Michaels has tepid return to public markets

NEW YORK -- Michaels had a tepid return to the stock market Friday, its shares going back and forth between small gains and declines.

The arts and crafts store operator's shares closed up 2 cents to $17.02 in trading on the Nasdaq, after falling as much as 2 percent earlier.

The lackluster response shows investors are wary of retailing and the fragmented $30 billion arts and crafts industry. The last IPO from a major retailer was The Container Store Group Inc., which made its debut in November. Its shares have fallen 20 percent since then and closed at $29 Friday.

The IPO comes amid a market rush. It's the third-busiest week for IPOs since 2000, according to IPO investment adviser Renaissance Capital.

Michaels Cos. Inc., which also runs the Aaron Brothers chain, priced an initial public offering of 27.8 million shares at $17 each, at the low end of its predicted range.

The Irving, Texas, company raised $472 million from the offering.

Private equity firms Bain Capital LLC and The Blackstone Group LP bought Michaels in a $6 billion leveraged buyout in 2006.

Michaels' IPO was delayed two years after its then-CEO John Menzer resigned after a stroke.

Michaels, which was in a sweet spot during the Great Recession when homemade goods gained new currency as people tried to save money, has faced increasingly tough competition. That's coming from discounters — Wal-Mart Stores Inc., for example, recently brought back its fabric offerings — and online king Amazon.com.

Michaels has been late to the online party, launching its e-commerce business only this year.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Friday, Chuck Rubin, who was appointed CEO of Michaels in March 2013, dismissed the market's response. He said he's focusing on long-term opportunities, and that investors will be rewarded.

"This is a marathon, not a sprint," he added.

While there's not a lot of data available on the arts and crafts market, he said Michaels' sales have been growing faster than the industry's annual rate of low-single-digit increases, and it's been taking market share away from other traditional chains, though he declined to give names.

Rubin shrugged off competition from Amazon, saying e-commerce is not as much of a threat as it is to other industries.

"When you sell pieces and parts, we know customers want to come to the brick and mortar stores to see how things come together," he said.

He also noted the average price for an arts and crafts item is $3. "There's no easy showrooming in this industry," he added.

The big opportunity is personalization and taking advantage of social media sites like Pinterest, he says. Michaels wants to focus not only on the crafts enthusiasts but novices as well. Last year, more than 800,000 customers took classes at Michaels stores.

The company, founded in 1973 with one small store in Dallas, said in a regulatory filing that North America could potentially grow to 1,500 Michaels stores. It currently operates 1,263 Michaels stores and 118 Aaron Brothers stores.

Its original debut as a public company came in 2001 on the New York Stock Exchange. It's using the same ticker "MIK," but is now trading on the Nasdaq.

For its latest fiscal year, which ended on Feb. 1, sales rose nearly 4 percent to $4.6 billion. Net income rose to $243 million from $200 million.

The arts and crafts chain plans to use the IPO's proceeds to pay down its debt. It had $3.7 billion of debt as of May 3.

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AP Business Reporter Michelle Chapman contributed to this report in New York.

Wheat rises ahead of closely watched report

Wheat prices rose to their highest level in two weeks Friday as traders prepared for the release of a closely watched U.S. crop report Monday.

September wheat rose nine cents, or 1.5 percent, to $5.94 a bushel. That's the highest price since June 10.

The Department of Agriculture will release its quarterly grain stocks report on Monday. The report is expected to show wheat stocks declined as well as a modest decline in the amount of acres of wheat being grown in the U.S.

Corn rose 4 cents, or 1 percent, to $4.47 a bushel and soybeans fell 16 cents, or 1 percent, to $12.28 a bushel ahead of the report.

In other commodities, oil fell 10 cents, or 0.1 percent, to $105.74 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline rose 1.3 cents to close at $3.07 a gallon, natural gas fell 1.1 cents close at $4.39 per 1,000 cubic feet and heating oil fell 1.6 cents to close at $3 a gallon.

In metals, gold rose $3, or 0.2 percent, to $1,320 an ounce. Silver fell three cents, or 0.1 percent, to $21.08 an ounce. Platinum rose $8.40, or 0.6 percent, to $1,478.50 an ounce and palladium rose $7.05, or 0.8 percent, to $842.85 an ounce.

Hedge fund calls off plan for move to Stamford

WESTPORT, Conn. -- A Connecticut-based hedge fund says it is calling off a plan to build a $750 million corporate headquarters in Stamford.

Bridgewater Associates says it made the decision after considering the "challenges, time, energy, and resources" that would be involved in completing the project.

Two years ago Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced that the state would provide up to $115 million in state aid to support the company's plan to build the new headquarters and create up to 1,000 jobs.

The Westport-based company said in its statement Friday that it is thankful to the governor for his support but it is now exploring other options.

Bridgewater manages about $150 billion in investments worldwide for a variety of clients, including pension funds, university endowments, charities, foreign governments and central banks.

How the Dow Jones industrial average did Friday

Summertime settled into Wall Street on Friday as major stock indexes drifted slightly higher going into the weekend. The listless day of trading left the stock market with a tiny loss for the week, its second this month. A handful of corporate results drove trading in some big names. Warnings of weaker earnings pushed DuPont down, while stronger results pushed Nike up. But the overall market was essentially flat.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 5.71 points, less than 0.1 percent, to close at 16,851.84.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 3.74 points, or 0.2 percent, to 1,960.96.

The Nasdaq composite index rose 18.88 points, or 0.4 percent, to 4,397.93.

For the week:

The Dow fell 95.24 points, or 0.6 percent.

The S&P 500 fell 1.91 points, or 0.1 percent.

The Nasdaq rose 29.89 points, or 0.7 percent.

For the year:

The Dow is up 275.18 points, or 1.7 percent.

The S&P 500 index is up 112.60 points, or 6.1 percent.

The Nasdaq is up 221.34 points, or 5.3 percent.

Board blocks demolition of Vicksburg building

VICKSBURG, Miss. -- A Vicksburg businessman's plans to demolish the two-story brick building he owns have been put on hold again by the Board of Architectural Review.

The Vicksburg Post reported (http://bit.ly/1nPQEje) that the board for a second time refused to give Robert Johnson approval to tear down the building at the corner of Speed and Washington streets to make way for a used-car lot. The board issued a five-month stay on demolition.

The building is in Vicksburg's historic district and board members say it is an important structure. In February, the board had issued a 4 and a half month stay for further consideration of the request.

Demolition stays are issued to give property owners in the district time to consider alternatives to taking them down, such as renovation.

Johnson said in February that he wanted to remove the building. Several board members recommended that Johnson renovate the building, including removing the top floor and remodeling and using its ground-floor portion.

Johnson, however, said he couldn't afford to repair the building.

Several board members also suggested Johnson sell the building, but he said the property's corner lot is a good fit for his proposed car business.

The building was home to a television and electronics repair shop from 1966 to 2009. It was built about 1910 by Lebanese immigrant Elias Bodron, who opened Bodron's Grocery on its first floor.

Sirens, phones sound erroneous alert in California

LOS ANGELES -- People in San Luis Obispo County received a series of unsettling, erroneous emergency alerts Friday as repairs were being made to a nuclear power plant's siren system, including a vague cellphone message that told them to "prepare for action."

The chain of mistaken alerts began arousing confusion and fear when a siren that's part of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant's warning system began wailing Friday afternoon for no apparent reason, county emergency services manager Ron Alsop said.

Earlier in the day, crews had upgraded the siren as part of a summer-long revamp of the emergency system by Pacific Gas & Electric Co.

