Obama says no good reason to continue shutdown

President Barack Obama, seated next to Hester Clark, president and chief executive officer of the Hester Group, speaks during a meeting with small business owners to talks about the government shutdown and debt ceiling, Friday, Oct. 11, 2013, in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

President Barack Obama, seated next to Hester Clark, president and chief executive officer of the Hester Group, speaks during a meeting with small business owners to talks about the government shutdown and debt ceiling, Friday, Oct. 11, 2013, in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. talks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Oct. 11, 2013, upon his return from a two-hour meeting at the White House between President Barack Obama and Republican senators, trying to come up with a bipartisan solution to the budget stalemate. Republicans from the House of Representatives were offering to pass legislation to avert a potentially catastrophic default and end the 11-day partial government shutdown as part of a framework that would include cuts in benefit programs, officials said Friday. But the impasse was not yet over. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. passes at left as Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., right, talks with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Oct. 11, 2013, as Republican returned to the Capitol after a two-hour meeting at the White House with President Barack Obama, trying to come up with a bipartisan solution to the budget stalemate. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Republican senators, from left, Mike Lee of Utah, Mike Enzi of Wyo., Tim Scott of S.C., Ted Cruz of Texas, David Vitter of La,, John McCain of Ariz. walk back to their bus at the North Portico of the White House in Washington, Friday, Oct. 11, 2013, after they met with President Barack Obama regarding the government shutdown and debt ceiling. After weeks of ultimatums, President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans are exploring whether they can end a budget standoff that has triggered a partial government shutdown and edged Washington to the verge of a historic, economy-jarring federal default. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)(AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. laughs as he walks to his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Oct. 11, 2013. Republicans from the House of Representatives were offering to pass legislation to avert a potentially catastrophic default and end the 11-day partial government shutdown as part of a framework that would include cuts in benefit programs, officials said Friday. But the impasse was not yet over. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

WASHINGTON (AP) — With talks having stalled between the White House and House Republicans, a bipartisan group in the Senate is polishing a measure that would reopen the government and prevent a first-ever default on the country's bills.

The negotiations in the Senate come as the chamber meets in a rare Saturday session to vote on a Democratic measure to lift the government's borrowing cap through the end of next year. Republicans are poised to reject it amid talks among the group of rank-and-file senators — talks monitored with the full attention of Senate leaders.

The group's focus is on a proposal by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and others that would pair a six-month plan to keep the government open with an increase in the government's borrowing limit through January.

House Republicans, meanwhile, are slated to meet Saturday morning to get an update from their leaders as matters come to a head.

President Barack Obama on Friday privately turned away a House plan to link the reopening of the government — and a companion measure to temporarily increase the government's borrowing cap — to concessions on the budget.

Publicly, top House Republicans said negotiations were on track. Obama called House Speaker John Boehner at midafternoon Friday, and Michael Steel, a spokesman for the leader of House Republicans, said, "They agreed that we should all keep talking."

Privately, the channel between the White House and the House wasn't bearing fruit, said aides on both sides. The aides required anonymity because the talks were private and they weren't authorized to discuss them by name.

"It wouldn't be wise, as some suggest, to just kick the debt-ceiling can down the road for a couple months, and flirt with a first-ever intentional default right in the middle of the holiday shopping season," Obama said in his Saturday radio and Internet address.

On Friday, a daily briefing by White House press secretary Jay Carney was delayed until after the stock market closed, and Carney said Obama "appreciates the constructive nature of the conversation and the proposal that House Republicans put forward." Yet, the spokesman said, "He has some concerns with it."

A House GOP aide and a White House official cast developments in a more pessimistic light, both requiring anonymity because of the secret nature of the talks. Among the options to be presented to a House GOP conference was a condition-free debt limit increase for just a few weeks and a continued closure of the government in hopes of concessions from Obama.

In the face of disastrous opinion polls, GOP leaders have signaled that they will make sure the debt limit is increased with minimal damage to the markets. But they're still seeking concessions as a condition for reopening the government.

Obama met Senate Republicans on Friday and heard a pitch from Collins on raising the debt limit until the end of January, reopening the government, and cutting the health care law at its periphery. It would also strengthen income verification for people receiving subsidies through the health care law and set up a broader set of budget talks.

The Collins plan would delay for two years a medical-device tax that helps finance the health care law, and it would subject millions of individuals eligible for subsidies to purchase health insurance under the program to stronger income verification.

