Yukon SLT claims high-end territory

Slide into the leather captain's seats, grasp the contrast stitched leather steering wheel, flip on the premium sound system and enjoy the quiet comfortable ride. But make no mistake about it, the fully redesigned 2015 GMC Yukon SLT is still a truck.

So don't be afraid to pack a six-man crew into the three rows of seats, hook on the trailer and get everyone to the job site and — as with many full-sized premium SUVs — you'll still be able to hit the car wash on the way home and take your favorite person to dinner. MSRP of the SLT is $57,735, but add on some niceties and you get the $64,520 test model we drove.

GMC uses the 5.3 Liter 
355 hp V-8 Ecotec3 engine, with its active fuel management system that shuts down four cylinders under certain driving conditions, to average around 18 mpg. I glided up Interstate 95 and got 22-plus on the highway while traveling in effortless comfort. Based on a rear-wheel drive platform the SLT has on-demand all-wheel drive controlled from a switch knob on the dash. I ran into heavy rain during my test and switched to four-wheel drive on the fly and marveled at how secure the truck was in the storm.

The nicely appointed Yukon succeeds in delivering on many fronts, and although its curb appeal may not swivel some heads, the full-sized vehicle is a must shop in the premium workhorse field. Our tester was fitted out with the $3,255 Sun and Entertainment package that added on the sunroof, and upgraded the navigation and sound and rear entertainment systems. The 8-inch touchscreen LCD worked easily, and the smartphone integration was a snap.

I really like the big simple analog gauges on the dash. Forgoing some of the electronic wizardry in other cars, the GMC presents a six-gauge array wrapped around the electronic display that is easy to read.

The safety features engage all the senses. Lighted blind spot alerts, a driver's seat that vibrates when you drift off lane, and audible tones when you get too close keep you on your toes when driving. The front and back parking cameras and electronic assist steering make maneuvering this nearly 6,000-lb truck quite easy. Parallel parking the 17-foot-long truck still takes some skill, but you'll be surprised how manageable the powered rack and pinion steering makes it. Cup holders, a huge center-mounted storage bin and multiple USB connections hint at the workman heritage of these trucks.

An additional $2,000 kicks on the 20-inch aluminum wheels and more importantly the max trailer package — a 4-ton tow capacity. An upgraded rear axle, dash-mounted trailer brake controller, a two-speed transfer case and heavier duty air suspension turning this into a powerful construction workhorse or the king of weekend camping.

The power operated 60/40 split third-row seats fold flat and are a tight fit for adult passengers. Other GMC SUVs, such as the Acadia we tested last fall, are better suited for extra passengers but these will work for short trips or kids. The second-row captain's chairs are sharp-looking and comfortable, though. Lower trim levels use rear bench seats, so this may be a better option if people are the priority.

Available in three trim levels, some of the vehicles the Yukon competes with for your SUV dollars include the Land Rover LR4, Ford Expedition and Toyota Sequoia.

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City wants projects more 
accessible to the disabled

The city wants to change the mindset of real estate developers "hard-wired" to comply with only "bare-minimum" federal and state accessibility mandates for people with disabilities.

New development review guidelines adopted by the Boston Redevelopment Authority on Thursday are intended to instead convince developers to incorporate "ideal" accessibility and "visitability" accommodations into their building projects.

Developers will be required to complete an accessibility checklist at the start of the project review process. The city's Commission for Persons with Disabilities also will play a greater role in the process, starting with "pre-filing" meetings between the BRA and developers so issues can be considered during initial project design.

"Our expectation is … it will yield projects that do more than mere compliance with minimum standards," said acting BRA executive director Brian Golden, referring to the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and state Architectural Access Board requirements.

"This is not a coercive device, because we don't have the authority to coerce in this regard," Golden said. "We think that if developers are shown options and discuss options early, they can incorporate them at minimal costs and maybe at no cost."

But while the BRA technically can't force developers to include "ideal" accessibility features in projects, it can use the permitting process as leverage, said David Begelfer, CEO of NAIOP Massachusetts, a commercial real estate development trade group.

