Obama touts overhaul of rules on who gets overtime

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says it's not right that businesses that treat their employers fairly can be undercut by competitors who don't.

In his weekly radio and Internet address, Obama is promoting his plan to update rules about which workers are eligible for overtime pay. Obama says he wants to restore the principle that if you have to work more, you should earn more.

Businesses can avoid paying overtime for some workers who earn above a certain threshold. Obama says under the current rules, some salaried workers are actually paid less than the minimum wage.

In the Republican address, Rep. Bill Johnson of Ohio says seniors deserve better than what Obama's health care is delivering. He says if Obama won't help Republicans repeal the law, Obama should at least protect seniors.

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Online:

Obama address: www.whitehouse.gov

GOP address: www.speaker.gov

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Penn breaks ground on Plainridge slots parlor

Penn National Gaming broke ground on its $225 million slots parlor at the Plainridge harness racetrack in Plainville, which is expected to open in "a little over a year," company officials said.

Plainridge Park Casino will be an integrated gaming and racing operation, and the 106,000-square feet facility will have several bars and restaurants along with more than 1,200 slot machines.

"We are elated to begin construction on our 27th property and look forward to opening Plainridge Park Casino," said Jay Snowden, Penn National's chief operating officer.

Penn National was awarded the state's only slots parlor license last month by the state Gaming Commission.

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Mass. US Sen. Markey wants gas pipelines upgraded

BOSTON — Massachusetts U.S. Sen. Edward Markey is warning that the deadly gas explosion that destroyed two buildings in New York and killed eight people shows the need to fix the aging infrastructure that delivers fuel in cities across the country.

The Democrat has filed legislation that would require utilities and state regulators to consider replacing the oldest, leakiest natural gas pipelines first.

He said those pipelines have cost consumers billions in lost gas and have contributed to hundreds of explosions over the last decade.

Markey said another bill would establish a state revolving loan fund for natural gas pipeline repair and replacement.

Markey said a massive 2012 explosion in Springfield that injured 18 people and damaged several buildings was a major factor in his efforts to update natural gas pipelines.

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'Veronica Mars' donors beset by digital download glitches

It's a Marshmal-tdown!

Fans who donated $35 to get Warner Bros.'s "Veronica Mars" into theaters this weekend in exchange for perks including a free digital download of the film complained loudly enough about technical problems receiving the movie that the film's director acknowledged the difficulties Friday.

"Please know that Warner Bros. have given Customer Support a lot of freedom to help make things right, so if you're having issues, please let them know," he wrote to the film's ardent fan base-known as Marshmallows-on the movie's Kickstarter page.

Various media reports late Friday suggested Warner Bros. was issuing refunds to donors dissatisfied with the digital downloads. The studio has yet to issue a statement on the matter.

Fans took to Kickstarter and elsewhere on the Internet to grouse about all sorts of glitches that made downloading a copy of the film difficult or impossible. Doubly embarrassing for Warner Bros. was the crux of the problem stemmed from restricting the free downloads to Ultraviolet, a digital locker system that counts the studio as one of its earliest backers, and Flixster, a movie app owned by Warner Bros.

Thomas defended the choice of Flixster in his response to fans.

"As you'll see in the original FAQ on our Kickstarter page, we've always planned to include Flixster as a digital distribution platform. But I also know that many of you use iTunes, Amazon or other platforms, and would prefer to claim your digital copies on your favorite service, so we hoped we'd also be able to arrange for more options. Unfortunately, it just wasn't possible. In the end, Flixster was the best option for getting the digital movie reward out to all of you, worldwide, at the same time."

(C) 2014 Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media; Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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Makeover is talk of the ’Town

This attached single-family home in Charlestown has had a complete makeover that opens up the living space and offers great views of the neighborhood's working waterfront.

Completely gutted and renovated last year, the 2,100-square-foot four bedroom home at 56 Belmont St. has three levels of living space, a large rear deck and an attached one-car garage. The house, with a new heating and central air-conditioning system, is on the market for $869,000.

The red brick home with black shutters and white trim was built in 1970, and had been a rental before its makeover.

Granite and paver steps lead up to a leaded-glass front door and into a carpeted foyer. The open living/dining/kitchen space has crown molding and new stained oak floors. There's lots of windows including two three-part picture windows with waterfront views.

