Axis Capital Subject to Possible Receivership
By Tom McCurnin
Leasing News Legal Editor

Gordon Glade v Axis Acquisition Case No.  CI-16-464 (Hall County Nebraska 2016). 

Allegations
Gordon Glade formed Axis Capital, Grand Island, Nebraska, in 1996 and ran the company as a family-owned business. Glade sat on the board of directors of other banks and financial institutions and was a well-respected businessman in Nebraska. 

In 2010, following the stock market crash, Glade looked for new capital. In 2010, he hooked up with Amur Capital. Co-Plaintiff Cecilia Park came from Amur Capital and ultimately ended up as President of Axis, with Glade stepping down while remaining a member of the board.

In January, 2009 Glade sold all of his stock to a newly formed entity, Axis Acquisition, which was wholly owned by Mostafiz ShahMohammed. As part of the acquisition, Glade received about 15% of common stock of Axis Acquisition, and some other equity, perhaps giving him about 20% ownership of Axis. Park owned a smaller portion of stock. 

Allegedly, Mostafiz ShahMohammed had secured one of his enterprises with the security of his shares of Axis Capital, but the lender then required 100%, which ShahMohammed did not control at the time.

He reportedly offered Glade and Park minority positions at Amur Finance.  Park and Glade reportedly refused the offer, because they believed that Axis shares were alleged undervalued. Glade then claimed that ShahMohammed told him and Park that the offer could not be refused. Glade has stated that ShahMohammed and others then started a campaign to retaliate by accusing Glade and Park of poor performance. 

Glade further reported that ShahMohammed issued a new class of preferred stock, with a mandatory 12% dividend, which diluted Glade’s interest substantially. In May, 2016, Glade and Park were fired and taken off the board. Glade reports that it was done without prior notice or a vote. Glade has reported that he had a written severance package which ShahMohammed refused to honor. In addition, Park allegedly had some stock options or equity bonuses which were also invalidated by ShahMohammed. Glade has also reported that ShahMohammed, or his surrogates, contacted Glade’s accountant to obtain Glade’s personal financial information. 

Glade reported that ShahMohammed was using cash generated by Axis to support Amur Finance’s other operations, including airplane financing and shipping interests. To the extent that cash is not available to finance these endeavors, Glade has reported that Amur loans money to Axis at unfavorable rates. Glade has reported that Axis doesn’t need the money, but is forced to borrow it, to generate cash for Amur Finance. Glade has reported one such loan was over $11 million dollars, at unfavorable rates. 

Glade also reports that a related entity handles the entire payroll for ShahMohammed’s companies, but Axis pays the payroll fees. 

This month, the fur hit the fan. Glade and Park filed suit in Nebraska on June 2, 2016. A copy of the lawsuit is linked below. Glade and Park have sued for Declaratory Relief, Judicial Dissolution of Axis Capital, and Breach of Fiduciary Duty. A lot of Axis dirty laundry is spelled out. 

Glade is seeking the appointment of a Receiver to operate the company.

Axis Capital told Leasing News, “It is our policy not to comment on ongoing litigation.”

What This All Means for Axis

Putting aside the seriousness of the allegations, which have not been vetted by Leasing News, business divorces like these will often distract management from actually running the company, and instead they focus on the corporate war.

The allegations seem fairly typical for a business divorce. Minority shareholders, especially those who formerly ran the business, can be either be a great asset or a pain for the majority shareholders. Often tempers get the best of management who think they can run a corporation like a fiefdom, without observing corporate rules and rites. Putting aside the serious allegations, freezing out minority shareholders is fairly common. It’s right, if done legally, but many times, tempers get the best of management. 

Aside from the soap opera drama detailed in the Complaint, the real impact may be on the securitization pools, currently held by Key Bank, Wells Fargo, and MB Financial. Can Axis service these pools with the legal melodrama in place? Will the creditors believe the allegations of corporate shenanigans?  

In addition, corporate morale, especially from seasoned leasing professionals, may suffer. Glade was well respected, and presumably well liked at Axis. How will his old friends react when they are brought into the case by deposition? 

Glade has filed this suit in his home town where he is well-respected.   ShahMohammed may be at a disadvantage in Lincoln, Nebraska. 

Because of the negative press and drama associated with this lawsuit, Axis might be better off throwing some money at Glade and Park to make them go away. Actually, that probably should have happened six months ago, before the dirty laundry of Axis was placed on display before the Nebraska Court. 

A Motion for Receivership is pending.  Obviously, that is a key procedural milestone. I’ll report back after the hearing is held. However, my expectation would be that the hearing on the Receivership will get continued multiple times, while ShahMohammed and Glade talk. These cases often end up with a quick settlement, with the allegations swept under the rug, and the disgruntled shareholders receiving a nice, but confidential, pay out. 

I think I probably speak for the creditors, ShahMohammed, and Glade here—let’s all hope this case settles. Unless, of course, you like to watch train wrecks. 

Axis Capital Complaint (79 pages)
http://www.leasingnews.org/PDF/AxisComplaint2016.pdf

Tom McCurnin is a partner at Barton, Klugman & Oetting
in Los Angeles, California.

Tom McCurnin
Barton, Klugman & Oetting
350 South Grand Ave.
Suite 2200
Los Angeles, CA 90071
Direct Phone: (213) 617-6129
Cell (213) 268-8291
Email: tmccurnin@bkolaw.com
Visit our web site at www.bkolaw.com
Previous Tom McCurnin Articles:
http://www.leasingnews.org

Previous Tom McCurnin Articles:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/leasing_cases.html

 

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Position Wanted---Risk Management
  Seeking New Opportunities

Each Week Leasing News is pleased, as a service to its readership, to offer completely free ads placed by candidates for jobs in the industry. These ads also can be accessed directly on the website at: 
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Jwanted/Jwanted.htm

Each ad is limited to (100) words and ads repeat for up to 6 months unless the candidate tells us to stop. Your submissions should be received here by the end of each week.

Please encourage friends and colleagues to take advantage of this service, including recent graduates and others interested in leasing and related careers.

Risk Management
Chicago Based
Highly knowledgeable and analytical Equipment Leasing Executive; leveraging 25 years in Portfolio Management, Operations, Credit, and Collections within Banking environment and Commercial Equipment Leasing Industry; proven track record, developing/implementing strategies, sound operational excellence and process improvement, while maximizing revenues and positioning organizations for greater success. wgriffith61@yahoo.com
Resume: http://leasingnews.org/items/BGriffithResume2015.pdf 

 

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Leasing Industry Help Wanted

Senior Credit Analyst - Minimum 5 years of small ticket/high volume equipment finance underwriting experience preferred - Relocation benefits available for the right candidate - For a complete job description, please click here Senior Credit Analyst - Transportation - Minimum 5 years of small ticket/high volume equipment finance underwriting experience preferred - Relocation benefits available for the right candidate - For a complete job description, please click here www.pawneeleasing.com Established in 1982, Pawnee Leasing Corporation located in Fort Collins, CO specializes in commercial equipment leasing and financing up to $150,000 to smaller, closely-held business enterprises. Pawnee Leasing is a U.S. subsidiary of Chesswood Group Limited, a publicly-held specialty financial services company based in Toronto, Canada (TSX:CHW).

 

Inside Sales Manager San Francisco We are currently seeking qualified talent to be primarily responsible for overseeing the Inside Sales Department within the Vendor business group of the Equipment Finance Division, while developing and improving policies and procedures to properly support high production volume. For more information click here www.bankofthewest.com

For information on placing a help wanted ad, please click here:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Hwanted/Hwanted-post.htm

Please see our Job Wanted section for possible new employees.

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

Financial Uncertainty Immediate/Adverse Impact Brexit
Observation on Money Anxiety by Dan Geller, Ph.D.

San Francisco Bay Area, CA) - The most immediate and adverse impact of the Brexit is financial uncertainty, which is the main cause of money anxiety. The financial uncertainty caused by the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September of 2008, pushed the Money Anxiety Index 10 points higher within a few months after the event.