At the Capitol, Collins said Obama said the proposal "was constructive, but I don't want to give the impression that he endorsed it."

___

Online:

Obama address: www.whitehouse.gov

GOP address: http://www.gop.gov/

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Conservation Officer Report | Sports & Recreation | Central MN News

The Minnesota DNR provided the following summaries of recent activities by Conservation Officers:

CO Scott Staples (Carlton) attended a fur committee meeting in the Brainerd area and also spoke to a local college class about the hiring process and job duties of a conservation officer. Complaints of hunting over bait and trespassing are being looked into in the area. More training continues with K9 Schody.

CO Jeff Humphrey (Cromwell) worked waterfowl, OHV, big and small game enforcement. CO Humphrey patrolled local Wildlife Management Areas, Carlton County managed land, and the Ditchbank’s area in the Fond Du Lac State Forest. A report of vandalism to a stand and theft of property on a bear bait station is under investigation. CO Humphrey worked a shining detail with CO Duncan and an 1854 CO resulting in two misdemeanor arrests. CO Humphrey followed up on bear registration and baiting violations. Wolf depredation complaints continued. Assistance from USDA Wildlife services was requested. A nuisance bear complaint was received. Deer baiting complaints are being reported. Big and small game violations were encountered throughout the week.
 
CO Dustie Heaton (Willow River) handled trespassing complaints, nuisance beaver calls, ATV complaints, and followed up on ongoing investigations.

CO Bret Grundmeier (Hinckley) spent some time at Camp Ripley completing annual firearms and defensive tactics training. Station activity included continued monitoring of bear baiting activity, waterfowl hunting, small game hunting and a few archery deer hunters were checked. Burning activity was also monitored due to high fire danger in the area. Fire enforcement included citations and warnings for burning without a permit and burning prohibited material. Time was also spent near Mille Lacs Lake checking boats and trailers for invasive species.

CO Luke Croatt (Wealthwood) checked waterfowl and small game hunters during the week and seen limited success. A work detail for invasive species was conducted near Mille Lacs Lake and training was attended at Camp Ripley for fall firearms qualification.

CO Greg Verkuilen (Garrison) worked increasing hunting activity as leaves are starting to come off the trees. Boats and docks are getting taken out for winter but fall fishing is picking up. Verkuilen also assisted with the DNR confiscated materials auction.  

CO Chris Tetrault (Isle) reports increased hunting activity. Small game hunters hunting activity has increased but has not seen as much success. Turkey hunters have not been active this opener as well. Fishing reports on Mille Lacs Lake have been better as the water cools this fall. The officer investigated a report of a potential deer baiting site and a deer that was illegally taken. Hunting law related questions were fielded.

CO Scott Fitzgerald (Malmo) reports checking small and big game hunters over the week and weekend. Some waterfowl hunters were out as well but most were reporting seeing light numbers of birds. The Officer also attended annual in-service training at Camp Ripley where rifle, shotgun and handgun qualification was done. Lots of fishing, hunting and Aquatic Invasive Species law questions were fielded throughout the week. The Officer assisted at an Aquatic Invasive Species checkpoint in Malmo Area over the weekend. ATV traffic was monitored throughout the Malmo station over the week. Assistance was given to a neighboring Officer on a TIP complaint of someone taking a deer with a rifle out of season and assistance was also given to the Sheriff’s Office on a call of a property dispute.  Enforcement action for the week included various AIS violations.  

WREO Rob Haberman worked a roadside check with D10 officers near Malmo and Mille Lacs Lake. WREO Haberman also attended the annual aquatic plant management meeting in St. Cloud. WREO Haberman also worked on AIS enforcement and wetland conservation act cases throughout his work area.

CO Bob Mlynar (Aitkin) worked small game, bear, waterfowl and archery deer enforcement during the week. He also attended training.

CO Karl Hadrits (Crosby) reported that activity included investigation of illegal trapping, ATV / dirt bike related trespass and operation complaints. Also, checking waterfowl, bow deer, and small game hunting activity, investigation of license fraud, and serving a restoration order and other work associated with an ongoing case involving a person who dug a channel to lower the water level of an area lake.  

CO Mike Lee (Crosslake) assisted with training at fall in-service held at Camp Ripley. All Officers throughout the state attend per the Minnesota Police Officer Standard and Training requirements.