To indicate there was no emergency, county officials issued an alert.

"Unbeknownst to us, with a new emergency alert system, it also triggered the new wireless alert cellphone system," Alsop said.

Across the county, people's cellphones buzzed with a special tone and a vague message that said there was a "civil emergency in this area" and people should "prepare for action."

The warning halted wine tasting at the Saucelito Canyon Vineyard & Winery in San Luis Obispo, manager Katherine Taylor said.

"I had 15 people here, looking at their phones and asking what to do," she said.

Nisse Noble, 27, was at her online apparel company's office when she received the message. The vague warning was "unsettling," leading her to think there was a mass shooting, a nuclear accident or a criminal at large in the area, she said.

"We didn't know where we should turn or what we should prepare for," Noble said.

When county officials realized the gaffe, they issued a final message stating that there was no cause for alarm.

"We're just glad we learned this before we had an actual emergency," Alsop said.

Court Stays Decision Striking Down Indiana's Gay Marriage Ban

A federal court has granted a stay on a lower court ruling striking down Indiana's same-sex marriage ban ahead of a planned appeal.

Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller was granted a stay by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, which will hear an appeal of a ruling Wednesday of the U.S. District Court. Wednesday's decision found the ban unconstitutional.

Since the earlier ruling, some Indian officials had begun issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

In his ruling, District Judge Richard Young wrote: "Same-sex couples, who would otherwise qualify to marry in Indiana, have the right to marry in Indiana. ... These couples, when gender and sexual orientation are taken away, are in all respects like the family down the street. The Constitution demands that we treat them as such."

New Mexico county in prairie chicken lawsuit

LOVINGTON, N.M. -- Commissioners in a southeastern New Mexico county voted unanimously Thursday to join a lawsuit against listing the lesser prairie chicken as a threatened species.

Lea County Commission Chairman Gregg Fulfer said the county entered the lawsuit because the commission believes the federal government's results on the chicken's threatened status is inconclusive.

The lawsuit is expected to be a long battle on the future of the endangered grouse roaming five states, Hobbs News-Sun reports (http://goo.gl/t5mRgc).

Earlier this month, Lea County was listed in a joint complaint filed in a federal court in Texas. The Permian Basin Petroleum Association and four other New Mexico counties are also listed on the complaint.

"We had been working through this for a while," he said. "...We discussed all their science and showed in a lot of different ways how their science they were using was not credible."

Ranchers and oil companies believe the listing will have a negative effect on the ranching, oil and gas and wind farm industries in states where the chicken lives — New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado.

The federal government said those states had fewer than 18,000 lesser prairie chickens in 2013, down almost 50 percent from 2012.

The Obama administration in March listed the prairie chicken as threatened.

In a statement, U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., applauded the New Mexico counties who are part of the lawsuit.

"The Fish and Wildlife Service's decision to cater to environmental groups and disregard science will devastate New Mexico's way of life," he said. "New Mexicans will pay the price in lost jobs, industry, ranching and oil and gas production. This is a federal government that is out of control."

Recalls This Week: wine openers, bicycles

A line of devices used to puncture a hole in a wine bottle cork are being recalled because they can cause the bottle to burst or crack. Other consumer products recalled this week include faulty bicycles and air conditioning systems with improper grounding.

Here's a more detailed look:

WINE ACCESS SYSTEMS

DETAILS: Coravin 1000 Wine Access Systems, which use a hollow needle to penetrate a wine bottle cork and allow wine to be dispensed without removing the cork. The Coravin name and logo appear on the front side of the tube. The system comes with a silver storage base and two argon gas capsules. They were sold at Coravin.com and other online retailers and at wine shops from July 2013 to June 2014.

WHY: The system can cause wine bottles to break during pressurization, posing a risk of lacerations.

INCIDENTS: 13 reports of bottles breaking, including one in which a bottle burst into four pieces and resulted in an injury involving two chipped teeth and a laceration that required stitches, four in which the bottles cracked and leaked, and eight in which bottles broke into two pieces.

HOW MANY: About 65,000 in the U.S. and about 640 in Canada.

FOR MORE: Call Coravin at 844-267-2846, send email to update@coravin.com, or visit www.coravin.com, and click on "Important Safety Announcement - Recall to Repair" for more information.

BICYCLES

DETAILS: Link Uno, Link D7i, Link D8, Link P9, Link P7i, and Link P24h models of Tern brand adult folding bikes. "Tern" is printed on the front end of the top tube and on other portions of the frame. The model name is printed on the middle of the top tube. Recalled bicycles have a 10-character alphanumeric serial number that begin with either AI1133 through AI1137 or AI1151 through AI1213 stamped on the bottom bracket shell of the bike. An alphanumeric service tag number is located on the front of the seat tube and this number can be used to determine if the bicycle is affected by going to the firm's website. The bicycles were sold from November 2011 to April 2014.

WHY: The bike's frame can crack at the hinge on the top tube, posing a fall hazard.

INCIDENTS: No incidents or injuries reported in the U.S, but there have been 11 reports of the bicycle frames cracking including five reports of minor scrapes and bruises from outside of the U.S.

HOW MANY: 650 in the U.S. and about 20 in Canada.

FOR MORE: Call Stile Products at 888-570-8376 or visit www.ternbicycles.com and click on "Product Recall Information" for more information.

AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEMS

DETAILS: Trane XB300 and American Standard Silver SI Air Conditioning Systems. This recall involves 37 models of Trane XB300 and American Standard brand Silver SI split system outdoor cooling units. They were sold at Trane and American Standard independent distributors and dealers nationwide from February 2010 to March 2014. The Trane or American Standard logo is affixed to the front and model numbers are printed on the silver nameplate on the back of the unit. Information on the models included in the recall can be found at http://1.usa.gov/1iDL6w4

WHY: The ground screws used in some units do not have the two threads required to provide sufficient grounding, posing a shock hazard to consumers.

INCIDENTS: None reported.

HOW MANY: About 100,600.

FOR MORE: Call Trane at 888-731-7561 or visit http://bit.ly/1wSDQz7 and click on "XB300 Product Recall" for more information. Consumers can also log onto http://bit.ly/1iDL4nX and click on "XB300 Product Recall" for more information.

BICYCLES

DETAILS: SR Suntour forks on model year 2011 through 2013 Scott and Trek bicycles. They were sold from May 2010 to November June 2014. The Scott bicycles have 700c wheels, disc brakes and one of the following Suntour front fork models: NEX or NCX. Bicycle model names and numbers are on the main frame of each bicycle in a location that varies by model. The model year can be identified by the color scheme of the bicycle frame. The fork's model name is printed on the outer sides of the fork. Model information on the recalled bicycles can be found at http://1.usa.gov/1wSDNDx

WHY: The front fork can break, posing a crash hazard.

INCIDENTS: One report of a broken SR Suntour fork. No injuries were reported. Trek has received 28 reports of broken forks. Five injuries have been reported, including minor bruises, a separated shoulder and broken bones.

HOW MANY: About 5,200 forks on Scott bicycles and about 120,000 forks on Trek bicycles.

FOR MORE: Call Scott USA at 888-607-8365, ext. 2012, or visit www.scott-sports.com and click on Safety and Recalls at the bottom of the page for more information. Call Trek at 800-373-4594 or visit www.trekbikes.com and click on the Get Support button at the bottom of the page, then click on Safety & Recalls under Owner Resources for more information.

