below the IMF's previous forecasts in January.

The IMF, in its World Economic Outlook report, makes no changes to its forecasts for U.S. growth, which it estimates at 2.8 percent this year and 3 percent in 2015.

The 188-nation IMF and its sister organization, the World Bank, will hold their spring meetings in Washington this weekend. Finance ministers and central bank governors from the Group of 20 leading economies will meet Thursday.

The issues highlighted in the IMF's outlook, such as alarmingly low inflation, will likely be high on the agenda. Yet the meetings will be relatively free of the crisis atmosphere that beset the IMF for several years after the global financial meltdown and European debt crisis.

"Relative to previous years, the global economy is more stable," said Jacob Kierkegaard, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. "This is going to be an annual meeting that will be more about process and medium- to long-run goals" than about short-term actions.

Nevertheless, analysts expect European officials, particularly the European Central Bank, to come under pressure to fight low inflation. Last week, Christine Lagarde, the IMF's managing director, urged the ECB to take "unconventional measures" to push prices up.

Such steps could include the purchase of bonds or other financial assets. The U.S. Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan have both made such purchases to try to stimulate their economies.

Largarde's comment drew a rebuke last week from ECB President Mario Draghi. He noted tartly that the IMF "has been ... extremely generous in its suggestions on what we should or should not do" and added that the ECB disagreed.

Even so, the IMF "will reiterate the message that the ECB should be more aggressive," said Domenico Lombardi, director of the global economy program at CIGI, a Toronto-based think tank. "The ECB is behind the curve."

Inflation in the 18 countries that use the euro currency fell to an annual rate of 0.5 percent last month. Though consumers can enjoy flat prices, ultra-low inflation can stifle growth. People and companies postpone purchases knowing that prices will be little changed months later. Debts become harder to pay off. That's a particularly severe problem in Europe, where many governments remain squeezed by debts.

Super-low inflation also raises the risk of deflation — a decline in wages and prices that can cause a recession.

At the meetings, developing countries will likely push for greater coordination of central bank policies. Many say they've been harmed by the Federal Reserve's pullback of its stimulus this year. The Fed has been paring its monthly bond purchases, which were intended to keep U.S. interest rates low and spur more borrowing and spending.

But the prospect of higher U.S. rates has led investors to pull money from developing countries and reinvest it in the United States for higher returns. That exodus has caused currencies in Turkey, South Africa and other countries to plunge in value.

Eswar Prasad, a former IMF official and fellow at the Brookings Institution, said many Asian nations will likely raise a similar concern. They are wary of efforts by central banks in Japan and China to depress their currencies, which can make their exports cheaper and give them a trade advantage. Better coordination among central banks could address some of these concerns.

The United States could face criticism because Congress has refused to approve changes to the IMF that would give developing countries more influence. The Obama administration has sought the changes, which were dropped from legislation that gave $1 billion in loan guarantees to Ukraine. The provisions would have given Russia slightly more influence at the IMF just as lawmakers sought to punish President Vladimir Putin.

The IMF's economic outlook offers a slightly more optimistic forecast for the 18-nation eurozone. It now expects the region to grow 1.2 percent in 2014 and 1.5 percent in 2015 after shrinking 0.5 percent last year. Both estimates are one-tenth of a percentage point higher than in the IMF's January forecasts.

Japan is forecast to expand just 1.4 percent next year, down from the IMF's previous projection of 1.7 percent, and just 1 percent in 2015. China's growth is pegged at 7.5 percent for both 2014 and 2015.

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Follow Chris Rugaber on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/ChrisRugaber .

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Obama tests work policies on federal contractors

WASHINGTON — Sidestepping Congress, President Barack Obama is using the federal government's vast array of contractors to impose rules on wages, pay disparities and hiring on a segment of the private sector that gets taxpayer money and falls under his control.

Obama this week plans to issue an order prohibiting federal contractors from retaliating against workers who discuss their pay. He will also direct the Labor Department to issue new rules requiring federal contractors to provide compensation data that includes a breakdown by race and gender.

In a separate action Monday, Obama intends to announce 24 schools that will share more than $100 million in grants to redesign themselves to better prepare high school students for college or for careers. The awards are part of an order Obama signed last year. Money for the program comes from fees that companies pay for visas to hire foreign workers for specialized jobs.

