Information, news, and entertainment for the commercial
alternate financing, bank, finance and leasing industries

Add me to mailing listSearch | All Lists | Columnists | Site Map
Advertising| Archives | Classified Ads | This Day In American History

Email the Editor


 

Monday, April 6, 2021



Today's Leasing News Headlines

Leasing Industry Job Wanted
    Credit – Experienced Asset Manager
Embrace Changes
    By Scott Wheeler, CLFP
Leasing Industry Ads
    Positions Available at Growing Funders
The Two Reasons Why You Get Hired
    The Ultimate Hire by Ken Lubin, ZRG Partners
Top Ten Leasing News
    March 29 to April 2
Aggregate Funding Sources - Updated
    (Online: connects lessees, lessors, and vendors)
The State of U.S. Union Membership - Map
    Percentage of Employed Wage and Salary Workers 2020
Nearly 1.7 Million Borrowers Will Exit Forbearance Programs
    in September; CFPB has Plan to Avoid Foreclosure
Signature Financial Appoints Seven Executive Sales Officers
    and Two Asset Management Professionals to Fuel Continued Growth
Breed Not Stated (but a handsome dog)
    Port Washington, New York  Adopt-a-Dog
American Association Commercial Finance Brokers
    Latest List of Expo Exhibitors
News Briefs---

Tesla more than doubles Q1 sales,
    delivers 185,000 vehicles
Moderna Provides Storage Update & Announces the U.S. FDA
    Authorizes Up To 15 Doses per Vial of its COVID-19 Vaccine
Nevada OKs incentives for 9 companies moving
    or expanding here. Here's how much they got
New York State Is Set to Raise Taxes
    on Those Earning Over $1 Million
‘It’s Not the Dog’: What’s Really Behind
    the White House Dog’s Biting Problem

You May have Missed---
Janet Yellen Calls for global minimum tax rate  
    in a speech before the Chicago Council on Global Affairs


Broker/Funder/Industry Lists
| Features (wrilter's columns)
Top Ten Stories Chosen by Readers | Top Stories last six months

www.leasingcomplaints.com (Be Careful of Doing Business)
www.evergreenleasingnews.org
Leasing News Icon for Android Mobile Device


  Sports Brief----
   California Nuts Brief---
    "Gimme that Wine"
     This Day in History
      SuDoku
       Daily Puzzle
        GasBuddy
         Weather, USA or specific area
          Traffic Live----

######## surrounding the article denotes it is a “press release,” it was not written by Leasing News nor has the information been verified. The source noted. When an article is signed by the writer, it is considered a “byline.” It reflects the opinion and research of the writer.


[headlines]

--------------------------------------------------------------

Leasing Industry Job Wanted
Credit – Experienced Asset Manager

Asset Management

Experienced Asset Manager / Remarketer seeking position.  At IBM Global Financing I managed the IT lease portfolio of PC and PC Server assets.  I mainly focused on creating secondary transactions with leased assets (sales and renewals).  In other roles I was focused on managing remarketing of assets after end of lease.  I am in the Chicago area and I am comfortable and experienced at working remotely.  Contact: lorenw999@gmail.com   LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loren-r-williams/

Credit

Interested in 20 to 30 hours per week. Strong skill set is analyzing/developing business development entry strategies for multiple industry sectors from an equipment finance perspective. This would be more of a consulting approach. Excel, CRM (Siebel, Salesforce, etc.), Word, PPT skills. I have plenty of credit score card analytical experience, but more from an underwriter or portfolio management perspective. Could use my experience with the SBA EIDL credit algorithm experience. Emphasis on asset based and secured financing to the middle and large ticket market. https://www.linkedin.com/in/cramerowen/
Cramer Hill Owen II <ch2capital@gmail.com>

Post a Free Ad that You are Looking
Limited to 100 Words
http://leasingnews.org/Classified/Jwanted/Jwanted-post.htm



[headlines]

--------------------------------------------------------------

Embrace Changes

By Scott Wheeler, CLFP

The commercial equipment leasing and finance industry is changing. Many organizations are making major alterations to their products, processes, and positions within the market.

I have received many comments from originators including:

  • Company objectives and preferred transactions have changed and originators are being asked to find new types of vendors, end-users, and relationships.
  • Transactions easily funded six months or a year ago are no longer being approved or funded.
  • Equipment types that were preferred are now out of favor. 
  • Products are more aggressive; but the credit criteria are more restrictive - many past clients no longer align with current capabilities.
  • Originators are required to facilitate more of the pre-qualification before submitting a transaction.

Originators need to be flexible and embrace change. Change is good and is often required to adjust to new market conditions. Top originators understand the market and understand the need for constant alterations in order to stay in front of the competition. Top producing originators participate in a changing market and are vital conduits in communicating change both internally and externally. Top originators focus on the future and never look back. They create new opportunities based upon current and future trends.

Top producers are having record production months because they are embracing change.

Order via Amazon: https://www.createspace.com/5355516 

Scott A. Wheeler, CLFP
Wheeler Business Consulting
1314 Marquis Ct.
Fallston, Maryland 21047
Phone: 410 877 0428
Fax: 410 877 8161
Email: scott@wheelerbusinessconsulting.com
Web: www.wheelerbusinessconsulting.com


 

[headlines]
--------------------------------------------------------------

Leasing Industry Help Wanted


 


[headlines]
--------------------------------------------------------------

The Two Reasons Why You Get Hired

The Ultimate Hire by Ken Lubin, ZRG Partners

We live in a world that is focused on results. No matter what you do or where your go, your results dictate whether or not you get hired or fired, make the team or not, or separate yourself from the crowd. Your results follow you everywhere and are what we are gauged on (grades, sales numbers, cost savings, etc.  We can be the best, nicest, and hardest working person in the world but if your results don’t show progress or growth, you will not be hired or you will be the first to be fired.

The truth about getting hired in today’s world comes down to two things:  Are you making the company money or are you saving the company money? If you are not doing either of these things, you are expendable. You will be the first to let go at a downturn and will be the last to get hired. Make sure you have quantifiable results that show that you excel in your profession, because this is the only true way to job security.