CO Tim Collette (Pequot Lakes) investigated calls of untagged deer, and deer baiting. Waterfowl activity slowed down considerably, but more grouse hunters are out. ATVs continue to use the Foothills State Forest with violations seen consisting of riders without required safety certificates, operating on public roads, and underage operators without helmets.

CO Jim Guida (Brainerd) worked migratory waterfowl enforcement. Some complaints of shooting too close to residences are being investigated. Other violations addressed including unsigned stamps and insufficient life jackets. Big game baiting investigations are beginning and hunters are reminded that hunting with the aid of bait is illegal and carries substantial penalties including potential revocation of hunting privileges. Officer Guida also coordinated with a non-profit organization leader to get a community archery program started.

CO Randy Posner (Brainerd) worked on fishing enforcement this last week. The bite is slow. The most cooperative fish have been the bass and sunfish. The walleye bite is getting better. Violations he found were not enough life jackets. He worked on complaints of aquatic vegetation cutting without a permit. He worked with WREO Haberman on AIS violations checking boats at various public accesses. Complaints of vehicles on closed trails in the Pillsbury Forest were investigated and he checked horse passes and camping registrations in the Pillsbury Forest.

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Broncos' Von Miller says he did nothing wrong

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) ? The latest distraction for the Denver Broncos comes from All-Pro linebacker Von Miller, who insisted Monday he did nothing wrong in the face of reports he could miss four games for violating the NFL's drug policy.

"I know I did nothing wrong. I'm sure this'll be resolved fairly," Miller tweeted, acknowledging he had seen the reports and adding he was disappointed the Broncos have to open training camp with this news hanging over them.

ESPN first reported the pending discipline for Miller. A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the possible penalty to The Associated Press. The person did not want to be named because the league hasn't announced any punishment.

George Atallah, spokesman for the NFLPA, said the players union was working with Miller on his appeal, adding via Twitter: "I can also confirm that Von's case does not involve the Steroids and Related Substances Policy."

That would suggest Miller's case centers around recreational drugs instead.

Broncos spokesman Patrick Smyth said the team was unable to comment on the penalty, which could be overturned by an appeal. Miller and his agent didn't return messages left by AP.

The Broncos report to training camp Wednesday with big expectations but a growing number of off-the-field distractions, as well.

Shortly after last season's 13-3 campaign ended with a loss to Baltimore in the division playoffs, none other than Miller guaranteed a Super Bowl title for Denver for the 2013 season.

"I wasn't being arrogant or cocky when I made the guarantee. It was something bigger than myself," Miller said in May in explaining the comment. He said he dedicated the upcoming season to his 6-year-old cousin who was injured in an auto accident last winter.

Then, just last week, left tackle Ryan Clady signed a new contract and, during interviews to discuss the deal, said it was, "Super Bowl or bust, for the most part" for Denver.

It's the kind of talk, at least in public, that Peyton Manning and coach John Fox disdain. It is, however, in line with what Las Vegas says (At odds ranging between 9-2 and 6-1, the Broncos are widely listed as the favorites to win the Super Bowl) as well as the roster Executive Vice President John Elway has assembled.

He added Wes Welker to Manning's group of receivers, shored up the line with free agent guard Louis Vasquez and used a second-round draft pick to add Wisconsin running back Montee Ball to the mix, as well.

But not all the offseason news has been positive for the Broncos. Elway's top two assistants, Matt Russell and Tom Heckert, are each serving suspensions after arrests on drunken driving charges ? an embarrassing run of news that deprives the Broncos of their top personnel men at a time when personnel decisions are paramount.

The other bit of bad news for Denver this offseason was its inability to keep pass-rushing defensive lineman Elvis Dumervil because of a mix-up with a fax machine that kept the team from receiving his signed contract in time.

The Broncos felt good about replacing Dumervil and his 11 sacks last season, but in large part, the comfort came because they had Miller, who has 30 sacks over his first two NFL seasons, lining up on the other side.

Without Miller, the second overall pick in the 2011 draft, the Broncos defense would be missing its best pass rusher for its first four games ? against Baltimore, the New York Giants, Oakland and Philadelphia.

If suspended, Miller would be able to participate in all of the workouts at training camp but would have to leave the team after its final preseason game on Aug. 29.