The steps, which Obama will take Tuesday at a White House event, take aim at pay disparities between men and women. The Senate this week is scheduled to take up gender pay equity legislation that would affect all employers, but the White House-backed bill doesn't have enough Republican support to overcome procedural obstacles and will likely fail.

The work policy changes demonstrate that even without legislation, the president can drive economic policy. At the same time, they show the limits of his power when he doesn't have congressional support.

Republicans say Obama is pushing his executive powers too far and should do more to work with Congress. His new executive orders are sure to lead to criticism that he is placing an undue burden on companies and increasing their costs.

Federal contracting covers about one-quarter of the U.S. workforce and includes companies ranging from Boeing to small parts suppliers and service providers. As a result, presidential directives can have a wide and direct impact. But such actions also can be undone by future presidents or by congressional action.

Tuesday's executive order and presidential memorandum on pay equity measures come two months after Obama ordered federal contractors to increase their minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour — the same increase Obama and Democrats are struggling to get Congress to approve nationwide.

Obama in 2012 issued an order that prohibited government contractors or subcontractors from, among other things, charging employees recruitment fees, a practice that some companies have been accused of employing in their overseas operations.

In his first month in office, he required that certain large federal contractors hire service workers who had been employed by the previous contractor on the job. He also has prohibited federal contractors from using federal funds to influence workers' decisions on whether to join a union.

Jeffrey Hirsch, a former lawyer with the National Labor Relations Board, said presidential executive orders that affect federal contracting workforces can demonstrate that those practices are less onerous than initially imagined.

"It's an important step in implementing things in a broader scale," said Hirsch, now a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law.

Obama's go-it-alone strategy is hardly new. And his rate of signing executive orders is similar to that of President George W. Bush and lower than that of President Bill Clinton. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the most active signer of executive orders, issuing them at the rate of nearly one a day. But Obama has the lowest rate of executive orders since President Grover Cleveland, according to an analysis by the Brookings Institution.

Tuesday's executive actions are designed to let workers discuss and compare their wages openly if they wish to do so and to provide the government with better data about how federal contractors compensate their workers.

"This really is about giving people access to more information both to help them make decisions at the policy level but also for individuals," said Heather Boushey, executive director and chief economist at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth. She has been working with the administration to get compensation information about the nation's workforce.

"This is definitely an encouraging first step," she said.

Federal contractors, however, worry that additional compensation data could be used to fuel wage-related lawsuits, said James Plunkett, director of labor policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

What's more, he said, such orders create a two-tiered system where rules apply to federal contractors but not to other employers. Those contractors, knowing that their business relies on the government, are less likely to put up a fight, he said.

"Federal contractors ultimately know that they have to play nicely to a certain extent with the federal government," he said.

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Follow Jim Kuhnhenn on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/jkuhnhenn

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Barbara Walters sets May 16 for exit

NEW YORK — Barbara Walters plans to make her final appearance on "The View" on May 16, part of a daylong retirement celebration that will include ABC News naming its New York headquarters after her.

Later that night, ABC will air a two-hour prime-time special on her career. Walters, who is 84, began in television in 1961 and became the medium's best-known interviewer. She announced last year that she will retire from regular TV appearances.

Walters will remain involved behind the scenes as an executive producer at "The View," the daytime talk show she invented.

ABC said Monday that Walters will also be a lifelong member of the ABC News team, and will make special appearances as news warrants.

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Online:

http://abc.go.com/shows/the-view/

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Laclede buys Energen's gas utility for $1.28B

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Laclede Group is spending about $1.28 billion in cash to acquire the natural gas utility business of Energen.

For Energen, the sale pushes it closer to becoming a pure exploration and production company. The Birmingham company said Monday that it will use the proceeds to reduce debt, allowing it to accelerate drilling and development of its Permian Basin assets starting next year.

The deal also comes with about $320 million of debt for Laclede. Energen's after-tax proceeds are estimated at $1.1 billion.

The Laclede Group Inc. is a natural gas utility with about 1.13 million customers in Missouri. With the acquisition of Alabama Gas Corp., it picks up more than 422,000 customers.