The recessed-lit living area features a floor-to-ceiling stone facade wood-burning fireplace with a black slate hearth. There's a door out to a large new fenced-in rear deck with a hot tub.

The dining area, also recessed-lit, leads into a kitchen with brown ceramic tile floors. There are white wood cabinets and veined white granite countertops with a white subway tile backsplash. An island with a breakfast bar seats two.

Stainless-steel appliances include a Frigidaire refrigerator, LG dishwasher, Kitchen Aid compactor and a Kenmore electric stove.

Off the kitchen is a combination half bath and laundry area with beadboard wainscoting and white marble tile floors, a pedestal sink and side-by-side full-size Admiral washer and dryer.

The master bedroom suite has stained oak floors, a double-door closet and an en-suite bathroom with a white marble tile floor and a white marble-topped double-sink vanity. There's a walk-in shower with a white ceramic tile surround, glass doors and handheld and rainhead fixtures.

The three other oak-floored bedrooms are on the small side. Two have views of the Charlestown waterfront. A full bathroom has beige ceramic tile floors, a tiled whirlpool tub and shower and a light brown solid-surface topped vanity.

The basement is newly carpeted, with track lighting, and could be a family play room or a guest bedroom suite, as it has two closets and a full bathroom. The bathroom features a white marble tile floor, a pedestal sink and a walk-in shower with beige ceramic tile surround.

There's a one-car garage, and a driveway have space for a second vehicle. While there are some plantings out front, the home does not have any yard space.

• Address: 56 Belmont St., Charlestown

• Bedrooms: Four

• Bathrooms: Three full, one half

• List price: $869,000

• Square feet: 2,100

• Price per square foot: $414

• Annual taxes: $4,878

• Features: New stained oak floors throughout; living/dining/kitchen area has views of Charlestown's waterfront; floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace facade in living room; granite and stainless-steel kitchen with island; new rear deck with hot tub; master bedroom with en-suite bathroom; carpeted basement suitable for playroom or guest suite; attached one-car garage.

• Location: A mile from retail and restaurants along Main Street in Charlestown and block from offerings along Bunker Hill Avenue where there are T buses to downtown; about a mile to either Sullivan Square or Community College Orange Line stations.

• Built in: 1970; gut renovated 2013

• Broker: Lisa Sheehan of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage at 978-821-4023

Pros:

• Sunny open living/dining/ kitchen area with Charlestown waterfront views

• Large new fenced-in rear deck with hot tub

• Finished basement with full bathroom and two closets

• Attached one-car garage

Cons:

• Three of the bedrooms on the small side

• No yard space

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Subaru enhances its Legacy

Still the class leader in affordable all-wheel-drive vehicles and a New England favorite, Subaru has refreshed the Legacy Sport sedan for 2014.

Despite being a "boutique" brand, not one of the automotive powerhouses, Subaru is a must-shop when working your way through the crowded field of mid-sized sedans. The famed all- wheel-drive remains the key selling point, and with each iteration of the Legacy, the Japanese maker chips its way into more market share.

This more stylized offering features a sharpened nose and front fenders, with the headlamps wrapping around to emphasize the new lines. Under the hood the 2.5-liter, horizontally opposed engine produces 173 horsepower and drives the car through a continually variable transmission.

Unlike its little sibling, the Impreza, the bigger engine drives the CVT quietly and efficiently without the incessant whine, which tends to make me cringe, that the smaller 
2-liter produces. This sedan has a sporty feel to it and the front Macpherson strut and rear wishbone suspension make for sure handling and a fun car to toss around. The car tends to plunge a little when pushed, but roll was fairly minimal. It's not the amped-up rally racer WRX, but I appreciated the easy ride.

Subaru has featured Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive for so long they've got the engineering nailed on it. The one drawback I did find was the low-slung four door struggled to get through deeper snow. Dropped lower than the Outback or the Crosstrek, to help handling and fuel efficiency, I hung up on a snowplow drift that I tried punching through. But once clear, the car had no issues confidently maneuvering through the rest of the day.

On the highway the Legacy is quiet and gets on the higher end of good mileage, making the better part of 32-33 miles per gallon, a gas-sipper compared to other cars in its class. It drops to about 24 mpg locally but I found the car to be a bit better on average.

