RV maker boosting production in northern Indiana

MIDDLEBURY, Ind. -- A recreational vehicle maker is adding workers for a third production line at a northern Indiana factory.

The Grand Design RV factory in Middlebury hired about 70 people earlier this year, boosting its workforce to nearly 450 employees. Company spokesman Marty Friend tells The Elkhart Truth (http://bit.ly/1dm3zuf ) that it expects to hire 65 more people over the next several months for the new production line.

The company says it is increasing production at the Elkhart County factory to meet growing demand for its fifth-wheel towable RV.

Grand Design started operations in late 2012 after its three founders left positions with Elkhart-based RV maker Thor Industries.

Numerous RV-related companies have been adding jobs in northern Indiana as the industry's rebound continues from the recession, when thousands of workers lost jobs.

Review: Updated HTC One phone worth considering

NEW YORK -- The HTC One might be the best smartphone you never heard of.

The phone won critical acclaim last year, yet it barely made a dent in the marketplace. It's overshadowed by Apple's iPhones and Samsung's Galaxy line of smartphones.

Good thing HTC Corp. doesn't understand defeat.

An updated One expands on some of the features that made it notable. The new One has a metal design like last year's model, but it feels smoother and more comfortable in my hands. The back edges are more curved and remind me of the sleek finish in Apple's latest iPads. HTC also turns its hub for personalized content, the BlinkFeed, into a companion rather than an unwelcomed guest.

HTC is making the Android phone available through all major carriers simultaneously this time, starting Tuesday online and by April 10 in retail stores. Verizon customers don't have to wait months, as they had last year. In an apparent concession, Verizon is the first to get them in stores — on Tuesday.

The new phone, known officially as HTC One (M8), will cost about $200 to $250 with a two-year service contract, or about $650 without a contract. Customers can choose gray, gold or silver.

The One still has some flaws — namely, its 4 megapixel rear camera. By comparison, Samsung's Galaxy S5 phone, which comes out April 11, will have 16 megapixels. Sony and Nokia already have phones that exceed 20 megapixels. Apple's iPhones are at 8 megapixels, twice what the HTC One offers. More megapixels typically translate to sharper images and more options for printing and cropping.

HTC is correct in saying the megapixel count is just one factor in what makes a good camera. It prefers making the size of individual pixel sensors larger to absorb more light for night and indoor shots. That's laudable, but Apple's iPhone 5S and Nokia's Lumia Icon are both able to offer decent low-light shots while providing more megapixels than the One.

Compared with last year's model, though, the One's camera is much better, even at 4 megapixels. Colors look washed out in day shots I took with last year's camera. The new model seems to have fixed that. The new version also has a 5 megapixel front camera for selfies, far better than what rivals offer.

HTC also has improved its camera software:

— Thanks to a second lens on the rear, the phone now captures depth information. That lets you decide later through built-in software whether to focus on the foreground or the background while blurring everything else. Other phones also offer this capability, but the One does this automatically. You don't have to switch to a special mode ahead of time.

— The One offers plenty of manual settings, as other phones are starting to offer. The One goes further in letting you save frequently used combinations of settings. If you take a lot of action shots indoors, for instance, you can save a combo that uses a fast shutter speed to reduce blurring from motion, while adjusting the white balance to filter out the hint of color from the ceiling lights.

— You can pause video recordings. Most phones only let you stop recording, so you have to stitch together several files with software to get the same effect. The Vine and Instagram apps also let you pause video recording, but those clips have length limits. With the One, you're limited only by the phone's storage.

As for watching video, sound quality is wonderful, thanks to the phone's two front-facing speakers. If I hold the phone close enough to my eyes and slide the volume to maximum, I can pretend I'm watching in a movie theater. Phones with rear speakers sound boxy by comparison.

The One also has some useful shortcuts when the screen is off. Swipe from the left to get the BlinkFeed content hub, and swipe from the right to get your regular home screen. Press the volume button to get the camera and press it again to take the shot. Double tap to get the lock screen.

With an optional $50 Dot View case, you can see the time and the weather through the small holes, or dots, on the case's front, flip cover. You can answer and reject incoming call by swiping on the case, without needing to flip over the cover.

As for BlinkFeed, the One now offers more ways to customize it and increases the number of social media services it works with. Through a partnership with Foursquare, BlinkFeed also suggests restaurants based on the time and location. Monday's lunch recommendation was dubious, though: It was suggesting frozen yogurt at Pinkberry as outdoor temperatures in New York hovered at water's freezing point.

I do like that you can get BlinkFeed by swiping from the left. Otherwise, it stays out of the way. To get back to the home screen, just tap the home button once or twice. I hated BlinkFeed in last year's model because there was no easy way to restore the home screen without knowing the proper swipes.

The HTC One is a work in progress, though. There's supposed to be a power-saving mode offering 15 hours of battery life when you're down to a 5 percent charge, for instance. That and other promised features weren't done in time for the U.S. release. But if you buy the phone now, you'll get them through upcoming software updates.

U.S. customers are also eligible for a one-time screen replacement if it cracks in the first six months.

The One doesn't have a fingerprint sensor to bypass the security code on the lock screen. The iPhone 5S has it, as will the Galaxy S5. It's also in the HTC One Max, a larger version of last year's model. But HTC's version didn't work well, and the company is wise to leave it out in the One.

There's a lot to like in the new phone. This phone likely won't be as popular as the iPhone or the S5, but the One is one worth considering if you're looking for something that feels right and works nicely.

Senators press GM, NHTSA over delayed recall

WASHINGTON -- Congress is increasingly putting the pressure on General Motors and the government's auto safety agency over a delayed recall of small cars.

Tuesday, Democratic Sens. Edward Markey of Massachusetts and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut proposed requiring automakers to make information on accident deaths more accessible to consumers. Last month, GM recalled 1.6 million small cars with a defective ignition switch that is linked to at least 31 accidents 12 deaths.

On Monday, Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., wrote a letter asking the acting head of the safety agency to explain why the cars weren't investigated.

Two congressional committees are investigating the recall delay. GM has acknowledged it took too long to notify owners of the ignition switch problem. The safety agency reviewed the cars twice but declined to launch an investigation.

Old NYC voting machines may get new lease on life

NEW YORK -- New York City's old lever voting machines may get a new lease on life.

The Board of Elections is asking the city council for funding to help convert the old voting machines into voter information kiosks.

The machines required voters to pull down a lever to cast their ballots. They were in use for 50 years but were largely phased out of service in 2010.

They have been replaced by electronic voting machines.

But those machines have encountered problems in recent elections. That forced the lever machines to be called out of retirement for last year's mayoral primary.

The information kiosks would be equipped with a computer that would inform voters about polling sites and ballot procedures.

Black Hills Corp. closes coal-fired power plant

CASPER, Wyo. -- Black Hills Corp. has closed down a coal-fired power plant outside Gillette, a move the company says is in response to recent federal emissions regulations.

Black Hills Corp. last week closed the 22-megawatt Neil Simpson 1 plant. The company is building a 132-megawatt natural gas plant in Cheyenne, which will replace much of the lost power.

The Casper Star-Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/1h5yxWU ) the closure of the coal-fired plant follows the recent trend that has seen utilities nationwide move away from older coal-fired facilities in favor of new natural gas powered plants.