Begelfer, who had yet to see the new BRA guidelines, said he's "cautiously concerned," citing already strict federal mandates and state requirements that exceed them, and possible added costs. "To go beyond the state and federal (requirements) … seems to be asking a lot," he said.

But, getting all city departments involved early in the project review process would be a good thing, Begelfer said. "There are a lot of other departments that don't get involved until much later ... and that gets to be a problem," he said.

The Commission on Persons with Disabilities previously got involved in the BRA development reviews about halfway through the process, when many design decisions already had been made, commissioner Kristen McCosh said.

"The goal is really to map out the accessibility features of a project at the beginning … rather than having them try to fit them in at the end," she said.

More than 77,000 Bostonians identify themselves as disabled. The city wants to develop not only accessible buildings, but accessible routes to accommodate them, McCosh said.

"We ask the developers to look at things like accessible transit stations in proximity to the development, sidewalk conditions ... accessible pathways … and visitability," she said. "Developers don't have that lens when they look at their projects.

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US hits 7 Ukraine rebels with sanctions

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration imposed sanctions Friday on several pro-Russian separatist leaders in Ukraine, including self-proclaimed rebel mayors, governors and commanders in chief of cities under siege, for refusing to cede to the central government in Kiev. The sanctions came as U.S. officials renewed accusations that Russia is providing the separatists with tanks and heavy weaponry and as Ukraine's president announced a unilateral ceasefire that Washington urged Moscow to support.

The penalties on seven separatists were intended as a signal that the U.S. will continue to punish those it holds responsible for instability in Ukraine and that the West was still prepared to slap tougher sanctions on Russia's economic sectors to punish it for stoking unrest in Ukraine should Moscow not take steps to de-escalate the crisis, the officials said.

The White House and State Department welcomed Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's ceasefire announcement even as they denounced Russia for supplying separatists with military gear. White House spokesman Josh Earnest called reports of a new Russian military buildup near the Ukraine border "troubling" and dismissed explanations from the Kremlin that the movement of security forces is related to border security.

"We will not accept any use of Russian military forces, under any pretext, in eastern Ukraine," Earnest said. He also slammed Russian officials for making what he said were false claims about the Ukrainian government being responsible for poor human rights conditions in eastern Ukraine.

"We see these statements for what they are: an attempt to create pretext for further illegal Russia intervention in Ukraine," he said. "In fact, responsibility for the deterioration in the human rights situation in Ukraine lies with the armed separatists who are targeting the population, and their backers in Russia."

President Barack Obama spoke by phone Friday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has been a key interlocutor with Russian President Vladimir, and separately with French President Francois Hollande. The White House said the leaders all praised Poroshenko's ceasefire, and agreed that Russia's failure to take immediate steps to calm tensions would result in further penalties from the U.S. and the European Union — a threat the West has been making for months.

Washington last week accused Russia of sending three tanks and several rocket launchers to the separatists and, at the State Department on Friday, spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the U.S. believes Russia is preparing to send in more tanks and artillery from a site in southwest Russia.

"We have information that additional tanks have been prepared for departure from this same deployment site," she said. "We also have information that Russia has accumulated artillery at a deployment site in southwest Russia, including a type of artillery utilized by Ukrainian forces but no longer in Russia's active forces and believe Russia may soon provide this equipment to separatist fighters."

Psaki would not say if the provision of the equipment to the separatists would be a trigger for additional sanctions.

Since Russia annexed Ukraine's strategic Crimean peninsula in March, the U.S. has imposed sanctions against 71 individuals and entities, including in Russia, for their actions to destabilize Ukraine. The European Union has taken similar steps and next week, U.S. and EU officials will be discussing the possibility of wider sanctions at a series of meetings.

The sanctions imposed on Friday freeze any assets that the seven separatists have in the United States, and prohibit any American firms or businesses from dealing with them. It is a relatively limited slap against the separatists themselves but showed that the U.S. is ready to move forward with more if tensions ratchet back up.