In September of 2008, the Money Anxiety Index stood at 73.9 and it jumped to 83.9 by December of that year. The increase of 10 index points in such a short time period was the result of the financial and economic uncertainty surrounding the Lehman collapse. It is plausible that a similar increase in money anxiety will occur as a result of the financial uncertainty caused by the Brexit.

Uncertainty is the root cause of money anxiety because of our biological makeup. When people are faced with any type of uncertainty, their decision-making process defaults to the reptilian part of the brain, which is in charge of survival. It is the same type of survival instinct that told our ancestors to hoard food and wood when they faced uncertainty from the elements.

Historically, higher money anxiety translates into lower spending and higher savings, which could slow down the U.S. economy or even push it into a recession over time. Since the U.S. economy is made up mostly of consumption (70 percent of GDP), a collective drop of only 5 percent in consumer consumption is sufficient to reduce GDP to negative territory. Three consecutive months of negative GDP would constitute a recession.

About The Money Anxiety Index
The Money Anxiety Index is an early-warning system to shifts in the economy.   The index is highly predictive. It predicted the arrival of the Great Recession over a year prior to the official declaration of the recession in December of 2007. The Money Anxiety Index was developed by Dr. Dan Geller, a behavioral economist and the author of Money Anxiety.
  
The Money Anxiety Index measures the level of consumers' financial worry and stress based on their spending and savings levels. Historically, the Money Anxiety Index fluctuated from a high of 135.3 during the recession of the early 1980s, to a low of 38.7 in the mid-1960s.

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

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Looking for Comments UK Leaving EU
Does it Affect Your United States Business?

Would like to hear from United States attorneys, bankers, brokers, executives in the equipment finance and leasing industry if they believe they will be financially affected here in the United States by the United Kingdom leaving the European Union. Specifically, will the economic uncertainty in the UK affect your United States business?

Please email: kitmenkin@leasingnews.org

 

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Landlord/Mortgage Waivers Today

The pressure to obtain a landlord wavier has weakened in the past few years because of competition and the need for fast turnaround credit and document services. Many are going to wish that their request for landlord waivers would have been more complete, especially in leasing to franchises, and/or transfers from one corporation to another.

One of the most misunderstood and rarely requested documents in leasing, or financing, is the dreaded landlord’s waiver, it is a form that allows you to preauthorize access to the property in which your equipment, or collateral, is located upon a default. While some landlords do not like to sign the waver it is one of the most important documents to have to protect your asset when default occurs. The more risky the credit, the more important the landlord’s form. Selling a landlord on the importance of the waiver to your credit decision is as important as selling the lease to the lessee and cannot be taken lightly.

Property rights are among the most sacred parts of our laws so if a property owner refuses to allow entry on to his property, to retrieve your asset, you may have to litigate for the privilege and it will be expensive and time consuming. It is not fun when a bankruptcy judge releases your asset from the bankruptcy and when you go to pick it up the landlord refuses to allow you entrance to his property.

In the beginning when everything looks to be acceptable and the purpose is explained, in person, to the landlord and the Lessor promises or states in the waiver not to enter the premises without permission, or with the landlord in attendance, and will repair or replace any damage sustained form the removal process, most landlords will sign the form. Most landlords are afraid of the damage that remains after contract repossessors leave the property. So telling them that you will repair, or clean up after yourselves, and are willing to put that in the form smoothes their fears and many will sign the form. That language reads as follows;” The Lessor or Secured Party shall promptly, at its sole expense, repair in a commercially reasonable manner any and all damages to the Premises caused by such removal.”

However, when sent in the mail with no explanation except “please sign and return,” you should expect your document to be thrown away instead of returned. Also, a landlord sometimes looks at his tenant as less desirable when forms are shoved in his direction with no courtesy call or explanation. I have never had a landlord fail to sign my form when I had a salesperson call on him and explain the purpose and explain our procedure should a default ever occur. I have even had conversations with landlords who later called me when the lessee was moving the leased equipment or was trying to sell it out of trust. A landlord can become a good source of information and usually is in the same boat as you are when things begin to go south.

If the Lessee owns the property and it is mortgaged, the same issues apply.
In my audit experience, many companies are not up-to-date with their documentation, especially landlord waiver documents and procedures.

Previous #102 Columns:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/Leasing_102/Index.htm

 

(Leasing News provides this ad as a trade for appraisals and equipment valuations provided by Ed Castagna)

How do I Handle Illegal Interview Questions?
Career Crossroad---By Emily Fitzpatrick/RII

 

We all know there are specific questions that are considered illegal. How to manage these issues in the interview may be tricky and very awkward.  Interviewers are not able to ask:
1.       Do you observe Yom Kippur | Good Friday | Ramadan?
2.       Do you smoke or use alcohol?
3.       Are you in the National Guard?
4.       Do you have children?

There are many more; review the archives for an article which covers specific questions.

You can always check out https://www.eeoc.gov to steer you in the right direction; we suggest working with an attorney first. 

Often, the interviewer has a genuine interest in making small talk, and it is possible that they are inexperienced and are not aware of the legalities.  Most of that time they are only curious. However, you do not have to reveal your personal information.  

The best way to handle the situation is to determine the interviewer’s agenda. For instance, they might ask if you go to church on Sundays? Some professions require on-call duty on weekends and holidays; perhaps the interviewer is considering scheduling. Handle the question by focusing on your abilities, for example, “…I participate in a variety of activities on the weekends, but I can work with any required schedule....” 

How to Respond
Note that you will not move along in the interview process if you misread intentions and overreact. On the other hand, the interviewer may want to see how you handle awkward situations. Here is the chance to demonstrate your professionalism.

1. Give a brief answer to set limits. If the interviewer presses on, you want to know how it relates to the position; allowing for an explanation (intention) “… I am more than happy to address the question, but how does it relate to the position I am interviewing for …”

2. If you sense a question is trying to establish if you can handle the job and take care of a family, draw attention to your multitasking and scheduling skills.

The best way to handle these types of questions is PREPARATION (as always).

Consider every kind of question and have a response prepared. This will give you the confidence. 

If you have questions or have been subject to offensive/illegal inquiries, I recommend speaking to an attorney that is versed in these matters … these are just our (RII’s) suggestions.

Career Crossroads Previous Columns
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/crossroad.html

 

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What Is Happening in Real Estate Licensing?
Duane Gomer Newsletter

Latest results from my monthly RE149 report from CalBRE. This is through March 2016.

Total Licenses increased again to 406,505 from 405,892 the prior month and from 401,845 from a year ago. A small increase but an increase never the less. This is far below the peak of around 548K at the end of 2008. There is plenty of room for new agents and to grow.

Renewal rates are growing indicating that licensees are hanging around. Broker’s renewals for the first nine months of this fiscal year were at a 90% rate up from 85% two years ago. Salespersons up to 84% from 74% two years ago.

Passing rates of the exams: Brokers: 46% for this fiscal year versus 44% two years ago. Salesperson: 50% versus 49% two years ago. Translation: not much change. An interesting observation with no apparent explanation is that Salesperson pass rates for last year were 55%.

Number of exams scheduled: Salespersons for the first nine months were 35,638 versus 29,675 two years ago.

Number of exams scheduled: Brokers for the first nine months were 3,314 versus 4,650 two years ago. That is a drop of 29% in a growing market. This is due to the new regulation that does not allow an applicant to use a College Degree in a major or minor other than Real Estate in lieu of the two year experience rule. The regulation was sponsored by CAR to eliminate people from getting a Broker’s License with no experience. Fewer Brokers and fewer people in our field with College Degrees and then fewer new companies which means fewer Realtors.