WOMEN'S SCARVES

DETAILS: Julie Vos women's scarves, which are 100 percent modal fabric, a type of rayon, and were sold in two prints, Anchor and Sierra. Anchor was sold in three colors, including blue, green and orange. Sierra was sold in four colors, including raspberry/magenta, orange/peach, cream/gray and blue/purple. Julie Vos is printed on a tag sewn into the back of the scarf. They were sold at specialty boutiques nationwide and online at www.julievos.com from January 2014 through February 2014.

WHY: The scarves fail to meet the federal flammability standard for wearing apparel and pose a risk of burn injuries.

INCIDENTS: One report of a shawl catching fire. No injuries have been reported.

HOW MANY: About 324.

FOR MORE: Call Julie Vos at 646-448-4345, send email to info@julievos.com, or visit www.julievos.com and click on "Recall" for more information.

PROPANE GAS FIREPLACES

DETAILS: Napoleon GD3200-P and GD3200B-P Propane Gas Fireplaces. The model number GD3200-P and GD3200B-P can be found in the center of the rating label. The rating label is located on the base of the fireplace behind the lower louvered access door. They were sold at hearth Fireplace specialty stores nationwide from August 1992 through May 2001.

WHY: The pressure from the ignition of the propane gas can cause the glass front to break, posing a laceration hazard.

INCIDENTS: One incident report occurring in Canada where the glass shattered resulting in cuts to the face and neck that required medical attention. No incidents were reported in the U.S.

HOW MANY: About 600 units in the U.S. and 2,400 in Canada

FOR MORE: Call Wolf Steel at 866-539-2039 or visit http://bit.ly/1wSDQzg and click the SUPPORT tab listed as the first item in the left side FAQ column.

ELECTRIC PIANOS

DETAILS: Roland model RD-800 Electronic Digital Pianos. Pianos within the following serial number ranges are being recalled:Z6D0015 to Z6D0019, Z7D0174 to Z7D0423, Z8D1 056 to Z8D1255, Z9D2131 to Z9D2333. The model number is on the front left of the piano. "Roland" and the model number are in large type on the back of the piano. The serial number and model number are on a data plate on the right side of the rear of the piano between the XLR output connectors and the AC IN connector. They were sold from January 2014 to April 2014.

WHY: The AC power cord can be connected to the XLR output jacks, posing an electrical shock hazard.

INCIDENTS: One report of a consumer connecting the power cord to an XLR output jack. No injuries have been reported.

HOW MANY: About 640.

FOR MORE: Call Roland at 877-339-5492, send email to rd800update@rolandus.com, or visit www.rolandus.com and click on"RD-800 Recall Notice" under Support at the bottom of the page for more information. Or call the Consumer Product Safety Commission toll-free hotline at 1-800-638-2772.

FIREWORKS KITS

DETAILS: Contraband 24 fireworks kits with canister shells and firing tubes that are designed to be used multiple times. The kit came in a brown cardboard box about 28 inches tall, 9 inches wide and about 5 inches deep. The front of the box has the words "Contraband 24," "24 Cannister Shells," "Maximum Powder Load" printed in black and red. The front also has a warning stating the product should only be used under close adult supervision and outdoors. Model number JP-933 is printed on the left front of the box above the warning. The back of the box has color photos and descriptions the effect each shell should create. They were sold from February 2014 to June 2014.

WHY: The shell can blow up in the tube during firing, posing impact and burn hazards to the user and bystanders.

INCIDENTS: Two reports of the firing tubes being too narrow, including one report of a shell blowing up in a tube and causing minor burns and cuts to the legs of a store employee.

HOW MANY: About 4,500 kits.

FOR MORE: Call Winco at 888-697-2217 or visit http://bit.ly/1wSDQzj then click on the News tab at the top of the page, then click on Contraband 24 Artillery Recall.

Longtime Fed economist approved for key Treasury post

By Kevin G. Hall McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON -- A longtime Federal Reserve and White House economist won Senate approval Thursday to head the Treasury Department’s Office of Economic Policy.

Karen Dynan was approved on a voice vote in the Senate to become the assistant secretary for economic policy, after serving recently as a counselor to Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew.

Dynan spent 17 years at the Federal Reserve, working on a wide range of economic policy issues.

From 2009 to 2013, Dynan was co-director of the Economic Studies program at the center-left think tank The Brookings Institution. When Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke retired late last year, he went to Brookings to work on a memoir. The program is also home to longtime former Fed Vice Chair Donald Kohn.

In her new job, Dynan will be responsible for analyzing and reporting on emerging trends in the U.S. and global economies, helping fine-tune policy accordingly.

Colombia mayors regulate World Cup merrymaking

BOGOTA, Colombia -- Authorities in major Colombia cities are again imposing bans on alcohol and curfews for minors Saturday to discourage mayhem on a big World Cup game day. Some are even banning motorcycles.

The chief of citizen security for Colombia's national police, Gen. Jorge Nieto, told The Associated Press that thousands of extra officers would be on the streets of Bogota and other major cities when Colombia meets Uruguay in Rio de Janeiro for its first knockout round contest.

A 24-hour alcohol sales ban will be in effect for Colombia's capital and other cities. Only a few big cities, including Medellin and Barranquilla, are bucking the trend.

Mayors credit the measures with helping reduce vandalism and celebration-related deaths. They were imposed only after Colombia topped Greece in its first match on June 14 and nine people died.

Five days later, when Colombia bested Ivory Coast, the first restrictions were in place and police reported a death toll of two.

On Tuesday, when Colombia drubbed Japan, police reported just one violent death associated with World Cup merrymaking.

Mayor David Castillo of Cucuta, a provincial capital bordering Venezuela, barred unaccompanied minors from the streets that day. He added a new measure for Saturday.

"We are also going to ban motorcycles," he said by phone. "There will be 60,000 motorcycles out of circulation, so there will be no convoys (mobs), and that way we'll avoid people throwing flour — and accidents."

Cartagena, Cali and Pereira were among major cities also imposing motorcycle bans.

The controls did not sit well with many merchants.

"We waited 16 years to get back in the World Cup and they surprise us with these 'dry law' measures," said Guillermo Botero, president of the National Federation of Retailers. "They are practically forcing us to shut ourselves up in our houses."

He estimated $15 million in lost liquor and beer sales nationwide on Saturday. In 1998, the last time Colombia was in the tournament, there were no such alcohol bans.

However, there was a previous incident fueling the argument for restrictions to accompany any merrymaking.

On Sept, 5, 1993, the Colombian national team destroyed Argentina 5-0 in a World Cup qualifier. Colombian authorities reported 60 deaths nationwide in that day's wild celebrations.

Associated Press writer Libardo Cardona in Bogota and Frank Bajak in Lima, Peru, contributed to this report.

GM issues 3 more recalls covering 474,000 vehicles

DETROIT -- General Motors extended its record-breaking string of safety problems, announcing Friday three more recalls, including a large one involving its top-selling vehicle.

The recalls, part of a top-to-bottom safety review, bring the company's total for the year to 48, covering more than 20 million cars and trucks. That beats GM's old full-year record of 10.75 million in 2004.

Friday's recalls cover 474,000 vehicles worldwide for a variety of problems.

The largest affects almost 467,000 four-wheel-drive Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups, as well as GMC Yukon and Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban SUVs. The Sierra is GM's top-selling vehicle.

The company said a software glitch can cause the transmission transfer cases to shift into neutral on their own on 2014 and 2015 models. That can cause loss of power, or it can let the trucks roll away if parked. GM says it knows of no crashes or injuries. Most were sold in the U.S. and Canada, with a small number of exports. Dealers will recalibrate the software.