In a statement, the Treasury Department said the sanctions penalize separatist leaders, including Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, who dubbed himself the "people's mayor" of the eastern Ukraine city of Slovyansk after leading a group who overtook the local government there in early April; his colleague Igor Girkin, the self-described "commander in chief of the Donetsk People's Republic" in the same town; and Valery Kaurov, who calls himself the "president of Novorossiya."

Officials said Kaurov has asked Putin to deploy troops to Novorossiya, which translates to New Russia and is a pro-Russian term for a region in southeast Ukraine.

Last month, in an apparent attempt to ease tensions, Putin had pulled back many of his estimated 40,000 Russian troops massed along the border. They appear to have returned over the last week — even as Putin and newly elected Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko discuss Poroshenko's plan for a unilateral cease-fire and as Putin says he is resisting rebels' calls for help.

___

Follow Lara Jakes on Twitter at https://twitter.com/larajakesAP

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7,500 gallons of oil spills in Colorado river

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — A storage tank damaged by floodwaters dumped 7,500 gallons of crude oil into the Poudre River near Windsor in northern Colorado, slickening vegetation a quarter-mile downstream, but apparently not affecting any drinking water, state officials said Friday.

The bank where the storage tank sat next to the river was undercut by the high spring river flows, causing it to drop and break a valve, Todd Hartman of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources said in a statement.

The tank released all of its contents, which was 178 barrels of crude oil, or roughly 7,500 gallons, Hartman said. A second tank nearby appeared to be unaffected.

"At this time we know of no drinking water intakes affected by this spill. The release is not ongoing," he said.

The tank's operator, Noble Energy Inc., discovered the spill Friday and reported it to state officials. Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission officials and state Department of Public Health and Environment water quality staff responded, along with a Noble Energy response team, Hartman said.

Cleanup crews deployed absorbent material where oil could be seen, while a vacuum truck removed oily water from a low-lying area near the tank.

Calls and an email to Noble Energy after office hours Friday were not immediately returned.

The site of the spill is southeast of Fort Collins near the Poudre River Trail.

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Congresswoman proposes e-cigarette regulations

SAN MATEO, Calif. — A San Francisco congresswoman unveiled legislation Friday that would regulate electronic cigarettes in the same way as typical tobacco products, accusing the e-cigarette industry of targeting children and teenagers with its marketing.

"With flavors like gummy bear, cotton candy, and chocolate cake, our kids are literally vaping these things up," said U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, who announced the proposal outside the San Francisco General Hospital emergency room. "With ads using sex and sex appeal, our teens are lusting after these objects."

The legislation would restrict television advertisements of electronic cigarettes as was done for tobacco, said a statement from Speier's spokeswoman, Katrina Rill. Speier plans to introduce the bill Monday to regulate the devices that heat a liquid nicotine solution to create inhalable vapor.

The proposal would also prohibit marketing to minors, bar advertising that increases use by children and ban most flavorings in the products. It would require the Food and Drug Administration to establish childproof packaging standards and dosage limits.

The move comes as the FDA also looks to impose e-cigarette regulations. The federal agency said Friday it was extending the public comment period to August on a proposal to ban sales to minors, add warning labels and require new products to get FDA approval. Its measure doesn't restrict marketing or ban flavors but leaves room for further regulations.

Poisonings and burnings by e-cigarettes have increased, said Dr. Neal Benowitz, associate medical director of the San Francisco Division of the California Poison Control System, which is based at San Francisco General.

"We have seen a significant jump from two to three cases of e-cigarette-related poisoning per month in 2012 to 12 cases in 2014," he said.

Dr. Tomas Aragon of the San Francisco Department of Public Health said regulating e-cigarettes like regular tobacco products is a common-sense move to "prevent increased recruitment of our youth into a life of nicotine addiction."

Messages requesting comment from advocacy groups — including the Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association, the Smoke-Free Alternatives Trade Association and the Electronic Cigarette Industry Group — were not immediately returned Friday afternoon.

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AG to probe CGI payments

The state will shell out an additional $35 million to developer CGI in a settlement over the disastrous Health Connector website, and Attorney General Martha Coakley has launched an investigation into the Virginia-based company, officials said yesterday.

"There were deficiencies and shortcomings on our part and CGI's part," said state Obamacare czar Maydad Cohen. "That has been well-documented by independent reports and by virtue of the fact we're in the position we're in today."