Black Hills will decommission three coal plants this year, two in Wyoming and one in Colorado. A third coal unit in South Dakota will close next year.

Black Hills officials said the closures were a response to recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations aimed at reducing harmful emissions from industrial boilers and curbing mercury pollution.

"Replacing Black Hills Power's three oldest coal-fired power plants is less expensive for customers than retrofitting the plants to comply with the new EPA standards," said Sharon Fain, a utility spokeswoman.

"Although these plants were once built with state-of-the-art technology, they are now 42-62 years old. It would be very expensive to update these plants to meet new EPA requirements, and newer technology used on new plants can now better reduce emissions," Fain said.

Environmentalists hailed the retirement of the coal plants. They said it was evidence utilities were bowing to the reality that coal-generated electricity is dirty and inefficient.

Jeremy Nichols, climate and energy program director at the environmental group WildEarth Guardians, noted mercury pollution can impair the development of fetuses and poses other health risks.

"Energy is about trade-offs, without a doubt. I think mercury pollution is not an acceptable option," Nichols said. "The last thing we want is a pregnant mother to be exposed to mercury. That is not a cost I think society wants to shoulder today."

Coal backers, however, decried the closures as a sign of the Obama administration's "war on coal."

"Our power is going to cost more, and it is all because of government policy," said Rep. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo. "This really hits everyday Americans directly in the pocketbook."

The Neil Simpson I plant closed March 19, Black Hills officials said. The utility also has plans to begin decommissioning the Osage plant this year. The 34.5-megawatt coal fired unit in northeastern Wyoming has been idle since 2010.

Two coal units at W.N. Clark plant in Canon City, Colo., will begin decommissioning this year, while the 25-megawatt coal unit at the Ben French power plant in Rapid City will be decommissioned next year.

All the plants have two things in common: They are old and relatively small. None was installed after 1969 and none produces more than 40 megawatts of power. Neil Simpson II, by comparison, was commissioned in 1995 and generates 90 megawatts of electricity.

The Cheyenne Prairie Generating Station is scheduled to go online Oct. 1. Fain said the $220 million facility is on schedule and on budget. The costs of the facility will be borne by Cheyenne Light, Fuel and Power customers, she said. The utility is a subsidiary of Black Hills Corp.

McDaniel defines stance on pending egg lawsuit

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel says it's not appropriate for the state to join a Missouri lawsuit that challenges California restrictions on egg production, but he supports the border state's efforts.

McDaniel said Tuesday that California rules that ban importation of eggs from hens kept in cages smaller than a certain size don't impact Arkansas producers because they already meet the guidelines.

But McDaniel says he supports the Missouri lawsuit because one state should not be able to cause harm to another state's agriculture production.

Arkansas produces about 1 billion eggs per year but only a small portion is shipped to California.

The attorney general says California's restrictions appear to violate the Commerce Clause.

McDaniel says he may file a friend of the court brief in support of Missouri's challenge.

DART service to DFW airport begins in August

DALLAS -- Work on Dallas Area Rapid Transit rail service to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport is several months ahead of schedule.

DART officials on Tuesday announced the 5-mile extension of the Orange Lines will open on Monday, Aug. 18.

The $152 million extension had been scheduled to open in December but DART officials say the rail station should open early and even under budget.

Rail service will be offered via DFW Terminal A. A DART statement says the connection will bring the nation's longest light rail system to 90 miles.

DART is the state's largest municipal rail system, serving Dallas and a dozen surrounding cities.

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Online:

http://bit.ly/1pwVSBr

Simmons First-Delta Trust announce merger plan

PINE BLUFF, Ark. -- Pine Bluff-based Simmons First National Corporation has announced an agreement in which Little Rock-based Delta Trust & Banking Corporation will be merged into the company.

Simmons said Monday that Simmons will purchase all the outstanding common stock of Delta Trust in a transaction worth an estimated $66 million dollars.

The agreement is pending approval by Delta Trust shareholders and federal regulatory agencies. The sale is expected to be completed during the third quarter of the year and the merger is expected to be complete during the fourth quarter.

Delta Trust has banking operations in Little Rock, northwest Arkansas and southern Arkansas with another facility under construction in Conway.

Simmons First has operations across Arkansas and in Missouri and Kansas.

BC-Noon Oil

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Riverwalk to reopen May 22

NEW ORLEANS -- The revamped Riverwalk will reopen May 22 in downtown New Orleans.

The Howard Hughes Corp. announced Tuesday the grand opening will mark the completion of a $70 million renovation of the aging mall.

The Riverwalk is located along the Mississippi River at the base of Canal and Poydras streets.

In October 2013, Howard Hughes Corp. said 94 percent of the space was leased. Tuesday, it reaffirmed that virtually all of the space is leased with national outlet retailers, many of which will be opening their first location in the state.

The Times-Picayune reports (http://bit.ly/1dKrT3J) anchor tenants include Coach Factory Store, Coach Men's Factory Store, Forever 21 and Last Call Studio by Neiman Marcus.

Toyota case shows it's hard to prosecute execs

WASHINGTON -- Efforts to conceal the extent of dangerous car defects at Toyota Motor Corp. were so pervasive, prosecutors say, that an exasperated employee at one point warned that "someone will go to jail if lies are repeatedly told."

Yet no one has gone to jail, nor is likely to.

The Justice Department last week socked the car company with a $1.2 billion penalty but brought no criminal charges against individual executives, an unsatisfying resolution for consumer activists who say prison is the best deterrence for corporate malfeasance.

But prosecutors say they had little choice, in part because of constraints with evidence and the challenge of gathering testimony and information from witnesses outside the United States.

The same internal memos and public statements that buttressed the case against the corporation might well have been inadmissible as evidence against specific individuals. And it can be hard to prove that the person whose name is on a certain damning document was directly responsible for the misstatements or knew that they were wrong, legal experts say.

While the case against the company may be overwhelming, lodging personal responsibility for misstatements "is more difficult to prove beyond a reasonable doubt," said Stephen Saltzburg, a law professor at George Washington University.

Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, whose office brought the case, told reporters last week that while he had not foreclosed the possibility of criminal charges against individuals, he expected the settlement to be the end of the matter.

When people who break the law live outside the country, "there are problems of evidence and problems of proof," Bharara said when asked about the prospect of prosecuting individuals at the company. Evidence and documents that can be brought into play against a corporation, he said, might not be admissible against specific people.

Toyota, which acknowledged hiding information about defects, said in a statement that in the four years since the recalls, it had "made fundamental changes to become a more responsive and customer-focused organization, and we are committed to continued improvements."

The penalty is the largest of its kind ever brought against an auto company, according to the Justice Department. The department also filed a wire fraud charge against Toyota that the government says it will dismiss in three years if the company complies with the terms of the settlement. Even so, some consumer advocates fear a monetary penalty alone generally doesn't do enough to scare executives at other companies from breaking the law.

"While $1.2 billion is an enormous number, it is going to be very easily absorbed by the company," said Jack Gillis, director of public affairs for the Consumer Federation of America, a consumer advocacy research and lobbying group. "So shouldn't there have been some personal culpability among the decision-makers?"

Court documents filed in the case accuse Toyota of intentionally withholding from consumers and regulators information about problems that could make some of its cars accelerate out of control. One such problem, involving ill-fitting floor mats, attracted negative attention for the company following a 2009 car crash in San Diego that killed a family of four.

