Hard to get over this Range Rover

As it turns out, perfection does have its price.

And at $121,390, the 2014 Range Rover Supercharged LWB comes close enough to achieving it. This car is a beauty with classic looks and impeccable road manners. It's a luxury SUV that drives like a sedan while making you feel like you're in your living room. It has style, speed and splendor.

This thoroughly refined SUV starts with comfortable, soft, supple leather seats. In summer, the Range Rover will keep you cool with ventilation emanating from perforated leather. In winter, heat greets you from the seat, the steering wheel as well as the dual zone climate control system. The front seat of the Range Rover even has a built-in massaging feature for recuperating from those long days at work.

Rear passengers will also experience the luxury. The 122.8-inch wheelbase increases the legroom to 47.5 inches so there's plenty of room to stretch your legs. The plush seats also recline up to 17 degrees. Rear passengers can also operate the panoramic sunroof while watching a video on screens mounted to the headrest.

Sporting the same engine as the Jaguar F-Type, the 5.0-liter supercharged 510 horsepower V8 gets you places fast. Going 0 to 60 miles per hour in 5.5 seconds, it smoothly accelerates thanks to a well-engineered 8-speed automatic transmission.

Snazzy 21-inch alloy wheels complement the Range Rover's distinctive front grille and sleek all-aluminum exterior.

The Rover has great safety features like side view mirrors with blind spot monitors and adaptive cruise control to keep the car collision free. The cruise control slows the vehicle down automatically to keep it from gaining on the car in front of you. Radar built-in to the rear bumper saves you from hitting objects and people in reverse.

The automatic terrain response system adjusts the suspension to match the speed and terrain. It handles so well in turns that you may forget you are in a top-heavy SUV that can roll over if you are careless. Speaking of things that can go wrong in a SUV, Land Rover even boasts that this vehicle can wade in 35.4 inches of water should it get caught in a flood.

The automatic parallel parking feature will blow your socks off. Push to activate the parking mode and it instructs you to drive until it sees an opening it can fit in. Once it sees a worthy spot, it instructs you to stop and put the car in reverse – then keep your hands off the wheel and watch as the car parks itself with finesse. Your only job, other than changing gears and touching the gas pedal, is to make sure the spot is legal.

This car is packed with features including a built-in 8-inch touchscreen GPS and a Meridian sound system which pumps out 825 watts.

The only caveat besides the massive price tag is the need for premium unleaded and lots of it. At 14 mpg in the city, you will be making plenty of fuel stops. But if you can afford a $121,390 car, you can probably afford to pay for the fuel.

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Art of stone exists in Roxbury

This one-of-a-kind stone house in Roxbury's Fort Hill neighborhood sits on a large lot in an area zoned for three-­families, offering an ­investor a chance to add to this charming single-family home.

The five-bedroom house at 34 Lambert St. was built in 1905 with native Roxbury puddingstone. It has five levels of living space, with a nice flow of rooms on front and rear levels separated by half-flights of stairs. The home has oak floors throughout, added by the current owner in 1984, and many of the original interior wood moldings and triangular-topped windows have been maintained.

Factored into the $895,000 asking price for the 2,556-square-foot home is the right to add two more connected units on its empty rear lot facing Norfolk Street.

A wood-sided entry foyer has oak floors and a coat closet, and there's stone facing along one wall.

To the right is a living room with 11-foot ceilings, a brick fireplace, two front windows and a side bay window bump-out. There's also an ­alcove that is used as a home ­office. Stairs from here lead down to a formal dining room with oak floors.

Adjacent to the dining room is a spacious kitchen that has lots of windows, white cabinets and white ceramic-tile floors. Redone in the mid-1980s, the Formica counters and black Jenn Air and Kenmore appliances could use some updating.

A half-bathroom added in 1984 is off the kitchen, along with an alcove holding a full-size washer and dryer.

The master bedroom is in the rear of the house up a half-flight from the living room. This oak-floored double-height room has a triangle-topped window set into a puddingstone wall and a light/fan suspended from the ceiling. A second, front bedroom also has oak floors. Between them is a full bathroom, redone in 1984, with ceramic tile floors and surround for a deep soaking tub as well as a walk-in shower.

A half-flight up is a bedroom currently used as a family room with oak floors and a fireplace, with views out another triangular-topped window.

A final half-flight leads up to two rear-facing bedrooms with hardwood floors that both offer decent city views.

The basement heating system was added in 1984, but there is no central air conditioning. The full basement has a workshop area and lots of additional storage space.

There's a shared driveway along the side of the house, and more parking in the large backyard lot.

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Newspaper giant buyer unlikely to be big chain

Newspaper behemoth Digital First Media's announcement yesterday that it's exploring the sale of its publications, which include 16 Bay State papers, came as little surprise to industry analysts, who say any buyer will most likely be someone with deep pockets, rather than a traditional newspaper company.

"There might be attempts by local private investors, wealthy people who feel a sense of obligation to the community," said Boston University journalism professor Lou Ureneck.

Both Ureneck and Alan Mutter, a San Francisco-based media consultant, cited as an example Red Sox owner John Henry, who bought the Boston Globe last year. Ureneck also cited H.F. Lenfester, who bought the Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News this year.

"The first people who will not buy it is someone like Gannett or Tribune Company ... because the newspaper business has been shrinking," Mutter said, "and there's no end in sight."

Ureneck said the announcement by Digital First Media, whose newspapers include the Lowell Sun and the Berkshire Eagle, was expected because the company — the nation's second largest newspaper publisher — is the combination of two previous newspaper companies that had a "reputation for a strong focus on the bottom line."

"The owner of Digital First is a hedge fund, and its private equity bet ... appears not to have worked out," he said. "If it sells, it is likely to be broken into regional pieces that make sense in terms of content, advertising and audiences."

Digital First said it has not set a timeline for completing its review process.

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Pike traffic woes to grow

Mass Pike commuters, already tested by construction that's reduced lanes and clogged traffic, have another, larger project to look forward to when the current one is finished.

The state Department of Transportation's launch of its estimated $260 million Allston interchange realignment likely will start in early 2017 — on the heels of the current Commonwealth Avenue bridge and median barrier project — and continue through 2020.

MassDOT wants to address significant structural deficiencies in the I-90 Allston viaduct and shift the Pike's alignment in that area so the curve is not as sharp — changes made possible when CSX Corp. discontinued its rail container operation in the Beacon Park Yard, MassDOT spokesman Michael Verseckes said.

It's too early in the design process to determine associated traffic restrictions, according to Verseckes. "Ultimately, the new segment of highway will have to be tied in to the ends on either side," he said.

Another public meeting on the interchange project's preliminary design and work schedule is set for Thursday.

Current work on the Pike — rehabbing of the Commonwealth Avenue bridge foundation and median barrier upgrades — has prompted the shutdown of a portion of the Pike's left lanes in both directions and snarled traffic. An on-ramp lane from Cambridge Street in Allston, for Pike eastbound travel, also has been closed. That $22.2 million project is expected to be finished in spring 2016.

"We understand that this project has created some traffic congestion ... particularly in the morning commute," Verseckes said. "Due to the various constraints with the physical, available right-of-way and the very close proximity to the commuter rail lines, we feel that this design is the only means to get the project done on a timely basis and still maintain safe operation."

Work in the Prudential tunnel portion of the Pike that has prompted night and early morning lane shutdowns, meanwhile, is expected to wrap up Oct. 15, according to the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority. The MCCA project, which entailed removing the tunnel ceiling beneath the Hynes Convention Center, is now in cleanup phase, executive director Jim Rooney said.

"We've got to do some fireproofing to the underside of the Hynes, install some heat tracing on some exposed water pipes and drain pipes, and we've got some uneven walls that need to be repaired," he said. "It's kind of the finish work of the job."

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Cape Wind inks staging lease

Developers touted a lease agreement between Cape Wind and the state to use New Bedford for staging and construction of the controversial offshore wind project as a major milestone yesterday, but opponents say it won't bring the long-delayed plan any closer to fruition.

"It's just more of the same," said Audra Parker, president and CEO of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound. "They've said since 2005 that it will begin construction next year."