All totaled, CGI will have recouped $52 million of the original $69 million contract — a cost that skyrocketed to $89 million thanks to cost overruns. But the site was doomed from day one, baffling users with glitches that blocked people with hyphenated names and forced others to falsely identify themselves as prison inmates or mental patients to enroll.

"What a sad state of affairs that you spend that amount of money and there's no accountability at all," said Joshua Archambault of the Pioneer Institute. "If this were the private sector, there would be serious consequences for wasting this kind of money."

The agreement gives Coakley the power to try to recover up to $12 million from CGI under the False Claims Act.

"The failings of the CGI-developed website have been unacceptable, and we are conducting an investigation into their actions to seek to recover money back for taxpayers," said spokesman Brad Puffer.

But GOP gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker shot back: "Investigations cannot undo the taxpayer dollars wasted and the disruption of families' access to health care."

Gov. Deval Patrick defended the settlement in a statement: "This is a pragmatic way to wind up a frustrating relationship. CGI has been a disappointing partner."

CGI had continued working on the day-to-day project as recently as this week, even though Patrick had announced in March that the two sides were "parting ways."

Part of yesterday's settlement included determining the ownership of intellectual property — items such as software and code — that wasn't clearly spelled out in the contract.

CGI workers will remain on the job for the next three months in the transition.

"This agreement recognizes the important contributions made by CGI throughout the project and during the past three months when hundreds of CGI professionals stayed on the job," said CGI spokeswoman Linda Odorisio.

While state officials had blamed CGI for the disaster, documents unearthed by the Herald showed that in-fighting among Patrick administration officials, frequently changing work orders, and the state's obsession with building the "Rolls-Royce" of insurance portals also contributed to the cyber-meltdown.

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First nonstop Beijing flight lands in Hub

The first nonstop Hainan Airlines flight from Beijing arrived at Boston's Logan International Airport yesterday afternoon, christening a direct route expected to bolster trade and tourism between New England and China.

"Business, leisure and educational travel and trade between the United States and China has been growing dramatically," Hainan Airlines president Xie Haoming said in a statement after arriving on the inaugural flight. "This wonderful new link will stimulate this growth."

Xie and a delegation of Hainan executives, Chinese media and business people are scheduled to meet with local business leaders in the coming days.

Hainan Airlines will provide free private limo service for business-class passengers within 30 miles of Logan starting July 1, a service it already provides in Beijing.

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High-end Southie condos going fast

In a testament to just how hot the South Boston condo market is, four high-end condos just went on sale at 45 A St. and two are already sold.

This four-unit building on a short spur of A Street just past West Broadway has direct elevator access to each condo, contemporary custom cabinetry, red oak floors and even garage parking spaces. Two 1,580-square-foot units are still available on the second and third floors, listing for $899,000 and $949,000.

The white Hardiplank building with a brick first floor is styled to suggest a Southie rowhouse and it has front balconies that overlook the gentrified area around the Broadway Red Line T station.

The interiors have a contemporary European look as seen in the staged model unit. The large open kitchen/dining/living areas has eight windows on two sides bringing in lots of light.

The recessed-lit kitchens have custom two-tone Leicht oak cabinetry, stylish white quartz counters and waterfall-style island, glass-mosaic backsplashes and Thermador appliances, including a refrigerator and dishwasher behind cabinets, a gas stovetop and double wall ovens — plus a wine cooler and lots of drawer space.

The living area features a 60-inch Heat-n-Glo gas fireplace with a large honed black granite surround, and a glass door from the recessed-lit dining room opens onto a Trex-decked front-facing balcony.

The master bedroom suite, which also has access to the balcony, features a large walk-in closet and en-suite master bathroom with heated porcelain tile floor, a large glass-doored walk-in shower with multiple Hans Grohe shower heads, and a floating white quartz-topped vanity also with Grohe fixtures.

The slightly smaller second bedroom faces the rear, and there's a second full bath across the hall with heated tile floors, a floating vanity with Grohe fixtures and deep soaking tub/shower.