Prosecutors say Toyota made public statements that were misleading or false and key information about the extent of the problems was never disclosed. For example, they point to an inaccurate timeline that the company provided to Congress on when it learned about a problem with sticky gas pedals that could cause unwanted acceleration. They also cite misleading disclosures to safety regulators and a 2009 online statement assuring the public that the "root cause" of one of the problems had been addressed.

When engineers found that the gas pedals could stick, they told their parts supplier to start making a redesigned version and to scrap any pedals with the old design. But management canceled the fix and instructed the engineers not to tell the supplier in writing so there would be no paper trail, a violation of Toyota's own policy, prosecutors said.

Under the federal rules of evidence, prosecutors would have had a better chance of introducing those statements as evidence against the corporation than against any one individual, legal experts say.

"They would have to pinpoint some individual who wrote those statements knowing they were false," said Paul Rothstein, a Georgetown University law professor. "That would be hard to do, even if they could pinpoint who actually composed the statement. That person might not have known it was false."

General Motors Co. is facing a separate federal criminal probe in New York over delays in recalling small cars with a deadly ignition switch problem. It's unclear whether any individuals are being investigated in that case or whether prosecutors would confront the same evidence problems if they wanted to charge specific people.

Associated Press writer Tom Krisher in Detroit contributed to this report.

Seattle taxi drivers sue ridesharing service

SEATTLE -- A Seattle-area taxi drivers organization has sued an app-based ridesharing service, alleging that Uber violates multiple laws and regulations, thus harming taxi drivers and the public.

The Seattle Times reports (http://is.gd/imwO5k ) the lawsuit filed Monday by the Western Washington Taxicab Operators Association contends Uber is involved in "unlawful and deceptive business practices." Court documents allege that unlike the taxi drivers, Uber's drivers don't comply with legal requirements set by Seattle, King County and Washington state for the personal transportation industry.

In a statement, Uber Seattle general manager Brooke Steger says the ride service remains "focused on connecting people with the safest and most reliable transportation options in Seattle."

The lawsuit seeks damages.

The Seattle City Council recently approved regulations to limit the number of drivers for uberX, Uber's lower-cost ride service, and other ride-service companies. The lawsuit doesn't mention other vehicle services.

Etihad Airways gets approval for Air Serbia stake

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Gulf-based carrier Etihad Airways says it has received regulatory approval from the government of Serbia for its 49 percent stake in the Balkan country's national carrier, Air Serbia.

The United Arab Emirates' national carrier Etihad said Tuesday in a statement that its initial loan to Air Serbia of $40 million will now be converted to equity. Eithad had announced a $200 million plan to rebrand Air Serbia in August.

Etihad also owns stakes in Air Berlin, Air Seychelles, Ireland's Aer Lingus and India's Jet Airways. The airline is waiting for regulatory approval for a 33.3 percent shareholding in Darwin Airline, a regional carrier based in Switzerland.

Etihad, which was set up in 2003 and is based out of Abu Dhabi, is one of three major Gulf airlines.

Sales of homes in Mass. falls in February

WALTHAM, Mass. -- Sales of single-family homes fell by nearly 6 percent last month when compared to the same month a year ago, but median prices jumped by more than 7 percent.

The Massachusetts Association of Realtors reported Tuesday that he median selling price for single-family home in February was $294,950, up from $275,000 in February 2013.

February was the 17th consecutive month of year-over-year price increases.

Home sales were down 25 percent from January, which is typical.

The Waltham-based association says the numbers were driven by high interest from buyers but a low number of homes on the market.

Association president Peter Ruffini says while winter weather hasn't deterred buyers, "the lack of homes for sale over the past several months resulted in a drop in closed sales in February."

Researchers want 9,000 talking cars in Ann Arbor

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan researchers want to triple the number of so-called talking cars involved in an experiment they and government officials hope will lead to safer roads.

Nearly 3,000 wirelessly connected cars, buses, trucks and motorcycles already are operating in Ann Arbor as a part of the study conducted by the university's Transportation Research Institute and funded in large part by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The Ann Arbor News reports Tuesday (http://bit.ly/1m3GZ9F ) Michigan would like to see 9,000 intelligent vehicles operating in the city within the next two years.

The deployment of such vehicles was launched in 2012. They are being used to study how cars equipped with vehicle-to-vehicle wireless communication devices interact with each another and with wirelessly equipped infrastructure, such as intersections and street lights.

Grain lower, cattle higher and pork lower

CHICAGO -- Grain futures were lower Tuesday in early trading on the Chicago Board f Trade.

Wheat for May delivery was unchanged at 7.1450 a bushel; May corn was 3.75 cents lower at 4.8625 a bushel; May oats were unchanged at 4.1750 a bushel; while May soybeans was 3.50 cents lower at 14.22 a bushel.

Beef higher and pork was lower on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

June live cattle was .23 cent higher at $1.3665 a pound; May feeder cattle was .78 cents higher at 1.7835 a pound; June lean hogs loss 1.80 cent to $1.2640 a pound.

Union calls strike at German airports Thursday

FRANKFURT, Germany -- Germany's main public-sector union has called on workers at Frankfurt and most of the country's other major airports to go on strike Thursday to reinforce pay demands for some 2.1 million workers.

The 11-hour strike at Frankfurt, Germany's largest airport, will last from 3:30 a.m. (0230 GMT) until 2:30 p.m. (1330 GMT), Ute Fritzel, a spokeswoman for the ver.di union, said Tuesday.

The strike will affect ground and freight handling, maintenance, administrative and security staff, she said. The airport warned passengers to expect "major disruptions and flight cancellations."

Ver.di later said that walkouts also are planned Thursday at Munich, Cologne-Bonn, Duesseldorf, Hamburg, Hannover and Stuttgart airports. It said those strikes also will affect the day's early shift and end by early afternoon.

The airport walkouts are part of a wider dispute in which the union is asking for a pay hike of 3.5 percent plus 100 euros ($138) for 2.1 million federal and municipal employees. A new round of pay talks is scheduled next week.

Short-term strikes are a common practice in Germany for unions to put pressure on employers.

JP Morgan's "Mr. Fix-it" is the latest departure

WASHINGTON -- Another high-ranking executive at J.P. Morgan is departing, one who had been considered a possible successor to CEO Jamie Dimon.

Michael Cavanagh, who was co-CEO of the company's corporate and investment bank, is joining The Carlyle Group to become co-president and co-chief operating officer.

"While we would prefer he stay at the firm, we are glad he's going to a valued client in Carlyle," Dimon said Tuesday in a news release.

Cavanagh, 48, joined the global bank in 2004 and helped to guide it through the financial crises that washed over Wall Street several years later.

He came to be known as Dimon's "Mr. Fix-it."

In recent years, JPMorgan Chase & Co. has seen some of its top executives exit, including its banking leader and its chief of international operations.

Geagea throws down gauntlet in battle for presidency

BEIRUT: The battle for the 2014 presidential elections, which began Tuesday, belong to the March 14 coalition, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said Tuesday.

“The presidential election battle is March 14’s,” Geagea told a visiting delegation from Deir al-Ahmar Tuesday.

He said the purpose of having a president is “not to provide services and create a strong leader, but to elect a president with a clear vision for Lebanon based on the legitimate, political objectives of March 14.”