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$1B Boston convention center upgrade gets airing

BOSTON — State lawmakers are considering a proposed $1.1 billion expansion of the Boston Convention and Exhibition center in South Boston.

Supporters of the measure say the facility that opened in 1997 isn't big enough to attract many large-scale national and international conventions. They say expanding the convention center and adding hotel rooms would generate new jobs and other economic benefits for the region.

The House Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets has scheduled a hearing for Thursday to discuss financing for the project.

Current plans call for no new taxes of fees. Instead, proceeds from the state's current hotel occupancy tax would be used to support bonds issued for construction.

The Pioneer Institute has warned the convention center expansion could divert capital funds from other state projects.

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Boston's bike share program thrives

BOSTON — Boston's bicycle sharing program, which just opened for its fourth season, is thriving at a time when similar programs in other cities are struggling financially.

The Boston Globe  reports that Hubway opened last week with a positive financial prognosis, a fresh contract between the city and bike-share operators, an expectation that the system will continue turning a profit, and plans for 10 new stations.

Montreal's bike-share program filed for bankruptcy in January. Last month, reports surfaced that operators of New York's program had asked for tens of millions of dollars in aid from the city.

Some have attributed Hubway's success to more conservative choices — closing for winter and launching with a compact system that spread cautiously — as well as its dependence on both public and private money.

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Information from: The Boston Globe, http://www.bostonglobe.com

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APNewsBreak: Obama actions test workplace ideas

WASHINGTON — Lacking congressional backing to raise wages or end gender pay disparities, President Barack Obama is imposing his policies directly on federal contractors, following a long-established tradition of presidents exerting their powers on a fraction of the economy directly under their control.

This week, the president will sign an executive order that would prohibit federal contractors from retaliating against employees who discuss their pay with each other. The prohibition on the wage "gag rules" is similar to language in a Senate bill aimed at closing a pay gap between men and women. That legislation is scheduled for a vote this week, though it is not likely to pass.

In addition, Obama on Tuesday will direct the Labor Department to adopt regulations requiring federal contractors to provide compensation data based on sex and race. The president will sign the executive order and the presidential memo during an event at the White House where he will be joined Lilly Ledbetter, whose name appears on a pay discrimination law Obama signed in 2009.

This week's steps showcase Obama's efforts to take action without congressional approval and illustrate how even without legislation, the president can drive policy on a significant segment of the U.S. economy. At the same time, it also underscores the limits of his ambition when he doesn't have the backing of Congress for his initiatives.

Republicans maintain that Obama is pushing his executive powers too far and that he should do more to work with Congress. His new executive orders are sure to prompt criticism that he is placing an undue burden on companies and increasing their costs.

Federal contracting covers about one-quarter of the U.S. workforce and includes companies ranging from Boeing to small parts suppliers and service providers. As a result, presidential directives can have a wide and direct impact. Such actions also can be largely symbolic, designed to spur action in the broader economy.

"This really is about giving people access to more information both to help them make decisions at the policy level but also for individuals," said Heather Boushey, executive director and chief economist at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth who has been working with the administration to get compensation information about the nation's workforce.

"This is definitely an encouraging first step," she said.

Federal contractors, however, worry that additional compensation data could be used to fuel wage related lawsuits, said James Plunkett, director of labor policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

What's more, he said, such orders create a two-tiered system where rules apply to federal contractors but not to other employers. Those contractors, knowing that their business relies on the government, are less likely to put up a fight, he said.

"Federal contractors ultimately know that they have to play nicely to a certain extent with the federal government," he said.

Separately, on Monday, Obama will also announce the 24 schools that will share in more than $100 million in grants to redesign their schools to better prepare high school students for college or for careers. The awards are part of an executive order Obama signed last year. Money for the program comes from fees that companies pay for visas to hire foreign workers for specialized jobs.

The moves represent a return to economic issues for the president after two weeks devoted almost exclusively to diplomacy and the final deadline for health insurance coverage. A trip to Asia in two weeks is sure to change the focus once again.

Still, Obama has declared this a year of action, whether Congress supports him or not.

In February, Obama signed an executive order increasing the hourly minimum wage for federal contractors from $7.25 per to $10.10. While White House officials estimated such an increase would affect only a small percentage of federal contract workers, they said the move could encourage states or individual businesses to act on their own to increase workers' wages.