At the end of the hall is a bit awkward leftover space styled as an office alcove, adjacent to the direct access elevator. There's three closets along a sconce-lit hallway, one holding a stacked white Electrolux washer and dryer, a second with a Navien tankless water heater system and a third with a gas-fired heating and central air system.

Each unit comes with a deeded garage parking space on the first floor of the building. But 45 A St. sits on a small lot and there isn't any common yard space.

Home Showcase

• Address: 45 A St., South Boston, Units 1 and 2
• Bedrooms: Two
• Bathrooms: Two full
• List price: $899,000-$ 949,000
• Square feet: 1,580
• Price per square foot: $569-$601
• Annual taxes: To be determined
• Monthly condo fee: $350 (estimated)
• Location: Near the corner of A Street and West Broadway a half-block from retail and restaurants along Broadway as well as Broadway Red Line T station.
• Built in: 2014
• Broker: Dom Lange and Lindsay Smith of Broadway Village Real Estate at 617-482-9200

Pros:

• High-end kitchen with Leicht cabinetry, Thermador appliances
• Living room has 60-inch granite-surrounded gas fireplace
• Private front balcony with access from dining area and master bedroom
• Lots of windows and red oak floors
• Deeded parking garage space on first floor

Cons:

• Home office alcove an awkward use of leftover space
• No common yard space

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The Ticker

FDA approves antibiotic from Lexington's Cubist

The Food and Drug Administration yesterday approved a new antibiotic from Lexington-based Cubist Pharmaceuticals to treat common skin infections often acquired in the hospital.

Regulators cleared the company's Sivextro as a pill and as an intravenous solution for adults with skin infections caused by bacteria that are often resistant to older antibiotics.

The FDA gave Sivextro an expedited review under a 2012 law designed to encourage drug makers to invest in researching and development of new antibiotics. Under the measure, Cubist will receive an additional five years of exclusive marketing rights to the drug.

Casino hopefuls present traffic plans

Mohegan Sun and Wynn Resorts laid out plans yesterday to help alleviate Boston-area traffic created by their proposed casinos.

The casino giants are vying for the lucrative eastern region gambling license, which is expected to be awarded in late August or early September.

Mohegan Sun officials, at a meeting before state gambling regulators at the Hynes Convention Center, said the casino's planned $1.2 billion resort on the Revere side of the Suffolk Downs horse racing track would include an estimated $45 million in transit-related improvements.

Wynn Resorts officials said their proposed $1.6 billion casino on a former chemical plant site in Everett would include about $50 million in such investments.

Both casino operators put forward a range of traffic-mitigating plans, including improvements to some of the area's most congested traffic circles. The casinos also said they would be limiting employee parking onsite and encouraging mass transit use while also staggering work shifts so that employees are not on the road during rush hour drive times.

Dow, S&P reach record highs

U.S. stocks rose yesterday, driving the Dow and the S&P 500 to close at record highs as the shares of 330 companies hit 52-week highs on the New York Stock Exchange.

The S&P 500 scored its third record closing high in a row while the Dow surpassed its previous record close on June 10. The blue-chip index hit an all-time intraday high at 16,978.02, coming close to the 17,000 mark.

For the week, the three major U.S. stock indexes rose 1 percent as investors brushed off geopolitical concerns about Iraq and focused on the Federal Reserve's comments indicating that it will keep interest rates low for a long period of time.

Sperry Van Ness International Corp., a commercial real estate franchisor based in Boston, announced that Diane Danielson, previously the company's chief platform officer, was promoted to chief operating officer. Danielson is responsible for the day-to-day operations that support the more than 180 Sperry Van Ness franchises nationwide. She previously worked as a new media and marketing technology consultant for several industries.

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Presbyterians to divest as protest against Israel

DETROIT — The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) on Friday became the most prominent religious group in the United States to endorse divestment as a protest against Israeli policies toward Palestinians, voting to sell church stock in three companies whose products Israel uses in the occupied territories.

The General Assembly voted by a razor-thin margin — 310-303 — to sell stock in Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard and Motorola Solutions. Two years ago, the General Assembly rejected a similar divestment proposal by two votes.