The other recalls are much smaller and also had no reported injuries. One affects nearly 4,800 Chevrolet SS and Caprice police cars with faulty windshield wiper modules. Gear teeth can become stripped, causing the wipers to fail. Dealers will replace modules if needed.

In the other case, dealers will replace the two rear shock absorbers in about 2,000 2014 model year Chevrolet Corvettes with the FE1 or FE3 suspensions. An insufficient weld could lead to a fracture.

GM's safety troubles, coupled with some large recalls from other manufacturers, have pushed the U.S. auto industry to a new full-year record for the number of vehicles recalled. Automakers have recalled 32.4 million vehicles in less than six months, surpassing the old annual record of 30.8 million, also set in 2004, according to Stericycle, a firm that tracks recalls and helps corporations manage them.

GM's troubles started in February when it began recalling older small cars to fix ignition switches that can turn off engines on their own. That kills power steering and brakes and can cause drivers to lose control. It also disables the air bags. The problem ballooned to 2.6 million vehicles, and GM was forced to admit that it knew of the defect for more than a decade yet didn't recall the cars until this year. GM says the problem caused 54 crashes and at least 13 deaths, although lawmakers say the death toll is closer to 100.

The ignition switch problem touched off a massive safety review in the company, as well as investigations by Congress, the Justice Department and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. GM paid NHTSA a $35 million fine for delays in reporting problems to the safety agency, and it has announced or taken charges totaling $2 billion to cover recall costs.

On Thursday, NHTSA posted documents showing that GM would recall about 29,000 Chevy Cruze compacts in the U.S. for an air bag problem. GM said Friday that 4,000 Cruzes from Canada are included in the recall.

Steve Jobs Would Have Absolutely Loathed This New iPad Case

A sex toy manufacturer has unveiled its latest innovation: an iPad case that also holds its trademarked Fleshlight, which is a robotic vagina that looks like a flashlight. It's called Launchpad, and it allows you to actually fck the last thing Steve Jobs brought into this world, a thing that he expressly did not want to be used for fcking:

"You know, there's a porn store for Android [phones using Google's software]. You can download porn, your kids can download porn. That's a place we don't want to go – so we're not going to go there."

That's life. Beautiful minds leave this Earth far too soon. Beautiful devices end up being the perfect delivery vehicle for XXX everything. But we have good news for Mr. Jobs, may he roll over in his grave but only a few times for this one: this is only a temporary thing, if Mike Judge was right in his visionary, underrated Idiocracy.

In the movie, which takes place hundreds of years in the future, a man is watching "The Masturbation Network" with a long straw snaking from around the couch for distraction-free delivery of soda. It's absolutely disgusting, especially as he starts grumbling to himself. Then someone knocks at the door. "Go Away! Batin'!," he halfheartedly yells. He, however, is not "batin.'" With the TV networks optimized for self-abuse in much the same way as this Launchpad, he's just slumped over, too damn lazy and too happy to slurp Brawndo. He has no need for a Fleshlight plugged into the television or whatever else this sex toy company would cook up. In Mike Judge's future, we have lost the urge to seek out the kind of porn Steve Jobs sought to keep off his iPad because we took it too far long ago. We became something much worse, if you think about it, but it wasn't what Jobs was trying to stop.

Norway Does A Ctrl+Alt+Delete On E-Voting Experiment

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hide captionDuring the 2013 elections, online voting was an option in Norway. Even so, Erna Solberg, chairman of the Conservative Party of Norway, casts an old school ballot.

NTB SCANPIX/Reuters/Landov

During the 2013 elections, online voting was an option in Norway. Even so, Erna Solberg, chairman of the Conservative Party of Norway, casts an old school ballot.

NTB SCANPIX/Reuters/Landov

After a two-year trial for Internet voting, Norway is pulling the plug.

The country's Office of Modernization said in a statement that there's no evidence that online voting, tested in elections in 2011 and 2013, improved turnout. It also said that "political disagreement" over the issue, along with voters' fear that ballots might not be secure, could undermine the democratic process.

The office said it had "decided that the attempt with voting over the Internet should not be promoted."

The idea of online voting has been in the ether for as long as the Internet, so Norway's experience might be relevant elsewhere.

It seems to have worked in a few places, such as Estonia, where citizens have been clicking to vote since 2005. According to Thad Hall, a political scientist quoted by The Washington Post: "Surveys have found that Estonians view their system as being very effective. ... They have high confidence in it. They like it."

And, the question of whether it's also a viable option for the United States has come up in numerous articles over the years.

David Jefferson, a computer scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, wrote in 2011 that "computer and network security experts are virtually unanimous in pointing out that online voting is an exceedingly dangerous threat to the integrity of U.S. elections.

"There is no way to guarantee that the security, privacy, and transparency requirements for elections can all be met with any practical technology in the foreseeable future," he says.

And in 2012, the MIT Technology Review published a paper titled "Why You Can't Vote Online," in which it concluded that fundamental security problems had yet to be solved.

"The unsolved problems include the ability of malicious actors to intercept Internet communications, log in as someone else, and hack into servers to rewrite or corrupt code," wrote the paper's author, David Talbot.

"While these are also big problems in e-commerce, if a hacker steals money, the theft can soon be discovered. A bank or store can decide whether any losses are an acceptable cost of doing business," he said. "Voting is a different and harder problem. Lost votes aren't acceptable."

And, just this month, an unofficial referendum on freedoms in Hong Kong was criticized by Beijing for (among other things) being open to manipulation because it has an online voting option.

What's The Matter With Wendy Davis?

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hide captionDemocratic state Sen. Wendy Davis pauses as she speaks to supporters at her campaign headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas, in March.

LM Otero/AP

Democratic state Sen. Wendy Davis pauses as she speaks to supporters at her campaign headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas, in March.

LM Otero/AP

Texas Democrats are holding their convention this weekend in Dallas and supporters are hoping it will give Wendy Davis a chance to reboot her campaign for governor and come out with some much-needed momentum.

A question posed in the San Antonio Express-News is typical of the kind of media she's been getting: "What's Wrong With Wendy?" With the Democratic candidate for governor running far behind her Republican challenger Greg Abbott, it's not necessarily an unfair question.

But her race has always been a long shot. One year ago, the state senator from Fort Worth galvanized Texas liberals with her successful 11-hour filibuster that lasted through much of the night and blocked some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country. Temporarily, that is, because Gov. Rick Perry quickly called a special session and the Republican-dominated Legislature then passed them all.

But the moment still made Davis politically famous in Washington, D.C. She dined with congressional Democrats and spoke at the National Press Club. She made for a compelling potential candidate: Davis is attractive, smart, articulate and started out life poor — a single mother who went from waiting tables to Harvard Law.

And with Battleground Texas — a Democratic effort to turn Texas blue about to get going — a Davis candidacy for governor seemed the perfect complement. She figured to be a strong candidate, one who could give momentum to a grassroots organizing effort that would sign up tens of thousands of new Hispanic and other Democratic voters.

But once her campaign got underway, political reality smacked it in the face — and the reality is that Texas is still very much a Republican dominated state. It sports many of the most conservative Republican politicians in the nation. Nevertheless, during the last GOP primary here, some of the most prominent among them were defeated by Tea Party candidates because they were perceived as not conservative enough.

Where does that leave Davis? Her claim to fame is her filibuster against abortion restrictions but in 2014, most Texas voters favor such legislation. So the candidate has mostly avoided talking about her signature issue.