Cape Wind will use South Terminal in New Bedford for its 130-turbine offshore wind project, Gov. Deval Patrick announced yesterday at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center's Wind Technology Testing Center in Charlestown. The agreement is a $4.5 million two-year lease, with two one-year extensions.

Officials said work will begin at the 28-acre facility in January.

"Cape Wind is not just going to serve Massachusetts, it's going to be built in Massachusetts, and we're very excited about that," said Patrick.

Cape Wind initially signed lease options with both the South Coast Marine Commerce Terminal in New Bedford and Quonset Point in Rhode Island. Cape Wind will file paperwork with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on Tuesday to modify its plans, which Parker said could create further delays.

Patrick touted offshore wind as one of the solutions to the roughly 8,300 megawatts worth of power plants going offline.

"The world is changing; there's no doubt about that, and we need offshore more than ever," he said.

But Associated Industries of Massachusetts Vice President Robert Rio, who believes the estimated
$2.5 billion project is too costly to be beneficial to Massachusetts residents, said, "If we're relying on projects like Cape Wind to solve our energy crisis, we're in for an expensive run."

He added that the agreement "doesn't mean anything," and will likely have no bearing on the project's ability to move forward.

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CBS Thursday NFL team tries punting on Ray Rice story

Pity CBS Sports. The network got all dressed up to attend a football game, and a genuine news story broke out.

The controversy surrounding the National Football League's handling of Ray Rice - who was disciplined lightly, then disciplined again, for domestic abuse - intruded on plans to launch the hard-won Thursday football package, even forcing a last-minute change to the program's opening. Yet CBS host James Brown introduced the show almost treating the Rice affair as an inconvenience, noting, "There is a football game to be played," before turning to analysts Bill Cowher and Deion Sanders to ask how they would prepare for such a contest.

"They need to put all the mess aside and focus on this game at hand," said Sanders, suggesting that pros were paid to overlook "distractions."

"It's time to focus on football," play-by-play man Jim Nantz said, alluding to the Rice "crisis" -- as analyst Phil Simms put it -- and then quickly changing the subject. (Nantz was later heard on a hot mic, but, as usual, had nothing interesting to say even then.)

Always good to see where a studio show's priorities are.

CBS Sports President Sean McManus might have spoken about the division's journalistic responsibilities on Thursday, but those were on holiday during the 25-minute pre-game show. Indeed, by any measure, this was an abdication on that level.

For CBS, the swirl of publicity and pressure to cover the Rice situation - and calls for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's resignation - threw a wet blanket, in theory, over the Thursday launch, a cornerstone of its fall TV campaign. The game fell even more directly under the spotlight because it pitted what was until this week Rice's team, the Baltimore Ravens, against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Goodell had already conducted an interview -- with CBS News' Norah O'Donnell, naturally -- about the disturbing inside-the-elevator video that surfaced this week via TMZ, but that only fed the "What did you know, and when did you know it?" questions. Not that a casual observer would know any of that from tuning in on Thursday night.

Still, as was noted in this space a few days ago, NFL fans are seldom distracted for long by scandals. And while all the negative publicity besetting the NFL is surely unwelcome, team owners no doubt have a pretty clear sense of just how bullet-proof their product is, if the unbending loyalty of viewers through past embarrassments -- and friendly treatment from their "broadcast partners" -- provides any historical guide.

So CBS found itself in a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't position on Thursday night -- and conspicuously chose the latter. But like most things pertaining to football, one suspects everything will look a whole lot brighter when they see those big, fat overnight ratings in the morning.

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

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Sponsors keep close watch on NFL investigation

Major brand sponsors are watching closely to make sure the National Football League doesn't fumble the investigation into how its executives handled evidence in the Ray Rice domestic violence case.

For big companies like Anheuser-Busch, General Motors and Procter & Gamble, an NFL sponsorship is a coveted prize. The deals can cost up to $10 million per brand, but they deliver eyeballs. An average of 17.4 million viewers watched professional football games during the 2013 season, according to Nielsen.

Now that the NFL is investigating how its executives handled a video showing Baltimore running back Ray Rice hitting his then-fiancee, sponsors are forced to balance the exposure NFL games offer with the risk of alienating customers.

On Wednesday, the NFL said it hired former FBI Director Robert S. Mueller to lead the investigation. League Commissioner Roger Goodell previously said no one at the NFL had seen the video before it surfaced on Monday, but the AP reported Wednesday that a law enforcement official sent the tape to the organization in April.

With the investigation just beginning, experts say there is little else sponsors can do but wait and see.

"These situations often develop and change direction very rapidly, so sponsors need to be incredibly agile," said Allen Adamson, managing director of branding firm Landor Associates. "What's true right now may not be true in two hours, so (sponsors) will have to monitor how the NFL reacts, and then how consumers react to the reactions."

When a scandal hits an individual athlete, brands usually move swiftly to cut ties. Nike severed its relationship with Rice after the video surfaced. Video game maker Electronic Arts said it would scrub Rice's image from its latest Madden 15 release.

But no sponsor company has said it will end its relationship with the NFL — yet.

"Obviously all the sponsors are incredibly worried, but it's hard for a sponsor to disconnect from the entire NFL. It's so important to business," said Atlanta-based marketing consultant Laura Ries. "If Roger Goodell had any sponsors, he'd probably lose those, but there's no one person attached to this."

TD Ameritrade said the company has received little reaction from clients about its NFL sponsorship, which it just announced last week.

"This incident brings to light a disturbing act that we believe is wrong, and while the NFL has, admittedly, not done everything right, we hope that it will quickly learn from its mistakes and work to improve a culture that values the inclusion, safety and respect of its employees and their families," the company said in a statement. "This means holding people fully accountable for their actions and the consequences associated with them."

TD Ameritrade and the NFL announced a three-year sponsorship deal on Sept. 4. The online brokerage said it is not making changes but added that "as with any sponsorship, media buy, etc., we carefully monitor the effect it has on our business and brand, and if we feel those assets are being compromised, we'll make the appropriate decisions."

General Motors, a sponsor since 2001, has no plans to change its advertising on NFL games because of the Rice case, said spokeswoman Ryndee Carney.

Carney said she was not aware of the company receiving complaints about its football advertising. GM said it supports the NFL's decision to conduct an investigation. "We will continue to monitor future developments regarding this issue," Carney said.

FedEx also said it is monitoring the situation.

"We are watching developments in this matter closely and we are confident that the League will take the appropriate steps," said Patrick Fitzgerald, senior vice president of marketing and communications at FedEx.

PepsiCo said it was encouraged to see that the NFL "is now treating this with the seriousness it deserves."

Other large NFL sponsors, such as Anheuser-Busch and Procter & Gamble, did not respond to requests to comment or declined to comment.

For now, analysts don't expect a big change in viewership during NFL games.

"Games will go on and fans will — for the most part — want to watch," Ries said.

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Market Basket chief reflects, looks ahead

TEWKSBURY — The chief of the Market Basket supermarket chain says the company's 71 stores have already accomplished a remarkable turnaround thanks to employees who worked day and night to restock shelves left empty by a worker revolt in his support.

Arthur T. Demoulas is back in control after offering more than $1.5 billion to buy shares of the private company from rival relatives who had fired him.

His ouster led to worker walkouts and customer boycotts that brought the chain to a standstill.

He tells The Boston Globe sales are already at 100 percent of where they were last year.

And while new debt might slow expansion, it will not change the discount pricing that's won loyalty from customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.

He says he's "happy just being a grocer."

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New Bedford to be Cape Wind staging area

NEW BEDFORD — The developers of a proposed wind farm off the coast of Cape Cod have signed a lease agreement with the state to use New Bedford for staging and construction of the 130 turbine project.

Cape Wind is expected to officially announce the news at 11 a.m. Friday with Gov. Deval Patrick at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center's Wind Technology Testing Center in Boston.

Patrick tells The Standard-Times that "Cape Wind is going to be built out of New Bedford, not Rhode Island, that's the bottom line."

Cape Wind had previously signed lease options with both South Terminal, now formally called the Massachusetts Marine Commerce Terminal, and Rhode Island's Quonset Point.