Ken
klubin@zrgpartners.com

The Ultimate Hire Collection:
http://leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/ultimate.html



[headlines]
--------------------------------------------------------------

Top Ten Leasing News
March 29 to April 2

(Stories most opened by readers)

(1)  New Pyramid in Egypt
     Photo
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Mar2021/03_29.htm#photo

(2) People's Bank Acquires North Star Leasing Business,
    Operating as a Division of People's Bank, Plus Premier Bancorp
http://easingnews.org/archives/Mar2021/03_31.htm#peoples

(3) Companies who utilize Evergreen Clauses
  for Extra Lease Payments
    Two Turned Down Who Wanted to Advertise in Leasing News
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Mar2021/03_29.htm#evergreen

(4)  Two Bald Eagles in Montana
     Photo
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Mar2021/03_31.htm#eagles

(5)  Why You Need to Continue Wearing a Mask
  and Social Distance
    By Christopher Menkin
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Apr2021/04_02.htm#why

(6)  New Hires/Promotions in the Leasing Business
    and Related Industries
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Apr2021/04_02.htm#hires

(7)   Are you an Equipment Leasing’s version
  of Blockbuster video?
    Observations from the Front Porch by Jim Acee
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Mar2021/03_29.htm#are

(8) North Star Now a Division of People's Bank
    Effective April 1, 2021
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Apr2021/04_02.htm#north

(9) Stop Drinking the Kool-Aid,
  Facebook Ads Don’t Work for Finance
    FinTech #102 by Brittney Holcomb
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Mar2021/03_29.htm#stop

(10) Covid-19 Total Vaccinations per Hundred People
    Countries with less than 7 Million total population not shown
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Apr2021/04_02.htm#covd



[headlines]
--------------------------------------------------------------

Aggregate Funding Sources
(Online: connects lessees, lessors, and vendors)

These are online companies that connect via Financial Technology to funders of business loans, leasing, working capital, and other finance methods to secure credit approval that meet the criteria of the funder that they represent with the most attractive rate and terms for the applicant.

The list is down to one: licensed in California. In 2000, there were 23 such companies. There are many alternate finance companies with many sources but they do not qualify as an Aggregate Funding Source.

https://www.lendio.com/franchise/
Lendio, based in Lehi, Utah as Lendio Partners, LLC.
Website states they appear to have changed direction and now looking for applicants to become a “Lendio franchise. “ In the past, they advertised a network of 75 lenders offering multiple loan and lease options. They stated, "To date, Lendio has facilitated close to $1.5 billion in financing through more than 70,000 loans to business owners in all 50 states. With this access to capital, Lendio’s small business clients have generated an estimated $5 billion in economic output and created more than 35,000 jobs in communities nationwide."

Today they state, “As a Lendio Franchisee you will be able to help small business owners find the loan they need to grow their business by leveraging Lendio’s business loan marketplace. By helping your clients complete a single application, they will be reviewed by over 75 lenders, taking the headache of loan applications out of the equation!”


[headlines]
--------------------------------------------------------------

Amazon warehouse workers are pushing for union membership in Bessemer, Alabama, a move their employer is bitterly opposed to. Amazon has been criticized heavily for its working conditions during the pandemic and, if the warehouse workers manage to unionize, it would mark the creation of the e-commerce giant's very first union in the United States.

Trade union membership has experienced a significant decline in the U.S. over the past four decades. Back in 1983, the membership rate was 20.1 percent and it fell to just 10.8 percent in 2020. There is a significant difference in membership between states and a total of 30 (and the District of Columbia) have membership rates below the U.S. average of 10.8 percent.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Hawaii had the highest rate of union membership in 2020 at 23.7 percent, followed by New York with 22 percent. The two Carolinas were bottom for the bottom of the membership league with South Carolina's rate just 2.9 percent while North Carolina's was 3.1 percent.

By Niall McCarthy, Statista

 

[headlines]
--------------------------------------------------------------

Nearly 1.7 Million Borrowers Will Exit Forbearance Programs
in September; CFPB has Plan to Avoid Foreclosure

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has proposed changes intended to help prevent impending foreclosure actions as the emergency federal foreclosure protections are eventually set to expire. There are nearly 2.5 million homeowners currently in forbearance plans according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) and, in order to prevent a windfall of foreclosures that may overwhelm servicers, the CFPB’s has proposed a number of actions.


CFPB Acting Director Dave Uejio, said, “The nation has endured more than a year of a deadly pandemic and a punishing economic crisis. We must not lose sight of the dangers so many consumers still face.

 “Millions of families are at risk of losing their homes to foreclosure in the coming months, even as the country opens back up. Last week, we warned that servicers need to be prepared for a high volume of borrowers exiting forbearance and today, we are proposing additional guardrails and tools for servicers as they navigate the coming months. We will do everything in our power to ensure servicers work with struggling families to find solutions that prevent avoidable foreclosures.”

The number of homeowners behind on their mortgage has doubled since the beginning of the pandemic as 6% of mortgages were delinquent as of December 2020. More homeowners are behind on their mortgages than at any time since 2010, the peak of the Great Recession. Industry data suggest that nearly 1.7 million borrowers will exit forbearance programs in September and the following months, with many of them a year or more behind on their mortgage payments. The CFPB’s proposal, “Protections for Borrowers Affected by the COVID-19 Emergency Under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), Regulation X” looks to mitigate through the following actions:

Grant borrowers time: To make sure borrowers aren’t rushed into foreclosure when an unprecedented number of borrowers exit forbearance, the proposed rule would provide a special pre-foreclosure review period that would generally prohibit servicers from starting foreclosure until after December 31, 2021. The CFPB is seeking public input on that date, as well as whether there are more limited ways to achieve the same purpose.

Provide servicers with options: The CFPB’s proposal would permit servicers to offer certain streamlined loan modification options to borrowers with COVID-19-related hardships based on the evaluation of an incomplete application. Normally, with certain exceptions, Regulation X requires servicers to review a borrower for all available options at once, which can mean borrowers have to submit more documents before a servicer can make a decision. Allowing this flexibility could allow servicers to get borrowers into an affordable mortgage payment faster, with less paperwork for both the servicer and the borrower. This provision would only be available for modifications that do not increase a borrower’s monthly payment and that extend the loan’s term by no more than 40 years from the modification’s effective date.

Keep borrowers informed of options: The CFPB is proposing temporary changes to certain required servicer communications to make sure that, during this crisis, borrowers receive key information about their options at the appropriate time.

By Eric C. Peck, DSnews.com

 

[headlines]
--------------------------------------------------------------

##### Press Release ############################

Signature Financial Appoints Seven Executive Sales Officers
  and Two Asset Management Professionals to Fuel Continued Growth

Expansion Marks 33 Executive Sales Officers Now Representing Signature Financial Nationwide

MELVILLE, N.Y. Signature Financial LLC, the wholly owned specialty finance subsidiary of New York-based Signature Bank (Nasdaq:SBNY), announced today the appointment of seven equipment finance Executive Sales Officers (ESOs), bringing the total to 33 throughout the country. The Company also announced the addition of two asset management officers in support of its growth initiatives.

An equipment ESO is responsible for providing commercial clients financing and leasing solutions to facilitate their acquisition of income producing equipment.

Alfredo Anguiano joins from Wells Fargo Equipment Finance where he served as Senior Vice President–Food, Beverage and Agribusiness, originating related transactions throughout the West Coast. Anguiano, based in Los Angeles, will be working directly with Signature Bank’s private client banking teams on the West Coast, supporting their respective clients as well as sourcing new relationships. With more than two decades of finance experience, previously Anguiano was a relationship manager at several other institutions including U.S. Bank and GE Capital Corp.