From the very beginning, polls showed Davis down eight points — a big gap for a Texas Democrat to overcome. Then her campaign got caught up defending minor discrepancies in Davis' biographical narrative involving how long she'd lived in a mobile home, and how much her second husband had helped out with the children and the finances while she was at Harvard Law.

This was not major stuff, but the campaign got on the defensive and couldn't seem to get off — which served only to keep the story alive that much longer. Then, in an effort to put it behind them once and for all, her campaign needlessly alienated Texas political reporters by barring most of them from a news-making event where Davis' daughters spoke up and defended their mother.

A respected veteran national operative, Karin Johanson, had been brought in to run the campaign, but to many political observers in the state, it seemed too much like amateur hour.

Johanson is now gone, replaced earlier this month by Chris Turner, a Democratic state representative who knows his stuff in Texas. And the Davis campaign is hoping to come out of the convention this weekend in Dallas with both guns blazing.

The gap is now 10 points and Abbott, the state's attorney general, has $30 million in his campaign coffers to Davis' $11 million. Still, the Democrats' ground game is in progress — Battleground Texas is working with the Davis campaign and has generated more than 18,000 volunteers who've knocked on 170,000 doors already. For the Democratic Party, this is where the real action lies. Even if Davis can't get there this year, rebuilding the party's base in Texas is the foundation for the future.

Democrats in Texas don't want to hear that though. They resent the national party's habit of coming to Texas to raise millions of dollars, only to wave goodbye and put back next to nothing.

It's been nearly 25 years since Ann Richards won the last statewide Democratic victory. They'd like to get the next one while they're still alive.

Energy boom fuels economic growth in Midwest states

WASHINGTON -- While the national business outlook remains tepid, the energy sector is driving fast economic growth in some states.

A drilling boom for oil shale and natural gas has spurred prosperity throughout the middle of the United States. Despite having mostly smaller economies compared with coastal states, these states will continue growing for at least five more years, energy economists project, and they’ll have a positive impact on American jobs and the trade balance.

“It’s a boomtown mentality, something the West hasn’t seen for a long time,” said Scott Anderson, senior vice president and chief economist at Bank of the West in San Francisco. “You start to think back to the gold rush days in California. You really do see that middle strip of the country outperforming the coasts for a change.”

In 2010, East Coast states made up 38 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product, the sum of all goods and services produced. Last year, the East Coast produced 36 percent of the American GDP in dollars, while Midwest states increased by 1 percentage point to 14 percent of the national total. That’s according to an analysis by McClatchy of a report published earlier in June by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, part of the Commerce Department.

North Dakota’s gross domestic product grew 9.7 percent from 2012 to 2013, the most of any state and much higher than the national growth rate over the same period of 1.8 percent, according to the bureau’s report.

An analysis by McClatchy of employment numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that when they’re overlapped with growth data, there’s a strong correlation between state-level growth and the dramatic increase in post-recession mining jobs through the Rockies and North Plains.

States with thriving energy sectors boost the local employment picture and draw people from other states who otherwise had few job opportunities, experts say. Residents in North Dakota see the job boom on a daily basis.

Vicky Steiner points to the number of out-of-state license plates in her town of Dickinson, N.D., rising quickly in the last couple of years. On a recent stop at the local Walmart, she saw plates from Missouri, Michigan and Louisiana. She said towns across her state were “bursting at the seams,” trying to provide civic services for their growing populations.

“We’ve been so insulated from the recession we have a hard time understanding it,” said Steiner, the executive director of the North Dakota Association of Oil and Gas Producing Counties, a nonprofit community organization in Dickinson. “A lot of people who really wanted oil and gas jobs are willing to make the sacrifice to move here for the money.”

Workers arriving in North Dakota to extract natural gas and oil shale _ sedimentary rock that contains a petroleum-like substance _ earn $100,000 a year and more, Steiner said. North Dakota’s story is mirrored in surrounding states with similar tales of higher-than-average GDP growth and spikes in energy jobs.

Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Texas, Oklahoma, Utah, North Dakota and South Dakota all recorded GDP growth of 3 percent or higher last year, well above many of the coastal states, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis report. They also saw an upward tick in oil-and-gas drilling jobs after the recession ended.

“For the states with the fastest-growing GDP, a lot of that growth can be attributed to the energy sector,” said Michael Wolf, an economist at Wells Fargo Securities in Charlotte, N.C. “Assuming that prices stay relatively stable, I think we can expect continued growth.”

New drilling technologies allow for extraction in previously untapped regions of the nation. Mining, a category that encompasses oil and gas drilling, accounted for over two-thirds of Wyoming’s GDP growth as a percentage last year and almost half for Colorado.

Oil and gas extraction drove 14 percent of the GDP growth in Texas, a diverse state economy that’s the nation’s second largest.

The number of post-recession oil-and-gas drilling jobs in Middle America is also quickly rising. Oklahoma had 43,800 mining employees in 2010; last year it had nearly 60,000 _ a 36 percent jump.

“States that have active energy activity, a lot of energy activity, are doing better on average than states that do not,” said Michael Canes, an energy expert at Logistics Management Institute, a private consulting firm in McLean, Va. “People have become aware that energy offers opportunities for people _ for jobs and incomes in the United States.”

Midwestern states had, on average, a 5.6 percent unemployment rate in May, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the national rate of 6.3 percent. With oil and gas drilling growing domestically, the U.S. can become less dependent on foreign oil and open doors to export its oil to other countries, experts said.

“This is a game changer,” said Anderson, the Bank of the West economist. “This is a structural shift in how the U.S. economy is going to produce growth in the future. It certainly is a positive story for the U.S. trade balance, which has been deteriorating significantly since the 1970s.”

Finish Line's profit more than doubles; shares up

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Finish Line Inc. said Friday that its net income more than doubled in the first quarter from a year ago, as the sneaker and clothing retailer expanded its presence online and in Macy's stores around the country.

Its results beat Wall Street expectations, and its shares rose more than 3 percent in morning trading Friday.

CEO Glenn Lyon said the company integrated its stores with its website, making shopping online more seamless for customers. He also said Finish Line is reaching new customers with the shops it operates inside Macy's stores.

The company said its net income rose to $12.4 million, or 25 cents per share, in the three months ending May 31, compared with $5.1 million, or 10 cents per share, in the same period a year ago. Revenue rose 15.8 percent to $406.5 million from $351 million.

Analysts, on average, expected earnings of 21 cents per share and revenue of $394.2 million, according to FactSet.

The Indianapolis company runs about 900 Finish Line stores around the country, including 260 of them inside Macy's. It also runs 58 running shops under the name The Running Company, Run On!, Blue Mile, Boulder Running Company, Roncker's Running Spot, Running Fit and VA Runner.

The company said it expects its earnings per share for the full year to increase in the high single to low double digit range from its earnings of $1.66 per share the year before. It didn't provide a specific number. Analysts expect earnings of $1.85 per share for the year ending February 2015, which is an 11 percent increase from the year before.

Finish Line's Shares rose 92 cents, or 3.2 percent, to $30.07 in morning trading.

Polygon Northwest sold for $520 million

BELLEVUE, Wash. -- William Lyon Homes has announced it is acquiring Bellevue-based Polygon Northwest for $520 million in cash.

The Seattle Times reports ( http://bit.ly/1lVVa2d ) that Polygon has built nearly 16,000 homes in the Seattle and Portland, Oregon, areas since 1991. The new owners say they will keep the Polygon brand name and its 130 employees.

The sale was announced Monday. After it goes through sometime in the third quarter, William Lyon will control more than 18,000 lots in the West, 2,169 of them in the Seattle area.