The two-year lease is for $4.5 million.

When built, it will be the nation's first offshore wind farm.

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AT&T eyes late 2015 to launch DirecTV, high-speed wireless broadband bundle

AT&T plans to bundle pay-TV service from DirecTV with wireless broadband -- delivering speeds of 50 megabits per second or more over dedicated spectrum -- in rural areas, with the telco looking at launching the combo service in late 2015, said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO of the telco's mobility division.

"We think the video opportunity is huge," de la Vega said, speaking at Goldman Sachs' Communacopia conference Friday. "We see a very bright outlook (for pay TV)... that's why we did the DirecTV deal."

AT&T has technology "ready to go" deliver high-speed wireless Internet service that's faster than LTE, because it is delivered a dedicated swath of spectrum. The strategy is that AT&T will be able to deliver one dish at a customer's home that will provide both TV and broadband, de la Vega said.

Timing of the launch will depend on when the DirecTV deal closes, de la Vega added. AT&T's proposed $67 billion takeover of DirecTV is pending review by the FCC and other regulators.

Meanwhile, AT&T on Friday morning began taking orders for Apple's recently unveiled iPhone 6, and de la Vega said demand for the new smartphone is outpacing sales of new iPhones last year and 2012.

"It's a great thing to know you have hundreds of thousands of orders in the hopper before you've had a cup of coffee," he said.

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

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Why Ray Rice media blitz won't throw NFL for a loss

The National Football League has endured several days of terrible publicity, stemming from its serialized mishandling of the domestic violence case involving Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice. Yet those in media circles wondering about what sort of lingering damage this might do to what is by far the U.S.'s most popular and profitable sport are poor students of history.

As Variety's David Cohen details in a timely look at the NFL's powerful hold on TV networks, the league is such a cash-generating dynamo broadcasters have tripped over themselves throwing money at it. And the Rice situation hardly represents the first blot on pro football's reputation, with past transgressions - such as Michael Vick's role in a dog-fighting ring - having done nothing to diminish its appeal.

Rice's case has involved several story lines, all of them bad for the NFL. They range from a male-dominated league that doesn't recognize the seriousness of domestic abuse to another instance of these institutions protecting stars above all else.

Even so, that seems less fundamentally threatening to pro football than the recent scandal that should have shaken the NFL's stranglehold on the sports/media landscape: The league's apparent indifference to the destructive effect playing football has had on the health of players. "Fundamentally," by the way, because the longterm consequences associated with playing are directly related to what happens on the field, as opposed to the shadow cast by bad behavior away from it.

Yet the NFL machine rolls on, and its influence over football's "media partners" is such that ESPN rather conspicuously backed out of its role in presenting "League of Denial: The NFL's Concussion Crisis," a documentary aired on PBS' "Frontline" last year, which compared football's hierarchy to Big Tobacco in the 1960s.

Just prior to that broadcast, the NFL agreed to a $765-million settlement with former players claiming brain damage as a consequence of their collision-filled careers. Still, if the thought of one-time gridiron heroes being permanently impaired, crippled or committing suicide has dampened the viewing experience for fans, it's certainly not evident in the record ratings early-season games have delivered.

To be fair, ESPN - which has often struggled with stories relating to wider societal issues - has exhibited more backbone this time around, with host Keith Olbermann particularly forceful in calling for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's resignation. That's notable, if only because of the network's track record kowtowing to the league, including its decision to cancel the football-themed drama "Playmakers" a decade ago.

Olbermann was back pounding the drums Tuesday, hammering the NFL for the "imbecility" of its investigation, if Goodell wasn't outright lying about not having seen the video.

Just to put these observations in context, I say this as a football fan (more college than the pros) that enjoys seeing a good clean hit, even though -- based on the neurological research -- I wouldn't necessarily want a son of mine on the receiving end of one.

Therein lies a small taste of the hypocrisy that has made the NFL's unimpeded gravy train possible. Because while the media love a good controversy and compelling video - a big reason why the Rice story topped newscasts throughout the day Tuesday - history shows committed fans generally don't want to be bothered for long by conversations that distract from won-loss records.

Viewed that way, the marathon coverage and legitimate indignation unleashed by TMZ's inside-the-elevator footage of Rice's brutal assault began to feel like an excuse for cable news to run those grainy, disturbing images - over and over again. Because although it's true the story has "crossed over to major non-sports news," as MSNBC's Rachel Maddow put it, none of that promises to produce the kind of backlash team owners would feel the most, which is in their wallets.

So while there's an old joke about denial not being a river in Egypt, when it comes to pro football, denial isn't just a mental condition exhibited by the league, but its fans as well.

Until that changes - and don't hold your breath - all the bad publicity in the world won't be enough to throw the NFL for a loss.

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

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Tech companies protest against proposed FCC rules

Some of the largest technology companies took part in an "Internet Slowdown" protest yesterday, putting spinning icons on their websites to simulate how the Web might look if the FCC adopts new rules they say would create fast lanes for companies willing to pay for higher speeds.

"The Internet is something people rely on for their basic needs, so we should protect it the same way we protect water and electricity," said Evan Greer, campaign director of Boston-based Fight for the Future, one of the groups organizing the protest.

Websites including Netflix, Reddit and Kickstarter took part, urging visitors to contact Congress and the Federal Communications Commission to express support for net neutrality, the concept that all Internet traffic should be treated equally.

At issue is the FCC's proposed rules, which could allow Internet service pro­viders — including cable companies — to provide priority service for a higher fee. The FCC is accepting public comment on its new rules until Monday.

Phil Beauregard, CEO of Boston-based Objective Logistics and president of Rekindle, said a fast lane for those who can pay would be especially difficult for startups.

"That just adds another expense to our balance sheet," he said. "It would certainly harm us."

Greer said the FCC should classify the Internet as a public utility. "It's not about how fast or slow our cat videos load, it's about what is the future of our Internet's democracy," Greer said.

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Gaming Commission sets final conditions

The pair of gaming giants battling for the Boston-area casino license have the final conditions from the state Gaming Commission and their written responses — due tomorrow — are their last chance to tilt the panel in their favor before it enters deliberations Monday.

Commissioner James McHugh said he hopes Wynn Resorts and Mohegan Sun "think about the conditions very carefully and respond to us carefully, and give us a considered response for us to judge."

"I have every confidence that they'll do that," McHugh said after yesterday's meeting, at which the developers and the commission went back and forth on the conditions that would be attached to a potential license.

Both companies declined to comment yesterday on the conditions, which include a requirement Mohegan obtain an additional $100 million in equity and Wynn pay up to $20 million — plus $1 million each year — to make up for the impact its Everett casino will have on Sullivan Square in Charlestown. A group of about 50 people held an anti-casino rally last night in Sullivan Square.

Wynn and Mohegan drafted letters designed to convince commissioners to soften the conditions, most of which the board disregarded.

Mohegan asserted the cash from its private equity partner Brigade Capital is enough to start construction, and that the company "will have several months to get the financing in place and will have the $732 million in financing quickly, which we can then deploy" to build a Revere casino.

Wynn insisted, despite commission findings to the contrary, that its project won't worsen the Rutherford Avenue or Main Street ap­proaches to Sullivan Square, and that improvements to the Cambridge Street/Maffa Way/Alford Street inter­section "will mitigate the impacts of Wynn Everett's traffic."

Commissioners signaled yesterday that whatever Charlestown traffic plan it imposes will not go far without buy-in from the city of Boston, which has a deal with Mohegan but withdrew from talks with Wynn, as well as state and federal transportation agencies.

"This has got to be done in a collaborative fashion in the end," McHugh said.

Commissioners also stuck to their insistence that Wynn revisit its project design, a hotel tower and shopping center McHugh called "brooding."

The commission will meet Monday to review the com­panies' responses, and plans to award the license by Wednesday. McHugh shot down the possibility that the panel — due to chairman Stephen Crosby's recusal — could end up in a 2-2 deadlock.

"We have ruled out, from day one, a tie," McHugh said. "We're not going to have a tie."