Scott Armitage, based in Boise, Idaho, will originate relationships in the greater Western Mountain region for Signature Financial. Armitage comes to Signature Financial following his tenure at First Interstate Bank in Boise, where he spent five years in roles of increasing responsibilities across the bank’s various Idaho locations. Most recently, he was Assistant Commercial Relationship Manager handling regional mid-market accounts.

Before joining Signature Financial, Thomas Austin, a seasoned finance professional with 35 years of experience, was Vice President, Regional Sales Manager in the Equipment Financing Division at Ameris Bank. Focused primarily on the construction equipment market, Austin was responsible for equipment financing business development with direct lending and dealer-sourced relationships to generate organic growth through this division. Other related roles include those at, among others, Caterpillar Financial Services Corp. and GE Capital. Austin will complement Signature Financial’s existing Southeast region ESOs from his Orlando, Florida base.

Michael Luke joins from Sterling National Bank’s Equipment Finance Division in New York City, where he served as Managing Director for the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Region, responsible for business development in the construction and transportation sectors throughout greater New York City metro and mid-Atlantic areas. Luke will cater to Signature Bank clients as well as independently developed relationships. Earlier in his 25-year career, he held specialty finance-related roles at JP Morgan Equipment Finance and Key Equipment Finance. Luke works from offices in Greenwich, Conn.

An equipment finance professional with a generalist background in the specialty finance industry and more than a decade of experience, Andrew Pennline joins from Wells Fargo Equipment Finance. He was an account manager, originating equipment loans and leases as well as managing a territory team. Other equipment leasing roles were those held at Net Health, Inc., Komatsu Mining and the Reznick Group, P.C. Pennline will use his Pittsburgh home base to cover the greater western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio regions for Signature Financial.

Thomas Prendergast is an equipment finance veteran with 38 years of experience in the space. Prior to joining Signature Financial, Prendergast was Vice President at Fifth Third Equipment Finance, responsible for business development, mostly within the manufacturing, agricultural, transportation and construction industries. Former roles include, along with others, those at Wells Fargo Equipment Finance, Inc. and U.S. Bancorp Leasing & Financial. Prendergast, based in the Chicago metro market, provides additional client coverage for Signature Financial in the Midwest region.

Prior to joining Signature Financial, industry veteran Scott Stromquist, based in Nashville, Tenn., held the position of sales support manager at Caterpillar Financial in Nashville. He managed a sales support team providing equipment financing for 20 Caterpillar dealers, spending more than a decade of his career at the company. In addition to Caterpillar Nashville, he served in management roles at Caterpillar in Peoria, Ill. and San Antonio, Texas. Stromquist will continue to leverage the relationships he has forged over the course of his construction finance career.

Signature Financial also appointed two asset management professionals, Kelly Lane and Tim Pedersen, to support the continuing growth of its direct equipment origination avenues as well as Signature Financial’s other specialty businesses, including its Intermediary Funding and Capital Markets equipment channels, transportation funding, franchise finance and commercial marine lending.

Kelly Lane, a senior equipment finance professional with 22 years of equipment finance and asset management experience, has been named Vice President, Asset Management and is based at Signature Financial offices in Melville, N.Y. as well as in Brookfield, Conn. Most recently, Lane was Senior Vice President Equipment Management at Santander Bank Equipment Finance, where he managed the valuation, risk mitigation and profitability for the group’s multibillion dollar portfolio of financed and leased assets. Over the course of his 20+-year career, Lane served in analyst, underwriting, portfolio management and equipment finance roles at a range of finance companies, including CIT Equipment Finance, Somerset Capital Group and GE Capital.

Tim Pedersen, who was named Asset Management Officer, spent 30 years in the leasing and financial services industries, with emphasis on portfolio management, underwriting, capital markets and asset management. At Craig & Associates headquartered in Deer Park, Md., his most recent position, he provided equipment evaluations for portfolio acquisitions and individual lease financings. Earlier, he was Co-founder and Managing Director at Rockwell Financial Group, LLC, a middle-market lender. Other positions include those at Southern Pacific BankCapital, where he established the leasing division and Capital Associates, with several roles of increasing responsibility spanning a 10 year-period. Pedersen is based in Boulder.


Walter Rabin, President and Chief Executive Officer at Signature Financial, said, “Signature Financial continues to identify and attract talent nationwide, which has contributed to our growth to $5+ billion in assets. Professionals such as these are the reason Signature Financial has emerged as the 15th largest bank-based lender in the specialty equipment finance space, a position we secured in just nine years since the launch of our subsidiary at Signature Bank,” stated.”


Joseph J. DePaolo, President and Chief Executive Officer at Signature Bank, noted, “Akin to Signature Bank’s founding single-point-of-contact philosophy and relationship-based model, where we attract veteran bankers who join as teams, Signature Financial is further cementing its similar relationship-based approach through these appointments. These newly appointed client-facing professionals each bring extensive, specialized knowledge of the equipment finance niche, which will further strengthen Signature Financial’s national market penetration and reputation. We look forward to the contributions our new colleagues will make to the ongoing growth of the specialty finance business.”

About Signature Bank and Signature Financial LLC

Signature Bank (Nasdaq: SBNY), member FDIC, is a New York-based, full-service commercial bank with 37 private client offices throughout the metropolitan New York area, including those in Connecticut as well as California and North Carolina. Through its single-point-of-contact approach, the Bank’s private client banking teams primarily serve the needs of privately owned businesses, their owners and senior managers.

Signature Financial, LLC, one of two Bank subsidiaries, provides equipment finance and leasing; transportation financing, franchise finance and commercial marine finance. Signature Financial and its affiliate, Signature Public Funding, operate from 45 locations in 23 states.

Signature Securities Group Corporation, a licensed broker-dealer, investment adviser and member FINRA/SIPC, offers investment, brokerage, asset management and insurance products and services.

Since commencing operations in May 2001, Signature Bank, with $73.9 billion in assets, is one of the top 40 largest banks in the U.S., based on deposits (S&P Global Market Intelligence). Deposits as of December 31, 2020 reached $63.3 billion.

Signature Bank was the first FDIC-insured bank to launch a blockchain-based digital payments platform. Signet™ allows commercial clients to make real-time payments in U.S. dollars, 24/7/365 and was also the first solution to be approved for use by the NYS Department of Financial Services.