The interior — although upgraded with some leather trim, metal-trimmed pedals and patterned plastics — still suffers compared to its competitors like the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Mazda 6 and Ford Fusion. And I found the infotainment screen to be small and dated, like Volkswagen. The driver's position provides good sight lines, and the steering is light and responsive. Controls are well-made and simple enough to use without using the manual. Most controls have steering wheel redundancy, and surprisingly the Bluetooth phone is one of the better ones I've used, providing a clear signal and comfortable levels of hands-free conversation.

So although the interior refinements trail others, a situation I bet is addressed on the next refresh, the all-wheel-drive Legacy at a MSRP of $23,595 looks like a good deal even before adding the $2,500 Sport Equipment Value package for a delivered price of $26,418. That package adds a moonroof, 18-inch alloy wheels, a reverse camera, auto-dim mirror and fog lamps, yet you're still checking out at thousands less than aforementioned competitors.

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Cape Wind blows both ways

Cape Wind and its opponents are both claiming victory after a U.S. District Court judge yesterday upheld the Interior Department's approval of the proposed $2.6 billion offshore wind farm but said two federal agencies violated the Endangered Species Act in their reviews of the project.

Judge Reggie B. Walton ruled against four lawsuits challenging the Interior Department's granting of the nation's first offshore wind lease to Cape Wind after a permitting process that spanned a decade.

"These are incredibly important legal victories for Cape Wind," Jim Gordon, the company's president, said in a statement. "It clears the way for completing the financing of a project that will diversify New England's electricity portfolio."

In his 88-page opinion, Walton rejected a lengthy list of legal claims project opponents had raised, including arguments over sea turtles, Native-American artifacts, navigational safety and the adequacy of the project's environmental impact statement.

In what the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound called a "landmark win for the environment," however, the judge ruled that both the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service violated the Endangered Species Act in their reviews of Cape Wind, and he ordered them to revisit its impacts on migrating birds and endangered right whales in Nantucket Sound.

Specifically, Walton remanded the case to the wildlife service to independently evaluate a shutdown of turbines during migratory bird season to reduce bird mortality, and instructed the marine fisheries service to assess whether and how many right whales might be harmed by the wind farm's construction and operation.

"This is good news for environmentalists and for all of us who want to see the fragile and unique environment of Cape Cod protected," said Audra Parker, president and CEO of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound. "The court has validated that federal agencies have taken unacceptable shortcuts in their review of Cape Wind."

The NMFS did not return calls yesterday. An FWS spokesman declined to comment, saying the agency needed time to review the court's decision.

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‘Dynamic’ $hift for Green Monster

Prices for seats and standing-room tickets for Fenway Park's Green Monster will be based on what the market will bear this season.

The Red Sox have adopted so-called "dynamic" pricing for the tickets, which means prices — much like those for airline tickets — will increase or decrease in real time based on demand and market conditions including the date of a game, the opponent and the weather.

The pricing model — a form of which is used by about 80 percent of Major League Baseball teams — is the latest Red Sox move to better align tickets with their market value, according to Red Sox chief operating officer Sam Kennedy.

"There's a lot of research ... that (shows) fans in other markets respond very well to it," he said.

Tickets for the 269 Green Monster seats were $165 last season, and the 150 standing-room tickets were $35. On Tuesday, when the tickets go on sale, initial prices could range from $30 for standing-room to as much as $300 for an Opening

Day seat, the team said.

It has no current plans to expand dynamic pricing to other parts of the ballpark next year, according to Kennedy. "We'll see how it goes and evaluate that middle to end of season or even next off-season," he said. "This is a big shift for us in 2014 for our ticket pricing in general."

The Sox moved to "variable" pricing for the rest of its regular-season tickets this season. Prices were organized into five tiers based on expected demand for each game, but were set in advance of the season. That led to a reduction in average prices for 32 games, according to the team.

The San Francisco Giants was the first MLB team to use dynamic pricing when it started testing it in 2009, according to MLB spokesman Matthew Gould. "Variable (pricing), in some capacity, dates back to at least 2002," he said. "Every MLB club currently does some form of price-shifting."

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CNN's primetime ratings surge, but for how long?