___

Online: www.pro32.ap.org

___

AP Sports Writer Pat Graham contributed. Follow AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/broncos-von-miller-says-did-nothing-wrong-013917683.html

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Pope's Brazil security questioned after mob scene

Pope Francis waves from his popemobile as he make his way into central Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, July 22, 2013. The pontiff arrived for a seven-day visit in Brazil, the world's most populous Roman Catholic nation. During his visit, Francis will meet with legions of young Roman Catholics converging on Rio for the church's World Youth Day festival.(AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Pope Francis waves from his popemobile as he make his way into central Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, July 22, 2013. The pontiff arrived for a seven-day visit in Brazil, the world's most populous Roman Catholic nation. During his visit, Francis will meet with legions of young Roman Catholics converging on Rio for the church's World Youth Day festival.(AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

A crowd of faithful cheer as Pope Francis rides in his popemobile in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday July 22, 2013. The pontiff arrived for a seven-day visit in Brazil, the world's most populous Roman Catholic nation. During his visit, Francis will meet with legions of young Roman Catholics converging on Rio for the church's World Youth Day festival. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)

In this image from video, a crowd mobs the silver Fiat carrying Pope Francis through Rio de Janeiro on Monday, July 22, 2013. Ecstatic believers forced the closed Fiat to stop several times as they swarmed around during the drive from the airport to an official opening ceremony in the center of the city. (AP Photo)

In this photo released by Prefeitura do Rio, Pope Francis waves to people from his popemobile in Rio de Janeiro, Monday, July 22, 2013. Pope Francis returned to his home continent for the first time as pontiff, embarking on a seven-day visit meant to fan the fervor of the faithful around the globe. (AP Photo/Raphael Lima, Prefeitura do Rio)

A young monk takes pictures as he waits for the arrival of Pope Francis in front of the Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro, Monday, July 22, 2013. Pope Francis returned to his home continent for the first time as pontiff, embarking on a seven-day visit meant to fan the fervor of the faithful around the globe. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) ? Brazilian security forces blamed each other on Tuesday for the mob scenes that erupted around Pope Francis when he was dogged by a frantic crowd of faithful Catholics after his arrival in the country.

The chaotic crowds mobbing Francis on Monday afternoon raised questions about what plans are in place to protect the pontiff, and who is responsible for carrying them out.

No one took responsibility for the traffic fiasco, which began when the driver of the car the pope was riding in made a wrong turn, following the lead car in an official motorcade. It was unclear who was in that first vehicle, or what agency the driver worked for.

The Federal Police are mostly in charge of the pope's security in Brazil, though when he travels to a rural part of Rio this weekend, the army will secure the massive pasture where he'll celebrate Mass.

Officials with the Federal Police who have control of the pope's security in urban Rio told the local press that the blame belonged to Federal Highway Police. But highway police officials said they were just following specifications laid out by the Federal Police. Neither agency returned calls seeking more information on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Rio mayor's office said it knew nothing about the plan for the pope's travel from the airport to the city center while even the secretary general for President Dilma Rousseff said he didn't know who was to blame but that he was "relieved" no harm came to Francis.

Rio Transportation Secretary Carlos Osorio said the Fiat Francis was riding in from the airport to the city center inadvertently turned into the wrong side of a 12-lane thoroughfare, known as Avenida Presidente Vargas. Instead of taking the left lanes that were free of traffic, the car turned into the right lanes cluttered with buses and taxis, forcing the pontiff's car to stop, he said.

It wasn't the best means to project confidence on security arrangements for a nation that saw widespread anti-government protests paralyze scores of cities last month and that's preparing to host the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics.

"I was so surprised! Maybe I'm looking at it from a foreign perspective, but it seemed odd that the people were allowed that close on the roads," said the Rev. Joseph Tan, a priest from the Philippines, echoing the reaction of many in Rio for the papal visit. "In the Philippines, people would have gathered to get a glimpse, but nothing like what we saw. But that's the pope's personality, he was just being himself."

The mob scene didn't seem to faze Francis, however. The "slum pope," as he was dubbed in his native Argentina for the amount of time he spent in dangerous, impoverished areas, smiled as his car was surrounded. He kept his window rolled down and even kissed a baby passed into the vehicle by its mother.