For more information, please visit: https://www.signatureny.com

#### Press Release #############################


[headlines]
--------------------------------------------------------------

Breed Not Stated (but a handsome dog)
Port Washington, New York  Adopt-a-Dog


Maxi

Male
Age: Adult
Size: Large
Adults-Only Home
Can be both active and calm
Good with dogs
House trained
Needs an experienced Owner
Meet and Greet Recommended

North Shore Animal League America
25 Davis Avenue
Port Washington, NY 11050

Phone
516-883-7575

Schedule an Adoption Appointment
   and Inquire about adopting Maximus
https://www.animalleague.org/adopt/profile/?id=IR913

[headlines]
--------------------------------------------------------------

American Association Commercial Finance Brokers
Latest List of Expo Exhibitors

We know this past year has made it difficult to make new business connections. Funding criteria has changed, and restrictions have been put in place on certain industries. Now, more than ever, it is important to stay in touch with your funding partners and to solidify new relationships to make sure the deal flow does not get interrupted.

Join us May 5-7, 2021 and connect with these outstanding funding sources and service providers. Forge new partnerships or reconnect with your existing partners to keep your business moving forward in 2021!

EXPO EXHIBITORS 

· American Lease Insurance Agency Corporation
· Amur Equipment Finance
· Balboa Capital
· Bankers Capital
· BankFinancial Equipment Finance
· Baystone Government Finance/KS StateBank
· Bryn Mawr Funding
· C.H. Brown Co. LLC
· Channel Partners Capital
· CLFP Foundation
· Financial Pacific Leasing, Inc.
· First Federal Leasing
· Global Financial & Leasing Services LLC
· instaCOVER
· Meridian Equipment Finance
· Monitor
· Navitas Credit Corp.
· NCMIC/Professional Solutions
· NewLane Finance
· North Mill Equipment Finance LLC
· North Star Leasing
· Orange Commercial Credit
· Providence Equipment Finance
· Quality Leasing Co., Inc.
· SLIM Capital LLC
· TradeRiver USA, Inc.
· VFI Corporate Finance

Early-bird broker registration for the 2021 Virtual AACFB Commercial Financing Expo is only $150 for the first attendee from each broker company and only $50 for each additional attendee.

PLUS - The first broker to register from each company will receive a $100 gift card if they meet with at least 5 exhibitors, either during trade show hours or via one-on-one appointments during the event.

[headlines]
--------------------------------------------------------------

News Briefs---

Tesla more than doubles Q1 sales,
    delivers 185,000 vehicles
https://nypost.com/2021/04/02/tesla-more-than-doubles-q1-sales-delivers-185000-vehicles/

Moderna Provides Storage Update & Announces the U.S. FDA
    Authorizes Up To 15 Doses per Vial of its COVID-19 Vaccine
https://investors.modernatx.com/news-releases/news-release-details/moderna-provides-storage-update-announces-us-fda-authorizes-15

Nevada OKs incentives for 9 companies moving
    or expanding here. Here's how much they got
https://www.rgj.com/story/news/money/business/2021/04/02/nevada-office-economic-development-approves-tax-incentives-9-companies/4839753001/

New York State Is Set to Raise Taxes
    on Those Earning Over $1 Million
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/05/nyregion/taxes-rich-budget-new-york.html

‘It’s Not the Dog’: What’s Really Behind
    the White House Dog’s Biting Problem
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/04/05/major-biden-dog-trainers-white-house-479030 


 

[headlines]
--------------------------------------------------------------


You May Have Missed---

Janet Yellen Calls for global minimum tax rate  
    in a speech before the Chicago Council on Global Affairs
https://www.axios.com/janet-yellen-global-minimum-tax-rate-51c7395b-e46a-4a5c-b18b-bdcf5d8bd352.html



[headlines]
--------------------------------------------------------------


Sports Briefs---

Reds' Castellanos suspended two games;
    three Cardinals fined
https://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/cardinal-beat/reds-castellanos-suspended-two-games-three-cardinals-fined/article_6c227a58-30c8-501b-b2ba-c35cbf9eb548.html

Jets trade QB Sam Darnold to Panthers
    for package of NFL draft picks
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/jets/2021/04/05/new-york-jets-trade-sam-darnold-carolina-panthers-pick-package/7097077002/

The Rangers Play Baseball in Front of a Packed House
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/05/sports/baseball/rangers-blue-jays-capacity-photos.htm


[headlines]
--------------------------------------------------------------


California Nuts Briefs---

California Utilities Want to Slash Subsidies
   for New Solar Rooftops
https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article250185380.html#:~:text=PG%26E%20and%20California's%20other%20major,customers%20by%20more%20than%20half.

Six Los Angeles Catholic schools to close,
    the pandemic a final blow after years of struggle
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-04-03/six-la-catholic-schools-close-covid-19-hardship 

San Francisco Bay Area home prices
    soar on suburban land rush
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2021/04/05/bay-area-home-prices-soar-on-suburban-land-rush/


[headlines]

--------------------------------------------------------------




“Gimme that Wine”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJnQoi8DSE8

New tax on Canadian wine will have
     ‘dire consequences,’ industry warns
https://www.thestar.com/business/2021/04/03/new-tax-on-canadian-wine-will-have-dire-consequences-industry-warns.html

‘Tasting rooms’ trip up wine giant’s proposal in SC
https://apnews.com/article/columbia-south-carolina-wine-5a3738d9c9f13ea3e5cdff797d4089d3

California Wine Companies See Opportunity in IPO Boom
https://www.wsj.com/video/california-wine-companies-see-opportunity-in-ipo-boom/382C9A5D-7C92-467A-884B-C5BA48293B26.html

