White House reporters to honor black journalist

WASHINGTON — Harry McAlpin was standing outside the Oval Office, moments away from becoming the first black reporter to attend a presidential press conference, when one of his contemporaries approached with a deal.

Stay out here, the reporter told McAlpin. The other White House correspondents would share their notes, and McAlpin would have a chance to become an official member of the correspondents association. McAlpin marched into the Oval Office anyway. Afterward, President Franklin Roosevelt shook McAlpin's hand and said, "I'm glad to see you, McAlpin, and very happy to have you here."

McAlpin, who became a fixture at the White House during the Roosevelt and Truman administrations, never got a White House Correspondents' Association membership. But now, in its centennial year, the WHCA is honoring McAlpin with a scholarship bearing his name.

The scholarship will be presented Saturday night during the WHCA's annual dinner with President Barack Obama.

"Harry McAlpin is someone who should be recognized and shouldn't be forgotten," National Journal correspondent George Condon, the association's unofficial historian, said this week during a panel discussion about diversity and the White House press corps.

WHCA President Steven Thomma noted that the correspondents group is much more diverse now than in the days when it refused membership to blacks, thus excluding them from presidential press conferences.

"Not quite where this press corps probably ought to be to have the kind of voices and questions we want to hear, but I think we've made some progress," Thomma said.

Before McAlpin, minority reporters had been excluded from many official Washington news conferences.

That changed after the creation of the National Negro Publishers Association in 1941. John Sengstacke, the publisher of the Chicago Defender and one of the creators of the NNPA, opened a Washington bureau for the Defender and hired McAlpin, a lawyer, as a part-time correspondent. During a discussion with Attorney General Francis Biddle about the black press' war coverage, Sengstacke suggested the attorney general ask the White House to allow a black reporter into its news conferences.

In February 1944, Roosevelt invited 13 NNPA leaders to the White House, and three days later, McAlpin was standing outside the Oval Office, waiting for his first news conference as a White House reporter.

The breaking of that barrier did not mean that everything was now fine inside the White House for blacks. Roosevelt press secretary Stephen Early refused to introduce McAlpin to the president, as was customary at that time, leading McAlpin to walk up to Roosevelt alone, said Earnest L. Perry Jr., who wrote about the attempt to credential a black White House correspondent for the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

Although he tried using his White House press pass, McAlpin was never credentialed to cover Congress. Louis Lautier ended up being the first accredited African-American congressional reporter.

McAlpin eventually left Washington to practice law in Louisville, Kentucky, and later became the president of the local NAACP chapter. He died in 1985.

McAlpin's son Sherman, who lives in Maryland, will attend Saturday's WHCA dinner and meet with Obama.

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Online:

Hear Harry S. McAlpin talk about his life at http://thisibelieve.org/essay/16794/

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Follow Jesse J. Holland on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/jessejholland

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Boston getting gas reserve

The U.S. Department of Energy will create the nation's first federal regional gasoline reserves — one near Boston and another near New York Harbor — to hedge against fuel supply disruptions such as those experienced after Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

Each location will store 500,000 barrels of gasoline to complement the 1-million-barrel Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve that was tapped for the first time in the wake of Sandy.

"This reserve is a step toward preventing another Sandy situation with regard to fuel," Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said. "This is part of a broader commitment to a more secure and resilient energy infrastructure."

The federal government plans to acquire the gas and store it at leased commercial terminals by late summer — in the middle of the Atlantic hurricane season that runs from June 1 through Nov. 30 — at a cost of about $200 million.

"Like sandbags and stockpiles of food and medicine, this gasoline reserve is what the Northeast needs to be ready for supercharged storms from climate change," Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Massachusetts), who joined Moniz and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-New York) in making the announcement yesterday, said in a statement.

Sandy heavily damaged two refineries and forced the closure of 40-plus terminals in New York Harbor, leaving some New York gas stations without fuel for up to 30 days.

The reserves are probably long overdue, said Michael Lynch, president of Strategic Energy & Economic Research in Winchester.

"Compared to the strategic petroleum reserve on the Gulf Coast, it's a small thing, and it's not meant to somehow make our gasoline cheaper, but to deal with short-term logistical problems" he said.

It's possible that reserves also will be established in other parts of the country, according to Lynch.

"New England is kind of the farthest away from our oil supply and there's long been agitation about that," he said.