Duane.54@DuaneGomer.com

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Top Stories: June 20 - June 24
(Opened Most by Readers)

(1) Rumors---Looking for Information
           "On" or "Off" the Record
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jun2016/06_24.htm#rumors

(2) Ascentium Capital Reaches Out for Growth
         Hires Goldman Sachs
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jun2016/06_20.htm#reaches

(3) Companies Who Utilize Evergreen Clauses
                for Extra Lease Payments
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jun2016/06_22.htm#who

(4) 1993 -Pictures from the Past
Shawn Giffin, CLP, VP Finance/Patrick Byrne, CLP, President
   Balboa Capital Corporation
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jun2016/06_22.htm#pictures

(5) New Hires---Promotions
   in the Leasing Business and Related Industries
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jun2016/06_24.htm#hires

(6) Sales Makes it Happen---Ralph Mango
       Evaluating a Sales Person
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jun2016/06_22.htm#evaluating

(7) Six Basic Types of Bankruptcy
   Leasing #102 by Mr. Terry Winders, CLFP
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jun2016/06_20.htm#six

(8) Down 7% Year-to-Year/Month-to-Month
  Equipment Leasing & Finance MFLI-25 Charts
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jun2016/06_24.htm#down

(9) Effective Marketing Tactics
   for the Small Broker/Lender/Lessor
FinTech #102 by Brittney Holcomb
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jun2016/06_24.htm#fintech

(Tie) (10) “Haven’t Heard Back. What Should I Do?”
Career Crossroad---By Emily Fitzpatrick/RII
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jun2016/06_20.htm#crossroad

(Tie) (10) Learn Why First American Equipment Finance Has
  55 CLFPs, the Company with the Most in the Industry
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jun2016/06_20.htm#learn

 

((Please click on ad to learn more))
(Leasing News provides this ad “gratis” as a means
to help support the growth of Lease Police)

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408-262-2133

Adopt a Pet
http://www.adoptapet.com/

 

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Collector / Collections / Consultant / Communications

Collector: Atlanta, GA Asset Recovery Specialist. We get your money or we get your > equipment back for you. Physical Asset Recovery Experts! E-mail: mcrouse911@joimail.com	Collector: Cleveland, OH  Huntley Capital & Associates is your solution to late payments, no payments, and asset recovery. Call 216-337-7075.  Email: ghpatey@msn.com
Collections: Dallas, Texas Contingency Fee basis. Receivables Outsourcing. We are a fully bonded nationwide licensed agency. We collect for nationally known banks and leasing companies.  800-886-8088.	Collector: Los Angeles, CA Expert skiptracers covering Southern California. We locate skips, judgment debtors and collateral. When you can't get the job done in house, give us a call at 1-800-778-0794. E-mail: ceo@interagencyLA.com
Collector: Louisville, KY We are a full service collection agency with attorney network. 21 years experience. Please call Jon Floyd, VP at 1-800-264-6850  email: jfloyd@collectcsg.com	Collector: Louisville, KY  Euler Hermes/UMA 92 year old Global Receivables Outsourcing. Presence in 143 Countries. Work w/ 4 out of 5 Fortune 500 firms. Contingency Fee Structure. 20% off first time clients.! Andrew.Newton@eulerhermes.com 1-800-237-9386 x 205.
	Collector: Milwaukee, WI  We specialize in ATM machine reposession and remarketing. We can get you top dollar for your inventory. E-mail: bdperry1@yahoo.com
Collector: Nationwide End of lease negotiations & enforcement. Third-party collections. Skip-tracing. Background checks. Credit & asset investigations. 15+ years in leasing industry. Providing services to clients nationwide. 800-824-0234 johnkenny2@verizon.net	Collector: Saint Louis, MO Complete commercial collection agency. Licensed bonded in all states and will out performed any other agency! Call 1-800-659-7199 ext.315 E-mail:  jfloyd@lindquistandtrudeau.com
Consultant: Nationwide 25 yrs. experience: Creating/Refining Business Plans to raise capital· Credit Underwriting support/policy/procedure development · Operations Support/policy/procedure development. Call: 610-246-2178, McCarthy Financial, LLC,David.mccarthy@mccarthy-financial.com	Consultant: Burlington, CT We provide our clients with a full range of consulting services such as portfolio conversions, reconciliation, custom programming and leasing operations utilizing InfoLease.  Email: info@new-millennium-assoc.com
Consultant: Europe 15 years doing deals/running own technology leasing company – looking to advise/ lead new entrants to take advantage the European market opportunity. www.clearcape.co.uk kevin.kennedy@clearcape.co.uk	Consultant: Henderson, NV Focus on new business development and process efficiencies to create incremental revenue and profitability. Executive level vendor experience, and satisfied outsourcing clients. Incredible track record. E-mail: rbutzek@cox.net
Consultant: Sausalito, CA Lease trainer and consultant. 50 years in equipment leasing. Expert in transaction analysis, financial statement analysis, credit, packaging, structuring. Presents highly popular classes and workshops. E-mail:BoTei@aol.com	Consultant: North of Detroit, MI  INFOLEASE EXPERT - 18 years experience. Since being downsized in 2002, working as a consultant for several leasing companies. Seeking consulting projects nationwide.  E-mail: darwint@prodigy.net
Consultant: Ridgefield CT. Lisa Lersner w/20 years exp. specializing in leasing technology now providinglessor selection andmanagement services, includingthe securing of debt and equity and acquisition guidance services. Email: email www.leasefinanceconsulting.com	Communications:Chassell, MI Cartoons on business, finance & computers. Use for your presentations, website, newletter, direct mail projects etc. Fees are negotiable.  Email: dan@danscartoons.com  Go to http://www.danscartoons.com

 

 

News Briefs---

Time to Pay for the $400 Million Ponzi, Receiver Says
  City National Bank, Sr. VP, Branch Manager Sued
http://www.courthousenews.com/2016/06/24/time-to-pay-for-the-ponzi-receiver-says.htm

Europe’s Startups Reassess Britain After ‘Brexit’
 U.K. will be seen as less attractive for startups
http://www.wsj.com/articles/europes-startups-reassess-britain-after-brexit-1466950104

Metro Detroit native creates app for credit unions
"We definitely are ready to scale up," Duncan said.
http://www.freep.com/story/money/business/2016/06/25/metro-detroit-native-creates-app-credit-unions/85643502/

Off lease vehicle 'glut' — are we there yet?
  Leasing Hit High 1st Q 30% New Vehicle Transactions
http://www.autoremarketing.com/wholesale/lease-glut-are-we-there-yet

David T. Morgenthaler, Who Shaped Venture Capitalism,
    Dies at 96
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/22/business/david-t-morgenthaler-who-shaped-venture-capitalism-dies-at-96.html?ref=business

Inside Sales Manager San Francisco We are currently seeking qualified talent to be primarily responsible for overseeing the Inside Sales Department within the Vendor business group of the Equipment Finance Division, while developing and improving policies and procedures to properly support high production volume. For more information click here www.bankofthewest.com

 

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--You May Have Missed It

The Most Famous Tech and Gadget Battles of All Time
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SparkPeople--Live Healthier and Longer

How to Banish Bad Breath
When a Mint Just Won't Do...
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/wellness_articles.asp?id=300

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Bases yanked.
Infield groomed.
Tarp pulled
to the edge of the outfield grass,
smoothed.

Lowered flags folded.
Hisst, hisst, hisst of brooms
sweeping aisles and ramps.

Section by section,
the lights go out
until the field is dark,
and the ghosts of players
gone
to other lives
long
for another game
on that sweet diamond.