Geagea acknowledged that “full coordination” is needed with his March 14 allies in order to secure a presidential victory “because the battle is one for all Lebanon.”

" Lebanon needs a president who takes daring stances," he said.

The LF leader has refused to confirm whether he would run for president.

Group sues NYC, seeks to overturn e-cigarette ban

NEW YORK -- A smokers' advocacy group says it has sued New York City seeking to overturn the city's ban on electronic cigarettes.

The NYC Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment said Tuesday it filed the papers in state Supreme Court.

The Smoke-Free Air Act was signed into law in December, Mayor Michael Bloomberg's last month in office. The law prohibits e-cigarettes in all areas where regular cigarettes are banned.

The lawsuit says regulating both tobacco smoke exposure and e-cigarettes violates the "One Subject Rule" of the city's charter.

The FDA plans to regulate e-cigarettes but has not yet issued proposed rules.

City Council spokeswoman Robin Levine says the act protects New Yorkers from the harmful effects of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. She says the council is confident the courts will uphold the legislation.

Consumer confidence rebounds in sign of optimism

WASHINGTON -- U.S. consumer confidence has rebounded to the highest reading in six years, providing a further sign that the economy's prospects should brighten with warmer weather.

The Conference Board said Tuesday that its confidence index rose to 82.3 this month from a February reading of 78.3. It was the strongest reading since the index stood at 87.3 in January 2008, just as the Great Recession was beginning.

Conference Board economist Lynn Franco said consumers are moderately more upbeat about future job prospects and the overall economy, though less optimistic about income growth.

"Overall, consumers expect the economy to continue improving and believe it may even pick up a little steam in the months ahead," Franco said.

Consumer confidence is closely watched because consumer spending accounts for about 70 percent of economic activity.

The strength in the index this month came from an increase in consumers' expectations, which offset a slight decline in their view of current conditions.

The number of people who felt jobs were hard to get rose slightly to 33 percent, up from 32.4 percent in February. Economists expect views about the labor market to brighten as employers increase the pace of hiring.

Employers added 175,000 jobs in February, far more than in the previous two months, and many private economists foresee solid job gains ahead.

Many see the economy finally gaining momentum this year. The latest outlook from top forecasters at the National Association for Business Economics expect the overall economy, as measured by the gross domestic product, will expand 3.1 percent this year. That would be a substantial increase from last year's lackluster 1.9 percent growth. If that target is reached, it would be the best performance in nine years.

An 18-month recession ended in the summer of 2009, and the recovery since then has been achingly slow. But the tax increases and spending cuts that dragged on growth last year will be less of a factor in 2014, according to many economists.

Faster economic growth and more robust hiring would lift consumers' spirits and power stronger consumer spending, analysts say. That expectation for stronger growth, though, doesn't include the first three months of 2014, when severe winter storms raked parts of the country.

The NABE forecasters expect January-March economic activity to expand at an annual rate of 1.9 percent but then recover to a 2.8 percent growth rate in the April-June quarter.

At its December, January and March meetings, the Federal Reserve trimmed its monthly bond purchases and indicated that the economy, as it gains momentum, will need less support through such bond purchases. Those actions have pushed down long-term interest rates, encouraging investors to remain active in the markets.

US home prices dip in Jan. for 3rd straight month

By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER The Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- U.S. home prices dipped in January for the third straight month as cold weather, a limited supply of homes and higher mortgage rates lowered sales.

The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index, released Tuesday, declined 0.1 percent from December to January, the same decline as the previous two months. The index is not adjusted for seasonal variations, so the dip partly reflects weaker sales in the winter.

The index rose a healthy 13.2 percent in January compared with 12 months earlier. But that is down from a 13.4 percent increase in 2013 and is the second straight month that the annual gain has slowed.

Still, most economists see the price moderation as a positive trend. Home prices jumped over the past two years partly because investors swooped in and bid up prices in places like Las Vegas, Phoenix and other cities in the south and west. Rapid price increases have likely kept some buyers on the sidelines.

"The housing market is showing signs of moving forward with more normal price increases," said David Blitzer, chairman of the S&P Dow Jones index committee.

The Case-Shiller index covers roughly half of U.S. homes. The index measures prices compared with those in January 2000 and creates a three-month moving average. The December figures are the latest available.

The slowdown in price gains follows other signs that the housing recovery has hit a rough spot. Sales of existing homes in February fell to their lowest level since July 2012. Home construction slipped last month for the third month in a row, though builders sought the most permits than in any month in four years.

Some economists say the Case-Shiller figures overstate recent price gains because they include foreclosures. Foreclosed homes usually sell at steep discounts. As the proportion of those sales declines, the index rises more sharply.

Other indexes that exclude foreclosures show smaller but steady increases.

Sleiman holds sideline meetings with Arab leaders

BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman met Tuesday with the Emir of Qatar as well as the presidents of Egypt, Palestine, Djibouti and Algeria on the sidelines of the Arab summit in Kuwait.

Discussions focused on bilateral relations and the general situation in the Arab world, a statement from the presidential office said.

Talks with the Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani stressed the need for Arab solidarity, the statement added.

Sleiman reportedly addressed the impact of the Syria crisis on Lebanon, particularly the issue of the refugees.

Nearly 1 million Syrian refugees have fled their country for Lebanon since the uprising began in March 2011.

The two-day Arab League summit got under way Tuesday amid tensions over the crisis in Syria and Egypt as well as the diplomatic fallout among Gulf states.

Kuwait's emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah, urged heads of Arab states at the annual meeting of the 22-member Arab League to solve rifts he said were obstructing joint Arab action.

A separate statement from Sleiman’s office said the president called a meeting of the Higher Defense Council later Tuesday to discuss the security situation.

No foreign influence in presidential elections: Berri

BEIRUT: There will be no foreign influence in Lebanon’s presidential elections, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri vowed.

Foreign countries “don’t have influence in today's presidential election in the light of the current internal circumstances,” Berri told the local newspaper Al-Joumhouria in remarks published Tuesday.

He said foreign states will make their decision only after the head of state has been elected.

Lebanon entered Tuesday a constitutional deadline to elect a new president.

Walgreen fiscal 2Q profit drops less than 1 pct

Walgreen's fiscal second quarter earnings slipped compared with last year, as a slowdown in generic drug introductions and bad weather contributed to a performance that missed Wall Street's profit expectations.

The drugstore chain and its competitors have been helped in recent quarters by an influx of generic drugs. These cheaper alternatives to branded medicines squeeze sales but help profitability because they come with a wider margin between the cost for the pharmacy to purchase the drugs and the reimbursement it receives.

But that benefit has waned as the flood of new generic drugs seen in recent years has slowed. Walgreen Co. said Tuesday that its revenue managed to grow 5 percent in its fiscal quarter despite that challenge, severe weather that tends to keep customers away from its stores and a comparison to last year's more-severe flu season, which generated more business.

Overall, the nation's largest drugstore chain earned $754 million, or 78 cents per share, in the quarter that ended Feb. 28. That's down from $756 million, or 79 cents per share, a year ago. Adjusted earnings were 91 cents per share.

Analysts expected 93 cents per share, according to FactSet.

Its revenue rose to $19.61 billion from $18.65 billion a year ago and matched Wall Street expectations.

The Deerfield, Ill., company also said it plans to close 76 stores in the second half of its fiscal year "to optimize the company's asset base." That represents a small slice of its total of 8,210 and a big shift from its previous growth strategy, which focused on opening locations to maximize convenience for its customers.