Free Wine App
https://www.nataliemaclean.com/mobileapp/

Wine Prices by vintage
http://www.winezap.com
http://www.wine-searcher.com/

[headlines]
----------------------------------------------------------------

This Day in History

     6 BC - Many Biblical scholars believe this date to be the actual date of the historical birth of Jesus Christ. The actual day of the month has never been declared, although many believe it is the 6th day of April, due to the many changes in what we now have as the present-day calendar. Most scholars believe the correct year is 6BC. This is also the week of Jewish Passover. It should also be noted the Bible (John 18:28; 19:31) indicates that Christ was crucified on the eve of a Passover and we know that it was sometime around the year AD 30. The Roman Catholic Church has March 25 and that is the accepted tradition, based primarily with many customs from non-Christian festival (Roman Saturnalia, Mithraic sun’s birthday, Teutonic Yule, Druidic and other winter solstice rites). The Greek Orthodox Church and other orthodox churches celebrate on January 7 based on the old Julian calendar.
http://www.alphalink.com.au/~sanhub/jcbirth.htm
http://www.holidays.net/passover/story.html
http://home.earthlink.net/~jptandy/tandyland/jesusbth.htm
    610 - Lailat-ul Qadar: The night that the Koran descended to Earth. Muhammad is believed by his followers to have had a vision of Gabriel. The angel told him to recite in the name of God. Other visions are supposed to have Gabriel lead Muhammad to heaven to meet God, and to Jerusalem to meet Abraham, Moses and Jesus. These visions convinced Mohammad that he was a messenger of God.
    1712 - The first rebellion of African American slaves in a colony occurred in New York City. Six whites were killed. The militia was called out to suppress the revolt. Twenty-one African American slaves (some accounts say 12) were executed by hanging, and six committed suicide. Three decades later, in 1741, a rash of suspicious fires caused fears of another slave rebellion to sweep the city. Although no conclusive evidence of a slave conspiracy was uncovered, several slaves were coerced into confessing and implicating others. By the time the hysteria died down, thirty-one slaves and four whites had been hanged.
In the years after the American Revolution, the state of New York enacted legislation to gradually emancipate its slaves. By the first decade of the nineteenth century, the institution of slavery had ceased to exist in New York and most other northern states.
    1830 - James Augustine Healy (d. 1900), the first black Roman Catholic bishop in America, was born to an Irish planter and a slave on a plantation near Macon, Georgia.
http://www.holycross.edu/departments/publicaffairs/website/features/healy0805.htm
http://www.famousamericans.net/jamesaugustinehealy/
http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bhealy.html
    1735 - The first Moravians from Europe arrived in America. Invited by colonial governor James Oglethorpe, ten males of the "Unitas Fratrum" landed in Savannah, Georgia after sailing from England in February.
http://www.cviog.uga.edu/Projects/gainfo/mora-toc.htm
http://www.moravian.org/history/
    1777 - The first Marine officer killed in service was John Fitzpatrick, a second lieutenant in the Continental Marines, who was killed when the Alfred, a 24-gun frigate under command of Captain Samuel Nicholas, was attached off Block Island, RI, by the 20-gun H.M.S. Glasgow.
    1786 - Birthday of Sacagawea (d. 1812 or 1884), American explorer, a legend as the reason of the success of the famous Lewis and Clark expedition.  She was born into the Agaidika or Lehmi Shoshone near Salmon, ID.  At age 16, met and helped the Expedition in achieving their chartered mission objectives by exploring the Louisiana Territory.  Sacagawea traveled with the expedition thousands of miles from North Dakota to the Pacific Ocean, helping establish cultural contacts with Native American populations in addition to her contributions to natural history.  She was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2003 after having been inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 1959.  The Sacagawea dollar (also known as the "golden dollar") is a United States dollar coin first minted in 2000, although not minted for general circulation from 2002 to 2008 and again from 2012 onward.
http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/inside/saca.html
    1830 - Under the leadership of Joseph Smith, Jr., The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was founded with six members in a log cabin at Fayette, NY. The event occurred in the home of Peter Whitmer. Joseph Smith, the founder of the church, declared that an angel of God had shown him gold plates of which was engraved a divine scripture, The Book of Mormon, which he has translated. The official title of the Mormon Church is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
    1846 - Dred Scott claims freedom. Scott, a slave, files a declaration according to which, two days earlier, his owner had "beat, bruised, and ill-treated him" and imprisoned him for twelve hours. Scott adds that he claims to be a free man by virtue of his past residence in free territories.  In March of 1857, Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, a staunch supporter of slavery, wrote the "majority opinion" for the court. It stated that because Scott was black, he was not a citizen and therefore had no right to sue. The decision also declared the Missouri Compromise of 1820, legislation which restricted slavery in certain territories, unconstitutional. While the decision was well-received by slaveholders in the South, many northerners were outraged. The decision greatly influenced the nomination of Abraham Lincoln to the Republican Party and his subsequent election, which in turn led to the South's secession from the Union.
Peter Blow's sons, childhood friends of Scott, had helped pay Scott's legal fees through the years. After the Supreme Court's decision, the former master's sons purchased Scott and his wife and set them free. Dred Scott died nine months later.
    1853 - The City of Portland, Oregon, known as the “City of Roses,” was established.
    1862 - Battle of Shiloh. General Ulysses S. Grant’s Union forces at Shiloh, or Pittsburgh Landing, TN, were attack by a large force under General Albert Sidney Johnston. After heavy fighting, the first day of the battle ended without a conclusive victory for either side. Grant was reinforced before the Confederates on the second day and Confederate General Beauregard, in command after Johnston’s death the previous day, ordered a retreat to Orinth, MS, leaving the Federal troops in a stronger position in Tennessee than before the battle. Losses on both sides totaled more than 23,000.
    1865 - EDDY, SAMUEL E., Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Private, Company D, 37th Massachusetts Infantry. Place and date: At Sailors Creek, Va., 6 April 1865. Entered service at: Chesterfield, Mass. Birth: Vermont. Date of issue: 10 September 1897. Citation: Saved the life of the adjutant of his regiment by voluntarily going beyond the line and there killing one of the enemy then in the act of firing upon the wounded officer. Was assailed by several of the enemy, run through the body with a bayonet, and pinned to the ground, but while so. situated he shot and killed his assailant.
    1865 - At the Battle of Little Sailer's Creek, one fourth of Lee's army is cut off by Union troops pursuing him to Appomattox.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/va093.htm
http://www.historynet.com/magazines/civil_war_times/3036776.html
    1866 - Birthday of Joseph Lincoln Steffens (d. 1936), San Francisco.  Journalist and famous muckraker.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Steffens