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Apple sows seeds of more secure payment system

Users of Apple Inc.'s new "contactless" Apple Pay system can expect transactions at retailers that are less susceptible to hacker breaches of their personal data, according to the company and payment security experts.

The mobile payment system, which will work with Apple's new iPhone 6, verifies users through the device's fingerprint scanner and employs radio-based, near-field communication (NFC) to transmit a dynamic security code to a retailer's point-of-sale system in lieu of credit or debit card numbers. Apple Pay also will work with the forthcoming Apple Watch. Credit and debit card information will not be stored on either device or Apple's servers.

"(Apple Pay) does solve almost all of the security concerns in the payments space because it doesn't include a card number," said Tim Sloane, vice president of payments innovation at Mercator Advisory Group in Maynard. "It uses tokens to represent a card number that is not shared."

Apple has agreements with card companies American Express, MasterCard and Visa, and Apple Pay can be used at its own stores and retailers including Staples, Bloomingdale's, Macy's, McDonald's, Walgreens and Whole Foods Market.

Apple Pay is expected to speed retailers' adoption of point-of-sale systems that accept the more secure NFC payments and "chip and pin" or "chip and signature" payment cards with embedded microprocessor chips that store cardholder data in lieu of the more easily hacked magnetic strips.

"There's this liability shift coming next year that's driving merchants to implement (the chip-enabled systems)," Sloane said, noting card issuers and merchants that don't will be held liable for counterfeit card transactions.

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World stocks down as Fed's next policy move mulled

SEOUL, South Korea — World stocks turned lower on Thursday as investors tried to estimate when the Federal Reserve might start raising interest rates. A new round of European sanctions against Russia also weighed on trading sentiment.

KEEPING SCORE: By early afternoon in Europe, Britain's FTSE 100 was down 0.5 percent to 6,798.82 while France's CAC 40 dropped by the same rate to 4,428.89. Germany's DAX shed 0.2 percent to 9,682.54. Wall Street was headed for a weak start. Both S&P 500 and Dow Jones futures fell 0.3 percent.

ASIA'S DAY: Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 0.8 percent to 15,909.20 but most other benchmarks closed lower. Hong Kong's Hang Seng dipped 0.2 percent to 24,662.64 and China's Shanghai Composite finished 0.3 percent lower at 2,311.68 after rising about 1 percent earlier in the day. South Korea's Kospi lost 0.7 percent to 2,034.16 in its first trading day of the week after holidays. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.5 percent to 5,546.10.

FRET OVER FED: Two San Francisco Fed economists pointed out in a paper earlier this week the gap between what the public expects about the Fed's future policy moves and what the board members expect. The paper said the public expects a "more accommodative" policy, meaning low interest rates for longer, than board members. The paper further gave weight to the view that the Fed's first rate hike since the 2008 financial crisis is closer than some expect. A report on the U.S. unemployment claims later on Thursday and another on U.S. retail sales on Friday could give investors a better read on the world's largest economy.

THE QUOTE: "There is a bigger possibility that the FOMC's forward guidance (about higher interest rates) would change," Chun Jung-hun, an analyst at Kiwoom Securities in Seoul, said in a report. "Market participants cannot help reacting sensitively to possible changes in the Fed's statement. There is a more possibility that the phrase 'considerable time' would be deleted from the statement."

RUSSIA FACTOR: Markets were also weighed down somewhat in Europe by news that the European Union has decided to go ahead with a new round of sanctions against Russia. The penalties will take effect Friday and curb access to European financial markets for more Russian firms and banks. They also limit exports of some high-end technology and places travel and asset friezes on a list of individuals. Investors worry that stronger sanctions will hurt the economies and trade relations of Russia and Europe.

CHINA INFLATION: Stocks in mainland China gained ground earlier in the day after the country's monthly consumer price index showed a lower inflation rate. Consumer prices rose 2 percent last month from over a year earlier, compared with a 2.3 percent rise in July. Subdued inflation suggests the domestic economy is muted but also gives policymakers headroom to maintain easy access to credit and possibly introduce new stimulus measures.

WEAK YEN: The dollar continued to gain against the yen and other Asian currencies on expectations the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates from ultra-low levels in coming months because of steady improvement in the U.S. economy. Europe and Japan by contrast are not expected to let up on stimulatory monetary policy. Credit Agricole analysts said in a report that the dollar will rise to 108 yen by the end of this year, even without further policy easing in Japan. It said the yen will be driven higher by rate hike expectations in the U.S.

CURRENCIES: The dollar rose to 107.03 yen from 106.82 yen late Wednesday. The euro rose to $1.2929 from $1.2921.

ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude for October delivery was down $1.07 to $90.60 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract dropped $1.08 on Wednesday. Crude prices fell after the Organization for Petroleum Exporting Countries revised down its growth forecasts for global crude oil demand in a monthly report released Wednesday.

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Paul Rudd replaces Jeff Bridges as Hyundai's celebrity spokesman

Paul Rudd is in the driver's seat at Hyundai as the carmaker's new pitchman, replacing Jeff Bridges who has been the voice of the carmaker's commercials since 2007.

Rudd's deal will last three years and already has begun with his vocals promoting the company's 2015 Sonata sedan in a new spot, entitled "Co-Pilot." Bridges was used up until this summer to hype the new redesigned vehicle.

Hyundai had to briefly muzzle Bridges in 2010 when the actor was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in "Crazy Heart." At the time, Hyundai replaced General Motors as the Oscars' official car sponsor, but found itself caught up in new rules by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' that prohibited nominees and presenters from appearing in ads that air during the show.

"We were looking for a voice that could be recognizable and relatable to a new generation of car buyers," said Steve Shannon, VP of marketing, Hyundai Motor America, as it announced Rudd's hire. "Rudd can be serious, humorous, informative and entertaining all at the same time."

Rudd becomes the latest high-profile actor to land a lucrative car deal, after Ford Motor Co's Lincoln tapped Matthew McMonaughey in a much showier role.

Hyundai has hired Rudd as he's in the midst of filming Marvel Studios' "Ant-Man," out next summer, and could see his profile raised significantly with what Marvel and Disney hope will launch a new franchise after scoring with "Guardians of the Galaxy." The Ant-Man characters fits into the Avengers universe, whose sequel also will be released in 2015.

Ironically, Bridges also has been featured in a Marvel movie, the first "Iron Man," which bowed in 2008, a year after he started working with Hyundai.

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

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Video: How Keith Olbermann could inflame tensions between ESPN, NFL

The NFL is facing no shortage of criticism in the wake of the release of a video depicting Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice punching his fiancée. ESPN commentator Keith Olbermann went so far as to suggest league commissioner Roger Goodell resign. He wasn't even the only ESPN personality to go there; so did Jason Whitlock and others.

But as Andrew Wallenstein, editor-in-chief, digital at Variety notes in the video above, it will be interesting to see if they persist in the coming days given the fraught relationship between ESPN and the NFL.

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

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CBS lands exclusive interview with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell

CBS has secured an exclusive interview with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in the wake of a Ray Rice scandal that has left the league bruised and battered in recent days.

The interview, conducted by CBS' Norah O'Donnell, will partially air on Tuesday's "Evening News with Scott Pelley" and later in full on Wednesday's "This Morning."

"Evening News" exec producer Chris Licht tweeted a picture Tuesday afternoon of the interview.

Goodell and the NFL have been under heavy fire from the media for its handling of Rice's assault on his then-fiance Janay Palmer at an Atlantic City casino.

"We had not seen any videotape of what occurred in the elevator. We assumed that there was a video," Goodell told O'Donnell in the interview, but said the league was "never granted that opportunity."

TMZ released a graphic video of the assault on Monday which showed Rice knocking Palmer out in an elevator, resulting in the "indefinite" suspension of the Baltimore Ravens star. This coming less than a month after the NFL's much softer two-game suspension of Rice, who was also released by the Ravens.

According to reports, law enforcement officials and Rice's attorneys were provided the footage by the casino, which sparked several "cover-up" accusations in the media after the NFL released a statement echoing Goodell's comments on Monday claiming to have not seen the actual video, this despite footage released in February of the football star dragging Palmer by the hair through the lobby.