 

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Sports Briefs----

Lionel Messi announces he is quitting the Argentina national team
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/soccer-fc-yahoo/messi-retires-from-argentina-national-team-055409231.html

Michael Phelps drops 200m free at Olympic Trials; will swim 4 events
http://olympics.nbcsports.com/2016/06/26/michael-phelps-drops-200m-freestyle-trials/

Earthquakes and Galaxy match ends in a draw
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California Nuts Briefs---

The Most Famous Tech and Gadget Battles of All Time
https://www.siliconrepublic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/The-Most-Famous-Tech-And-Gadgets-Battle-Of-All-Time.jpg

Facebook's campus expansion heightens traffic and housing fears
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_30059181/facebooks-campus-expansion-heightens-traffic-and-housing-fears

Sex, suicide and failure to report:
  How Oakland police scandal unfolded
http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/24/us/oakland-police-scandals/index.html

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“Gimme that Wine”

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

This Canadian wine is worth a trip over the border
http://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/this-canadian-wine-is-worth-a-trip-over-the-border/

Antarctic CO2 Hit 400 PPM For First Time in 4 Million Years
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/antarctica-co2-400-ppm-million-years-20451

Free Mobile Wine Program
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Feb2010/2_26.htm#mobile

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

US/International Wine Events
http://www.localwineevents.com/

Leasing News Wine & Spirits Page
http://two.leasingnews.org/Recommendations/wnensprts.htm