The state's Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs said the move would improve the region's "energy resiliency."

"As we work to prepare for and mitigate the impacts of climate change, it will be important to have a source of gasoline stored nearby to ensure we have an uninterrupted fuel supply," spokeswoman Krista Selmi said.

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Home Showcase: A contemporary spin on classic summer cottage

A dozen new cottage-style homes have been built on the site of the former Thomas Jefferson Coolidge mansion in Manchester-by-the-Sea.

Variations of classic summer cottages, with some affording ocean views, the homes at Summer Hill cluster around a central green, part of the subdivision's 11 acres of open space. There is also a walking path down to Magnolia Beach a quarter-mile away.

We took a look at 5 Blynman Circle, a three-bedroom, 3,678-square-foot home with views of Clark's Pond on the market for $1,626,000.

The beige-clapboard, cedar-shingled home has a mahogany-lined front porch and features high-end door, window and crown moldings and 4-inch white oak floors throughout.

A large open living/dining area with a gas fireplace and two walls of windows, including a bumpout nook, resides to the left of the entry foyer.

A French door leads down to a three-season porch.

The kitchen has white-painted maple cabinets, antique-white Silestone countertops and high-end Viking appliances, plus a second Fisher Paykel dishwasher and Marvel wine cooler.

The master bedroom suite at the rear of the first floor has a wall of windows and balcony overlooking Clark's Pond and interior windows overlooking the porch. There's a radiant-heat tiled floor in the master bathroom and walk-in closet.

A laundry room on this floor has a washer and dryer as well as a half-bathroom and a mudroom that opens to a two-car garage.

The second floor features two good-sized oak-floored bedrooms with a two-sink marble vanity bathroom connecting them.

The home's lower level features a large family room with a wet bar and wine cooler. The family room opens out to a small back yard. There's a full tiled bathroom here as well as the home's four-zone heating and central air conditioning systems and tankless hot water heater.

HOME SHOWCASE

• Address: 5 Blynman Circle, Manchester-by-the-Sea
• Bedrooms: Three
• Bathrooms: Three full, one half
• List price: $1,626,000
• Square feet: 3,678
• Price per square foot: $442
• Annual taxes: To be determined
• Monthly Homeowner Association Fee: $484 
(projected)
• Location: About a half-mile to shops and 
restaurants in Magnolia Village and a quarter mile to Magnolia Beach
• Built in: 2013-2014
• Broker: Sandy Carpentier and Lynne Saporito of J Barrett and Co. at 978-922-2700

Pros:

• Contemporary open plan with cottage feel
• Master bedroom overlooks Clark's Pond
• High-end Viking appliance kitchen package
• Large family room opens out to back yard

Cons:

• Houses in development are close together

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Car Smart: Malibu’s a solid mid-size sedan

While the South Korean and German automakers continue to chip away at Honda and Toyota's mid-size sedan market share, the 2014 Chevrolet Malibu stays in the mix to provide a solid domestic alternative.

The Malibu, which is loaded with advanced safety technology, but lacks a diesel or hybrid engine choice, is no less worthy of a test drive.

Our $35,000 crystal red tester had a sporty appearance that is hard from afar to distinguish from the larger Chevrolet Impala. Chrome trim outlined the windows, grille and door handles, and 19-inch aluminum wheels completed the look.

The Malibu's $890 advanced safety package was full of technology usually reserved for the luxury segment. Included in the package was a blind-zone alert with a warning light that blinks in the side-view mirrors when a trailing vehicle enters the driver's blind spot.

The sedan also had a forward collision alert that uses a camera in the windshield to warn the driver if the Malibu is rapidly approaching another vehicle. Other features included were lane-departure warning and rear cross-traffic alert combined with a rear view camera, which made backing out onto a busy street less stressful.

Most of the features could be customized or shut off.

The downside is many of the systems' sensors are in the sedan's bumper and windshield, which means keeping the Malibu clean is a must especially during the winter.

A turbocharged 4-
cylinder, 2.0-liter engine had me guessing until I looked under the hood. I could have sworn the Malibu that churned out 259 horsepower was packing a 6-cylinder, especially considering how the Chevy hustled off the line with 295 lb.-ft of torque. A tapshift manual-matic shifter allowed me to wind out the six-speed automatic transmission. Our tester got 30 miles per gallon on the highway and 21 mpg in the city. Chevy also offers the Malibu with a 2.5L, 4-cylinder engine with direct injection and 196 horsepower. The larger, less powerful engine yields an additional six miles per gallon in fuel savings on the highway.