Chief Executive Bill Lyon said William Lyon Homes, based in Newport Beach., Calif., has been looking to get into the Northwest market for a long time.

Polygon CEO Jeff Gow, who will leave the company, said in a statement he is excited about the combination.

According to SEC documents, Polygon executives Gary Young, Chris Eadon, Natalie Schmidt, Paulette Murchison, Andy Whisenant and Eric Evans will also leave the company once the sale is finalized.

The acquisition should not mean any changes for anyone currently building a home with Polygon, said William Lyon Homes spokeswoman Lisa Mueller.

In 2013, Polygon brought in $292 million in revenue. It is expected to build 850 to 900 new homes in 2014 and 1,100 to 1,200 in 2015.

US regulators close small bank in Oklahoma

WASHINGTON -- Regulators have closed a lender in Oklahoma, bringing U.S. bank failures this year to 12 after 24 closures in all of 2013.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said Friday that it has taken over The Freedom State Bank, based in Freedom, Oklahoma.

The bank, which operated one branch, had about $22.8 million in assets and $20.9 million in deposits.

Alva State Bank & Trust Co. agreed to pay the FDIC a premium of 1 percent to assume all the deposits of Freedom State Bank. It also agreed to buy roughly $17.7 million of the failed bank's assets.

The failure of Freedom State Bank is expected to cost the deposit insurance fund $5.8 million.

Threat persists as would-be bombers still at large

BEIRUT: Security forces are still on the hunt for would-be suicide bombers along with two explosives-rigged vehicles, a security source said Friday.

The Army, meanwhile, said that it had seized material used to make explosive belts during a raid in north Lebanon in the military’s latest crackdown on terror groups seeking to destabilize the country as a sequel to the violent spillover from Syria and Iraq.

“Military and security forces are on high alert, searching for suicide bombers and two explosives-laden vehicles,” a security source told The Daily Star.

The Army said that it had confiscated material used to make explosive belts during a raid in the north province of Akkar.

The military said in a statement that detainee Mahmoud Khaled confessed to stashing several rocket-propelled grenades and ammunition underground on his property in the village of Fnaydeq.

The Army then raided the location and confiscated “explosive material, RPGs, in addition to large quantity of metal balls used to make explosive belts.”

Military Prosecutor Saqr Saqr said the two Saudi suicide bombers and their partners had planned to carry out attacks in public locations and residential gatherings in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

“Investigation [with the Saudi suicide bomber’s partner] is ongoing. The two Saudis and their partners had planned to carry out suicide attacks targeting public places and popular gatherings,” Saqr told The Daily Star.

He declined to give further details, as the investigation is shrouded in complete secrecy.

A Saudi national, Abdul-Rahman al-Thawani, detonated his explosive belt at the Duroy Hotel in Raouche Wednesday evening, killing himself to evade arrest during a pre-emptive raid by General Security personnel.

The bombing was the third to rattle Lebanon in less than a week, fueling fears of violent fallout from Syria and Iraq.

Thawani’s partner, the would-be- suicide bomber, Abdul-Rahman al-Shnifi, survived the blast that wounded 11 people, including three General Security personnel. A security source said Shnifi, who suffered severe burns, told investigators that the pair planned to carry out a double suicide attack against As-Saha restaurant, located on the Beirut airport road in the southern suburbs and frequented by Hezbollah officials. The source said the pair were members of the Al-Qaeda-inspired Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS).

General Security has released the photo of a suspected terrorist it says had provided the Saudi pair with explosive belts. The suspect was identified as Monzer al-Hasan, who hails from the northern province of Akkar.

A senior military official said the Army was determined to crush suspected terrorists bent on destabilizing Lebanon.

Asked to comment on an unauthentic Twitter statement by a group affiliated with the ISIS that claimed responsibility for the bombing at the Duroy Hotel, the official told The Daily Star: “The names of these groups do not mean anything. The ISIS, the Nusra Front and the Abdullah Azzam Brigades represent terrorism and killings. These groups are under Army intelligence surveillance that aims to apprehend its members.”

“The Army’s battle against terrorism will go on to crush terrorist groups and protect civil peace,” the official said.

Defense Minister Samir Moqbel praised the Army for its work in combating terrorism, saying turmoil in Lebanon and its surroundings required politicians and people to support their military institutions.

“Amid such critical times in the region and Lebanon, Lebanese look to the Army to enforce their security and stability,” Moqbel said. “Despite the delicate local and regional political and security circumstances, the Army and its intelligence have succeeded in uncovering several terror cells and apprehending its members and foiled terrorist plots.”

Former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora renewed his call for Hezbollah’s withdrawal from Syria, saying this was essential to shield Lebanon from the repercussions of regional turmoil.

“Something is dragging the country into minefields ... because it is involving Lebanon in things we cannot tolerate: It is the role Hezbollah is playing in Syria and its fighting alongside the Syrian regime,” Siniora told reporters at his office in the southern city of Sidon.

Referring to the latest suicide bombings in Lebanon, he said: “Confronting terrorist operations that happen in Lebanon is by preventing this fire and this raging volcano in Syria and Iraq from spreading to Lebanon with further internal unity and keenness on civil peace among the Lebanese.”

Tripoli’s Islamists decry ‘unfair arrests’

As the holy month of Ramadan starts across the Muslim world, it is essential now more than ever to confront the threats against Islam, in particular those coming from individuals and groups claiming to represent the religion, and in order to show Islam for what it truly is, and its commitment to tolerance and forgiveness.

Tripoli’s Islamists decry ‘unfair arrests’

As the holy month of Ramadan starts across the Muslim world, it is essential now more than ever to confront the threats against Islam, in particular those coming from individuals and groups claiming to represent the religion, and in order to show Islam for what it truly is, and its commitment to tolerance and forgiveness.

Change and Reform MP Michel Helou dies at 66

As the holy month of Ramadan starts across the Muslim world, it is essential now more than ever to confront the threats against Islam, in particular those coming from individuals and groups claiming to represent the religion, and in order to show Islam for what it truly is, and its commitment to tolerance and forgiveness.

Change and Reform MP Michel Helou dies at 66

As the holy month of Ramadan starts across the Muslim world, it is essential now more than ever to confront the threats against Islam, in particular those coming from individuals and groups claiming to represent the religion, and in order to show Islam for what it truly is, and its commitment to tolerance and forgiveness.

Syria opposes creation of camps in Lebanon

As the holy month of Ramadan starts across the Muslim world, it is essential now more than ever to confront the threats against Islam, in particular those coming from individuals and groups claiming to represent the religion, and in order to show Islam for what it truly is, and its commitment to tolerance and forgiveness.

Light sentences affirmed in GM trade secrets case

DETROIT -- A federal appeals court has affirmed the convictions and light sentences of a Detroit-area couple found guilty of stealing thousands of pages of hybrid technology from General Motors.

The court said Friday that Detroit federal Judge Marianne Battani gave a "thorough, informed, and empathetic explanation" in the case of former GM engineer Shanshan Du and husband Yu Qin.

In 2013, Du was sentenced to 366 days in prison, while her husband was sentenced to three years. Prosecutors appealed, saying the guidelines recommended at least 6½ years in prison.

The judge noted Du's health problems and the length of the case — seven years from an FBI raid to trial and sentence.

The government had accused Du of seeking a transfer within GM to get access to hybrid technology.