    1542 – Juan Cabrillo (1499-1543) claimed California for Spain.  Cabrillo was the first European explorer to navigate the Pacific coast of North America.  Cabrillo shipped for Cuba as a young man and joined forces with Cortes in Mexico, then called New Spain. Later, his success in mining gold in Guatemala made him one of the richest of the conquistadores there.  Searching for a trade route to China, he was commissioned to lead an expedition up the Pacific coast from the Gulf of California and before doing so, struck the claim for Spain.
    1564 - The first painting of an American scene by a European painter was painted near what is now St. Augustine, FL by Jacques Le Moyne de Morgues, a cartographer who accompanied the French Huguenot expedition to Florida under Rene Goulaine de Laudonniere. The work, titled, “Laudonnierus et Rex Athore ante Columnan a Praefecto Prima Navigattione Locatam Quamque Venerantur Floridenses,” was painted in gouache and metallic pigments on vellum. It shows Laudonniere being welcomed by a party of Native Americans led by Chief Athore. 
http://www.floridahistory.com/de-bry-plates/le-moyne-bio.html
http://aradergalleries.com/gallery/LeMoyne/lemoyne.htm
http://www.ibiblio.org/expo/1492.exhibit/full-images/outina.gif
http://pelotes.jea.com/leMoyne.htm
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0829011.html
http://www.philaprintshop.com/debrytxt.html#Florida
http://www.castenmaps.com/america2.html
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0714107379/avsearch-df1-2-20/
103-6066912-8633404
    1652 – The first speed limit law in the colonies was passed in New Amsterdam.
    1776 - The first execution by the Colonial Army took place at a field near Bowery Lane, New York City, in the presence of 20,000 persons, including an armed assembly of all the off-duty officers and men of four brigades.
A guard, Thomas Hickey, plotted with others to capture George Washington and deliver him to Sir William Howe. Hickey was tried, convicted, and hanged. 
http://famousamericans.net/thomashickey/
http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/people/A0849552.html
http://www.tryonpalace.org/pages/classpgs/d1_footpg.html
    1778 – The Liberty Bell came home to Philadelphia after the British had left the city.   After Washington’s defeat at the Brandywine on September 11, 1777, the revolutionary capital of Philadelphia was defenseless and the city prepared for an inevitable British attack. Bells could easily be recast into munitions, and locals feared the Liberty Bell and other bells would meet this fate. The bell was hastily taken down from the tower and sent by heavily-guarded wagon train to Bethlehem. Local waggoneers transported the bell to the Zion German Reformed Church in Northampton Town, now Allentown, where it waited out the British occupation of Philadelphia under the church floor boards.  After the British departure and with the steeple of the State House in poor condition (the steeple was subsequently torn down and later restored), the bell was placed in storage, and it was not until 1785 that it was again mounted for ringing.
    1780 - The Battle of Rantowle’s Bridge. Two companies of British Light Infantry, American Loyalist Volunteers and one company of Dragoons crossed at Rantowle's in scows; the rest of the army crossed yesterday. Col. Hamilton, of the North Carolinians, and Dr. Smith, of the Hospital, proceeding about a mile in front of the army, to Gov. Rutledge's house, were immediately surrounded by three hundred Continental Light Horse, and they were consequently made prisoners. The British Dragoons fell in with them soon after, and had a skirmish; the Rebels soon gave way. Qr. Master Sergeant McIntosh, of the Georgia Dragoons was badly wounded in the face by a broadsword. Several Dragoons of the Legion were wounded. The number of injured Rebels was unknown but they did not keep up the combat long enough for many to receive damage. “…This morning, Capt. Saunders, who came in with the flag on the 24th, was sent out; his attendant, Capt. Wilkinson, not being mentioned in the body of the flag, is detained as a prisoner of war. We took up our ground on Gov. Rutledge's plantation, about one mile from his house, where we remained all night.”
    1829 - The Smithsonian Institute is born from an endowment. 
In Genoa, Italy, English scientist James Smithson dies after a long illness, leaving behind a will with a peculiar footnote. In the event that his only nephew died without any heirs, Smithson decreed that the whole of his estate would go to "the United States of America, to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an Establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge." Smithson's curious bequest to a country that he had never visited aroused significant attention on both sides of the Atlantic. The gift turned out to be $500,000, quite a bit of money in its day.  Congress agreed that the bequest would support the creation of a museum, a library, and a program of research, publication, and collection in the sciences, arts, and history.
John Smithson, the Smithsonian Institution's great benefactor, is interred in a tomb in the Smithsonian Building.
(lower half of: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jun27.html )
    1833 - Prudence Crandall, a white woman, arrested for conducting an academy for black females at Canterbury Conn 
http://www.state.ct.us/emblems/heroine.htm
http://skyways.lib.ks.us/history/crandall.html
    1836 - In a disastrous setback for the Texans resisting Santa Anna's dictatorial regime, the Mexican army defeats and executes 417 Texas revolutionaries at Goliad. Ironically, rather than serving to crush the Texas rebellion, the Goliad Massacre helped inspire and unify the Texans. Now determined to break completely from Mexico, the Texas revolutionaries began to yell "Remember Goliad!" along with the more famous battle cry, "Remember the Alamo!" Less than a month later, Texan forces under General Sam Houston dealt a stunning blow to Santa Anna's army in the Battle of San Jacinto, and Texas won its independence.
    1844 - Joseph Smith, Jr., the founding prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and his brother Hyrum were shot to death by an armed mob in Carthage, IL. At the time, Joseph Smith was the presidential candidate of the National Reform Party, the first US presidential candidate to be assassinated.  His candidacy was advocated by the church’s Council of Twelve. The National Reform Party confirmed the nomination in a state convention at Nauvoo, Il. on May 17, with Sidney Rigdon of Pennsylvania as his running mate. Smith and his brother were killed when a mob shot him after breaking into the jail at Carthage, Il., where he was confined awaiting trial on charges brought against him by his personal enemies and by seceders from the church.
    1859 - The melody of probably the most often sung song in the world, “Happy Birthday to You,” was composed by Mildred J. Hill, a schoolteacher born this day at Louisville, KY. Her younger sister, Patty Smith Hill, was the author of the lyrics which were first published in 1893 as “Good Morning to All,” a classroom greeting published in the book Song Stories for the Sunday School. The lyrics were amended in 1924 to include a stanza beginning “Happy Birthday to You.” Now it is sung somewhere in the world every minute of the day. Although the authors are believed to have earned very little from the song, reportedly it later generated about $1 million a year for its copyright owner. The song is expected to enter public domain upon expiration of copyright in 2010. Mildred Hill died at Chicago, IL, June 5, 1916 without knowing that her melody would become the world’s most popular song.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15551a.htm
    1861 - The first Union naval officer killed in the Civil War was Captain James Harmon Ward of the Thomas Freeborn, who landed at Mathias Point, VA, on the Potomac River about 50 miles south of Washington, DC, with about 35 men and 250 sandbags to erect breastworks to unload a cannon. They were surprised by 1,500 infantrymen, who attached them and drove them off. Ward was hit in the breast by a Minnie ball and died from an internal hemorrhage. He had been appointed on May 16, 1861, to command the Potomac flotilla. 
http://suvcw.org/mollus/art009.htm
http://www.usna.edu/InfoTech/ward_hall.htm
    1862 - May Irwin (d. 1938) birthday, born at Whitby, Ontario, Canada as Georgina May Campbell.   After to moving to the US as a child, she developed a career as an actor-singer. She popularized ragtime with such songs "After the Ball" and "A Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight."
   1864 – In the Atlanta Campaign, the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, outside Atlanta.  It was the most significant frontal assault launched by Union Gen. Sherman against the Army of Tennessee under Gen. Johnston, ending in a tactical defeat for the Union forces. Strategically, however, the battle failed to deliver the result that the Confederacy desperately needed—namely a halt to Sherman's advance on Atlanta.
http://ngeorgia.com/travel/kennesawmtn.html
http://www.cviog.uga.edu/Projects/gainfo/batkenne.htm
   1869 - Emma Goldman (d. 1940) birthday - Russian-born American anarchist and labor leader who renounced violence as a method for social change. Known in the press as "Red Emma," she was arrested several times and imprisoned for speaking out on subjects frowned on by the government, especially birth control. Her feminist stand on birth control, working conditions, free love (consensual love between two adults without coercion of church or state), and her opposition to child labor got her into more trouble with authorities than her anarchy and fiery speeches to unemployed workers. She edited the magazine Mother Earth that advocated extensive social change. She opposed the U.S. entry into World War I and was sentenced to five years in prison for opposing conscription. To get rid of her, the U.S. government canceled HER EX-HUSBAND's citizenship and said that the nullification of HIS citizenship automatically canceled hers because a U.S. married woman could only hold American citizenship in her husband's name. (At the time, native-born U.S. women LOST their citizenship if they married a man who was not native- born!) She was deported to Russia along with a large number of others but she left there to tour Europe and Canada speaking out on issues concerning the poor, the working classes, and women. She was also an advocate of European and British authors. She spoke and wrote in support of a number of the new writers including Ibsen and Shaw. She was bisexual.
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Goldman/
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Goldman/Guide/
    1872 - Birthday of Paul Laurence Dunbar (d. 1906), Dayton, OH, born to slaves.  American poet, novelist, and playwright of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Dunbar began to write stories and verse when still a child and was president of his high school's literary society. He published his first poems at the age of 16 in a Dayton newspaper. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jun27.html