Walgreen shares rose $2.09, or 3.3 percent, to $66.40 in premarket trading about 45 minutes before markets opened Tuesday and after the company reported its quarterly results. The stock started 2014 strong, hitting an all-time high price of $69.84 at the end of last month before retreating. Shares were up 12 percent so far this year, as of Monday's close.

TD Ameritrade offers free investing classes

OMAHA, Neb. -- Online brokerage TD Ameritrade is offering a day of free seminars about investing Tuesday to help people plan for retirement.

The Omaha, Neb., based company is offering seven free webcasts throughout the day about the economy, the stock market and investment options.

TD Ameritrade's Robert Miller says investors need to understand how rising health care costs and longer life spans might affect their retirement expenses.

TD Ameritrade says the education event will start at 9 a.m. Central on Tuesday and continue until 7 p.m.

More details about the event are available online at http://bit.ly/1fXzBrh .

Wall Street looks poised to open higher

Wall Street appeared poised to open higher Tuesday, as U.S. stock futures climbed ahead of the opening bell.

KEEPING SCORE: Dow Jones industrial average futures were up 76 points, or 0.5 percent, to 16,256 as of 8:40 a.m. Eastern time. Standard & Poor's 500 index futures were up eight points, or 0.4 percent, to 1,858 and Nasdaq futures were up 16 points, or 0.4 percent, to 3,627.

HOW CONFIDENT?: At 10 a.m. Eastern, the Conference Board reports on consumer confidence in March. The private group's confidence gauge is expected to show a small gain in February, with a reading of 78.8, according to the data provider FactSet.

HOUSING WATCH: The Commerce Department will issue its report on new-home sales in February. Economists predict that sales dipped 4.9 percent to an annual rate of 445,000 last month, according to FactSet.

TREASURYS AND COMMODITIES: The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note climbed to 2.76 percent from 2.73 percent late Monday. The price of crude oil rose 55 cents to $100.15 a barrel. Gold sank $2.80 to $1,308.40 an ounce.

EUROPE: Major indexes surged in Europe. Germany's DAX added 1.5 percent and France's CAC-40 climbed 1.4 percent. Britain's FTSE 100 rose 1.1 percent.

ASIA: Japan's Nikkei 225 closed 0.4 percent lower. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.5 percent.

Watch: Three Men Leap Off the World Trade Center (with Parachutes)

At about three in the morning, on the last day of last September, three men climbed to the roof of 1 World Trade Center — 1,368 feet above the street — with parachutes and video cameras attached to their helmets. Then they jumped. Above is the video of one of the men's flight.

Today, the New York Daily News first reported, the Manhattan district attorney's office plans to charge them with burglary (it remains unclear of what), as well as other possible charges. (Two of the men were first spotted on Goldman Sachs security cameras, dressed in all black, which, the Daily News reports, led to suspicions of terrorism and a subsequent search of the men's apartments where police found their GoPros. The paper writes, "It was unclear how investigators identified the men," though it seems that a few of the guys have histories of getting caught trying to jump off of New York City buildings; this seems to be their greatest feat.)

As you now know, they've posted evidence of their crime online, for everyone to see. It sure is beautiful.

More Syrian rockets fall on Lebanon

BEIRUT: Two rockets fired from Syria hit Tuesday the outskirts of Hor Taala, near the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek, security sources said.

No casualties or damage were reported following the rocket attack, which took place at 12:50 p.m.

Border areas in east and north Lebanon have been frequent targets of aerial and artillery shelling from Syria since the uprising began in the neighboring country three years ago.

Lebanon has also seen increasing clashes linked to the Syrian crisis, particularly in the northern city of Tripoli, where scores of people have been killed, and more recently in Beirut.

The country has also been plagued by a wave of car bombings carried out by radical Islamist groups seeking to strike Hezbollah's support base.

Spotify slashes prices for US college students

LOS ANGELES -- Spotify is wooing U.S. college students with a $5-a-month premium music deal, half off the regular rate.

It hopes to entice a generation of music lovers that is more likely to stream music than buy CDs to pay for better features and mobile access.

The $5 monthly service announced Tuesday applies to students of post-secondary institutions eligible for federal aid programs, including two-year colleges and vocational schools. The price reverts to normal after graduation.

Jeff Levick, Spotify's chief marketing and revenue officer, says a similar program in Britain has increased the number of paying Spotify customers over the last year.

He says Spotify is focused on people aged 18-24 because they make up the largest group of users and grew up streaming music rather than paying for song downloads.

Obama to propose ending NSA's phone call sweep

WASHINGTON -- The White House wants the National Security Agency to get out of the business of sweeping up and storing vast amounts of data on Americans' phone calls.

The Obama administration this week is expected to propose that Congress overhaul the electronic surveillance program by having phone companies hold onto the call records as they do now, according to a government official briefed on the proposal. The New York Times first reported the details of the proposal Monday night. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the plan.

The White House proposal would end the government's practice of sweeping up the phone records of millions of Americans and holding onto those records for five years so the numbers can be searched for national security purposes. Instead, the White House is expected to propose that the phone records be kept for 18 months, as the phone companies are already required to do by federal regulation, and that it be able to preserve its ability to see certain records in specific circumstances approved by a judge.

According to a senior administration official, the president will present "a sound approach to ensuring the government no longer collects or holds this data, but still ensures that the government has access to the information it needs to meet the national security needs his team has identified." The administration official spoke late Monday on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss the proposal before it was officially announced.

The president's plan, however, relies on Congress to pass legislation — something that has so far seemed unlikely.

Details of the government's secret phone records collection program were disclosed last year by former NSA systems analyst Edward Snowden. Privacy advocates were outraged to learn that the government was holding onto phone records of innocent Americans for up to five years. Obama promised to make changes to the program in an effort to win back public support.

In January, President Barack Obama tasked his administration with coming up with an alternative to the current counterterrorism program and suggested that the phone companies option was the most likely. However, he also said that option posed problems.

"This will not be simple," Obama said. An independent review panel suggested that the practice of the government collecting the phone records be replaced by a third party or the phone companies holding the records, and the government would access them as needed.

"Both of these options pose difficult problems," Obama said in January. "Relying solely on the records of multiple providers, for example, could require companies to alter their procedures in ways that raise new privacy concerns.

And the phone companies have been against this option, as well.

In several meetings with White House staff since December, phone company executives came out strongly opposed to proposals that would shift the custody of the records from the NSA to the telecoms. The executives said they would only accept such changes to the NSA program if they were legally required and if that requirement was spelled out in legislation.

The companies are concerned about the costs of retaining the records and potential liability, such as being sued by individuals whose phone data was provided to intelligence or law enforcement agencies, these people said. The discussions with the White House ceased earlier this year. Industry officials said they had not been in contact with the administration as new options were being considered. The executives have continued to discuss the issue with lawmakers, however.

The administration's proposed changes won't happen right away. The government plans to continue its bulk collection program for at least three months, the Times said.

But it's unlikely that Congress would pass legislation in the next three months, as the NSA surveillance has proved to be a divisive issue, even within political parties.

The chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Dianne Feinstein, has advocated for the program to continue to operate as it does. The California Democrat said she would be open to other options if they met national security and privacy needs.