ESPN's Keith Olbermann, on Monday, called for Goodell's resignation.

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

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Growth worries, Fed jitters weigh on markets

LONDON — Worries over the timing of a U.S. rate hike, economic weakness in China and an impending referendum on Scottish independence kept a lid on global stock markets Wednesday.

KEEPING SCORE: In Europe, France's CAC-40 was flat at 4,452 while Germany's DAX fell 0.1 percent at 9,701. The FTSE 100 of leading British shares was steady at 6,831. Wall Street looked set for a flat opening, with Dow futures and the broader S&P 500 futures down 0.1 percent. On Tuesday, the Dow suffered its biggest one-day decline in a month.

THE FED: Investors are looking more closely at the U.S. Federal Reserve and whether it might raise its benchmark interest rate sooner than expected. In a paper this week, two San Francisco Fed economists said the public appears to expect a "more accommodative policy" than Fed board members.

ANALYST TAKE: "The unwelcome specter of interest rate rises hangs over markets," said Chris Beauchamp, market analyst at IG.

CHINA'S STRUGGLE: Investors are also a bit concerned about China's economy amid signs that growth is under pressure. Figures showed manufacturing activity decelerated in August and imports unexpectedly shrank by 2.4 percent in a reflection of sluggish domestic demand. The top economic official, Premier Li Keqiang, said Tuesday that growth was still on track despite "short-term fluctuations," according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

ASIA'S DAY: China's Shanghai Composite Index declined 0.3 percent to 2,318.31 and Sydney's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.6 percent to 5,574.30. India's Sensex shed 0.6 percent to 27,097.57. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 1.9 percent to 24,705.36 and Southeast Asian markets also fell. Tokyo was the only major market to buck the trend, with its Nikkei 225 rising 0.3 percent to 15,788.78 as the dollar hit a fresh six-year high against the yen.

BREAK-UP JITTERS: British markets will also continue to be in focus over the coming week as investors are unnerved by the possibility that Scotland back independence from the United Kingdom in a referendum next week. Secession could hit Britain's trade balance and dent its income from oil reserves that could revert back to Scotland. The pound remains under pressure and on Wednesday fell to $1.6052, its lowest level in ten months.

CURRENCIES: Elsewhere in the currency markets, the euro was down 0.1 percent on the day at $1.2921 while the dollar rose 0.5 percent to 106.73 yen.

ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude was off 3 cents at $92.72 in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange amid expectations of ample supplies and weak demand that have pushed prices down in recent days.

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Judge sides with TVEyes in Fox News lawsuit

A federal judge has ruled that a media monitoring service's for-profit use of clips from Fox News programming is a fair use, delivering a blow to the news channel's effort to halt the service.

U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, in an opinion issued on Tuesday, said that  was using the clips in a "transformative" way because it was being used by its subscribers as a research tool and for comment and criticism. That is a factor that courts use in determining whether unauthorized use of copyrighted material is "fair."

"No reasonable juror could find that people are using TVEyes as a substitute for watching Fox News broadcasts on television," Hellerstein wrote.

TVEyes is a media monitoring service, with 2,200 subscribers including the White House, the Associated Press, MSNBC, Bloomberg and AARP. Hellerstein noted that users, paying $500 per month, were contractually limited to using the clips for internal purposes.

Even though TVEyes copies all of Fox News' content to make its monitoring service, Hellerstein wrote that didn't weigh for or against his finding that their use of the clips was fair use.

He also dismissed notions that Fox News was losing money because of TVEyes, saying that the $212,145 from syndication partners and $246,875 from licensing of clips, was a "small fraction of its overall revenue."

He withheld a decision on whether other TVEyes services, which allow subscribers to download email and share clips, are a fair use. He set a court date of Oct. 3 to discuss remaining claims.

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

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McDonald's Aug. sales metric hurt by China scandal

OAK BROOK, Ill. — McDonald's said Tuesday that a key global sales figure fell 3.7 percent in August, driven lower as the world's biggest hamburger chain's unit that includes the Asia-Pacific region dropped 14.5 percent due to a food-safety scandal in China.

That unit also includes the Middle East and Africa.

McDonald's Corp. said earlier this month that it will monitor its suppliers in China more closely after a food-safety scandal in the country hurt its sales and reputation. The announcement came after a TV report in July showed workers at McDonald's supplier Shanghai Husi Food Co. — a division of OSI Group Inc. — repacking expired meat. McDonald's stopped using the plant in Shanghai.

The company plans to increase audits and video monitoring at its suppliers and send more employees to meat production facilities to ensure its food is prepared safely. It has also named a new food safety officer and created a hotline where employees can report poor food safety practices.

McDonald's is not the only fast-food company to be hurt by food-safety concerns in China. Yum Brands Inc., whose brands include KFC and Pizza Hut, has also stopped using meat from the Shanghai plant and said that its restaurants cut all ties with OSI in China, the U.S. and Australia.

McDonald's anticipates the China scandal will hurt its third-quarter results by about 15 cents to 20 cents per share compared with its year-ago results. The Oak Brook, Illinois, company said that it will update its 2014 financial guidance when it reports its third-quarter results in October.

In the U.S., sales at established locations in operation at least 13 months declined 2.8 percent in August. The figure dipped 0.7 percent in Europe due to weakness in Russia.

McDonald's said that soft revenue is expected to pressure its U.S. margin performance in the third quarter.

Aside from dealing with the China food-safety scandal, McDonald's faces increasing competition and shifting eating habits. Part of the problem is that chains like Chipotle are gaining favor by touting more wholesome ingredients and the ability to customize food. McDonald's is trying to adapt on multiple fronts, including a "Build-Your-Own-Burger" test in Southern California and a new Bacon Clubhouse burger positioned as a premium offering at $5 or $6.

McDonald's share fell 52 cents to $91.98 in premarket trading about a half hour before the market open,

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Google seeks help defining 'Right to be Forgotten'

MADRID — Google Chairman Eric Schmidt and privacy and freedom of information experts are holding the first of seven public sessions to help the company define a new "Right to be Forgotten" established by the European Union's top court and when it should take down search result links about citizens claiming information about them is irrelevant or obsolete.

The company has received more than 100,000 requests for takedowns since a May ruling enabled Europeans to ask for the removal of embarrassing personal information that pops up with a search of their names.

Schmidt and panel members including Wikimedia founder Jimmy Wales heard differing opinions Tuesday in Madrid from Spanish experts. Google says it is tough with some requests to balance privacy concerns with the public's right to know.

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World stocks muted, dollar at 6-year high vs yen

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Global stock markets were subdued on Tuesday but the dollar hit a six-year high against the yen on investor expectations the Federal Reserve will end stimulus and raise interest rates in coming months.

KEEPING SCORE: France's CAC 40 was down 0.2 percent at 4,468.40 and Germany's DAX shed 0.1 percent to 9,745.14. Britain's FTSE 100 was down 0.1 percent at 6,831.65. Futures pointed to a weak session on Wall Street, too. S&P 500 and Dow futures were down almost 0.1 percent.

BREAKUP JITTERS: British markets stabilized after being shaken Monday on concerns that Scotland might sever its centuries-old union with Britain in an independence referendum next week. Secession could hit Britain's trade balance and dent its income with oil reserves possibly reallocated back to Scotland. The pound fell more than one percent Monday after a poll showed a narrow majority in favor of independence for the first time. The currency stabilized on Tuesday near 10-month lows.

DOLLAR BULLS: The dollar extended its rally, hitting 106.40 yen, the highest since September 2008. Compared with other major currencies beset by bad economic data or possible further stimulus, the dollar appears the most attractive as the U.S. central bank looks to end stimulus by October and consider hiking interest rates.

ASIA'S DAY: Japan's Nikkei 225 gained 0.3 percent to 15,749.15 and China's Shanghai Composite was barely changed at 2,326.53. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.6 percent to 5,607.90. India's benchmark fell and Southeast Asian stocks were mostly down. Hong Kong and South Korean exchanges were closed for holidays.

THE QUOTE: "Risk currencies including the euro, pound and Aussie have already lost significant ground against the greenback this week and it seems this trend is set to continue in the near term," said IG strategist Stan Shamu in a market commentary.