    1874 - Using new high-powered rifles to devastating effect, 28 buffalo hunters repulse a much larger force of attacking Indians at an old trading post in the Texas panhandle called Adobe Walls. These white buffalo hunters, who had already greatly reduced the once massive herds, continued to hunt in the territory. By the early 1870s, Comanche, Kiowa, and Cheyenne hunters were finding it harder to locate buffalo, and they blamed the illegal white buffalo hunters. When the federal government failed to take adequate measures to stop the white buffalo hunters, the great chief Quanah Parker and others began to argue for war. In the spring 1874, a group of white merchants occupied an old trading post called Adobe Walls near the South Canadian River in the Indian's hunting territory. The merchants quickly transformed the site into a regional center for the buffalo-hide trade. Angered by this blatant violation of the treaty, Chief Quanah Parker and Lone Wolf amassed a force of about 700 Comanche, Kiowa, and Cheyenne braves and attacked Adobe Walls. Only 28 hunters and traders occupied Adobe Walls, but they had two advantages over the Indians: the thick walls of the adobe structure were impenetrable to arrows and bullets, and the occupants had a number of high-powered rifles normally used on buffalo. The hunters’ .50 caliber Sharps rifles represented the latest technology in long-range, rapid firing weaponry. Already skilled marksmen, the buffalo hunters used the rifles to deadly effect, decimating the warriors before they came close enough even to return effective fire. On the second day of the siege, one hunter reportedly hit an Indian warrior at a distance of eight-tenths of a mile. Despite their overwhelmingly superior numbers, after three days, the Indians concluded that Adobe Walls could not be taken and withdrew. The defenders had lost only four men in the attack, and they later estimated that the Indians had lost 13. Enraged by their defeat, several Indian bands subsequently took their revenge on poorly defended targets. Fearful settlers demanded military protection, leading to the outbreak of the Red River War. By the time the war ended in 1875, the Comanche and Kiowa had been badly beaten and Indian resistance on the Southern Plains had effectively collapsed.        
    1880 - Helen Keller (d. 1968) was born in Tuscumbia, AL.  An icon of the human spirit, she was struck blind and deaf at 19 months old by scarlet fever. She learned to communicate with the world through the efforts of Anne Sullivan who helped her develop into the most admired woman in the history of the U.S. - or the world. She became a world-wide advocate for the blind and handicapped by communicating through a system of tapping into the palm of Sullivan and vice versa. She graduated cum laude from Radcliffe with Sullivan at her side translating. (One wonders why Sullivan didn't get some recognition since everything Keller did had to go through Sullivan from being her ears to recording her thoughts.)
http://www.afb.org/info_document_view.asp?documentid=1351
http://www.time.com/time/time100/heroes/profile/keller01.html
http://www.afb.org/info_documents.asp?collectionid=1
    1888 - Birthday of Mary Antoinette Perry (d. 1946), Denver, CO. She directed nearly 30 plays on Broadway including “The Barretts of Whimple Street” and the even more famous “Harvey.” She established the American Theatre Wing in 1947. The Wing now names its annual awards for excellence in theater in her honor, recognizing her as one of the most influential people in the history of American theater. The Antoinette Perry Awards are popularly known as "The Tony Awards.”
http://womenshistory.about.com/library/prm/bltonyaward1.htm
    1893 - Birthday of Crystal Dreda Bird Fauset (d. 1965), Princess Anne, MD.  American race relations specialist, state legislator, and the first black woman elected to a U.S. State legislature (Pennsylvania, 1938). She helped create the Swarthmore College Institute of Race Relations (1933).
   1896 - A kiss in a film brought demands for movie censorship.
    1901 - There was a rain of fish from the sky at Tiller's Ferry. Hundreds of fish were swimming between cotton rows after a heavy shower.
    1912 - Birthday of Mine Okubo, (d. 2001), Riverside, CA.  Award-winning U.S. artist of Japanese descent who was interned in 1942. She founded the literary magazine “Trek” with other internees. She illustrated the special “Fortune” magazine issue on Japan, exhibited drawings and paintings from the Japanese relocation camps, and published “Citizen 13660” (1946) about her experiences in the camps. Major retrospectives of her work have been held on both coasts.
    1915 - The temperature at Fort Yukon, AK soared to 100 degrees to establish a state record.
    1917 – Boston Braves C Hank Gowdy became the first Major Leaguer to enter World War I military service.  He saw considerable action in France with the 166th Infantry Regiment of the Ohio National Guard, including some of the worst trench fighting in the war.  When he returned in 1919, he got his old job as a catcher back, but not before going on a speaking tour of the United States, detailing his war experiences.  He later left his coaching job with the Cincinnati Reds to serve as a captain in World War II at the age of 53. He's believed to be the only big-league baseball player to serve in both wars.
    1923 - Elmo Hope (d. 1967) birthday, NYC.  Jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, chiefly in the bebop and hard bop genres, he grew up playing and listening to jazz and classical music with Bud Powell, and both were close friends of another influential pianist, Thelonious Monk. http://members.tripod.com/~hardbop/ehope.html
http://page.freett.com/basiemusic/elmo-hope.html
    1924 - Cowgirl yodeler Rosalie Allen was born Julie Marlene Bedra (d. 2003) in Old Forge, Pennsylvania. Inspired by the singing cowboys of the 1930s, she taught herself to sing and play her brother's guitar. Popular throughout the 1940's and '50s, Allen had hits with "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart" and "He Taught Me How to Yodel." She was often teamed with another legendary yodeler, Elton Britt. Their record hits together included "Quicksilver" and "The Yodel Blues."  In 1999, Allen's work in radio was recognized and she was the first woman inducted into the Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame.
    1927 - Birthday of pianist Johnny “Big Moose” Walker (d. 1999), Stoneville, MS
http://www.storm.ca/~moparman/bmw.shtml
    1929 – The first color television demonstration in New York City, by Bell Labs.
    1930 - Birthday of H. Ross Perot, philanthropist, businessman, 1992 and 1996 presidential candidate, born Texarkana, TX.
http://www.perot.org/ 
    1930 - At Philadelphia's Shibe Park, Jack Quinn becomes the oldest player to hit a home run in Major League history. The A’s pitcher was nine days shy of his 47th birthday. Quinn's record was broken by Julio Franco over 75 years later.
    1940 - Cab Calloway Band with Chu Berry cuts “Ghost of a Chance.” 
    1940 - The Germans set up two-way radio communication in their newly occupied French territory, employing their most sophisticated coding machine, Enigma, to transmit information. The Germans set up radio stations in Brest and the port town of Cherbourg. Signals would be transmitted to German bombers so as to direct them to targets in Britain. The Enigma coding machine, invented in 1919 by Hugo Koch, a Dutchman, looked like a typewriter and was originally employed for business purposes. The German army adapted the machine for wartime use and considered its encoding system unbreakable. They were wrong. The Brits had broken the code as early as the German invasion of Poland and had intercepted virtually every message sent through the system. Britain nicknamed the intercepted messages Ultra.
    1941 - Quebec singer and songwriter Jacques Michel, was born in Ste-Agnes de-Bellecombe.
    1942 - The FBI announced the capture of eight Nazi saboteurs who had been put ashore from 2 submarines, one off New York’s Long Island and the other off of Florida. The men were tried by a military court and 6 were secretly executed in a DC jail. Ernest Burger and George Dasch were sentenced to 30 years in prison for their help in revealing the plot. They were pardoned in 1948 by Pres. Truman.
    1942 - Canadian composer, arranger and pianist Frank Mills was born in Montreal. Mills first gained notice as the pianist for the pop group, the Bells, from 1969 to 1971. He wrote their hits "Stay Awhile" and "Fly, Little White Dove, Fly." Mills gained international stardom when his 1978 LP and single "Music Box Dancer" were awarded gold records in Canada and the US. As well, sheet music sales of "Music Box Dancer" approached one-million.
    1949 - Gene Autry records "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer." 
It hit No. 1 on the Billboard pop singles chart the week of Christmas 1949. Autry's recording sold 2.5 million copies the first year, eventually selling a total of 25 million, and it remained the second best-selling record of all time well into the 1980s.  Robert L. May created Rudolph in 1939, as an assignment for retailer Montgomery Ward. The retailer had been buying and giving away coloring books for Christmas every year and it was decided that creating their own book would save money.  May's brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, adapted the story of Rudolph into a song.
    1949 - “Captain Video” premiered on the Dumont network. It was the first and longest running of several TV space shows. It was created, produced, and written by my father, Lawrence Menkin, who also was program manager. He also created “Hands of Mystery” and “Harlem Detective,” the first Black television show.  In 1954, he was the producer of the first coast to coast television show on NBC, employing the first Black TV writer.  Captain Video was set in the 22nd century and starred Richard Coogan as Captain Video, a human who led a squad of agents (the Video Rangers) fighting villains from their own and other worlds. Al Hodge later replaced Coogan and the show moved to NBC. My father often played the music to the series, “The Planets,” at home and brought it to his series. Also on the show were Don Hastings and Hal Conklin, with Ernest Borgnine, Jack Klugman and Tony Randall as guest villains. A second series, “The Secret Files of Captain Video,” began in 1953 but was discontinued in 1955, when my family moved to Pacific Palisades, California.It was common when he was either the executive producer or story editor that he would write under another name as he felt other writers might thing he was a “hog.” James Cadigan was the program manager of the Dumont Network and often named as the producer. There were no kinescopes made of Captain Video.
http://slick-net.com/space/video/rugani/index.phtml
    1950 - U.S. forces were ordered to Korea by President Harry S. Truman to help South Korea repel the North Korean invasion. The president received the approval of Congress for his action and the UN Security Council adopted a U.S. resolution for armed intervention.