    1868 - Mormon church leader Brigham Young, 67, married his 27th and last wife, Anna Eliza, who wound up suing him for divorce.(In all, Brigham Young's wives bore him 47 children., and was married 27 times, according to a source considered by historians as “accurate;” however, others believe she was his 18th wife.) “Eliza soon dropped from the role of ordinary wife to that of neglected wife; and finally, July 28, 1873, she sued Brigham for divorce, and demanded a substantial share of his fortune. It is necessary to pause here for a moment to repeat a caution given several times before. Ann Eliza Webb posed as Brigham's nineteenth wife, and custom has fixed that as her number. There is just as good warrant for calling her the twenty-ninth, or the hundred and nineteenth. At the time of her marriage there were known to be eighteen other women with whom Brigham had sustained or was sustaining marital relations. Careful search probably would have doubled the number, and not even Brigham could have told to hove many women he had been "sealed." The marriage ceremony was sufficient to cover cohabitation in every case; and no domestic census-taker could have drawn the line between the three sorts of spouses. Brigham’s answer to this divorce suit was a bit startling. He pleaded that there was no marriage between himself and the plaintiff which the laws of the United States recognized; and therefore, there was no occasion for divorce. Judge McKean was plainly embarrassed by the situation, yet quite as plainly determined to use it to the injury of the Mormon emperor. On February 25, 1875, McKean ordered Brigham to pay Ann Eliza $3,000 for attorney's fees and $500 per month alimony pending a final decision. Brigham's attorneys took an exception and prepared to appeal to the supreme court of the territory. The delay thus occasioned did not suit judge McKean. On March 8, he cited Brigham to appear before him, and show cause why he should not be punished for contempt of court in not having paid the required money. Brigham appeared in court three days later, and after a short argument by his attorneys, was sentenced to pay a fine of $25 and to be confined one day in the penitentiary. He was taken to his home by the deputy marshal, and after dining and being supplied with some clothing, was driven to the jail. Here, he was locked for a short time in a cell, and then allowed to pass the night in a room opening off the warden's office. The following day, March 12, 1875, he walked out free, into the arms of a worshipping crowd who had assembled to do him homage.
http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/s_z/young.htm
http://www.helpingmormons.org/mormon_empire.htm
http://www.helpingmormons.org/mormon_empire.htm
http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/s_z/young.htm
    1882 - Birthday of Rose Schneiderman (d. 1972), at Saven, Poland. A pioneer in the battle to increase wages and improve working conditions for women. Her family immigrated to the US six years later. At age 16, she began factory work in New York City’s garment district and quickly became a union organizer. Opposed to the open-shop policy, which permitted nonunion members to work in a unionized shop, Schneiderman organized a 1913 strike of 25,000 women shirtwaist makers. She worked as an organize for the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGUW) and for the Women’s Trade Union League (WTUL), serving as president for more than 20 years. During the Great Depression President Roosevelt appointed her to his Labor Advisory Board, the only woman member.
    1883 - Vernon Dalhart (d. 1948), the first singer of country songs to gain national attention, was born Marion Try Slaughter in Jefferson, Texas. Dalhart was not really a country singer. He began his career singing pop songs and light opera selections. But it was when he turned to hillbilly songs in 1925 that Dalhart made music history. His recording of "The Prisoner's Song" and "The Wreck of the Old 97" was the biggest-selling non-Christmas hit of the pre- rock 'n' roll era. Dalhart recorded for more than 30 labels and under dozens of pseudonyms.
    1892 – Lowell Thomas (d. 1981) was born in Woodington, OH.  A world traveler, reporter, editor, and radio newscaster, his newscasts spanned more than half the 20th century.  His newsreels were often the first thing moviegoers saw in theaters.
    1896 - The first modern Olympics formally opened at Athens, Greece, after a 1,500-year hiatus. There were 311 competitors, all men, representing 13 nations. The very first race was the opening heat of the 100 meters, won by Francis Lande of the US. He finished fourth in the final won by another American, Thomas Burke. The first Olympics were funded by the sale of commemorative stamps and medals and by a gift of one million drachmas from George Averoff, an architect.
    1900 - Jim Jeffries, 250 pounds, knocked out Jack Finnegan, 180 pounds, in 55 seconds of the first round at Detroit, MI, to win the heavyweight boxing championship title. It is the first, and only bout, won in under one minute.
    1904 - The Fidelity Contract Company, Rochester, New York, became the first installment finance company to purchase installment contracts from retail dealers. They eventually became the Bankers Commercial Corporation of New York City.
    1907 - The War Department has decided to retain the military prison at Alcatraz and not transfer it, as it was proposed, to Angel Island or the Presidio. Officials contend that Alcatraz affords the best opportunity for taking care of prisoners and preventing their escape. The battalion consisting of companies E, F, G and H, 22nd Infantry, will withdraw from the Island, and permanent prison guard will be substituted.
    1909 - The St. Canadian Credit Union of Massachusetts, NH, was charged with the help of Alphonese Desjardins, Canadian credit union pioneer, and became the first credit union in the United States.
    1909 - Robert E. Peary reached the North Pole after several failed attempts. The team consisted of Peary, leader of the expedition: Matthew A. l-Jenson, a black man who had served with Peary since 1886 as ship’s cook, carpenter and blacksmith, and then as Pear/s co-explorer and valuable assistant and four Eskimo guides—Coquesh, Ootah, Eginwah and Seegloo. They sailed July 17, 1908, on the ship Roosevelt, wintering on Ellesmere Island. After a grueling trek with dwindling food supplies, Henson and two of the Eskimos were first to reach the Pole. An exhausted Peary arrived 45 minutes later and confirmed their location. Dr. Frederick A. Cook, surgeon on an earlier expedition with Peary, claimed to have reached the Pole first, but that could not be substantiated and the National Geographic Society credited the Peary expedition.
    1917 - The US enters World War I, which began in 1914. Two days after the US Senate voted eighty-two to six to declare war against Germany, the US House of Representatives endorses the declaration by a vote of 373-50, and the US enters World War I. Four days earlier, President Woodrow Wilson, who initially sought a peaceful resolution to the war in Europe, appeared before a joint session of Congress and urged a declaration of war, citing Germany's unrestricted submarine warfare against US vessels traveling in the Atlantic.  The first US “Doughboys” landed in France June 27, 1917.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/apr06.html
    1924 - Tenor Sax player Charlie Rouse (d. 1988) born, Washington, DC
http://www.eyeneer.com/Reviews/Current/yeah.html
    1927 - Baritone sax player Gerry Mulligan (d. 1996) born at New York, NY. He performed with many great jazz musicians including Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Chet Baker and Duke Ellington, and is credited with helping create the cool-jazz movement with Miles Davis.
    1928 - Birthday of James Watson, discoverer (with Francis Crick) of the structure of DNA, born Chicago, IL
    1929 - Birthday of pianist, composer, conductor Andre Previn (d. 2019), born Berlin, Germany.
http://www.cdandlp.com/item/2/0-1601-14-1-0/1318764_Andre_Previn_Shelly_Mann.html
    1930 – Continental Baking manager James Dewar created the Twinkie in River Forest, IL. 
    1931 - Nine black youths, known as The Scottsboro Boys, went on trial at Scottsboro, AL, accused of raping two white women on a freight train. All were convicted in a hasty trial, but by 1950 were free by parole, appeal or escape.
    1936 - A massive pair of tornadoes, rated F4 on the Fujita scale, killed 203 persons, injured 1600, and caused over 13 million dollars damage in Gainesville, Georgia. The business district of the town was almost entirely destroyed as the tornado left a 4-block wide path of destruction in its wake. The largest death toll in one building in US history from a single tornado occurred when then Cooper Pants factory collapsed and caught fire. 70 people were killed.
    1937 - Guitarist/songwriter Merle Haggard (d. 2016) born Bakersfield, CA.
http://rollingstone.com/artists/bio.asp?oid=3135&cf=3135
http://www.merlehaggard.com/
    1938 - Teflon invented. Polytetraflouroethylesne reside was invented by Roy J. Plunkett while he was employed by E.I. Du Point de Nemours & Co. Commonly known as Teflon, it revolutionized the cookware industry. The substance or something similar coat three-quarters of the pots and pans in America at the time of Plunkett’s death in 1994.
    1939 - Harry James records “Two O’Clock Jump” Brunswick 8337.
    1940 - Duke Ellington Band records, “Jack the Bear, “KoKo.”
   