Obama has also pushed his workplace initiatives beyond just federal contractors where possible. Last month he instructed the Labor Department to come up with new workplace overtime rules for all employers, a power the administration has under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

But presidents have most direct power over the workforce that is paid with taxpayers' money.

Obama's go-it-alone strategy is hardly new. The most enduring workplace anti-discrimination laws began with an executive order signed by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in June 25, 1941, outlawing discrimination based on race, color, creed and national origin in the federal government and defense industries.

President John F. Kennedy broadened that in 1961 with an order that required government contractors to take affirmative action to ensure hiring "without regard to their race, creed, color or national origin."

President George W. Bush also acted on his own when he ordered federal contractors to ensure that their workers were in the country legally by requiring the use of an electronic employment-verification system.

Jeffrey Hirsch, a former lawyer with the National Labor Relations Board, said presidential executive orders that affect federal contracting workforces can over time demonstrate that those practices are less onerous than initially imagined.

"It's an important step in implementing things in a broader scale," said Hirsch, now a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law.

By employing such executive actions, however, Obama has also drawn attention to areas where he has chosen not to act on his own.

The White House has resisted pressure from gay rights advocates who want have Obama to sign an anti-discrimination executive order that would protect gays and lesbians working for federal contractors. The White House wants the House to approve a Senate-passed bill extending those protections to all Americans.

On Friday, the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay rights group, criticized the White House for saying such an executive order would be redundant if Congress were to pass a White House-supported bill. It's an argument the White House has not made when it comes to minimum wage or anti-gag rule orders imposed on federal contractors.

Follow Jim Kuhnhenn on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/jkuhnhenn

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What’s causing RAV4’s tire pressure warning to light?

I have a 2005 Toyota RAV4 with 115K miles. Intermittently the dashboard's tire pressure warning light comes on, even when all tires are within 4-5 pounds. This is the indirect-type TPM system associated with the ABS brakes. I use the "blinks 3 times" method to get the light to stay off after verifying pressures. The dealer has no clue what is causing this and suggested just ignoring the light. The tire store verified that the tires are OK.

Three of my tires pass the "Lincoln's head" test, but should probably be replaced this summer. One is a warranty replacement so is a slightly different diameter than the others. I think the warranty tire was installed after this problem started but I'm not sure. Where would you start to run this to ground?

Toyota issued a brake system service bulletin in February 2006 that indicated that the Low Tire Pressure warning light can illuminate without cause due to a lack of or improper "re-initialization" after tire replacement or tire rotation. The "blinks 3 times" procedure you described is the proper re-initialization procedure, so it's time to check the tires.

Measure the rolling diameter of each tire by one of two methods. With all four tires at equal pressure, put the vehicle on jack stands and measure the circumference of each tire with a tape measure. Or park the vehicle on dead-level ground with the steering straight, mark with chalk the pavement and each tire at the tire's center-bottom point, roll the vehicle straight forward one tire revolution and recheck each tire's chalk mark. All four marks should be at bottom center of each tire. If not, mark the pavement at each tire chalk position and measure the distance between each mark with a tape measure. This will measure the circumference of each.

Since the indirect TPM system on your vehicle uses the ABS wheel speed sensors to "look" for a wheel/tire rotational speed difference caused by low tire pressure reducing the rolling circumference of a tire, I can't help but be suspicious of the warranty replacement tire. If it is more than about 3 percent larger in circumference, it may be triggering the TPM system due to its larger circumference and different rotational speed.

L L L

I would like to know what is going on with my 1998 Toyota 4-Runner. The engine makes this growling, groaning noise. It sounds like a power steering pump but the noise only appears when the weather is cold. During warm weather it hardly makes any noise. It has 160,000 miles on it, has plenty of pep and runs like a champ. I do not have any problems steering the car. Do you have any suggestions?

Have you ever had the power steering system flushed and refilled with fresh fluid? After 16 years and 160,000 miles, aerated and contaminated power steering fluid may well be causing the whine in cold weather. First, try adding a couple of ounces of SeaFoam Trans-Tune or similar power steering fluid additive. Better yet, have the system flushed and refilled with new fluid. I'll bet this stops the whine.

