Leasing News - information, news, education and entertainment for the commercial bank, finance and leasing industry

California Licensed Brokers Cannot Send Deals to Banks
or Any other Unlicensed Lending Institution!

Well-known bank, finance, and leasing attorney Marshall Goldberg, Woodland Hills, California wrote in his "News from Glass & Goldberg:"

"The California Department of Business Oversight (DBO) Has Now Made It Clear That If a Lender is Exempt from the California Finance Lender's Law (Such As a Bank or Its Subsidiary in a Commercial Context), Then a Referring Broker Would Not Need a CFLL license.

"AND, if the broker secures a finance lender's license, it CANNOT broker transactions to exempt banks."

California Code of Regulations § 1422 states, "A finance broker licensed under the CFLL may only broker loans to lenders licensed as finance lenders. The license does not provide the broker with the authority to broker loans to and collect brokerage commissions from other types of lenders such as credit unions and banks."

Goldberg writes, "In response to a recent license application, one of our clients received the following from the DBO:

"The application was completed for both lending and brokering but Item #10(b) of the application stated that the company funded their loans through local and national banks and independent lenders. Under the CFL license a CFL licensed broker can only broker loans to a CFL licensed lender. Please provide a written statement that the company is aware of and will comply with this requirement."

“Another interesting aspect, I have not found anything that prevents an exempt bank from compensating a licensed broker, only that a licensed broker cannot refer to an exempt bank. In other words, the broker can be punished, but the bank is not regulated by the CFL.”

He told Leasing News, "I think it is time for us, as an industry, to secure a formal interpretive opinion from the DBO. I know this is serious. The California Code of Regulations is not part of the California Finance Code and therefore the regulations are not always examined that closely, but they are the law just the same. Dennis Brown (ELFA VP, State Government Relations), has advised me that the Equipment Lease and Finance Association will be contacting the American Bankers Association for their thoughts on the matter. The regulation is pretty clear as is the rejection we received to the application."

Marshall Goldberg
Glass & Goldberg, a Law Corporation
21600 Oxnard Street, Suite 320
Woodland Hills, CA 91367
(818) 474-1532 Direct
(818) 888-2220 Main
(818) 888-2229 Facsimile
mgoldberg@glassgoldberg.com

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Leasing News Requests California Attorney General
Kamala Harris Request a "Stay" in the Law

Leasing News sent an email request to Attorney General Kamala Harris to exercise the courts to hold a statute in abeyance until the legislature can address the matter. In the legal context, a stay is a court order preventing further action until a future event occurs, or the order is lifted.

According to the story about filing Annual Reports, there are 2,609 CFLL licensees. Many, an overwhelming majority have answered that they do business with banks and were not denied a license.

This includes American Leasing, LLP, since 2003 (we were a partnership previously). Yet, here we are in Crazy California! Are we nuts? (1)

SB 197 by Senator Marty Block was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown, requiring all those in the commercial lending and capital leasing business to acquire a California Finance Lender license to work with other licensed lenders and banks and be able to receive a commission. It led to hundreds to acquire the license in a mad rush, except now the Department of Business Oversight is turning down applicants who do business with banks and other funders who are not licensed (when they are exempt). Is the turn down an exception or an anomaly?

Calif. DBO Notifies 322 CFLL Licensees, 8 CDDTL Licensees
Possible Revocation for Failure to File Annual Reports
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Apr2016/04_18.htm#dbo

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New Hires---Promotions in the Leasing Business
and Related Industries

Jeffrey M. Bilbrey was appointed President, North America, NetSol Technologies, Inc., Calabasas, California. He is located in Phoenix, Arizona. “He will now oversee growth initiatives in the region for NFS AscentTM, the company’s next-generation finance and leasing solution.” He joined the Board of Directors, March, 2013. He remains Chairman of the Board, TradermarkU (November, 2009-Present). Previously, he was Vice President, Client Partner, Majesco, February, 2015-May, 2016). VP of IT – Applications, Cancer Treatment Centers of America (June, 2012 – February, 2015); Strategic Consulting Role, Magazines.com (April, 2011 – May, 2012); Owner and Founder, Freewater Solutions (April, 2010 – May, 2012); Interim AVP/Director of IT Applications (Consulting Role), Cancer Treatment Centers of America (June, 2010 – February, 2011); Partner, CANDO Sports Productions (April, 2010 – 2011); Interim Manager of Networking Team (Consulting Role), Cancer Treatment Centers of America (April 2010 – June 2010); Senior Vice President, Technology Practice Innovation Group (September, 2009 – March 2010); SVP, Product Marketing and Special Projects to CEO, Innovation Group (April, 2006 – September 2009); VP - Product Management, Innovation Group (March, 2004 – April, 2006); Program Manager, Sentry Insurance
(August, 2001 – March, 2004); Sr. Product Manager / Product Marketing Manager, Avolent (February, 1999 – May, 2001); Principal, Consultant, AMS American Management Systems (June, 1994 – January, 1999). Languages: German. Spanish. Certifications: PMP Project Management Professional, Project Management Institute (September, 2002 – September, 2004). CHIME CIO Boot Camp, CHIME (Starting October, 2012). Education: University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, BA MIS, MIS (1989 – 1994). Activities and Societies: Resident Assistant, Beta Upsilon Sigma
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreybilbrey

Kipton Cariaga was hired as National Account Representative at Celtic Leasing Corp., Aliso Viejo, California. Previously, he was Sales Manager, Town Center (January, 2015 – February, 2016); Account Executive, Norco Delivery Service (July, 2014 – January, 2015); Relationship Banker, JPMorgan Chase & Co. (July, 2009 – July, 2014); Barista, Starbucks (April, 2008 – July, 2009); Trader Trainee, Title Trading (October, 2008 – April, 2009); Audio Visual Engineer, Forest Home (November, 2005 – September, 2007); Director of Business, Development/Owner, Leaders (February, 2016 – Present). Languages: Spanish. Education: California State University-San Bernardino, Business Administration and Finance (2006 – 2012). Redlands East Valley High School, Diploma (2002 – 2006).
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kipton-cariaga-8696a7116

Richard Eitelberg, CPA, was hired as Contracted Sales Representative for PO Trade Funding, New York, New York. Previously, he was Director of Business Development, RMP Trade Credit, LLC (March 2012–May 2016); Senior Accountant, Josephson Luxenberg & Kance (2004–2004); CFO, B. Lucid Ltd (2002 – 2003); CFO, Kyarra Inspires Inc. (2001–2002). Certifications: Certified Public Accountant, New York, Starting August 1992. IFA Preferred Vendor, IFA, Starting January 2013. Education: Michigan State University, Bachelors, Accounting (1980 – 1984). Activities and Societies: Alpha Epsilon Pi. Michigan State University, Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.), accounting (1980 – 1984) (Open) 1 course. Bellmore JFK High school, diploma, accounting (1976 – 1980).
https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-eitelberg-592877

Matthew Estes was hired as Business Development at BlueVine, San Francisco, California. He is based in Palo Alto, California. Previously, he was Internet Team, Technology Crossover Ventures (November 2013–September 2015); Associate, Corporate Development, Electronic Arts (April 2012 –November 2013); Investment Banking Analyst, Mergers and Acquisitions, Lazard (August, 2010 – March, 2012). Education: University of California, Berkeley, B.S., Business Administration (2006 – 2010). Activities and Societies: Undergraduate Finance Association, Investment Banking DeCal, Regents' and Chancellor's Scholarship Association, Claudius N. & James N. White Endowment Fund – Excellence in Finance. La Jolla High School
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwestes

Michael Lefkowitz was promoted to Credit Manager at Marlin Leasing, Mount Laurel, New Jersey. He first joined Marlin Business Services Corp, September, 2006, then went to work July, 2008, at TD Bank, as Small Business Underwriter I & II, Assistant Vice President; promoted July, 2012, Small Business Underwriter Lead I, Assistant Vice President. June, 2013, he joined Marlin Business Services Corp. as Senior Credit Analyst. He was Marketing Intern, MetLife Financial Services (May, 2005 - August, 2005). Education: Rutgers University, Livingston College, B.A, Economics (2002 – 2006).
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-lefkowitz-49741a55

Alexander Ohanessian was promoted to Senior Portfolio Manager, ATEL Capital Group, San Francisco, California. He joined the firm November, 2013, as Portfolio Manager. Previously, he was Commercial Loan and Financial Analyst, Wells Fargo (October, 2012 – November, 2013); Business Development Assistant, Locaid Technologies (August, 2012 – October, 2012); Marketing/Finance Intern, Talkfree.com (June, 2010 – December, 2011). Languages: Armenian. Organizations: Saint Mary's College Rugby Football Club, Player (September, 2008 – May, 2012). San Francisco Golden Gate Rugby Football Club, Player. Starting September, 2012. Education: Saint Mary's College of California Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Business Administration and Management, General (2009 – 2012). Activities and Societies: Saint Mary's Men's Rugby Football Club, German Club, Gael Force
Saint Ignatius College Prep (2003 – 2007). Activities and Societies: Rugby, Varsity Football, Latin Club.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-ohanessian-008a3252

Michael Pandolfelli was hired as Senior Loan Officer at The Money Store ®, Metropolitan New York Area. Previously, he was President Capital Equities Finance LLC (April 2009 – April, 2016).Education: St. John's University, Queens, NY. Bachelor of Science, Marketing, Economics, Business Administration.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-pandolfelli-35368b23