Papal spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi made clear that despite the mobs, Francis wouldn't change his decision to use an open-air vehicle and specifically planned to use the open car for the very events expected to draw the largest crowds: a speech on Copacabana beach on Wednesday, a Way of the Cross procession on Friday, and a weekend vigil and Mass in a rural part of Rio.

Lombardi said the pontiff deliberately chose to use the same car he uses in St. Peter's Square, and not the bulletproof popemobile, to be closer to people and interact with them. But that square is a closed and controlled; Vatican and Italian police ring the square, the faithful are fenced into pens, and bodyguards trail the car at all times.

But how Vatican and Brazilian authorities decide to organize his security going forward is ultimately not the pope's responsibility, Lombardi said. "Obviously he desires to have a possibly very direct contact with the people. This is clear, and not a militarization of the situation," said the spokesman. "But the concrete solutions are not chosen by him."

Authorities in Brazil earlier said about 10,000 police officers and more than 14,000 soldiers would take part in the overall papal security plan, but on Monday virtually no uniformed officers were seen along the route as Francis was mobbed by the crowds.

There were few barricades set up along the route and thousands of faithful easily made their way onto streets that were meant to be shut off from the public. In some places along the route, people could be seen forming "human chains" to keep the crowds at bay.

About three dozen plain-clothes officers including the pope's personal bodyguards and some Brazilian officers were seen surrounding the pope's vehicles, trying desperately to push the crowds back

Paulo Storani, a Rio-based security consultant who spent nearly 30 years on the city's police force and was a captain in an elite unit used to clear out slums, said the fiasco seen Monday had to be analyzed in two ways.

"From the point of view of a head of state, and the pope is a head of state, it's unacceptable what happened. The proximity people had with him was a huge risk, even for his image," Storani said. "On the other hand, in the case of a head of a church and having a charismatic figure like this pope, the situation is different because he wants to be close to the people.

"The police intelligence units have to do a lot more work to detect potential threats to the pope's security and there needs to be a bigger presence of plainclothes officers in the middle of the masses to ensure his security," he added.

There was no word on whether Francis would agree to a heavier security presence when he travels to the city of Aparecida on Wednesday, or holds a meeting with Catholic youth on Copacabana beach that is expected to draw a crowd of 1 million on Thursday.

But many changes seemed unlikely.

Francis made clear even before he was pope that the Catholic Church must stop being so closed and self-referential and go to the edges of the world to interact with the most marginalized. Many cardinals point to a speech Francis made as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, days before he was elected pope, as the mission statement that essentially got him elected.

In that pre-conclave speech, Bergoglio said the church must "move toward the peripheries, not only geographic but also existential: those of sin, suffering, injustice, ignorance and religious abstention, thought and all misery."

"When the church does not emerge from itself to evangelize, it becomes self-referential and therefore becomes sick. ... The evils that, over time, occur in ecclesiastical institutions have their root in (being self-referential), a kind of theological narcissism," Bergoglio said then.

After becoming pope, he followed those words up with actions even before his Rio trip. His first parish visit in Rome was to a church in a poor neighborhood on the capital's farthest outskirts. His first trip outside Rome was to the most peripheral part of Italy, Lampedusa, a speck of an island closer to Africa than the Italian mainland, where he mourned the deaths of refugees trying to reach Europe.

Francis is visiting his home continent for the first time since becoming pontiff, with his visit coinciding with the church's World Youth Day, an event held every three years to bring young Catholics together in an effort to inject new energy in the church.

He will celebrate two Masses expected to each draw more than 1 million people: one on Copacabana beach and the other in a rural pasture. He'll also visit a slum in Rio in an area known by locals as the Gaza Strip because of its heavy violence before police "pacified" it in January, pushing out powerful drug gangs and setting up a permanent outpost.

___

Associated Press writers Marco Sibaja and Vivian Sequera contributed to this report.

___

Follow Bradley Brooks and Nicole Winfield on Twitter: www.twitter.com/bradleybrooks and www.twitter.com/nwinfield

Associated Press

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Fatal Six Flags accident may limit summer crowds?

U.S. Business

Kelli Grant CNBC

18 hours ago

LM Otero / AP

The Texas Giant roller coaster ride sits idle in the foreground as people take in another ride a the Six Flags Over Texas park Saturday.

A fatal accident on a roller coaster at Six Flags Over Texas may cause consumers to rethink a trip to the amusement park?or any amusement park?this summer. But it's unlikely to keep people off roller coasters in the long term.