    1945 - Two US destroyers, two ammunition ships and a tank-landing ship were sunk off the coast Of Okinawa when the Japanese Air Force launched 355 kamikaze (suicide) pilots against the Allied fleet in Operation Floating Chrysanthemum.
    1947 - The American Theatre Wing bestowed the first annual Tony awards for distinguished service to the theater.
    1952 - Top Hits
Wheel of Fortune - Kay Starr
Anytime - Eddie Fisher
Please, Mr. Sun - Johnnie Ray
(When You Feel like You’re in Love) Don’t Just Stand There - Carl Smith
    1954 - TV Dinner is first put on sale by Swanson & Sons.
http://www.fiftiesweb.com/pop/tv-dinner.htm
http://www.cnn.com/FOOD/news/9903/31/tv.dinner/
    1956 - Paramount Pictures signed Elvis Presley to a three-picture contract only five days after his first screen test. The test was at the suggestion of producer Hal Wallis who had seen Presley on the Dorsey Brothers' TV show. Elvis was to be paid $100,000 for his first movie, $150,000 for the second and $200,000 for the third.
    1956 - Capitol Tower, the home of Capitol Records in Hollywood, CA, was dedicated. The building was the first circular office tower designed in America. It is 13 stories tall and 92 feet in diameter. At night, a light at the tip of the tower blinks the letters "H-O-L-L-Y-W-O-O-D" in Morse Code.
    1956 - The Beach Boys record "California Girls," which will reach number three in the US by August.
    1957 - Elvis Presley's "All Shook Up" is released.
    1957 - The Toronto quartet, The Diamonds, peak at #2 on the Billboard chart with "Little Darlin'."
    1957 - Perry Como's "Round and Round" hits #1.
    1958 - Arnold Palmer won his first major pro golf tournament by capturing the Masters in Augusta, GA (and the coveted green jacket). Palmer defeated defending champion Doug Ford for the honor. Palmer was 28 years old and had been a pro since 1954 after he won the National Amateur title.
    1959 - Hal Holbrook opened in an off-Broadway, critically acclaimed, presentation of "Mark Twain Tonight." Quotes include: “It is best to read the weather forecast, before we pray for rain;” “The more things are forbidden, the more popular they become;” “Modesty died when clothes were born;” “Be good and you will be lonesome;” and “Familiarity breeds contempt - and children.”
    1959 - Bruce Johnston joins the Beach Boys as permanent replacement for Brian Wilson. My high school friend and piano player for my band often called on me as a replacement for "gigs" he got for groups. He is perhaps best known as the composer and songwriter of "I Write the Songs," made famous by Barry Manilow.
    1959 - America’s funny men, Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis and Mort Sahl, and comedic actor Tony Randall, along with the Great Britain’s outstanding actors, David Niven and Laurence Olivier, entertained the guests of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science at the 31st Annual Academy Awards ceremony. The audience filled the RKO Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles with applause for the Best Picture of 1958: "Gigi" (Arthur Freed, producer). "Gigi" also won Oscars for Best Director Vincente Minnelli; for Frederick Loewe’s (music), and Alan Jay Lerner’s (lyrics) for the Song, "Gigi;" for Best Music/ Scoring of a Musical Picture (André Previn); for the Best Writing/Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium (Alan Jay Lerner); for Best Cinematography/Color (Joseph Ruttenberg); for Best Art Direction/Set Decoration/Black-and-White or Color (William A. Horning, E. Preston Ames, Henry Grace, F. Keogh Gleason); for Best Costume Design/Black-and-White or Color (Cecil Beaton); and for Best Film Editing (Adrienne Fazan). One would think there weren’t any awards leftover for any other movies but the Best Actor award went to David Niven for "Separate Tables" as did the Best Supporting Actress Oscar (Wendy Hiller). Susan Hayward was honored for her Best Actress role in "I Want to Live!" and Best Supporting Actor was Burl Ives in "The Big Country." Other notable movies of 1958 ... some award winners, some not ... "Auntie Mame," "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," "The Old Man and the Sea," "Some Came Running,” "Teacher’s Pet," "South Pacific," "The Young Lions," "Bell, Book and Candle," "Vertigo," "Damn Yankees," "Marjorie Morningstar," and "The Defiant Ones."
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0148765.html
    1959 - Fabian's "Turn Me Loose" enters the Billboard Pop chart, where it will eventually reach number 9
    1960 - Top Hits
The Theme from "A Summer Place" - Percy Faith
Puppy Love - Paul Anka
Sink the Bismarck - Johnny Horton
He’ll Have to Go - Jim Reeves
    1963 - The Kingsmen record "Louie Louie."
    1965 - The Beach Boys record "California Girl."
    1968 - Oakland Police raid the Black Panthers. Eldridge Cleaver arrested with a bullet-shattered leg. Bobby Hutton shot and killed.
    1968 - Top Hits
(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding
Young Girl - The Union Gap
La - La - Means I Love You - The Delfonics
How Long Will My Baby Be Gone - Buck Owens
    1969 - Aum, Flying Burrito Brothers and the Grateful Dead Concert at the San Francisco Avalon Ballroom
    1971 - Carly Simon is introduced to James Taylor backstage after her concert at Los Angeles' famous Troubadour nightclub. Instantly smitten, they would marry in November of 1972, divorced in 1983.
    1971 - Willie Mays, a month shy of his fortieth birthday, homers on Opening Day and will hit home runs in the next three games to tie a Major League record.
    1971 - Rolling Stone Records formed to promote The Rolling Stones' hits. The Stones' trademark, the infamous licking-tongue-and-lips logo designed by John Pasche, began seeing wide use. "Brown Sugar" was the Rolling Stones' first on the new label, followed by "Wild Horses," "Tumbling Dice" and Bill Gates’ favorite song, "Start Me Up."
    1973 - Designated Hitter Introduced: following a rules change approved in January, Ron Blomberg of the New York Yankees became the first designated hitter in the American League in their Opening Day game against the Boston Red Sox. Blomberg came to bat for the first time with the bases loaded in the first inning and walked. The Red Sox won, 15-5.
    1973 - On Opening Day at Three Rivers Stadium in front of record crowd of 51,695, the Pirates retire Roberto Clemente's uniform number 21 posthumously. The Pittsburgh right fielder died in a plane crash on New Year's Eve attempting to bring relief aid to earthquake-stricken Managua, Nicaragua.  He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973, becoming both the first Latin American and Caribbean player to be enshrined. His untimely death established the precedent that, as an alternative to the five-year retirement period, a player who has been deceased for at least six months is eligible for entry into the Hall of Fame.
    1973 - The Stylistics received a Gold record for their hit, "Break Up to Make Up."
    1974 - After initially arguing with his record company about releasing it as a single ("it's the same thing over and over"), Billy Joel gets his first Top 40 hit with "Piano Man."  Based on Joel's real-life experiences as a lounge musician in Los Angeles from 1972–73, which he had decided to pursue in an effort to escape his contracted New York City-based record company at the time, Family Productions, following the poor commercial performance of the album “Cold Spring Harbor.” Joel describes various characters, including a bartender named John and a "real-estate novelist" named Paul, all based on real-life individuals. Joel's first major hit and his signature song, "Piano Man" peaked at #25 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in April 1974.  One of the more memorable renditions of the song occurred at Shea Stadium in June, 2008, in Queens at a Joel concert, the last event prior to the stadium’s demolition.  With over 100,000 in attendance, “Piano Man” closed the concert with the crowd singing along with Joel in a raucous rendition.  In 2015, the Library of Congress selected "Piano Man" for preservation in the National Recording Registry for its "cultural, historic, or artistic significance."
    1974 - California's biggest annual rock concert, the California Jam, has its debut in Ontario, CA, featuring performances by The Eagles, Earth Wind and Fire, Seals and Crofts, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Emerson Lake and Palmer, and Black Oak Arkansas performing.
    1974 - Blue Swede's "Hooked on a Feeling" hits #1
    1975 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: “Philadelphia Freedom,'' Elton John.
    1976 - Top Hits
Disco Lady - Johnnie Taylor
Let Your Love Flow - Bellamy Brothers
Sweet Thing - Rufus featuring Chaka Khan
You’ll Lose a Good Thing - Freddy Fender
    1977 - The Seattle Mariners, an American League expansion team, made their regular season debut, losing to the California Angeles, 7-0, at the Seattle Kingdome. Seattle’s previous AL team, the Pilots, played on the 1969 season before moving to Milwaukee and becoming the Brewers. The Mariners won their first AL West division title in 1995.
    1977 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: “Dancing Queen,'' Abba. This is the only No. 1 song by the international phenomenon.
    1978 - President Jimmy Carter nominated the first US marine female general, Margaret Ann Brewer. She was sworn in on May 11, 1978, as director of the division for information.
    1979 - The punk/new wave group Blondie has its first big hit in the U.S. with "Heart of Glass." The tune goes platinum on this date, two months after it hit Number One.
    1981 - “Private Benjamin“ premiered on television, modeled after the Goldie Hawn movie of the same name.
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0081918/combined
http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/EpisodeGuideServlet/showid-2452/
Private_Benjamin/