It is unclear whether the White House proposal will meet those needs.

Leaders of the House intelligence committee are expected to introduce legislation Tuesday that would call for a similar option to the Obama administration's.

Under the administration's pending legislative proposal, officials would have to obtain phone records by getting individual orders from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, the Times report said. The new court orders would require companies to provide those records swiftly and to make available continuing data related to the order when new calls are placed or received.

Associated Press writer Marcy Gordon contributed to this report.

Pence signing Indiana business tax cuts into law

INDIANAPOLIS -- Republican Gov. Mike Pence is set to sign into law a package of Indiana business tax cuts approved by lawmakers earlier this month.

The governor scheduled an event Tuesday in Greenwood to sign a bill cutting the state's corporate income tax and providing options for county leaders to reduce property taxes on business equipment.

Pence had sought the elimination of the state's property tax on business equipment, but he faced strong opposition from local government leaders worried about losing a key source of revenue. The tax plan approved by lawmakers amounts to a portion of what Pence originally sought.

Clashes spread near Syria's border with Turkey

BEIRUT: Activists say clashes between Syrian rebels and forces loyal to President Bashar Assad are spreading in a key coastal area near the Turkish border.

An activist who goes by the name of Abu Salah al-Hafawi says that an array of Islamic rebels groups are fighting government troops near the seaside tourist village of Samra.

Rami Abdurrahman of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also confirmed the information.

Tuesday's fighting comes after rebels seized the town of Kassab and a nearby border crossing with the same name, severing one of the government's last links to the Turkish border.

Al-Hafawi says if rebels take Samra, they will gain access to the sea for the first time in the conflict, now in its fourth year. He spoke from near Samra via Skype.

Two detained over drugs, robbery

BEIRUT: Two brothers were detained in east Lebanon after police found drugs hidden in one mini-bus and masks and iron bars in another, a statement said Tuesday.

The statement said policemen at the Dahr al-Baidar checkpoint confiscated Monday 250 grams of hashish “hidden professionally” in a white Mercedes-Benz passenger van.

It said the Van driver, identified as 29-year-old J.H., was detained and referred to the Anti-Drug Office in the Bekaa Valley.

The same day, the same place, police stopped a silver SsangYong van and detained M.H., 36, J.H.’s brother, after they found two face masks and an iron bar in his possession, the statement added.

It said M.H., who is wanted on six robbery counts, was referred to the Zahle police station for further investigation.

Natchez chamber wants input in tourism hire

NATCHEZ, Miss. -- The Natchez-Adams County Chamber of Commerce tourism council wants to ensure its members' voices are heard before the city begins the search for a new tourism director.

Connie Taunton stepped down last week as director of the Natchez Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The Natchez Democrat reports (http://bit.ly/1fdS8Qo ) Mississippi Tourism Association President Lyn Fortenbery told the council the purpose of a Monday meeting council members attended was to make sure they have a voice in the hiring process.

Alderwoman Sarah Smith said she believes it is important the city hears input for the tourism council before starting the search for a new director.

Smith said the city will likely hire an interim director to lead the CVB during the search for a full-time director.

Disney to buy YouTube video producer Maker Studios

LOS ANGELES -- Disney said Monday that it is buying YouTube channel operator Maker Studios for $500 million as the family entertainment giant seeks to stay in front of younger viewers who are increasingly watching short videos online.

It's the latest and largest acquisition of a YouTube channel network by a major Hollywood studio and represents another vote of confidence in the video service as an incubator of talent.

The Walt Disney Co. said it would pay up to $450 million more in bonuses if Maker meets performance targets, the company said. The Maker deal is Disney's biggest acquisition since it bought "Star Wars" creator Lucasfilm Ltd. for $4.06 billion in late 2012.

The purchase will give Disney ownership of 55,000 channels — including Epic Rap Battles of History and makeup expert Amy Pham's The Fashion Statement. Combined, Maker has 380 million subscribers and generates 5.5 billion views per month.

Buying Maker Studios will help Disney reach young audiences, said Kevin Mayer, Disney's executive vice president of corporate strategy, in an interview.

"They have the biggest audience on YouTube. It's very hard to replicate," Mayer said.

He said that while Disney also reaches younger viewers, their habits are changing.

"To the extent that they're finding YouTube, we want to be there too," he said. "We don't want to have any vacuums."

Mayer said that Disney could also find talent for its TV shows and movies in the YouTube stars on Maker Studios' channels.

It wouldn't be the first to attempt to mine YouTube for characters that could be taken mainstream. In 2010, Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. released "Fred: The Movie" in 2010, using the character that Lucas Cruikshank turned into a viral, if annoying, sensation on YouTube.

It also follows other media giants into the space.

Earlier this month, Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros. led an $18 million investment into videogamer network Machinima. Last year, DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. bought the AwesomenessTV network for $33 million, with a bonus potential of $117 million if the studio met earnings targets over two years.

Peter Csathy, chief executive of investment fund Manatt Digital Media Ventures, said the scarcity of leading YouTube channel networks has contributed to a run-up in the price for the few that remain.

"The mass numbers of viewers coming to these channels is what it's all about," Csathy said. "It's the numbers and the scale. It's that coveted young demographic. Those are the contexts underlying all of this."

Richard Raddon, co-founder of online video management company ZEFR, said traditional media companies have only recently begun to see YouTube as a valuable platform to invest in.

"A few years ago, I don't think YouTube was on their radar as a big, broad, viable global platform with an enormous audience. It is today," Raddon said.

For Maker, the acquisition marks a stunning ascent.

Founded in 2009 by YouTube stars Lisa Donovan and her brother Ben, Danny Zappin, Shay Carl Butler and Kassem Gharaibeh, the company operates out of makeshift offices spread over several buildings in Culver City, Calif., and generates hundreds of videos every month.

When The Associated Press visited Maker in late 2011, it was shooting videos in the alley. The space was full of costumes, props, computers, and cables running everywhere.

Maker raised $70 million in two fundraising rounds from 2012 to 2013 that reportedly valued it around $300 million. Investors included Time Warner Inc. and others.

Last year, former CEO of production company Endemol Ynon Kreiz became Maker's CEO after Zappin stepped down in acrimony. Zappin later sued his co-founders over his ouster.

The combination of Maker's earnings and accounting charges Disney will have to make on the purchase will dampen Disney's earnings per share "mildly" through the 2017 fiscal year, Mayer said.

Disney shares rose 35 cents to $79.84 in after-hours trading Monday after falling 86 cents, or 1.1 percent, to close at $79.49 in regular trading.

Monday's Sports In Brief

GOLF

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tiger Woods is not sure whether his ailing back will allow him to play in the Masters, which is two weeks away.

"For Augusta, it's actually still a little too soon, to be honest with you," Woods said Monday at a news conference to announce that Quicken Loans is the new title sponsor of his golf tournament. "That's kind of the frustrating thing about this."

The Masters is the only major tournament the 38-year-old Woods has never missed. Four of his 14 major championships came at Augusta National, including his first in 1997. He last won the green jacket in 2005.

This year's Masters is April 10-13.

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NFL

WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder says it's time to put some money behind his claim that his team's nickname honors Native Americans.

Snyder said Monday he's creating a foundation to assist American Indian tribes, even as some in that community continue to assert that the name "Redskins" is offensive.

"It's not enough to celebrate the values and heritage of Native Americans," Snyder said in a letter to the team's fans. "We must do more."