The sedan was smooth through the turns, holding its line through highway ramps and on twisty back roads. Road noise was hardly noticeable during long drives on the Mass Pike.

A jet black interior with leather seating featured an eight-way power adjustable driver's seat with two memory settings. The front seats were heated and had dual-zone climate controls. I found an abundance of storage cubbies, cup holders and a handy cellphone slot on the center console. Pairing my iPhone was trouble-free via Chevrolet's Mylink touchscreen. Music stored on my phone was easy to call up on the screen and sounded great through the nine-speaker Pioneer entertainment system with a 250-watt amplifier.

Other features that caught my eye were a push-button starter and a fuel-saving stop/start function that automatically shut the engine off when the car was stopped and seamlessly restarted when I took my foot off the brake. Backseat legroom was less than I would expect for a mid-sized sedan.

The 2014 Malibu falls behind the Accord, Camry, Passat and Sonata when considering the most fuel-efficient mid-sized sedan; however, the Malibu does provide a solidly built, fun-to-drive and easy-to-park alternative. The Ford Fusion deserves equal consideration when shopping for a mid-sized sedan.

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Jury says Samsung infringed Apple patents

SAN JOSE, Calif. — A California jury awarded Apple $119 million — far less than it demanded — in a patent battle with Samsung over alleged copying of smart phone features, and the jury made the victory even smaller by finding that Apple illegally used one of Samsung's patents.

The verdict was a far cry from the $2.2 billion Apple sought and the $930 million it won in a separate 2012 trial making similar patent infringement claims against older Samsung products, most of which are no longer for sale in the United States.

The jury found that Apple had infringed one of Samsung's patents in creating the iPhone 4 and 5. Jurors awarded Samsung $158,400, trimming that amount from the original $119.62 million verdict. Samsung had sought $6 million.

"Though this verdict is large by normal standards, it is hard to view this outcome as much of a victory for Apple," Santa Clara University law professor Brian Love said. "This amount is less than 10 percent of the amount Apple requested and probably doesn't surpass by too much the amount Apple spent litigating this case."

The award may be adjusted slightly in favor of Apple. Jurors were ordered to return to court Monday to continue deliberations on a minor matter that could result in a higher award for Apple. Because the jury was still empaneled, jurors were prevented from talking publicly about the case.

Samsung spokesman Lauren Restuccia declined comment, citing the ongoing deliberations.

Apple declared Friday's verdict a victory.

"Samsung willfully stole our ideas and copied our products," Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet said. "We are fighting to defend the hard work that goes into beloved products like the iPhone, which our employees devote their lives to designing and delivering for our customers."

Unlike the first trial in San Jose federal court in 2012, Samsung lawyers made Google a central focus of their defense. Google makes the Android software that Samsung and other smartphone manufacturers use as their operating systems. Samsung argued that Google was Apple's real target.

More than 70 percent of smartphones run on Android, a mobile operating system that Google Inc. has given out for free to Samsung and other phone makers

Both companies will now try to urge the judge to remove the others products from store shelves in the United State. Love and other experts say that neither company is expected to succeed with those demands.

"So far Apple has been unsuccessful at doing so and, without a sales ban, this case is unlikely to move the needle on the larger battle between Apple and Android," Love said.

The verdict marked the latest intellectual property battle between the world's top two smartphone makers. Apple and Samsung have sued each other in courts and trade offices around the world.

Apple and Samsung are locked in a bitter struggle for dominance of the $330 billion worldwide smartphone market. Samsung has become the leader of the sector with a 31 percent share after being an also-ran with just 5 percent in 2007. Apple, meanwhile, has seen its market share slip to about 15 percent from a high of 27 percent three years ago.

The jury of four men and four women delivered its verdict in the latest case after beginning deliberations on April 29.

During the monthlong trial, Apple argued that many of the key functions and vital features of Samsung phones were invented by Apple. Samsung countered that its phones operate on the Google Android software system and that any legal complaint Apple has is with the search giant.

Google entered the smartphone market while its then-CEO Eric Schmidt was on Apple's board. The move infuriated Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who considered Android to be a blatant rip-off of iPhone innovations.