http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/ShowMainServlet/showid-2452
    1982 - The "Great Blizzard of April '82" struck New England, New York and Pennsylvania and dumped 1 to 2 feet of snow. Many places had their greatest April snowstorm ever. Winds frequently gusted to 70 and 80 mph. There was an exceptionally high frequency of simultaneous thunderstorms and heavy snow with numerous lightning strikes reported. Record cold poured in the wake of the storm and many spots were 25 degrees colder than normal the day after the storm. The freak heavy spring snow storm brings subfreezing temperatures across the northeast and Midwest and causes the postponement of home openers for the Yankees, Tigers, White Sox, Brewers, Indians, Phillies and Pirates.
    1984 - Top Hits
Footloose - Kenny Loggins
Here Comes the Rain Again - Eurythmics
Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) - Phil Collins
Let’s Stop Talkin’ About It - Janie Fricke
    1985 - Country musical group, Alabama went five-for-five as their album, "40 Hour Week," took the top spot on the "Billboard" country chart. For each of the past five years, the group had a number one album. The quartet's popularity continues today. Three of the four are cousins from Fort Payne, Alabama.
    1988 - A powerful storm produced wind gusts to 75 mph in the Chicago area and wind gusts to 92 mph at Goshen, Indiana. The high winds created 25-foot waves on Lake Michigan.
    1989 - Dodger hurler Orel Hershiser's scoreless-inning streak ends at 59 in the first inning of a 4-3 loss to the Reds.
    1989 - Unseasonably hot weather prevailed in California. Afternoon highs of 91 degrees in downtown San Francisco, 93 degrees at San Jose, 103 degrees at Santa Maria, 104 degrees at Riverside, and 106 degrees in downtown Los Angeles established records for the month of April.
    1992 - “Barney and Friends” premiered on TV. Although most adults find it hopelessly saccharine, this PBS program is hugely popular with preschoolers. Purple dinosaur Barney, his pal, dinosaur Baby Bop and a multi-ethnic group of children sing, play games and learn simple lessons about getting along with one another. "Bedtime with Barney" was a 1994 prime-time special.
    1996 - The First Korean Victory in baseball. Pitching in relief, Chan Ho Park of the Los Angeles Dodgers became the first Korean to win a Major League baseball game. Park pitched four scoreless innings against the Chicago Cubs, allowed three hits and struck out four. The Dodgers won, 3-1
    1996 - Major League Soccer Debuts: Trying to capitalize on the momentum of the 1995 World Cup, held in the US, Major League Soccer, a new American professional league made its debut. The San Jose Clash defeated DC United, 1-0, on a goal by Erick Wyanalda. The game was played in San Jose before a capacity crowd of 31,683.
    1998 - The Dow-Jones Index of 30 major industrial stocks topped the 9,000 mark for the first time.
    1999 - Microsoft's digital download technology, MS Audio 4.0, is unveiled.
    2000 - Elian's dad comes to the US.  After months of keeping Juan Miguel Gonzalez in Cuba for a successful propaganda campaign, dictator Fidel Castro correctly decides that now his propaganda is best served by sending the man to the US, not to go to Miami to see his son, but to attract more media attention before bringing home the 6-year-old survivor of the shipwreck that claimed the life of his mother, who was fleeing Cuba in hopes of a better life in the United States.
    2003 - Country star Shania Twain picks up the Artist of the Year Award along with the Fan Choice Award at the sold-out 32nd annual Juno Awards, held in Ottawa and televised live nationally. The two awards were added to her Country Recording of the Year nod, given out the day before.
    2011 – Jeffrey Skilling, former Enron CEO, lost his appeal against his fraud conviction.  A key reason for his appeal was his assertion that although he earned his MBA from Harvard, he knew little of the accounting issues cited in his crimes.
    2015 – Duke defeated Wisconsin, 68-63, for its fifth NCAA Men’s Basketball championship, all under Coach Mike Krzyzewski.

-------------------------------------------------------------

SuDoku

The object is to insert the numbers in the boxes to satisfy only one condition: each row, column and 3x3 box must contain the digits 1 through 9 exactly once. What could be simpler?

http://leasingnews.org/Soduku/soduko-main.htm

[headlines]

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------

Daily Puzzle

How to play:
http://www.setgame.com/set/puzzle_frame.htm

Refresh for current date:
http://www.setgame.com/set/puzzle_frame.htm

[headlines]

--------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.gasbuddy.com/
http://www.gasbuddy.com/GB_Map_Gas_Prices.aspx
http://www.gasbuddy.com/GB_Mobile_Instructions.aspx

[headlines]

--------------------------------------------------------------

Weather

See USA map, click to specific area, no commercials

http://www.weather.gov/

[headlines]

--------------------------------------------------------------

Traffic Live---

Real Time Traffic Information

You can save up to 20 different routes and check them out with one click,
or type in a new route to learn the traffic live

--------------------------------

[headlines]