Six Flags has said it is investigating the death of a woman who fell from its Texas Giant roller coaster Friday. On the company's second-quarter earnings call Monday, CEO Jim Reid-Anderson said the ride "will remain closed until we are certain it is safe to ride."

The park, in Arlington, Texas, has not seen any immediate effect on attendance.

"History in this industry would suggest there is a lag in reaction time after an accident," Reid-Anderson said. "There could be a short- to medium-term attendance impact at the affected park." He declined to comment on any future financial impact, saying that executives would have more information for the third-quarter earnings call.

Serious incidents often prompt more consumers to stay home for a while or, if they attend, reassess which attractions they take in, said Nima Samadi, a senior analyst with IBISWorld. The effect is more pronounced at the park where the accident occurs, with some ripples to sister parks and to competitors.

Regional parks, which attract primarily local, drive-in traffic, are more likely to get smaller crowds. "Those visitors?it's a lot easier for them to reconsider," he said.

Destination parks such as those operated by Disney Parks & Resorts probably will see less of a decline because travelers' fears don't usually outweigh the cost of changing plane tickets or forgoing a planned vacation, Samadi said.

Consumers tend to return to parks quickly, however, because serious accidents are rare, said Michael Broudo, an equity analyst and managing director at Miller Tabak. "Longer term, people will be persuaded that parks are safe," he said.

In 2011, reported ride-related injuries totaled 1,415, according to a joint report from the National Safety Council and the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions. Of those, 61 were serious enough to require overnight hospital care.

According to the NSC's assessment, the chance of being seriously injured on a ride at one of those parks is 1 in 24 million, and the chances of being fatally injured is 1 in 750 million. (In comparison, the odds of being struck by lightning in a given year are as low as 1 in 500,000, according to the National Weather Service.)

It's tough to assess the true bearing of an accident on attendance, according to Broudo. Factors like the slow economy, high gas prices and bad weather have greater sway over the number of visitors.

"If there's a drop in attendance, do we know it's related to this or anything else?" he said.

Accidents may not noticeably shift company performance,either. In 2007, for example, a teenager lost both her feet while riding Superman: Tower of Power at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom. The company saw attendance rise 0.2 percent and revenues rise 3 percent, to $972.8 million. Attendance and revenue gained 2 percent and 5 percent, respectively, in 2008, the year in which a teenager was decapitated by the roller coaster Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Over Georgia.

On Monday, Six Flags also announced record-high revenues of $451 million for the first half, up 2 percent from the year-earlier period. Attendance was up 1 percent, to 10.7 million guests.

"I am pleased with our record year-to-date financial performance, despite cooler temperatures and unprecedented levels of precipitation at our Eastern and Midwestern parks during the second quarter," Reid-Anderson said on the earnings call. "Our exciting new attractions and all-time-high guest satisfaction ratings have propelled our performance to new highs."

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Detroit bankruptcy: The war shifts to the courts

State officials say they hope that Detroit will emerge from bankruptcy by September 2014, but labor unions and bondholders are gearing up for what is more likely to be a prolonged legal battle.

By Mark Guarino,?Staff writer / July 22, 2013

A sculptor of a giant fist in honor of American boxer and heavy weight champion Joe Louis sits at the intersection of Woodward and Jefferson Avenue in downtown Detroit.

Rebecca Cook/Reuters/File

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Detroit's filing of a petition for Chapter 9 bankruptcy on Thursday marks just a skirmish in what is expected to be a prolonged legal battle between labor unions, bondholders, and state officials over the future of a city that once symbolized the nation's industrial might.

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At issue is the fate of $5.7 billion in unfunded retiree health insurance and $3.5 billion in unfunded pension payouts for some 30,000 retirees and current city workers. Under federal bankruptcy law, contracts regarding the city's obligations to these pensions can be severed. But labor unions, arguing that Michigan's Constitution prohibits the diminishing of accrued public pension obligations, vow to keep up the fight in court.?

Last week, George Orzech, chairman of the Police and Fire Retirement System, summed up his side?s stance toward the evolving legal conflict: ?Welcome to war.?

The moment Detroit filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy, a county judge filed an injunction to throw it out of court.?