After removing Schmidt from Apple's board, Jobs vowed that Apple would resort to "thermonuclear war" to destroy Android and its allies. At the recent trial, Samsung attorneys produced an email Jobs sent to executives in 2010 urging them to wage a "holy war" against Android in 2011.

Early in deliberations, the jury wanted to know if Jobs had mentioned Google when considering the lawsuit that was eventually filed in 2012, several months after the Apple founder died of cancer.

U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh told jurors no additional evidence was available to them beyond what was presented during the trial.

Koh answered similarly to questions about Samsung's chief executive officer's reaction when informed that Apple executives had complained to executives at the South Korean company about alleged patent infringement.

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TD Garden shows off $70M redo plan

TD Garden representatives yesterday unveiled new details of a planned two-year, $70 million renovation at the Hub sports venue, showing off plans for an overhaul of the Legends Club, as well as upgrades to the concourses and an expansion of the pro shop.

"From a fan experience, from a technology, from a food service standpoint, we have all these opportunities," Amy Latimer, president of TD Garden, said of the membership-only club. "We're really going to just gut the whole place."

Legends, which houses the Courtside Club, will be expanded by 35 percent, and feature new food choices, a more modern design and improved technology, including a 55-foot media wall and "Mediamesh," a metal fabric interwoven with LEDs.

The current buffet will be replaced with made-to-order food, including a brick oven and a raw bar.

The design will be a "sleeker, updated look," Latimer said. "We want to give (the fans) the offerings that they're looking for."

One thing that won't change — the original Boston Garden marquee sign will remain in the club. And the floor will feature former players' retired numbers.

Latimer said other upgrades, including Wi-Fi, will enhance the TD Garden experience for all fans. She declined to go into details, but said some of the things being considered include adding merchandise and food ordering from mobile devices once Wi-Fi installation is complete.

Funded by Delaware North Cos., owner of TD Garden, the renovation will update the nearly 20-year-old TD Garden's look to a more modern design. Construction will begin immediately after the Bruins' season ends.

Latimer said incentives have been put in place with the contractor to ensure projects finish on schedule.

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House OKs direct wine shipments

Residents are one step closer to getting wine shipped from out of state to their doorstep after House lawmakers approved a proposal that was included as an amendment to the state budget.

"We overcame a large hurdle, having one branch of the Legislature pass (the bill)," said Theodore Speliotis (D-Danvers), who filed a similar bill. "It has a good chance, but I think it's still a work in progress."

Free The Grapes, a nationwide organization of wineries that has been pushing for direct shipments to the Bay State, applauded the move.

"This is a big step in the right direction," said Jeremy Benson, a spokesman for the group.

Massachusetts consumes the 7th largest amount of wine in the country, but is one of nine states that ban direct shipment.

One of the most high profile supporters of the change is former Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe, who now runs a winery in Washington state and lobbied for the change at the State House last year.

The measure would require wineries to purchase a shipping license and bar delivery to anyone under the age of 21. It still needs approval from the state Senate.

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Nike CEO: Converse steps up

There's no regret from Nike when it comes to its $305 million purchase of North Andover-based Converse in 2003.

"It's an important part of Nike," CEO Mark Parker said yesterday. "It's been one of the best acquisitions we've made."

Revenue for Converse Inc., the 106-year-old maker of the iconic Chuck Taylor All Star sneakers, climbed 16 percent to $420 million in the last quarter, Nike reported in March, after 9 percent growth to $1.44 billion in the past fiscal year.

Converse is moving its headquarters to Boston's Lovejoy Wharf early next year, and Parker said the subsidiary's 400-strong employee base can be expected to grow in step with its revenue.

Nike Inc. had $23.5 billion in total revenue last year and enjoys an industry-dominating 48 percent market share for its namesake brand. Parker — who joined Nike in 1979 as a shoe designer in Exeter, N.H., and has been CEO of the Oregon company since 2006 — spoke at Boston College Chief Executives' Club of Boston. Here's some of what he had to say:

• On one of China's biggest strikes ever this month at Nike footwear manufacturer Yue Yuen Industrial Holdings over Yue Yuen's contributions to employee benefits: Nike had been communicating with Yue Yuen and urging it to resolve the issues as soon as possible. "We want to invest in the partners that are really doing the right thing with the workforce. We didn't move product out in this case, but we stayed close to it. We have a factory base where we can move product around as we need to make sure that we don't have issues with production."