CNN's beleaguered primetime is doing something unexpected: climbing in the ratings.

Over the past few days, on several occasions, the Time Warner-owned cable-news outlet has trumped its rivals among viewers between the ages of 25 and 54, the demographic most coveted by advertisers. To be certain, Fox News Channel remains the most-watched cable-news network, but CNN is enjoying an uptick.

For two nights, CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" has won more viewers in the 25-to-54 demo than Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor," according to data from Nielsen. On Thursday, Cooper attracted an average of 454,000 viewers in the demo compared to O'Reilly's 429,000, according to Nielsen. On Wednesday, Cooper won an average of 431,000 viewers in the demo, Nielsen said, compared to O'Reilly's 386,000.

On Thursday, "Erin Burnett Outfront" at 7 p.m. on CNN notched more 25-to-54 viewers than Greta van Susteren on Fox News at the same hour. And "Piers Morgan Tonight," the 9 p.m. program that CNN has already said will be canceled imminently, won more viewers in the demo than Megyn Kelly did on Fox News at the same hour. Fox News triumphed handily over CNN's second week of "Chicagoland" at 10 p.m., but CNN's lineup from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. also beat MSNBC's in the demo in every hour last night (MSNBC had more total viewers at 10 p.m. than "Chicagoland").

CNN's victory is a partial one at best. Fox News Channel won primetime overall on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, according to Nielsen, with its 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. lineup averaging more in total viewers and viewers between 25 and 54 than either CNN or MSNBC. And MSNBC's primetime lineup averaged more viewers overall than CNN's on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The question will be whether CNN's results are being boosted for the short term by breaking-news coverage of the recent disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, or if CNN's recent focus on primetime documentaries is gaining traction.

Like a broadcast network showing the finale of a beloved series or the annual Super Bowl, CNN's audience tends to swell during breaking-news moments that grip a good part of the nation. But the network has not been able to keep those viewers once the noise around recent big stories has died down.

CNN's New Primetime Faces?" href="http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/lawyers-lemon-and-real-life-are-these-some-of-cnns-new-primetime-faces-1201127868/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> CNN is in the midst of a weeks-long experimental effort in primetime, testing a legal-issues program, a new spotlight on weekend primetime anchor Don Lemon, and more hours of a group of documentaries and docu-series it has commissioned or acquired.

Some of those series have performed well. The Sunday premiere of "CNN Orignal Series: Death Row Stories" won more viewers in the 25-to-54 age range in the 9 p.m. hour than Fox News and MSNBC combined, though, again, Fox News had more viewers in that hour overall.

On Tuesday, "Weed 2: Cannibis Madness," a special report led by Dr. Sanjay Gupta at 10 p.m.,notched 354,000 viewers between 25 and 54, and 144,000 viewers between 18 and 34 - more in both categories than either Fox News Channel or MSNBC. That marked the first time CNN has notched more than 300,000 people in the 25-to-54 demo since an episode of the docuseries "The Sixties" aired January 30th. Fox News still had more viewers overall during that hour.

Others have not performed as robustly. "Chicagoland," a heavily promoted series Allstate's CEO Will Promote New CNN Series 'Chicagoland'" href="http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/in-ad-pact-allstates-ceo-will-promote-new-cnn-series-chicagoland-1201124349/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">that won ad support from Allstate, has come in second to Fox News Channel Thursdays at 10 p.m. in both overall viewers and viewers between 25-and-54 for both its weeks on the air. And while it has won more viewers in the demo than MSNBC on both weeks, MSNBC had more viewers overall.

© 2014 Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media; Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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Honda recalling 886,815 Odyssey minivans

DETROIT — Honda Motor Co. is recalling 886,815 Odyssey minivans in the U.S. because a fuel pump cover can deteriorate and cause a fuel leak.

Odysseys from 2005 through 2010 model years are involved. The recalled minivans were made between June 23, 2004, and September 4, 2010.

According to documents posted Saturday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the cover on the fuel pump strainer can wear down from exposure to high temperatures and acidic chemicals, like those found in fertilizers. Fuel leaks can cause a vehicle fire.

Honda says no fires or injuries have been reported.

Honda dealers will repair the vehicles for free, but the company says replacement parts may not be available until this summer. It will notify owners of the recall next month.

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