State officials say pension and retiree health benefits will be paid at least through the end of the year, adding that they hope Detroit will emerge from bankruptcy by September 2014. The state and labor unions are disputing exactly how much the different pension funds are underfunded, but emergency manager Kevyn Orr told Fox News Sunday that bankruptcy is?the ?only way? to get Detroit's liability costs under control so the city is not ultimately swallowed deeper into a financial hole.

?All we?re talking about in this restructuring is the unfunded component of those pension funds,? Mr. Orr said. ?There are going to have to be concessions. Concessions may be different for each fund. And they?re going to be focused on the unfunded component.?

With Detroit facing an immediate $18 billion shortfall, state officials are eager to get out of court as quickly as possible. The Chapter 9 process gives Orr a conceivable fast track, legal experts say, because it does not require allowing outside parties to offer counterproposals on how best to restructure. By contrast, in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy, if Detroit did not get its plan approved by a certain deadline, its creditors would have the right to step in and propose an alternate plan, which might include selling off assets.

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Who's going to die on 'True Blood'?

TV

Ree Hines TODAY contributor

8 hours ago

John P. Johnson / HBO

Pam, Lafayette and Sookie on "True Blood."

Get your hankies ready, Truebies! It's almost time to say so long to one familiar face from Bon Temps. But who?

That's been the question all season on "True Blood." In fact, thanks to a tease about the upcoming end for one "central character" from showrunner Brian Buckner back in early June, fans started guessing ? and fretting ? before the season even began.

And one thing is clear after last week's action on the show: The end is nigh! The True Death could come as soon as Sunday night, and the list of candidates is a long one.

When last we left the drama, Lafayette was possessed by the spirit of Sookie's murderous dad, and he had the heroine face down in a lake. Of course, it's hard to image that Sookie really has anything to worry about. In addition to escaping near-death capers on a regular basis, the friendly half-fae is the heart of the whole show.

If only Lafayette's fate seemed as certain. The problem for Sookie's devoted pal is that while her dad is in the driver's seat where the medium's actions are concerned, anyone who wants to stop Papa Stackhouse ? such as, for instance, a certain devoted, betrothed-by-contract, fairy-vamp hybrid named Warlow ? is going to have to stop LaLa first. (Noooooo!)

Of course, there are others in danger too.

Bill and Jessica need to watch their backs. After Jess accidentally offed three-fourths of Andy's brood while helping Bill with his Tru Fae Blood experiment, the sheriff is fighting mad. At least Jessica's safely ? well, not too safely ? locked away at Vamp Camp. But Bill's still roaming around. Then again, unless Andy lures the big, bad demi-god into the sun, he'd be hard pressed to figure out a way to kill Billith at all.

Here's hoping it's not Andy who dies in an attempt to avenge his girls! Then again, he seems far safer than the other Bellefleur in town ? Terry. Last week, the increasingly troubled vet actually hired a hit on himself (but his old war bud offered to do the deed for free).

Maybe the mercenary won't follow through. Otherwise, who would take care of Arlene and the kids ... and Felix, the armadillo?

Terry's boss is also in danger. Sam's been on the lam with Emma ever since he took the tiny wolf, and now there's an angry pack master hot on his heels. Alcide, who barely resembles the good guy he used to be, is close to closing in on the shifter, and if he corners him, it's likely enough that only one of them will survive. (Shift big, Sam!)

And then there are the other two possibilities: Eric and acid-tongued progeny, Pam.

Pam spent her first day at Vamp Camp spilling her emotions ? or lack thereof ? to a psychologist. She made it plain she didn't feel anything for her maker. The psychologist didn't believe her (nor did viewers who know better).

Now Pam's in a scenario wherein she can prove how she really feels. She's trapped face-to-face and stake-to-stake with Eric in one of those Vamp Camp Thunderdome rooms ? two enter, only one leaves alive. At least that's the idea.

Eric just can't die. (Can he?!) It's not like 1,000-year-old, easy-on-the-eyes Viking vampires just come along every day. But he can't kill Pam either. He may be a killer, but he's also a loyal to those he loves.

And Pam? It doesn't matter what she says ? she's just as loyal to the man who gave her a second life. Which is why she just might go and do something stupid (and kind and heroic).

She won't kill Eric. He won't kill her. What's a gal to do? Turn that stake on herself? (Nooooooo!)

Alas, someone has to die ? soon.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/take-care-sookie-look-out-lafayette-whos-going-die-true-6C10687461

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