The letter states the Washington Redskins Original Americans Foundation will "provide meaningful and measurable resources that provide genuine opportunities" for Native Americans. The announcement did not state whether Snyder will personally donate any money to the foundation and gave no other financial details.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Commissioner Roger Goodell says the NFL will meet on April 8 with the players union to discuss improving the workplace environment.

In the wake of the Miami Dolphins bullying scandal, league representatives have met with some 40 players in the last three months, as well as with the Dolphins and outside organizations, Goodell said Monday at the NFL owners meetings. The league is trying to get "as much input as possible. It's more about people understanding the importance of a proper workplace."

Goodell added the focus is on medical evaluations of the players involved, including tackle Jonathan Martin, who left the Dolphins in the middle of last season, saying he was harassed by guard Richie Incognito. Martin was traded to the 49ers earlier this month.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge in Los Angeles has again refused to release former NFL All-Pro safety Darren Sharper from jail.

Sharper is awaiting trial in Los Angeles after pleading not guilty to charges that he raped and drugged two women last year. He was previously released on $1 million bail before being charged in Arizona with similar counts.

Now, his lawyers say he should be freed again and kept under house arrest because authorities in Arizona have said they won't seek his extradition.

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TENNIS

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) — Maria Sharapova was happy to play an 11 a.m. match Monday, especially when her work day was already done by the time a mid-afternoon shower interrupted play.

Sharapova started early but didn't start well. She won only five points in the first four games before settling down to reach the quarterfinals at the Sony Open by beating Kirsten Flipkens 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.

The world's top-ranked players had an easier time. Serena Williams eliminated fellow American CoCo Vandeweghe 6-3, 6-1. Rafael Nadal received a warning for slow play and still won in 59 minutes against Denis Istomin, 6-1, 6-0.

No. 10 seed John Isner, the only American to reach the men's third round, hit 17 aces and beat Nicolas Almagro 7-5, 6-3. No. 29 Venus Williams lost her serve eight times and was beaten by No. 10 Dominika Cibulkova 6-1, 5-7, 6-3.

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OLYMPICS

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The IOC will oppose a reported bid by a Russian businessman to trademark the four-ring Olympic symbol displayed at the opening ceremony of the Sochi Games.

Dmitry Medvedev, the owner of a company that builds luxury country homes, has told the Russian RBC news outlet that he filed a patent application for the defective logo.

Sochi's opening ceremony experienced a glitch when one of the five Olympic rings — represented by snowflakes — failed to open.

Medvedev, who has no relation to the Russian prime minister of the same name, says his company has used the image in its ads. He says he filed the trademark application to the state patent agency in Moscow to fend off any complaints from the IOC.

The International Olympic Committee says it "is aware of this matter and is opposed to the trademark application because of its similarity with the Olympic Symbol."

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PISTORIUS TRIAL

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — The police cell phone expert who accessed messages from Oscar Pistorius' girlfriend saying she was sometimes scared of him is presenting more data in the champion runner's murder trial.

Capt. Francois Moller says he obtained more than 1,000 exchanges between Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp. Moller said he received as evidence two BlackBerry phones, two iPhones, two iPads and a Mac computer from Pistorius' house the day after Steenkamp was shot to death. He began to discuss Tuesday how he pulled data from the phones.

He said the data on Steenkamp's phone would print to more than 35,000 pages. It gives insight into the couple's relationship before Feb. 14, 2013. Prosecutors allege Pistorius fatally shot Steenkamp after a Valentine's Day argument. Pistorius says he killed her by accident.

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FIGURE SKATING

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean sports officials said they are preparing to file a formal complaint with the International Skating Union over the judging of the women's figure skating competitions at the Sochi Olympics.

South Korean fans were outraged when Yuna Kim was denied a second straight Olympic figure skating gold medal at that the Sochi Games and blamed questionable judging. Kim, the 2010 Olympic champion, settled for silver behind Russian teenager Adelina Sotnikova.

Officials at the Korean Olympic Committee and the Korea Skating Union said their complaint will be filed with the International Skating Union's disciplinary committee calling for an investigation into the judging. Korea Skating Union officials said they are gathering necessary documents and materials.

Orr to lead policy discussion on urban governance

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Detroit's state-appointed emergency manager Kevyn Orr is scheduled to lead a policy discussion at the University of Michigan on the future of urban governance in the city.

The program is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon in the Michigan Union's Rogel Ballroom in Ann Arbor.

It is sponsored by the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy and the Domestic Policy Corps.

Orr is a bankruptcy attorney and earned his law degree at the University of Michigan Law School. He was appointed in March 2013 to fix Detroit's finances and filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy in July. In December, a federal judge allowed the city into the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history.

Orr's contract runs through September.

Jindal appoints new member of state gambling board

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Gov. Bobby Jindal has appointed a former commissioner of administration to the nine-member board that regulates the state's gambling industry.

Jindal named Dennis Stine, of Sulphur, to the Louisiana Gaming Control Board in his most recent round of board and commission appointments.

The Advocate reports (http://bit.ly/1gSbfPF ) that Stine, who also served in the Louisiana House, is the CEO of Stine Lumber Company. He is vice chairman on the Christus Health Board, where he serves on the finance, strategy and investment committees.

Stine will serve as a gambling board member with expertise in finance.

Berri postpones committee meeting to discuss wage scale

BEIRUT: A joint parliamentary committee meeting has been postponed one day due to a session the Cabinet will be holding on Thursday.

A statement by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri’s office said the committee meeting, scheduled to address the lingering salary scale issue, was postponed one day till Friday.

Wisconsin offers income tax filing assistance

MADISON, Wis. -- The Wisconsin Department of Revenue is reminding taxpayers of a variety of resources it is offering to help as the deadline for filing income tax returns nears.

The April 15 filing deadline is just three weeks away.

The Revenue Department's website has instructional videos, links to forms and common questions, as well as a new mobile app with the most popular tax-related online services.

There are also more than 200 sites across the state where free income tax filing assistance is available for low to moderate income residents, seniors, veterans, and individuals with disabilities.

Taxpayers can also call 211 to find the nearest volunteer tax site.

Justices tackle health law birth control coverage

WASHINGTON -- Supreme Court justices are weighing whether corporations have religious rights that exempt them from part of the new health care law that requires coverage of birth control for employees at no extra charge.

The case being argued at the Supreme Court on Tuesday involves family-owned companies that provide health insurance to their employees, but object to covering certain methods of birth control that they say can work after conception, in violation of their religious beliefs.

The Obama administration and its supporters say a Supreme Court ruling in favor of the businesses also could undermine laws governing immunizations, Social Security taxes and minimum wages.

The justices have never before held that profit-making businesses have religious rights. But the companies in the Supreme Court case and their backers argue that a 1993 federal law on religious freedom extends to businesses as well as individuals.

Under the new health care law, health plans must offer a range of preventive services at no extra charge, including all forms of birth control for women that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Some of the nearly 50 businesses that have sued over covering contraceptives object to paying for all forms of birth control. But the companies involved in the high court case are willing to cover most methods of contraception, as long as they can exclude drugs or devices that the government says may work after an egg has been fertilized.