ENERGY: Oil prices fell for three days straight as geopolitical worries over Ukraine and Iraq have eased. Also affecting crude oil was last week's report of a slowdown in Chinese manufacturing and data Monday that showed China's imports fell for a second month in a row. Benchmark U.S. crude oil for October delivery rebounded Tuesday. The contract was up $1 at $93.65 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It fell to $92.66 a barrel on Monday, the lowest price since January.

CURRENCIES: The dollar rose to 106.08 yen from 106.02 yen late Monday. The euro edged up to $1.2905 from $1.2897.

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Home Depot confirms breach in US, Canada stores

NEW YORK — Shares of Home Depot sank before the opening bell Tuesday after confirming that its payment systems had been hacked, potentially exposing millions of shoppers who used credit and debit cards at its more than 2,000 U.S. and Canadian stores.

The breach could turn out to be one of the biggest in history. Home Depot did not say how many cards might be affected, but the largest U.S. home improvement chain did say late Monday that its investigation into the breach goes as far back as April.

The news comes nearly a week after a website that focuses on cybersecurity reported on Tuesday a possible hack of Home Depot's data. The company said later that day that it was investigating the potential breach.

"We apologize for the frustration and anxiety this causes our customers, and I want to thank them for their patience and support as we work through this issue," Chairman and CEO Frank Blake said in a press release.

Home Depot is the latest retailer to have a data breach. Others include Target, luxury retailer Neiman Marcus, grocer Supervalu, restaurant chain P.F. Chang's and the thrift store operations of Goodwill.

In December, Target Corp. disclosed a massive data breach that was the second-largest in history, resulting in the theft of 40 million debit and credit card numbers and the potential exposure of personal information of up to 70 million shoppers.

Forrester Research analyst John Kindervag said the Home Depot breach could affect similar numbers of shoppers or cards, noting that months' worth of data may have been compromised.

"From what I'm hearing, people think this will be as big as Target or bigger," he said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.

The retail breaches have rattled shoppers' confidence at a time when privacy concerns are high. It's also increased pressure on retailers to increase security so that customers can feel safe that their personal data is secure when they're out shopping.

Retailers, banks and card companies have responded to the breaches by speeding the adoption of microchips in U.S. credit and debit cards. That technology helps makes transactions more secure.

Home Depot, which said malware was used in the hack, has announced that it plans to have chip-enabled checkout terminals at all of its U.S. stores by the end of this year.

In the meantime, the Atlanta company said its IT department also is looking into the breach and is working with outside firms, its banking partners, and the U.S. Secret Service. It added that customers will not be held responsible for fraudulent charges to their accounts.

The possible breach at Home Depot was first reported by Brian Krebs of Krebs on Security. Krebs said multiple banks reported "evidence that Home Depot stores may be the source of a massive new batch of stolen credit and debit cards."

If Target's breach is any indication, the fallout from the Home Depot breach could be severe.

The Target hack cost the company hurt the company's profit and revenue. Target's chief information officer and CEO both stepped down in the months after the hack.

"I would think if you're a member of the board of directors, somebody has to be the sacrificial lamb for this," Kindervag, the Forrester analyst, said about Home Depot's breach.

Home Depot already has had some fallout. Its shares fell 41 cents to $90.41 in premarket trading Tuesday.

Before the potential breach was announced, Home Depot said in August that Blake would step down as CEO on Nov. 1. He will be replaced by Craig Menear, president of the company's U.S. retail operations.

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Trump casinos are latest filing for bankruptcy

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Trump Entertainment Resorts has become the latest Atlantic City casino owner to file for bankruptcy protection.

The company filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Delaware, on Tuesday, saying it has liabilities of more than $100 million.

The firm runs two casinos, the Trump Taj Mahal and the soon-to-close Trump Plaza.

The Taj Mahal has had financial problems, and Trump Plaza is scheduled to close next week.

Donald Trump owns a 10 percent stake in the firm, but no longer controls it.

The company last went through bankruptcy in 2009.

Three other Atlantic City casinos have closed this year, as the industry struggles with competition in nearby states.

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Chiquita postpones meeting on Fyffes to October

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Chiquita is postponing a vote on its proposed merger with the Irish fruit seller Fyffes as it awaits a new bid from another potential buyer.

Chiquita said it has received a waiver from Fyffes allowing it to hold talks with investment firm Safra Group and Brazil's Cutrale Group, an agribusiness and juice company. Chiquita is now seeking a best and final offer from Cutrale and Safra.

Shares jumped 3 percent before the opening bell Monday.

Chiquita rejected a $611 million offer from Safra and Cutrale last month.

A special shareholders meeting to vote on the Fyffes deal, which was to take place next week, will now be held on Oct. 3.

Chiquita and Fyffes announced in March that they would combine to create a new company called ChiquitaFyffes PLC, based in Dublin, where Fyffes has its headquarters.

Chiquita Brands International Inc., based in Charlotte, North Carolina, also said that it is extending the employment of CEO Edward Lonergan by a year through Oct. 8, 2015. The company said that the extension would help to ensure continuity.

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Walgreen adds activist hedge fund founder to board

Walgreen has named Jana Partners founder Barry Rosenstein to its board, and the activist investor will get a say in choosing at least one additional director for the nation's largest drugstore chain.

Walgreen Co. is feeling shareholder pressure after lowering its forecast for the earnings it expects after combining with health and beauty retailer Alliance Boots, which runs the United Kingdom's largest drugstore chain. The Deerfield, Illinois, company's shares have largely plunged since it dropped that forecast last month and said it will no longer consider an overseas reorganization that would have trimmed its U.S. taxes

Walgreen said Monday that Jana Partners will recommend an additional independent director who has no ties to either the drugstore chain or the hedge fund. If another board vacancy opens and Walgreen decides to fill it, then Jana and the nation's largest drugstore chain must agree on the replacement.

Jana Funds holds about a 1.3 percent stake in Walgreen, or 12.5 million shares.

Earlier this summer, the hedge fund disclosed that it had built up a stake in PetSmart Inc., and it wanted the pet food retailer to consider selling itself. Last month, the company said it would start considering that.

Rosenstein, 55, will join the finance committee of Walgreen's board. He said in a statement from the drugstore chain that he was eager to "work constructively" with the company's management.

Walgreen shares edged up 22 cents to $64.17 Monday before markets opened and after the company announced Rosenstein's appointment. The stock had slipped below $70 after the company announced its forecast change last month.

Shares have climbed 11 percent so far this year, as of Friday. That topped the 8.6 percent gain from the Standard & Poor's 500 index over the same span.

Walgreen will report its fiscal fourth quarter earnings Sept. 30.

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Developer presumed dead in crash revamped NY city

KINGSTON, Jamaica — A developer presumed dead with his wife in a private plane crash near Jamaica had an "uncanny instinct" for revitalizing properties and an "incalculable" impact on his western New York hometown's resurgence from crumbling industrial center to trendy destination for young professionals, friends and colleagues said.

Laurence Glazer bought up dozens of properties in Rochester, on the shores of Lake Ontario, including landmark buildings belonging to the manufacturing giants Xerox Corp. and Bausch + Lomb. He converted abandoned factories into loft apartments and turned a shuttered hospital into offices.

The 68-year-old developer had a way of "taking properties that were dead and breathing life back into them at a time when people were really skeptical about the ability to do that," Heidi Zimmer-Meyer, president of Rochester's Downtown Development Corp., said Saturday.

The National Transportation Safety Board will lead an investigation into the incident, said Eric Weiss, a spokesman for the board.

Authorities said Glazer and his wife Jane were on a single-engine turboprop Socata TBM700 that flew on its own for 1,700 miles (2,00 kilometers) before running out of fuel and slamming into the sea off Jamaica's northeast coast on Friday. The couple apparently was incapacitated.

The U.S. Coast Guard announced late Sunday morning that it had ended its search, which it said covered roughly 3,750 square miles (9,710 square kilometers) off Jamaica. Island military crews scoured waters off the northeast coastal town of Port Antonio for a few hours more, but then also decided to call off their search for the couple's single-engine plane.

