| Mellon will get first slapshot at new arena's naming rights
Mellon Financial Corp. will have first crack at buying naming rights to the new arena, but don't expect it or any other potential buyer to shell out the $400 million a British bank recently agreed to pay to put its name on the new Brooklyn home for the New Jersey Nets. Mellon has the right of first refusal to the arena naming deal, a byproduct of the $18 million agreement it reached with the Penguins in 1999 to affix its name to the former Civic Arena. That agreement runs through the 2008-2009 season, the last full year the team will be playing in the Igloo. The Penguins expect the new arena to be ready early in the 2009-2010 season. Mellon now is in the process of completing its merger with The Bank of New York. As part of the deal, Mellon will move its headquarters from its hometown of 138 years to the Big Apple.
Around the globe: Northeast battered by record rains, flooding
NEW YORK — A menacing spring storm punished the Northeast for a second straight day Monday, dumping more than 8 inches of rain on Central Park and sending refrigerators and pickup trucks floating down rivers in one of the region’s worst storms in recent memory.The nor’easter left a huge swath of devastation, from the beaches of South Carolina to the mountains of Maine. It knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of people and was blamed for at least nine deaths nationwide, including a New Jersey man who drowned inside a car.The storm showed no immediate sign of letting up. The National Weather Service predicted showers through Wednesday night in the New York City area, with rain mixed with snow at times.The storm was especially harsh in the Westchester County suburbs north of New York City and in New Jersey, where the state was placed under a state of emergency.AP SEAL HUNTSProtest groups pull out after uneventful eventST.
Wal-Mart: No evidence of surveillance
NEW YORK –– Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said on Friday that it has found no evidence that a fired systems technician secretly listened to its board or that the retailer conducted surveillance on shareholders who submitted proposals for its upcoming shareholders meeting.
The world's largest retailer said the findings came out of a review conducted by its legal department. It also said it was mailing an affidavit and certification of the review's findings to its shareholder proponents.
A copy of the affidavit was provided to Reuters by Wal-Mart.
Wal-Mart has faced mounting calls to disclose its surveillance records after it said in March that it fired security worker Bruce Gabbard for what the company said were unauthorized recordings of calls to and from a New York Times reporter and for intercepting text messages.
City growth raises questions about state of downtown
Megan Dudley, left, and Carrie Snyder chat outside Free State Brewing Co., 636 Mass., on a Friday afternoon. “This is our spot. We love sitting out here and talking," Snyder said. The mix of food and beverage providers and retailers makes downtown Lawrence a viable business district, although growth in other parts of Lawrence has some concerned about downtown's future. Enlarge photo .
|