L L L

Recently on a road trip I was passed by a car on which one of its rear tires appeared to be bouncing up and down. A few miles up the road, it was stopped. That tire had blown out and had taken most of the back bumper with it. What causes a tire to be vibrating like that when cruising on the interstate at 75 miles an hour?

An ignorant motorist. I can't imagine the driver not feeling the vibration from that wobbling tire at that speed. Unfortunately, I've seen more than enough evidence of major problems that potentially affect vehicle safety being completely ignored by the motorist, primarily because nothing had happened yet.

In this case, I would suspect two possibilities. First, a tire that has suffered a structural failure or belt separation in the carcass or a progressive separation of the tread, which could explain the rear bumper damage. Secondly, a dead shock absorber/strut on that corner of the vehicle. The uncontrolled up-and-down movement of the wheel could lead to this type of tire failure eventually.

The moral of the story? If it doesn't look, feel, sound, smell or drive right, stop and investigate why. Not sure if anything's wrong? Have it checked out by a professional.

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AP reporter in stable condition in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan — An Associated Press correspondent shot and wounded while covering preparations for elections in Afghanistan was in stable condition Saturday and receiving medical treatment at a military hospital in Kabul.

Kathy Gannon, 60, a senior correspondent for Afghanistan and Pakistan, suffered three gunshot wounds in the attack Friday that killed AP photographer Anja Niedringhaus in the eastern city of Khost. Gannon was expected to be transferred to a hospital out of the country in coming days.

Niedringhaus, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer, died instantly of her wounds. She was repatriated to her native Germany on Saturday. A funeral announcement was pending.

An Afghan police commander opened fire on the two in their car with a Kalashnikov assault rifle after shouting "Allahu Akbar" — or God is Great, witnesses said. The officer then surrendered to other police officers on hand to guard a convoy of election workers delivering ballots.

The shooting took place on the eve of the presidential election, a pivotal moment in Afghanistan's troubled history. In what promises to be the nation's first democratic transfer of power, people in large numbers on Saturday defied threats of violence to vote for a successor to President Hamid Karzai.

A Canadian who has been covering unrest in Afghanistan and Pakistan for the AP for nearly three decades, Gannon received injuries to the shoulder and wrist in Friday's attack. She often worked with Niedringhaus, who was 48.

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Startup aims to poach workers at tech bus stops

SAN FRANCISCO — Where some see a queue of engineers awaiting private commuter shuttles, one San Francisco startup sees an opportunity to lure talent from top Silicon Valley tech firms.

Software company Bigcommerce has spent the last two weeks trying to recruit talent from San Francisco's numerous techie shuttle stops and says it's since seen more traffic to its career website.

Bigcommerce executives say they want to poach employees from Google, Facebook and other tech giants, The San Francisco Chronicle reported Saturday.

They come bearing a clever hashtag (#poached), poached egg sandwiches and a $40 million Series C round of funding raised from former AOL chief Steve Case's venture capital firm.

"Are you interested in changing the world of e-commerce?" recruiter Steve Donnelly recently asked some men waiting for the Facebook bus. They declined.

Bigcommerce, based in Austin, Texas, is not the first firm to try to poach people from the bus stops. Roku tried to hire Google employees in Saratoga, Calif., who were waiting for a shuttle.

The company is opening a San Francisco office and needs to hire more than 40 engineers and product developers. Since starting its recruiting campaign at the bus stops, company officials said traffic to its career site has increased by 54 percent and application volume has grown by 150 percent.

Meanwhile, the shuttles have grown controversial in the last year, with some residents who see them as a symbol of neighborhood gentrification protesting their use of municipal bus stops for $1 per stop each day.

Bigcommerce plans to keep the effort up until it fills all of its San Francisco slots, West Stringfellow, the company's chief product officer told the Chronicle. He said he came up with the idea at a previous job when he commuted within the city, passing shuttle stops on the way.

"Every day, I would just see all this top talent hanging out on the sidewalk," he said. "I thought, if I ever have to build a team really fast, I'll just go hit those folks right where they're standing."

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Fishing practices needlessly ravage sea life, study says

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Heaps of dead fish litter the decks of commercial trawlers each summer after boat captains pull nets from the ocean in their search for shrimp.