The American Jewish Committee, a policy and advocacy group based in New York, said the vote was "driven by hatred of Israel." But Heath Rada, moderator for the church meeting, said immediately after the vote that "in no way is this a reflection of our lack of love for our Jewish brothers and sisters."

The decision is expected to reverberate beyond the 1.8 million-member church. It comes amid discouragement over failed peace talks that have left activists desperate for some way to affect change and as the broader movement known as BDS — or boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel — has gained some momentum in the U.S., Israel's closest and most important ally.

Presbyterians who advocated for divestment insisted their action was not part of the broader boycott movement. Israeli officials, along with many American Jewish groups, denounced the campaign as an attempt to delegitimize the Jewish state. Separately, the assembly also voted to re-examine its support for a two-state solution.

In a statement on its Facebook page, the Israeli Embassy in Washington denounced the resolution as "shameful."

"Voting for symbolic measures marginalizes and removes its ability to be a constructive partner to promote peace in the Middle East," the statement said.

Omar Barghouti, a co-founder of the BDS movement, praised the vote as a "sweet victory for human rights."

He said Presbyterian supporters of Palestinian rights have introduced divestment into the U.S. mainstream and have given Palestinians "real hope in the face of the relentless and intensifying cruelty of Israel's regime of occupation, settler colonialism and apartheid."

The top Presbyterian legislative body has been considering divestment for a decade. Representatives of the Presbyterian socially responsible investment arm told the national meeting in Detroit that their efforts to lobby the three companies for change had failed. Carol Hylkema of the Israel/Palestine Mission Network, a Presbyterian group that advocates for Palestinians and spearheaded the drive for divestment, said their action was modeled on the divestment movement to end apartheid in South Africa. The 2012 assembly had endorsed a boycott of Israeli products made in the Palestinian territories.

"Because we are a historical peacemaking church, what we have done is, we have stood up for nonviolent means of resistance to oppression and we have sent a clear message to a struggling society that we support their efforts to resist in a nonviolent way the oppression being thrust upon them," said the Rev. Jeffrey DeYoe, of the Israel/Palestine Mission Network.

The vote was the subject of intense lobbying both from within and outside the church. Rabbis and other members of Jewish Voice for Peace, which advocates for Palestinians, lined the halls of the meeting and prayed in vigils outside the convention center wearing T-shirts that read, "Another Jew Supporting Divestment." Other rabbis and their Presbyterian supporters held panel discussions and sent letters to delegates urging them to vote no.

Rabbi Rick Jacobs, head of the liberal Union for Reform Judaism, which is the largest branch of American Judaism, addressed the delegates twice, urging them to reject divestment. After the vote, Jacobs said the denomination as a whole is no longer "a partner for joint work on Israel-Palestine peace issues."

In leading an effort to strike down the proposal, Frank Allen of the Central Florida Presbytery told delegates, "Divestment will create dissension. Dialogue and relationship building will lay the groundwork for true peace."

Bill Ward of the Presbytery of the Inland Northwest, based in Spokane, Washington, argued the proposal was not an attack on Israel. The measure adopted Friday reaffirms Israel's right to exist. "It is motivated by stewardship integrity, not partisan political advocacy," Ward said.

Two smaller U.S. religious groups have divested in protest of Israeli policies: the Friends Fiduciary Corp., which manages assets for U.S. Quakers, and the Mennonite Central Committee. Last week, the pension board of the United Methodist Church, the largest mainline Protestant group in the U.S., revealed plans to sell holdings worth about $110,000 in G4S, which provides security equipment and has contracts with Israel's prison system. However, the United Methodist Church had rejected church-wide divestment.

Motorola Solutions said in a statement that the company follows the law and its own policies that address human rights. Hewlett-Packard said its checkpoints for Palestinians were developed to expedite passage "in a secure environment, enabling people to get to their place of work or to carry out their business in a faster and safer way." Caterpillar has said it does not sell equipment to Israel, just to the U.S. government.

A church spokeswoman estimated the value of Presbyterian holdings in the companies at $21 million.

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Zoll reported from New York.

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