On Sunday afternoon, the Jamaica Defense Force said its decision was made based on a reassessment of the situation, noting a highly reduced probability of finding any survivors or floating debris. Thunderstorms were churning up white-crested waves and a military spokesman said early Sunday morning that searchers were losing hope of having any success.

"I must admit it looks very discouraging," said Maj. Basil Jarrett early Sunday. "We haven't recovered anything as yet."

The Jamaican military had spotted floating debris Friday roughly 24 miles (39 kilometers) off Port Antonio may have sunk in a stretch where the water is more than a mile (1,500 meters) deep. On Saturday, they announced in a statement that it appeared "consistent with that of a high-impact debris field." But officials said the debris must have sunk because they lost sight of it.

The next steps, if any, for locating the couple's bodies or plane debris are not immediately clear. If wreckage is located on the sea floor, Jamaica civil aviation officials have said French authorities have volunteered help and equipment in raising it from the depths since the plane was made in France.

While the U.S. Coast Guard initially reported three people had been aboard the plane, a Coast Guard spokeswoman said Sunday that the agency had confirmed that there were only two.

Laurence and Jane Glazer, the founder of household-products catalog company QCI Direct, were both experienced pilots. They were flying to Naples, Florida, near where Glazer's development company, Buckingham Properties, also has interests.

"It's beyond tragic here. We're reeling," Zimmer-Meyer said, calling the couple "people who just cannot be replaced."

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy and Sen. Charles Schumer were among the officials who expressed sorrow for the couple's loss.

Duffy, the former mayor of Rochester, said the Glazers "possessed two of the brightest minds in business."

Air traffic controllers were last able to contact the pilot of the Glazers' plane at 10 a.m., about 75 minutes after it took off from the Greater Rochester International Airport.

U.S. fighter pilots sent to shadow the plane saw its windows frosting over and the pilot slumped over but breathing. One of the fighter pilots speculated that the Socata pilot was suffering from hypoxia, or oxygen deprivation.

Cases of unresponsive pilots are unusual and often attributed to insufficient cabin pressurization that causes the pilot to pass out, aviation safety expert John Goglia said. A 1999 Learjet crash that killed professional golfer Payne Stewart and five others was attributed to cabin depressurized that caused all aboard to lose consciousness.

Harold Samoff, the lawyer who recruited Glazer to real estate in 1970, said his friend was a "man of many, many, many skills" who had an interest in "practically everything."

"Once he got involved, he knew it," Samoff said.

Glazer and Samoff started with a small apartment building, around the start of the city's long economic decline, and went on to acquire and revitalize more and bigger properties on the periphery of the city's core, reasoning that "just like blight can spread, improvement can spread, also," Samoff said.

"His contribution is actually incalculable because a lot of other people didn't step up" to refurbish buildings as early as he did, Samoff said.

Glazer was also generous with advice to others just starting out, Zimmer-Meyer said. She said she received a call last week from a young real estate entrepreneur who mentioned that Glazer had helped her.

"The one good thing is that he's left an unbelievable legacy," Zimmer-Meyer said. "The difficult thing is that he's gone."

____

Associated Press writer Jennifer Peltz reported from New York.

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Spotify bows first video ads, with 'takeover' spots from Universal and others

Spotify has found a new way to interrupt your streaming-music playlist.

The service unveiled its first video-ad products -- for both desktops and mobile devices -- with worldwide launch partners NBCUniversal's Universal Pictures, Coca-Cola, Ford and McDonald's. The video ads will be served to the 30-plus million users of Spotify's free service (subscribers of the premium versions will not see the spots). In the U.S., Spotify video-ad launch partners are Kraft Foods, Target and Wells Fargo.

"We like to be the first to try new products and Spotify Video Ads provide a great new way to connect with this valuable audience on desktop and mobile," said Lindsay Dye, director of digital media for Universal.

The two formats are: Video Takeover ads, which appear in the desktop Spotify app during regular ad breaks and are only played if the client is in view; and Sponsored Sessions, which lets marketers play 15- and 30-second spots within 30-minute ad-free mobile sessions.

According to Spotify, users spend an average of 84 minutes per user per day on the service streaming. Among those who use the service across multiple devices, the average is 146 minutes daily. "Our audience is incredibly engaged so we are delivering an advertising experience that enhances their time spent on Spotify and connects them to the music and brands they love," Spotify chief biz offer Jeff Levick said in a statement.

Watch Spotify's promotional video touting the new video ads:

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

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Hertz Chairman and CEO Frissora steps down

NEW YORK — Hertz Chairman and CEO Mark Frissora has stepped down from his posts for personal reasons. He had had served as CEO since January 2007.

The car rental company said Monday that Brian P. MacDonald, president and CEO of Hertz Equipment Rental Corp., will serve as interim CEO of Hertz Global Holdings Inc. MacDonald has served as president and CEO of Hertz Equipment Rental since June.

Hertz, based in Park Ridge, New Jersey, said that it has started the search process for a permanent CEO.

MacDonald has led turnarounds at companies including Sunoco Inc. and Isuzu Motors Ltd.

Hertz in in the process of trying to turn its business around. In June, the company said it needed to review and correct financial statements from the last three years because of accounting errors. It has delayed its second-quarter filing as a result.

In late August Hertz withdrew its guidance for 2014, saying it would come up far short of expectations. That same month it was disclosed that activist investor Carl Icahn had taken an 8.5 percent stake in the company.

Hertz said Monday that it is still committed to the planned separation of its equipment rental business into a separate, publicly traded company and expanding its off-airport rental business, among other initiatives.

Independent lead director Linda Fayne Levinson has also been named independent non-executive chair of the board. She's been a Hertz board member since 2012.

Hertz's stock rose almost 5 percent, or $1.39, to $29.85 shortly before the opening bell Monday.

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Owner vents as Grand Caravan won’t take refueling

My wife's 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan will not let us add gas to it. At best, I need to fill it painfully slowly. I have a feeling it has to do with the EVAP system. The dealer said it would be $400 to fix. It sounds like the vapor venting is restricted. Is it possible to damage the charcoal filter by putting in too much gas?

It is possible to fill the charcoal canister with fuel by regularly overfilling the tank. It's called "fuel packing" and involves continuing to add fuel after the automatic shutoff has clicked on the nozzle. Doing this at a half-dozen fill-ups or so can eventually fill the vapor separator and force liquid fuel into the canister, which is designed to capture and store fuel vapors until the engine is started and they are drawn into the induction system and burned.

The problem with difficult refueling is a different issue. My Alldata automotive database pulled up Chrysler service bulletin 14-001-09 REV.A dated September 2009, outlining the possible causes and repairs for this issue. In brief, on certain models fitted with a "saddle"-style fuel tank, it recommends idling the engine for a minute or so to allow the fuel transfer pump to move fuel to the left side of the tank, opening space for refilling the right side.

The specific components to test are the vapor recirculating tube, fuel filler tube, fuel tank or components related to the evap control valve or the canister itself.

If I do a fast takeoff from a stop in my 2005 Buick LeSabre, the transmission clunks hard shifting through all gears. If I stop and shut the car off and do a normal takeoff, it is fine and won't do it again until I do a quick takeoff. What do you think?

Has the "Service engine soon" light ever come on in relationship to the hard shifting? If not, I suspect debris in the valve body is the issue. Under hard acceleration, the TCM — transmission control module — will command higher hydraulic pressure to ensure solid, non-slipping shifts. As this occurs, debris in the valve body may be causing a valve or accumulator to stick. Try adding a half-can of SeaFoam Trans-Tune to the transmission fluid and drive the vehicle for a week or so to see if it helps clean the valve body.

I'd also suggest stopping by a parts store that offers free DTC code scanning to see if any specific fault codes are stored in memory.

I purchased a 2001 Jeep Cherokee Sport 4.0 with 77,000 miles for my newly licensed son. The "Check engine" light is constantly blinking due to a misfire in the No. 5 cylinder. I replaced the coil pack, installed new plugs, installed rebuilt fuel injectors, sprayed SeaFoam into the air intake and "drove it like I stole it" to attempt to blow out any carbon build-up. I've heard other possibilities such as the fuel filter, crankshaft position sensor, camshaft position sensor or a stuck valve. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Since the misfire is specific to the No. 5 cylinder, at this point I'd focus on the mechanical health of that cylinder. Low compression due to worn/broken rings, burnt/bent/stuck valves, worn cam lobes or an intake manifold vacuum leak could cause this misfire.