    1953 - CHARETTE, WILLIAM R., Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Hospital Corpsman Third Class, U.S. Navy Medical Corpsman serving with a marine rifle company. Place and date: Korea, 27 March 1953. Entered service at: Ludington, Michigan. Birth: Ludington, Mich. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty in action against enemy aggressor forces during the early morning hours. Participating in a fierce encounter with a cleverly concealed and well-entrenched enemy force occupying positions on a vital and bitterly contested outpost far in advance of the main line of resistance, HC3c. Charette repeatedly and unhesitatingly moved about through a murderous barrage of hostile small-arms and mortar fire to render assistance to his wounded comrades. When an enemy grenade landed within a few feet of a marine he was attending, he immediately threw himself upon the stricken man and absorbed the entire concussion of the deadly missile with his body. Although sustaining painful facial wounds, and undergoing shock from the intensity of the blast which ripped the helmet and medical aid kit from his person, HC3c. Charette resourcefully improvised emergency bandages by tearing off part of his clothing, and gallantly continued to administer medical aid to the wounded in his own unit and to those in adjacent platoon areas as well. Observing a seriously wounded comrade whose armored vest had been torn from his body by the blast from an exploding shell, he selflessly removed his own battle vest and placed it upon the helpless man although fully aware of the added jeopardy to himself. Moving to the side of another casualty who was suffering excruciating pain from a serious leg wound, HC3c. Charette stood upright in the trench line and exposed himself to a deadly hail of enemy fire in order to lend more effective aid to the victim and to alleviate his anguish while being removed to a position of safety. By his indomitable courage and inspiring efforts in behalf of his wounded comrades, HC3c. Charette was directly responsible for saving many lives. His great personal valor reflects the highest credit upon himself and enhances the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.
    1953 - HAMMOND, FRANCIS C., Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Hospital Corpsman, U.S. Navy, attached as a medical corpsman to 1st Marine Division. Place and date: Korea, 26-27 March 1953. Entered service at: Alexandria, Va. Birth: Alexandria, Va. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as a HC serving with the 1st Marine Division in action against enemy aggressor forces on the night of 26-27 March 1953. After reaching an intermediate objective during a counterattack against a heavily entrenched and numerically superior hostile force occupying ground on a bitterly contested outpost far in advance of the main line of resistance. HC Hammond's platoon was subjected to a murderous barrage of hostile mortar and artillery fire, followed by a vicious assault by onrushing enemy troops. Resolutely advancing through the veritable curtain of fire to aid his stricken comrades, HC Hammond moved among the stalwart garrison of marines and, although critically wounded himself, valiantly continued to administer aid to the other wounded throughout an exhausting 4-hour period. When the unit was ordered to withdraw, he skillfully directed the evacuation of casualties and remained in the fire-swept area to assist the corpsmen of the relieving unit until he was struck by a round of enemy mortar fire and fell, mortally wounded. By his exceptional fortitude, inspiring initiative and self-sacrificing efforts, HC Hammond undoubtedly saved the lives of many marines. His great personal valor in the face of overwhelming odds enhances and sustains the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country. 
    1954 - Top Hits
“Little Things Mean a Lot” - Kitty Kallen
“Three Coins in the Fountain” - The Four Aces
“Hernando’s Hideaway” - Archie Bleyer
“I Don’t Hurt Anymore” - Hank Snow
    1955 – Boston’s rising star 1B, Harry Agganis, died of complications following a bout with pneumonia.  Agganis became gravely ill early in the season and was hospitalized for two weeks for pneumonia. He rejoined the Red Sox for one week before being re-hospitalized with a viral infection. After showing some signs of recovery, Agganis died of a pulmonary embolism
    1957 - Hurricane Audrey smashed ashore at Cameron, LA, drowning 390 persons in the storm tide, and causing $150 million damage in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Audrey left only a brick courthouse and a cement-block icehouse standing at Cameron, and when the waters settled in the town of Crede, only four buildings remained. The powerful winds of Audrey tossed a fishing boat weighing 78 tons onto an off-shore drilling platform. Winds along the coast gusted to 105 mph, and oil rigs off the Louisiana coast reported wind gusts to 180 mph. A storm surge greater than twelve feet inundated the Louisiana coast as much as 25 miles inland. It was the deadliest June hurricane of record for the U.S.
    1958 – Chicago White Sox lefty Billy Pierce retired 26 Washington Senators in a row before pinch-hitter Ed Fitz Gerald looped a double to become the only baserunner and breaking up both the perfect game and no-hitter. He got the final hitter to win, 3-0. It was Pierce's 3rd straight shutout.
    1959 – “West Side Story” closes on Broadway after a record 732 performances.
    1959 - Paul Anka, Frankie Avalon, and Edd "Kookie" Byrnes are the musical guests on ABC-TV's variety show “Coke Time With Eddie Fisher.”
    1959 – Hank Aaron became MLB’s first unanimous All-Star Game selection.
    1960 - Connie Francis' "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" hits #1.
    1961 - Roy Orbison records "Candy Man."   
    1962 - The American Football League conducted a special draft of veteran players to assist its two weakest teams, the Oakland Raiders and the Denver Broncos. In the league’s first two years, the Broncos had compiled a record of 7-20-1, and the Raiders were 8-20. The draft helped a bit. Denver finished 7-7 in 1962, but Oakland slipped to 1-13.
    1962 - Top Hits
“I Can’t Stop Loving You” - Ray Charles
“The Stripper” - David Rose
“Palisades Park” - Freddy Cannon
“She Thinks I Still Care” - George Jones
    1963 - Bill J Kramer & Dakotas record Lennon & McCartney "I Call Your Name.”
    1964 - Peter and Gordon's "World Without Love" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Paul McCartney wrote the song, but it was listed on the record under another name to see if a McCartney tune would be successful even if no one knew he had written it. At the time he composed "World Without Love," McCartney was courting Jane Asher, the sister of Peter Asher, one-half of Peter and Gordon.
    1964 - Jan and Dean release "The Little Old Lady from Pasadena."  The song reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number one on Canada's RPM chart.
    1964 - The Drifters' last Top 10 hit, "Under the Boardwalk" enters the Hot 100, where it will peak at #4.
    1966 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit:  “Strangers in the Night,'' Frank Sinatra.
    1967 - Jan and Dean's "The Little Old Lady from Pasadena" was re-released with a drug theme as “Tijuana.”  It went south quickly!
    1968 - As part of the filming of what would become known as his "'68 Comeback" TV special, Elvis Presley and his band tape an informal jam session on center stage at NBC's Studio 4, a performance many consider his best of all time. However, manager "Colonel" Tom Parker, unhappy with the direction of the show, withholds all tickets to the performance, forcing staffers to run into a nearby Bob's Big Boy restaurant (4211 W. Riverside Dr., Burbank) and plead with patrons to come see a real honest-to-goodness Elvis concert. (The King himself is extremely nervous at performing live for the first time in seven years, and is told that once he goes out there, he can just get up and leave if he can't take it. A close look at the performance shows that, once on stage, he pretends to do just that.) Two shows, an afternoon and an evening, are performed. The show featured The King performing on a small, square stage, surrounded by a mostly female audience. Presley was outfitted in black leather and belted out many of his early recordings, including "That's All Right Mama," "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" and "Blue Suede Shoes." The highlight of the show was his final number of the evening, which featured Elvis, alone on the stage, dressed in a white suit, singing "If I Can Dream." This legendary performance would later serve as the inspiration for MTV's “Unplugged” series.
    1968 - The Beatles record "Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey."
    1969 - BOWEN, HAMMETT L., JR. Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company C, 2d Battalion, 14th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division. Place and date: Binh Duong Province, Republic of Vietnam, 27 June 1969. Entered service at: Jacksonville, Fla. Born: 30 November 1947, Lagrange, Ga. Citation: S/Sgt. Bowen distinguished himself while serving as a platoon sergeant during combat operations in Binh Duong Province, Republic of Vietnam. S/Sgt. Bowen's platoon was advancing on a reconnaissance mission into enemy controlled terrain when it came under the withering crossfire of small arms and grenades from an enemy ambush force. S/Sgt. Bowen placed heavy suppressive fire on the enemy positions and ordered his men to fall back. As the platoon was moving back, an enemy grenade was thrown amid S/Sgt. Bowen and 3 of his men. Sensing the danger to his comrades, S/Sgt. Bowen shouted a warning to his men and hurled himself on the grenade, absorbing the explosion with his body while saving the lives of his fellow soldiers. S/Sgt. Bowen's extraordinary courage and concern for his men at the cost of his life served as an inspiration to his comrades and are in the highest traditions of the military service and the U.S. Army.
    1969 - The Denver Pop Festival opened at the Mile High Stadium. Among the performers were Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Winter and Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was the last concert by the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Later that year, Hendrix formed the Band of Gypsies.
    1969 - New York City police, attempting to serve a search warrant, charged into the well-known gay hangout, the Stonewall Inn. Events quickly got out of hand. Police ejected customers, managers, bouncers. Everyone got booted outside onto the sidewalk. The crowd became increasingly unruly and someone threw a bottle at the police. The plain-clothes police team was trapped inside the bar for over two hours before the NYPD Tactical Patrol Force arrived and drove the mob from in front of the Stonewall. Police arrested and jailed many of the chanting gays. For the next few nights, the Stonewall Inn became the focal point of gay protests. The gay community began to organize and form committees to bring about change. Many feel that the Gay Liberation Movement had its beginnings with the Stonewall Inn Riots. 
    1970 - Top Hits
“The Love You Save” - The Jackson 5
“Mama Told Me (Not to Come)” - Three Dog Night
“Ball of Confusion” - The Temptations
“Hello Darlin’” - Conway Twitty
    1970 - The Jackson 5: Marlon, Tito, Jackie, Randy and Michael, jumped to number one on the music charts with "The Love You Save."  The song stayed at the top of the charts for two weeks. It was the third of four number one hits in a row for the group. The other three were: "I Want You Back," "ABC" and "I’ll Be There." In 15 years (from 1969 to 1984), The Jackson 5/Jacksons had 23 hits, scored two platinum singles ("Enjoy Yourself" and "Shake Your Body [Down to the Ground]") and one gold record ("State of Shock"). 
    1971 - Promoter Bill Graham closed the Fillmore East in New York City. It was a spin-off of San Francisco's legendary Rock and Roll palace, Fillmore West. The New York City landmark laid claim to having hosted every major rock group of the 1960s. 
    1972 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit:  “Song Sung Blue,'' Neil Diamond.
    1972 - Bobby Hull signed a 10-year hockey contract for $2,500,000, as he became a player and coach of the Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association. 