The largest company among them is Hobby Lobby Stores Inc., an Oklahoma City-based chain of more than 600 crafts stores in 41 states with more than 15,000 full-time employees. The company is owned by the Green family, evangelical Christians who say they run their business on biblical principles. The Greens also own the Mardel chain of Christian bookstores.

The other company is Conestoga Wood Specialties Corp. of East Earl, Pa. The business is owned by the Hahns, a family of Mennonite Christians, and employs 950 people in making wood cabinets.

Members of the Green and Hahn families are expected to be in the courtroom, and protesters on both sides are promising to show up outside the court Tuesday morning. People have been in line since the weekend for a chance to see the argument, among the term's biggest.

The 90-minute argument, extended from the usual one hour, features the same lawyers who argued opposite sides of the court's epic consideration of the health care law in 2012 and the federal gay marriage law case last year. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli Jr. is the Obama administration's top Supreme Court lawyer, while Paul Clement, who held the same job under President George W. Bush, is representing the businesses.

Two hospitalized in separate self-immolation attempts

BEIRUT: A Lebanese gas station owner in the Bekaa Valley and a Syrian woman in Tripoli were rushed to hospitals after lighting themselves on fire in separate incidents Tuesday, security sources said.

Fawzi Nakhle doused himself in gasoline before lighting himself after police approached him with a court order to close his gas station in the western Bekaa town of Aana, the sources said.

Quick-thinking residents saved his life and Nakhle was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Meanwhile, in the northern city of Tripoli, a Syrian woman identified as Mariam al-Khawli tried to commit suicide by setting herself on fire while sceaming “Because of you! because of you!”

Bystanders reacted almost instantly, smothering the fire and calling an ambulance.

Minn. minimum wage bill negotiations to resume

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Public bargaining is resuming over Minnesota's minimum wage.

A House-Senate conference committee trying to forge a deal is scheduled to convene on Tuesday. The committee hasn't met since early in March after getting bogged down.

There seems to be consensus about raising the state's minimum wage from $6.15 per hour to $9.50 per hour. How fast remains a point of discussion. There's also dispute about whether to automatically hike the wage in future years to account for inflation.

Senate Democrats say they lack the needed votes to pass a bill with an automatic bump later on. Rep. Ryan Winkler, the chief House negotiator, says he isn't backing away from that provision and will make a new offer that still includes an inflation measure.

Legal definition of Tenn. whiskey before lawmakers

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- House and Senate committees are scheduled to take up bills seeking to undo the legal definition of Tennessee whiskey enacted last year.

The current law requires spirits to be charcoal mellowed and stored in unused oak barrels in order to print "Tennessee whiskey" on their labels.

The law was passed at the behest of Jack Daniel's, which distills its whiskey about 65 miles south of the state Capitol, in Lynchburg. Some smaller distillers including George Dickel, Pritchard's and startups like Full Throttle oppose the law as too restrictive.

But other new distillers agree with Jack Daniel's that dialing back the law could lead to quality problems like artificial colors and flavoring.

Jack Daniel's is owned by Louisville, Ky.-based Brown-Forman Corp., while Dickel is owned by global rival Diageo PLC.

Oil down as factory data, sanctions risk weighed

Oil prices edged slightly lower on Tuesday as soft factory data from China and the U.S. balanced the threat of sanctions against Russia following its annexation of the Crimean Peninsula.

Benchmark oil for May delivery was down 6 cents to $99.54 at 0610 GMT in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 14 cents to close at $99.60 on Monday.

A dismal preliminary report on factory activity in China continued to weigh on sentiment. The HSBC-Markit purchasing managers' index fell to an eight-month low in March, further evidence of the prolonged slowdown that could lead to lower demand for energy in the world's No. 2 economy. A similar index for the U.S. fell from a four-year high.

Offsetting those concerns was the possibility of sanctions against oil and gas producer Russia. The U.S. and other Group of Seven countries vowed to launch coordinated sanctions on key parts of the economy, which could include the energy industry, if Russian President Vladimir Putin presses further into Ukraine.

Brent crude, used to set prices for international varieties of crude, slipped 15 cents to $106.66.

In other energy futures trading on Nymex:

— Wholesale gasoline was steady at $2.886 a gallon.

— Heating oil fell 0.2 cent to $2.912 a gallon

— Natural gas rose 0.4 cent to $4.28 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Sleiman to continue in politics after term ends

BEIRUT: Michel Sleiman is adamant he should leave the presidency, but says he will continue to work in politics to pass on his expertise to the new head of state who is expected to be elected in two months.

“I will continue to work in politics, but I won’t run in parliamentary elections,” Sleiman said in remarks published Tuesday.

“I will play a role at the national level by using my expertise and relationships to help the new president,” Sleiman told the local daily Al-Mustaqbal. “I can help him on many issues.”

The President remained unwavering in his stance on the extension of his mandate.

“Extending my mandate [as president] is out of the question,” he said on the plane that took him Monday to Kuwait to attend a two-day Arab summit.

Besides, Sleiman concedes, the extension is not possible under the current internal and external circumstances. He did not elaborate.

Sleiman said he has not heard about an Iranian-supported proposal that calls for the extension of his term in return for the extension of that of embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad.

“In any case, Hezbollah will not approve the extension. How can Hezbollah agree to the extension after the positions taken recently? This is impossible.”

Lebanon entered Tuesday a two-month constitutional period to elect a new head of state.

Nearly 234,000 get $40 Citizens Insurance refunds

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says nearly 234,000 people covered by the state's insurer of last resort are getting $40 refund checks — and many are calling to find out if it's for real.

The money is for application fees charged by Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation to policyholders without their knowledge.

Donelon says the policy's declaration page did not mention the fee, which is being refunded under a court order.

He says checks have been issued to 233,868 policy holders. They're being sent with a letter from Rust Consulting, Inc. which is handling the payments.

Donelon says many people getting those letters and checks are calling the Insurance Department and Citizens to verify that the refund is legitimate. He says it is.

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Online:

Court order: http://1.usa.gov/1li2eXT

Company hoping to carry NASA astronauts at Michoud

NEW ORLEANS -- Companies hoping to shuttle NASA astronauts to the International Space Station are showing what they've done at the Michoud Assembly Facility in eastern New Orleans.

Lockheed Martin Corp. of Bethesda, Md., has begun building the Dream Chaser mini-shuttle for Sierra Nevada Corp. of Sparks, Nev.

Officials from both companies are at Michoud on Tuesday.

Sierra Nevada is among three aerospace companies picked in 2012 to build small rocketships to take astronauts to the space station.

The Boeing Co. of Houston and Space Exploration Technologies, called SpaceX, of Hawthorne, Calif., both are building capsules like those of the Apollo era.

All three would carry seven people.

Sierra Nevada's design is based on an old NASA test ship design. It looks like the retired shuttle but its stubby wings angle upward.

NY loans for businesses of women, minorities

ALBANY, N.Y. -- New York is launching a program to expand access to short-term bridge loans to minority and women-owned business enterprises.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo says Monday that participating lenders are committing at least $20 million to the launch of the "Bridge to Success" program.

Loans through the program will typically be less than $200,000 with terms under two years. The money will aloow qualified businesses to hire staff, buy material and purchase equipment.

The New York Business Development Corp., State Employees Federal Credit Union, Tompkins Mahopac Bank, TruFund Financial Services and Carver Federal Savings Bank are participating in the program.

The state agency Empire State Development is providing $2.73 million for loan loss reserves.