Sucked into the expansive shrimp nets, small fish and other marine animals are the unfortunate victims of an industry that, for decades, has dragged the sea floor to scoop up the tasty crustaceans so many diners crave.

But one conservation group says fishermen need to be more careful.

Every year, tons of marine animals across the country are accidentally caught in fishing nets and killed — a wasteful occurrence that threatens to deplete marine life, according to a report this week by Oceana. Similar problems are found when commercial anglers drop rows of hooks in the ocean to catch one type of fish, but bring in other marine animals that wind up dying needlessly, the report said.

Sharks and sea turtles are among the animals that die as fishermen try to land seafood for people's tables, according to the report, which relied on federal data. Animals caught in nets or on fishing lines while commercial boats seek other species are known as "bycatch." Oceana wants tighter limits on bycatch to help protect vulnerable species.

"Whether it's the thousands of sea turtles that are caught to bring you shrimp or the millions of pounds of cod and halibut that are thrown overboard after fishermen have reached their quota, bycatch is a waste of our ocean's resources," said Dominique Cano-Stocco, campaign director at Oceana, a national conservation group that focuses on issues involving the sea.

The study by Oceana highlights nine areas of the United States that are among the worst at killing marine life while fishing for other species. Those include fisheries that target snappers and groupers, swordfish and shrimp, according to Oceana.

The study says the Southeastern shrimp trawl fishery, which includes the Gulf of Mexico and the South Atlantic Ocean, discards 64 percent of the marine life caught up in nets. For every pound of shrimp landed, one pound of billfish is tossed aside, according to the study. It also notes that thousands of sea turtles die annually in shrimp nets.

Shrimping is the biggest component of South Carolina's fishing industry, which isn't large by national standards but is still a notable part of the state's economy.

Each year, South Carolina's seafood harvest brings in about $25 million, federal statistics show. In addition to shrimping, fishing lands a healthy share of blue crabs and oysters, as well as snappers and groupers. Bycatch from the snapper-grouper fishery also was cited in the report as a problem.

No one disputes that shrimping snares unwanted fish in South Carolina. Typically, fishermen empty their nets on boat decks and pick shrimp from the piles of fish also caught in the netting. The unwanted fish, many of them dead or dying, are then pushed back into the ocean.

Still, shrimpers and several scientists questioned whether the Oceana report represents a fair picture of the bycatch issue in the Palmetto State.

Larry Toomer, a shrimper and restaurant owner from the Hilton Head Island area, said the state has taken steps to reduce bycatch in shrimp nets. Something must be working because sea turtles seem more abundant, he said of the federally protected species.

"I've never even caught a billfish in a shrimp trawler and I've been shrimping my whole life," Toomer said. "Shrimping does absolutely nothing to billfish. And as to turtles, we have more turtles now. We don't catch them anymore. I haven't caught a turtle in 10 years. But I've seen plenty."

The problem isn't nearly as pronounced as it once was — and many of the marine animals being caught accidentally are small, abundant species, said Toomer and officials with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

Federal rules adopted about two decades ago require shrimpers to include "turtle excluder devices" in nets to allow loggerhead, leatherbacks and other sea turtles to escape if they get caught in the netting. That also allows other large species, such as sharks and rays, to get out of the nets.

The study lumps Gulf and South Atlantic shrimping together, but Gulf shrimpers have been less willing to use turtle excluder devices, said Sally Murphy, a sea turtle expert and retired biologist with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

She and others said the amount of bycatch is dwindling because fewer people are shrimping today than they were years ago.

Despite some improvements, Oceana said the issue remains a problem.

Nationally, 17 percent to 22 percent of the marine life caught by fishermen is discarded each year, the study says, citing estimates. In 2012, the National Marine Fisheries Service estimated that up to 50,000 sea turtles in the region could be killed annually by shrimp trawlers, according to the Oceana study.

"Fishermen who are required to use turtle excluder devices frequently install them incorrectly or intentionally tie them shut," the report said.

To reduce bycatch, Oceana says the United States should count the amount of marine animals unwittingly caught in commercial fishing ventures; cap the amount of bycatch allowed; and improve fishing gear to cut down on the amount of marine life accidentally killed each year. Fishing also could be done at times of the year when certain marine animals that could be needlessly caught in nets are less abundant, the group said.

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