More than 3.74 Million Records Released

In September 2009, the President announced that—for the first time in history—White House visitor records would be made available to the public on an ongoing basis. Today, the White House releases visitor records that were generated in March 2014. Today’s release also includes visitor records generated prior to September 16, 2009 that were requested by members of the public in May 2014 pursuant to the White House voluntary disclosure policy. This release brings the total number of records made public by this White House to more than 3.74 million—all of which can be viewed in our Disclosures section.

An End To Kerfuffles And Questions: Former Press Secretary Reflects

Audio for this story from All Things Considered will be available at approximately 7:00 p.m. ET.

On the occasion of his departure, former White House Press Secretary Jay Carney talks to Audie Cornish about his time spent at the White House podium.

Week In Politics: Lawsuits, Rulings And Primaries Decided

Audio for this story from All Things Considered will be available at approximately 7:00 p.m. ET.

Political commentators E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post and Mary-Kate Cary of U.S. News and World Report, discuss the latest Supreme Court rulings, Boehner's announced desire to sue President Obama and political primaries past and future.

Obama Gets Real, Meeting The Authors Behind White House Letters

Audio for this story from All Things Considered will be available at approximately 7:00 p.m. ET.

It's common knowledge that each night President Obama reads 10 letters written by Americans to the White House. Now, he's launching an effort to meet some of those writers in person. Is this a gimmick, an effort to recapture the magic of his early years or simply an escape from Washington, D.C., amid low approval ratings?

Lawsuit filed in Boston says Uber exploits drivers

BOSTON -- A Boston labor lawyer has sued the car service Uber, alleging that it exploits its drivers.

The suit filed Thursday in Suffolk Superior Court by attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan says Uber Technologies Inc. misclassifies its drivers as independent contractors, making them pay for their own gas, insurance and other expnses, and to avoid paying them the same as employees with benefits.

The suit also says Uber violates state law regarding tips by keeping a portion of included gratuities instead of giving them entirely to the drivers.

The suit was filed on behalf of one Uber driver, but seeks class-action status.

An Uber spokesman said in a statement that "Uber will vigorously defend the rights of drivers to build their own small business, and riders to enjoy competition and choice."

Details of UPMC, Highmark split made public

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- UPMC has agreed to allow some Highmark insurance customers to continue using its doctors and facilities at in-network rates under an agreement announced Friday after a bitter fight between the two western Pennsylvania health care giants.

Gov. Tom Corbett and Attorney General Kathleen Kane, whose offices were instrumental in negotiating the deal in a dispute that has roiled western Pennsylvania, announced the deal in a joint Capitol news conference with officials from the two companies.

In particular, people undergoing treatment, needing access to unique services or in an area with relatively little health care competition would fall into protected categories.

A contract between the two companies ends Jan. 1. As a result, most Highmark subscribers will lose in-network access to UPMC doctors and hospitals after Dec. 31, meaning they will pay higher rates. Highmark said Friday that a small fraction of its 3.2 million insurance subscribers in western Pennsylvania will be affected.

Fewer than 10 percent of Highmark's enrollees had used a University of Pittsburgh Medical Center doctor or facility in the last year, the insurer said.

Some details remain under negotiation, but state officials stressed the deal would ensure that crucial health care decisions remain in the hands of doctors and patients after the inevitable split.

"The focus had to be truly on putting the patients first, the people of western Pennsylvania, the consumers," Corbett told the news conference.

Kane called the settlement a "first step in a long process to ensure health care security in western Pennsylvania" that averted a lengthy court battle.

The expectation is that commercial insurers will blitz the Pittsburgh metropolitan area in a marketing effort that touts their in-network access to UPMC.

UPMC is western Pennsylvania's dominant network, with 22 hospitals and 400 outpatient sites. However, it has complained that Highmark is now a competitor, since the insurer recently acquired seven area hospitals from Erie to Pittsburgh called the Allegheny Health Network, and it refused to extend the insurance contract with Highmark.

Under the agreement, doctors can keep patients who are in the midst of a course of treatment in network at UPMC for as long as necessary. That includes times when the doctor believes the patient needs cancer treatment or a particular service that is not available from another source.

Other Highmark enrollees will be able to keep their doctors for a year if they cannot find an alternative without being billed extra.

Two of UPMC's specialty hospitals, Children's Hospital and Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, will remain in-network to Highmark subscribers because they are the only institutions of their kind in the Greater Pittsburgh area. The agreement, however, does not include Magee-Womens Hospital, Pittsburgh's pre-eminent center for obstetrical services and gynecologic care.

Hospitals outside the greater Pittsburgh area — UPMC Bedford, UPMC Venango, UPMC Hamot in Erie and Altoona — will remain in-network. Emergency and trauma services will continue to be accessible at in-network rates even at UPMC's metropolitan Pittsburgh hospitals, although the companies have not negotiated an agreement on that subject yet.

People who are 65 or older, or are covered by Medicare, Medicaid or the state's Children's Health Insurance Program will not be affected.

Highmark had been given a July 1 deadline by the state Department of Insurance to say whether it could extend the contract with UPMC or not.

Corbett's administration had not pressed the companies to extend their contract. Rather, he had insisted that the split not force any patient in the midst of treatment to find a new doctor or force anyone to travel farther for hospital care.

Still, some lawmakers, consumer groups and labor unions had raised public pressure on UPMC to renew a contract with Highmark, and warned of the impact on people who will need to find a new doctor.

"It's harder to switch (insurers) than people think it is," said Ruth Anne Ford, a mother of four who lives in Herman, about 30 miles north of Pittsburgh. "Highmark is the only insurance offered through my husband's company and I don't see them changing anytime soon."

Airlines checking engine bolts on Embraer jets

DALLAS -- Brazilian plane maker Embraer is telling airlines to inspect pins or bolts that hold the engines on its twin-engine E190 regional jet.

An Embraer spokeswoman said Friday that the company sent a service bulletin to airlines as a preventive measure, and called the action routine. The company declined further comment.

Virgin Australia grounded several of its Embraer E190s this week after discovering a problem with bolts that hold the engines to pylons that are attached to the wings, prompting Embraer to issue a worldwide alert, according to published reports in Australia.

During inspections Thursday, maintenance crews found loose bolts "to various degrees" on 12 of the 20 E190s flown by US Airways Express, part of American Airlines Group Inc., company spokesman Paul Flaningan told The Associated Press. He said that the bolts were tightened and the planes returned to flying the same day.

JetBlue Airways did not immediately return a call for comment. The airline had 60 of the planes at the start of the year, according to a regulatory filing.

The E190 has between 98 and114 seats, according to Embraer's website. Airlines tend to use it on routes where they might not sell enough tickets to fill a larger plane such as a Boeing 737 or Airbus A320. They are capable of long flights, with range up to 2,400 nautical miles, according to the company.

Embraer has delivered 500 of the planes and had 68 on backlog as of March 31. Other major customers for the plane include Air Canada and China's Hainan Airlines.

Heat, fire danger expected through Saturday

BEIRUT: The risk of brush fires will remain high in mountainous regions of Lebanon throughout Friday and Saturday due to warm temperatures, acording to the weather forecast.

Temperatures in the highlands and coastal areas are expected to climb from 33 to 34 degrees Saturday, according to the Meteorological Department at Beirut’s airport.

The forecast high for the inland region is 38 degrees.

The Lebanese Army has worked jointly with Civil Defense teams to put out brush fires that broke out in the Jbeil towns of Mastita and Monsef Thursday, a military statement said.

The statement issued Friday said the fires had destroyed more than 8 acres of fruit trees and grass land.