• On NBA Commissioner Adam Silver's league ban of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling for racist remarks: "Adam Silver did a remarkable job. He did it decisively and quickly. There's no room for discrimination."

• On the possibility of U.S.-made Nike shoes: Nike is investing heavily in manufacturing innovation and, as technology advances, there's an opportunity for a U.S. manufacturing base.

• On Nike athletes: They're not simply "billboards" for the Nike "Swoosh." Nike works closely with them to gain insight that drives innovation. It "listens to the voice of the athlete." When working with athletes of golfer Tiger Woods' caliber, "You don't innovate just for the sake of change. You innovate to change the outcome."

• One of his most important roles as CEO: Being an editor. "By editing, we can actually amplify the power of what we do."

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CVS Caremark 1Q profit jumps 18 percent

CVS Caremark's first-quarter earnings jumped 18 percent as generic drugs and an acquisition helped the drugstore chain and pharmacy benefits manager weather rough winter storms and a later Easter holiday.

The company fell shy of Wall Street profit expectations and reaffirmed its 2014 earnings forecast. Shares slipped more than 2 percent before markets opened.

CVS Caremark Corp. runs the nation's second-largest drugstore chain and one of the biggest pharmacy benefits management operations.

Benefits managers run prescription drug plans for employers, insurers and other customers. That segment has become CVS Caremark's biggest revenue producer. Sales from the unit climbed more than 10 percent to top $20 billion in the quarter, helped in part by rising drug prices, as well as the company's acquisition of the drug infusion business Coram.

Revenue from the company's drugstore segment climbed 3 percent, held back by a weaker flu season compared with last year. Severe winter weather also curtailed sales by keeping customers home and away from CVS stores.

An Easter holiday that fell in the second quarter this year hurt non-pharmacy sales during the quarter.

Growth in generic drug use did help the company's bottom line. The growing use of generics, which are cheaper than brand-name drugs, has improved pharmacy profitability for several quarters now. Generics provide a wider margin between the cost for the pharmacy to purchase the drugs and the reimbursement it receives.

CVS earned $1.13 billion, or 95 cents per share, in the three months that ended March 31. That compares with earnings of $954 million, or 77 cents per share, in last year's quarter. Revenue climbed 6 percent to $32.69 billion.

Adjusted results totaled $1.02 per share, which was 2 cents shy of Wall Street expectations and a penny shy of what the company expected.

But CVS Caremark beat analyst projections for revenue of $32.3 billion in revenue, according to FactSet.

The company reaffirmed a forecast it first made in December for 2014 adjusted earnings of between $4.36 and $4.50 per share. Analysts expect earnings of $4.47 per share.

CVS Caremark gained national attention in February, including praise from President Barack Obama, after vowing to phase out tobacco products from its stores, more than 7,600 nationwide, by October.

The company, like other drugstore chains, has been raising its focus on health care by adding in-store clinics and seeking to work more with doctors and hospitals to manage patient care. Company leaders said tobacco has no place in a health care setting like that.

CVS anticipates a $2-billion hit to its revenue because of the decision, but executives have also said that it won't affect their earnings forecast.

Company shares dropped $1.09 to $72 about an hour before trading started Friday.

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News Corp. to buy Harlequin for $415M

NEW YORK — News Corp. sees profit potential in the tales of princes, sexy soldiers and mysterious millionaires.

The publishing company controlled by media mogul Rupert Murdoch said Friday that it has agreed to buy romance novel publisher Harlequin Enterprises from Torstar Corp. for 455 million Canadian dollars ($415 million) in cash.

Harlequin will become a division of News Corp.'s HarperCollins Publishers subsidiary and remain based in Toronto.

Founded in 1949, Harlequin publishes its steamy tales in 34 languages and sells them in over 100 international markets. Its titles include the works of more than 1,300 authors and it releases more than 110 titles each month.

News Corp. said the deal will extend HarperCollins' global reach, especially in Europe and Asia Pacific. About 40 percent of Harlequin's revenue comes from books published in languages other than English. Currently, 99 percent of HarperCollins books are published in English.

The deal, which is expected to close by the end of the third quarter, remains subject to regulatory approvals and the approval of Torstar's Class A shareholders. News Corp. expects the addition to boost its profits and improve its free cash flow.

For 2013, Harlequin's revenue totaled 398 million Canadian dollars ($372 million). About 95 percent of its revenue comes from outside Canada

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