Start with a simple compression test. If it shows normal compression, then do a cylinder leakdown test. If leakdown is normal, try a running compression test. This involves removing the Schrader valve from the compression tester before installing it in the No. 5 cylinder, then starting the engine and monitoring the compression. If it begins to drop as the engine runs, not enough air is entering the cylinder, which could be caused by a worn cam lobe or a valve that's not properly opening.

Paul Brand, author of "How to Repair Your Car," is an automotive troubleshooter, driving instructor and former race-car driver. Readers may write to him at: Star Tribune, 425 Portland Ave. S., Minneapolis, Minn., 55488 or via email at paulbrand@startribune.com. Please explain the problem in detail and include a daytime phone number.

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Job growth hits yearly low

The nation's job growth last month slipped to its lowest level of the year, as fewer people sought work and the food industry took a hit from the Market Basket dispute.

Employers added 142,000 jobs in August, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics — less than the 225,000 economists had expected and well below the 212,000 average of the previous 12 months. Job numbers from June and July were also revised downward by 28,000.

And while the unemployment rate fell to 6.1 percent from 6.2 percent, that was because more people without jobs stopped looking for one.

"The fact that the labor force shrank in August is not particularly good," said Doug Handler, chief U.S. economist for IHS Global Insight. "We need the labor force to grow to continue to drive growth."

Handler said it is difficult to say what is behind the decline in the labor force.

"Some of it could just be flat-out discouragement," he said.

Eric Rosengren, president of the Boston Federal Reserve, called the report "disappointing" in a speech yesterday, pointing out that while 7.3 million people are considered employed, many of them are part-timers who are unable to find full-time work.

The food and beverage industry lost 17,000 jobs last month, a decline attributed at least in part to part-timers at Market Basket whose hours were eliminated as worker protests calling for the reinstatement of CEO Arthur T. Demoulas brought the grocery chain's business to a virtual standstill.

Those jobs will show up in the employment report for September as new jobs.

Still, economists noted month-to-month volatility in job numbers is not unusual, and other indicators point to an improving economy.

"It's still one month," said Robert Murphy, a Boston College economics professor. "We need to see what might happen over the rest of the year."

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Casino panel will put conditions on license

The state Gaming Commission, which is set to begin its deliberations tomorrow on the coveted Boston-area casino license, will give Mohegan Sun and Wynn Resorts a chance to influence the conditions of their potential license — including in Wynn's case how much money should go to Boston — before deciding who gets it.

"It's important for the applicants to understand the conditions, what the award of a license means, and for us to understand that they understand and are willing to agree by those conditions if we issue the license," commissioner James McHugh said.

The approach is a departure from how the panel handled the awarding of the state's lone slots parlor license in February. In that case, only the winning applicant, Penn National, was presented with license conditions, to which it agreed. The conditions were mostly that Penn submit a series of compliance reports within a certain timeframe.

McHugh said the commission is taking a different approach because the conditions of a Boston-area license will be more involved than in the slots debate.

"The conditions in those cases were not complex conditions," McHugh said. "These may be, and it's important to give them time to look at them, and it's important for us to understand whether they're prepared to accept those conditions before we make the final determination."

Applicants will likely be presented with license conditions in the middle of this week and given an undetermined amount of time to respond. Mohegan did not respond to a request for comment. Wynn spokesman Michael Weaver said the company is "comfortable and will follow whatever process the commission sets."

In Wynn's case, the commission will dictate in its conditions what payments the developer must make to Boston to mitigate traffic and other impacts its Everett casino would have on Charlestown. Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh ceded the decision to the commission after he claimed Wynn withheld key documents about its plan. Walsh cut a deal with Mohegan that would pay the city a minimum of 
$18 million a year.

John Ribeiro, chairman of the Repeal the Casino Deal campaign, which is working to overturn the state's casino law in November, said giving applicants a say in their own license conditions is inappropriate.

"It's getting harder and harder to tell the difference between the casino industry and the casino regulators," Ribeiro said. "They are doing everything within their power to make it easier for the casino operators."

McHugh said it remains to be seen what steps would be taken if applicants object to proposed conditions.

"They tell us that they're not comfortable and we talk about it among ourselves in public, and we talk about it, perhaps with them, in public, and we come to some conclusion as to what the consequences ought to be," McHugh said. "Maybe a modification, maybe a change, maybe an improvement, maybe something else."

Commissioners have been studying different components of Mohegan and Wynn's applications for months and will present their findings next week. The commission set Friday as the date for awarding the casino license, but McHugh said the decision will likely take longer.

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Roslindale to get 43 new housing units

Officials broke ground yesterday on a Roslindale development that will transform an MBTA substation vacant for more than 40 years and add middle-class housing, a project Mayor Martin J. Walsh said offers an affordable alternative to the explosion of luxury housing in Boston.

"This is an exciting project for the city, an exciting project for Roslindale," Walsh said yesterday after the groundbreaking for The Parkside on Adams. "Here's an opportunity for 43 units in neighborhoods that can help sustain a community. It's certainly a big part of the answer."

The Parkside on Adams will include those 43 housing studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units at the site of the former F.J. Higgins Funeral Home and the long-vacant and unused MBTA substation on Washington Street will be restored and house a 120-seat restaurant on its ground floor.

"It's going to be a wonderful, transforming event for our neighborhood," said Steve Gag, president of Roslindale Village Main Streets.

Walsh said the $15 million project, which is across the street from Adams Park, will help complete the redevelopment of the area.

"This is really one of the last pieces," Walsh said.

The substation, built in 1911, was used to power some of Boston's first streetcars.

Gag said the development will bring Roslindale full circle.

"This really gave birth to Roslindale, this building did, because it allowed those streetcars to bring people to work," he said. "This is all about transformations."

Matt Kiefer, president of Historic Boston Inc., a nonprofit focused on restoring and preserving historic buildings, said the substation will turn into a neighborhood highlight.

"You sometimes find treasure in unexpected places," he said. "An electric power substation is not necessarily the first thing that would come to your mind as something that might have a role in improving a community."

Soon, the windows covered with bricks and wooden boards will be open again.

One part of the substation that will not be restored is the fading mural on the side of the building. Jim Higgins, who painted the mural in the '70s, said the redevelopment will do the same thing he had hoped to do 40 years ago.

"When I did the mural, it was to make it a nicer space," Higgins said. "I think this is a logical progression of that."

The substation was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013, a designation that made the building eligible for state and federal tax credits for its rehabilitation.

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Toronto: Indiegogo pacts with Canadian Film Centre

Indiegogo and the Canadian Film Centre -- the country's premiere accelerator of professional film, TV, acting, music, and digital media talent -- have struck a new partnership that will see CFC residents and alumni (which number over 1,600) gain access to one-on-one support and discounted platform fees with Indiegogo.

The pact will be announced today (Sunday) at the CFC's annual BBQ Fundraiser, held at its headquarters on Toronto's historic Windfields Estate.

Since its 2008 launch, Indiegogo has since strong growth in Canada, with a 50% increase in funds raised in Canada over the past year. Earlier this year, the crowdfunding platform made similar partnerships with the Documentary Organization of Canada, and Toronto-based website Twitch Film.

CFC producer alum Jordan Walker and director Jeremy LaLonde's "How To Plan an Orgy in a Small Town" is the first film under the partnership, and follows on the heels of Lalonde's 2012 Indiegogo success with his first feature, "Sex After Kids," which raised CAN$61,057, exceeding its $50,000 goal. "Orgy" has a Sept. 13 close date, and has already exceeded its $70,000 goal.

"I'm in awe of the creativity coming from our Canadian filmmakers," said Indiegogo's Canadian film lead. "Our collaborations with leading film organizations like the CFC and DOC are part of our ongoing commitment to support emerging talent, and the Canadian industry as a whole."

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