    1973 - Eighteen-year–old David Clyde, a recipient of a $125,000 bonus to sign with the Texas Rangers, made his Major League debut against the Minnesota Twins. the Rangers won,4-3, before 35,698 fans, the first sellout of the year at Arlington Stadium. He lasted five years until arm and shoulder injuries forced him to retire.  Clyde's career made him the "poster-boy" for bringing up young players prematurely and dealing with arm injuries. He was named by journalist Randy Galloway as among the worst cases of "mishandling" a young player in baseball history. He is considered by many as a savior of the Texas Rangers franchise because of the significant attendance boost that Clyde's hype brought to the team, preventing it from a possible bankruptcy or American League takeover. After 20 years at his father-in-law’s lumber yard in Tomball, Texas, he is now retired and his father’s caregiver.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/c/clydeda01.shtml
    1962 -- ZZ Top's LP Fandango! is certified gold
    1975 - Jackie Gleason's LPs “Music, Martinis and Memories” and “Music For Lovers Only” are certified gold. My father played all the Jackie Gleason albums all the time:  folksongs, classics, and Jackie Gleason.
    1978 - Top Hits
“Shadow Dancing” - Andy Gibb
“Baker Street” - Gerry Rafferty
“It’s a Heartache” - Bonnie Tyler
“I’ll Be True to You” - The Oak Ridge Boys
    1979 - Amalya Lyle Kearse of New York City was sworn in as judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals by Chief Judge Irving Robert Kaufman at the U.S. Court of Appeals, New York City. She became the first African-American woman to become a judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals.
    1980 - The "National Anthem Act", making "O Canada" Canada's national anthem, was unanimously accepted by the House of Commons and the Senate. Royal assent was also given this day. "O Canada" was officially proclaimed Canada's national anthem on July 1, 1980. Parliament had approved the song as the national anthem 13 years earlier, but the National Anthem Act made it official. "O Canada" was written by Calixa Lavallee and Adolphe-Basile Routhier, and was first performed in Quebec City in 1880. The anthem was originally known as "Chant nationale," and was not heard outside Quebec until the turn of the century. Toronto schoolteacher Robert Stanley Weir provided an English translation of the lyrics, which were changed somewhat after the parliamentary debate in 1980.
    1985 – “The Mother Road,” Route 66, passed into history as the US Department of Transportation decommissioned the famous highway.  In 1857, Lt. Edward F. Beale, a Naval officer in US Army Corps of Engineers, was ordered to build a government-funded wagon road along the 35th Parallel. His secondary orders were to test the feasibility of the use of camels as pack animals in the southwestern desert. This road became part of US 66.  Originally stretching from Chicago to Santa Monica, parts of the original Route 66 from 1913, prior to its official naming and commissioning, can still be seen north of the Cajon Pass.  The route was covered by three highways:  The Lone Star Route (Chicago-Cameron, LA), The Postal Highway (Oklahoma City-Amarillo), and The National Old Trails Road (St. Louis-Los Angeles).  While legislation for public highways first appeared in 1916, it was not until Congress enacted an even more comprehensive version of the act in 1925 that the government executed its plan for national highway construction. The original inspiration for a roadway between Chicago and Los Angeles was planned by entrepreneurs Cyrus Avery of Tulsa, and John Woodruff of Springfield, MO. The pair lobbied the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) for the creation of a route following the 1925 plans.  From the outset, public road planners intended US 66 to connect the main streets of rural and urban communities along its course for the most practical of reasons: most small towns had no prior access to a major national thoroughfare.  The numerical designation 66 was assigned to the Chicago-to-Los Angeles route on April 30, 1926.
    1986 - Top Hits
“On My Own” - Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonald
“There’ll Be Sad Songs” (“To Make You Cry”) - Billy Ocean
“Crush on You” - The Jets
“Mama’s Never Seen Those Eyes” - The Forester Sisters
    1988 - The afternoon high of 107 degrees at Bismarck, ND, was a record for the month of June, and Pensacola, FL, equaled their June record with a reading of 101 degrees. Temperatures in the Great Lakes Region and the Ohio Valley dipped into the 40s. 
    1989 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather from the Ohio Valley to western New England. Thunderstorm spawned six tornadoes, and there were 98 reports of large hail and damaging winds. Tropical Storm Allison spawned six tornadoes in Louisiana, injuring two persons at Hackberry. Fort Polk LA (my basic training alma mater) was drenched with 10.09 inches of rain in 36 hours, and 12.87 inches was reported at the Gorum Fire Tower in northern Louisiana.
    1989 - The NBA draft was television for the first time by WTBS. The Sacramento Kings selected center Pervis Ellison of Louisville with the first pick.
    1989 - Tom Jones is awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6608 Hollywood Blvd.
    1989 - The Who perform their rock opera “Tommy” in its entirety for the first time since 1972, performing it for charity at Radio City Music Hall.
    1990 - Becoming the highest paid player in professional baseball, Jose Canseco of the Oakland Athletics signed a contract that would earn him $23,500,000 over a five-year period. By the end of 1990, 23 players had signed contracts giving them more than $3,000,000 a year.
    1991 - Signaling an end to the era of a liberal Supreme Court, Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall announced his resignation from the United States Supreme Court, effective once his successor was confirmed by the US Senate. Marshall was a pioneering civil rights lawyer who helped lead the fight to end racial segregation and served as US Solicitor General prior to his appointment to the high court by President Lyndon Johnson in 1967 as the first black ever to sit on the Supreme Court. As an attorney for the NAACP, he successfully argued the case of Brown v Board of Education before the Supreme Court, ending the doctrine of “separate but equal”” Marshall’s 24-year tenure on the bench was marked by his strong liberal voice championing the rights of criminal defendants and defending abortion rights, his opposition to the death penalty and his commitment to civil rights. On July 1, 1991, President George Bush, selected Clarence Thomas, a conservative black jurist, to succeed Marshall. Thomas’s nomination was quite controversial as a former aide accused him of “sexual harassment.”
    1992 - Michael Jackson kicked off the "Dangerous" tour in Munich, Germany. 70,000 fans saw Jackson, with a helmet on and a fake rocket pack on his back, appear to fly off stage (or, maybe he really did). The tour would continue through November 11 stopping in some 42 cities.
    1997 - John's Grill on Ellis St. in San Francisco was declared a national literary landmark by Friends of the Libraries USA for its role in Dashiell Hammett's life and classic work "The Maltese Falcon." It was the 28th landmark site.
    1999 - Sporting leather thongs, feather boas and political banners, gays and lesbians took to streets around the world in festive pride parades. The 29th annual Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Pride Parade and Celebration took place in San Francisco, New York, Berlin, Manila and many other cities. Among the organizations taking part were the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a gay veterans group, an antique auto club for gays and Roman Catholics in favor of gay rights. The pride marches commemorate the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, when patrons of a gay bar in Greenwich Village (New York) fought back against a police raid. The bar, the Stonewall Inn, is now on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Gay Parades were here to stay.
    2005 - *MURPHY, MICHAEL P., Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Lieutenant, U.S. Navy, SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1, Naval Special Warfare Task Unit. Place and Date: Asadabad, Konar Province, Afghanistan, 27 - 28 June 2005. Entered Service at: Patchogue, New York. Born: 7 May 1976, Smithtown, New York Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as the leader of a special reconnaissance element with Naval Special Warfare Task Unit Afghanistan on 27 and 28 June 2005. While leading a mission to locate a high-level anti-coalition militia leader, Lieutenant Murphy demonstrated extraordinary heroism in the face of grave danger in the vicinity of Asadabad, Konar Province, Afghanistan. On 28 June 2005, operating in an extremely rugged enemy-controlled area, Lieutenant Murphy’s team was discovered by anti-coalition militia sympathizers, who revealed their position to Taliban fighters. As a result, between 30 and 40 enemy fighters besieged his four-member team. Demonstrating exceptional resolve, Lieutenant Murphy valiantly led his men in engaging the large enemy force. The ensuing fierce firefight resulted in numerous enemy casualties, as well as the wounding of all four members of the team. Ignoring his own wounds and demonstrating exceptional composure, Lieutenant Murphy continued to lead and encourage his men. When the primary communicator fell mortally wounded, Lieutenant Murphy repeatedly attempted to call for assistance for his beleaguered teammates. Realizing the impossibility of communicating in the extreme terrain, and in the face of almost certain death, he fought his way into open terrain to gain a better position to transmit a call. This deliberate, heroic act deprived him of cover, exposing him to direct enemy fire. Finally achieving contact with his headquarters, Lieutenant Murphy maintained his exposed position while he provided his location and requested immediate support for his team. In his final act of bravery, he continued to engage the enemy until he was mortally wounded, gallantly giving his life for his country and for the cause of freedom. By his selfless leadership, courageous actions, and extraordinary devotion to duty, Lieutenant Murphy reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
    2011 - Despite protests from local residents, a larger-than-life statue of Chuck Berry was approved by University City Council. The initial objections stemmed from the singer’s time behind bars for his 1962 conviction for illegally transporting a teenager across state lines.
    2011 – Dodgers’ owner Frank McCourt filed for bankruptcy protection in a Delaware court, blaming Major League Baseball’s refusal to approve a long-term television deal with Fox Sports that, McCourt claims, would have solved the team's current cash flow challenge. The Dodgers are rumored to be on the verge of failing to meet salary obligations at the end of the month, and the move seeks to make it harder for MLB to seize control of the team.
    2012 - After mediation with creditors failed, the city of Stockton, California became the largest city in the U.S. to declare bankruptcy.  That distinction did not last long as Detroit’s bankruptcy petition on July 18, 2013 for Chapter 9 protection totaled $18-20 billion.
    2013 - NASA launched a space probe to observe the Sun.  The probe is referred to as the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, or IRIS.