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Gemayel bruises leg doing sports

BEIRUT: Kataeb party leader Amine Gemayel entered the hospital Friday after bruising his left leg while doing sports, Hotel Dieu de France hospital announced in a statement.

The hospital said 72-year-old former president was in good condition and would be able to go home later Friday.

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Achrafieh 2020 cancels car-free event

BEIRUT: The Discover Abdel Wahab-Sodeco event will not take place in Ashrafieh next Sunday due to security turbulences in Beirut, as the organizing group announced Thursday.

“We are sorry to have to inform you that we have had to CANCEL 'Discover Abdel Wahab Sodeco Car Free Day' which was supposed to be held on Sunday, 29 June 2014,” the nongovernmental organization Ashrafieh 2020 posted on their Facebook page Thursday night.

“Following consultation with the local authority and police, it was determined that the current unfortunate situation is unsuitable to organize such a large gathering event.”

Beirut has been rocked by security incidents this week, with a suicide bomber blowing himself up near a cafe in Tayyouneh Monday. Wednesday, another would-be bomber blew himself up in a Raouche hotel as the security forces raided it. The security forces have been on high alert, and numerous hotels and neighborhoods have been raided, with many suspects arrested.

The event was supposed to empty Abdel Wahab and Sodeco streets of all cars, and engage residents in entertainment and awareness-raising activities.

The NGO, which was created two years ago, aims to make Beirut's Ashrafieh neighborhood the best place for pedestrians to walk, bikers to ride and people with disabilities to access buildings and services.

Achrafieh 2020 launched its activities in 2012 with a wide car-free day spanning most of the neighborhood. They have since organized vehicle-free Sundays in Rmeil, Gemmayzeh, Mar Mikhael and Monnot.

“We intend to make our next 'Discover ... Car Free Day' even more spectacular so we hope you can join us then. Achrafieh Loves Life, Stay Safe and Yours Sincerely,” the group said.

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Oil price steady after US spending grows weakly

The price of oil held steady on Friday as poor U.S. economic data raised the prospect of weak growth in energy demand while fears eased that fighting in Iraq would disrupt exports.

Benchmark U.S. crude for August delivery edged 4 cents lower to $105.80 on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract slipped 66 cents per barrel to settle at $105.84 on Thursday.

Brent crude, used to price international oils, dipped 1 cent to $113.20 a barrel in London.

U.S. consumer spending in May grew at half the rate that economists expected, in a sign that the rebound in the world's biggest economy — and resulting growth in energy demand — may not be as big as hoped for.

Oil prices were hovering after a sharp drop the day before that analysts said may be a sign investors are starting to expect that the violence in Iraq won't spread to the oil-producing south.

"Although the situation in Iraq remains volatile, last night's decline in oil prices may be an early sign that markets are beginning to position for the likelihood that insurgents will be contained from any further incursions to the south, allowing oil exports to be maintained," said CMC Markets chief analyst Ric Spooner in Sydney.

In other energy futures trading on the Nymex:

— Wholesale gasoline barely budged $3.06 a gallon.

— Natural gas rose 0.9 cent to $4.45 per 1,000 cubic feet.

— Heating oil was little changed at $3.02 a gallon.

Obama pitching economic priorities in Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS -- President Barack Obama is pitching his ideas to boost the American middle class in Minnesota, a state that already has embraced a key component of the president's economic agenda by moving to raise its minimum wage.

Obama was closing a two-day trip to the Minneapolis area on Friday with a speech on the economy at a castle-shaped bandshell on picturesque Lake Harriet. He'll seek to frame his agenda in terms that resonate for Americans still struggling financially despite the recovery, reinforcing a populist "on your side" economic push that Obama and Democrats are making in the run-up to the 2014 midterm elections.

"It must feel kind of discouraging, because it doesn't feel like what's being talked about in Washington has anything to do with what's going on in your lives day today," Obama said Thursday during a town hall meeting in a Minneapolis park. "And it must feel as if sometimes you're just forgotten."

Minnesota offers Obama a prime opportunity to argue that Democrats have not forgotten the middle class. Although his push to get Congress to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour has sputtered, a half-dozen states have responded to Obama's call to action by raising state wages on their own.

Lawmakers in Minnesota recently approved raising the state's minimum wage from $6.15 an hour to $9.50 an hour by 2016, and added protections for women in the workplace. Obama's aides say increasing momentum on the state level can put pressure on Congress to ensure all Americans are paid a wage that lets them live middle-class lives if they work full time.

Obama opened his Minnesota swing Thursday by launching what the White House has dubbed a "Day in the Life" tour whereby Obama will spend time this summer with Americans across the country who are fighting uphill battles to enter or stay in the middle class despite their best efforts to be responsible and productive citizens.

The poster child for his first such visit was Rebekah Erler, a 36-year-old accountant and mother of two. Erler was invited to join Obama for burgers after writing a letter to the president detailing the challenges she and her husband face in reaping the benefits of a recovery from recession that so far has disproportionately benefited those at the top of the income scale.

"We actually have something to offer that young lady," Obama said Thursday evening as he revved up donors at a fundraiser for House Democrats in Minneapolis. "And if she wins, then the country wins, and our kids and our grandkids win."

---

Associated Press writer Brian Bakst contributed to this report.

Thursday's Sports In Brief

PRO BASKETBALL

NEW YORK (AP) — Andrew Wiggins of Kansas was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft on Thursday night.

The Cavs went for a freshman from Canada to open the draft for the second straight year and hope Wiggins works out better than Anthony Bennett, the UNLV player who struggled in his first year in the pros.

Milwaukee followed with another freshman, Duke forward Jabari Parker, and Philadelphia took Kansas freshman Joel Embiid. Wiggins' Jayhawks teammate dropped in the draft after he sustained a stress fracture in his right foot.

Orlando took Arizona forward Aaron Gordon fourth and Utah picked Australian guard Dante Exum fifth.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Portland Trail Blazers offered All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge a maximum contract extension.

The offer was confirmed by a person close to the negotiations who could not comment publicly because the team had not formally announced it. The offer, made to Aldridge's representatives last week, was first reported by Yahoo! Sports.

Aldridge, in the fifth and final year of a $65 million contract, is set to become a free agent next summer. The Blazers hope to lure him to stay with a five-year, $108 million extension.

Lockheed Martin a partner on new defense deal

OWEGO, N.Y. -- Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky Aircraft are joining forces again on a government contract.

The two companies have landed a $1.28 billion contract with the Air Force to build a new fleet of combat rescue helicopters.

Connecticut-based Sikorsky will provide the aircraft, and Lockheed Martin's plant in Owego will handle the new helicopter's modernized mission systems and other special equipment.

The contract announced Thursday calls for 112 combat search-and-rescue helicopters.

Last month, the Navy struck a $1.2 billion deal with the Lockheed-Sikorsky team to build the next generation of presidential helicopters.

Lockheed Martin has about 2,600 employees in Owego on New York's Southern Tier.

NY loans to help homeowners at risk of foreclosure

ALBANY, N.Y. -- New York's attorney general has announced a new small loan program intended to help homeowners at risk of foreclosure.

Eric Schneiderman announced the new program on Thursday. Called the New York State Mortgage Assistance Program, the initiative is starting on Long Island this September before being opened up to the entire state in October.

Schneiderman says the loans of up to $40,000 are intended to help homeowners pay tax liens, second or third mortgages, or back mortgage payments that have prevented them from being able to refinance their homes.

The Democrat says often homeowners can't modify their mortgage to avoid foreclosure because of a relatively small outstanding debt.

The initiative is patterned after a similar program in New York City.