Kyle C. Parks was hired as Senior Vice President and Senior Managing Director – Head of Direct Originations, Stonebriar Commercial Finance, Plano, Texas. “... (He) will lead SCF’s current group of direct originators and will continue the buildout of his team with future growth hires planned for the Pacific Northwest, West and Southeast regions, as well as Canada and Australia. In addition to his management responsibilities, Parks will oversee Stonebriar’s growth in the energy and marine sectors. Kyle joins Stonebriar following 10 years with Wells Fargo Equipment Finance where he most recently held the position of Senior Vice President / Energy & Marine with the responsibility of managing the company’s growth strategies in the energy and marine industries.... Prior responsibilities include positions in sales management as well as direct origination. Kyle’s total financial service experience spans over 14 years and includes positions with both GE Capital and Orix Commercial Finance. He holds a BA from The University of Texas and an MBA from Texas Christian University."

Peter Papageorges, Jr. was hired as Vice President of Sales, Ascentium Capital, Kingwood, Texas. He is based in Irvine, California. Previously, he was Senior Account Manager, Currency Capital (July, 2015 – May, 2016); Long Term Sales Manager, Balboa Capital (June, 2012 – July, 2015). Awards: Athletic Scholarship Recipient (Football). Education: California State University-Long Beach, Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), business/Managerial Economics (2010 – 2012); Long Beach City College (2008 – 2010). Activities and Societies: Football. Avila University (2007 – 2008) Athletic Scholarship for Football. Activities and Societies: Football. Los Alamitos High School
HS Diploma, General Education (2003 – 2007). https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-papageorges-jr-9b959357

Bob Rodi was hired as Vice President of Credit and Risk Management, FranFund, Fort Worth, Texas. He is based in Wexford, Pennsylvania, where he served "...as President and Managing Executive of Mount Pleasant Capital, the managing agent for a nationwide franchise finance platform with Franchise Credit, LLC. Over the course of the next 12 months, Rodi will assist in transitioning this and other Mount Pleasant Capital programs to FranFund, turning the organization into a total funding solution for franchising and small businesses...FranFund has provided franchises and independent businesses with financial backing and marketplace expertise for more than 10 years. As Mount Pleasant Capital winds down, Rodi’s software and funding expertise will be used to develop several additional programs that will strengthen FranFund’s extensive resources. These programs will be geared towards continuing to use its rollover product for equity if needed, helping franchisees into its SBA loan products and moving into the conventional side as they grow and mature. FranFund has planned several announcements to roll out new programs over the next few weeks and months...Founded in 2006 FranFund is headed by franchise industry veteran Geoff Seiber, FranFund is a total funding solution for franchising and small businesses...FranFund’s board of directors includes Brad Fishman, CEO of Fishman Public Relations, a national PR agency specializing in strategic, results-driven publicity programs for more than 90 franchise companies, and Don J. Debolt, former 10-year President of the International Franchise Association." Bob was Managing Executive, Mount Pleasant Capital LLC (January, 2011 – December, 2015); President, Mount Pleasant Capital Corporation (1990 – 2010); President, Rose Financial Services (January, 1983 – June, 1990); Bob is Past President of the United Association of Equipment Leasing, 2000, and prior a long-time member of the Board of Directors. He received the California University of PA, Eberly School of Technology and Business, Alumnus of the Year Award, 2012; Order Sons of Italy in America, Golden Lion Award. A former contributor to Leasing News and longtime good friend of the editor/publisher. Education: University of Pennsylvania, Bachelor of Science (BA), Business/Managerial Economics (1968 – 1973). Activities and Societies: Sigma Tau Gamma Fraternity, CAL U Football Alumni
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bob-rodi-1437246

Anthony J. Salm was hired as Senior Managing Director at Iron City Capital Funding, Cleveland, Ohio. Previously, he was President, Managing Director, Patriot Equipment Finance, where he is one of the co-founders. (January, 2015 - April, 2016): Senior Vice President, CG Commercial Finance (July 2014–December 2014); Regional V.P. Ohio Operations, First National Capital (January 2005–July 2011); Regional Sales Manager, Tokia Bank (1994–1996). Education: Cornell University Financial Management Certification (2014–2014); Ashington University, Executive MBA Studies, Strategic Market Management
(2003–2004). Concordia College, Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.). Northern Michigan University, Business Administration and Management, General. St. Edward High School, College Preparatory.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-j-salm-b523ab7

Leasing News Legal Editor Tom McCurnin
in Guatemala

"Here’s a nice shot. The Mayan City of Tikal sprung up shortly after 100 AD, possibly from the ruins of the bigger nearby city of El Mirador which was bigger, grander, but strictly BC. This is Tikal, and the “Grand Plaza” - built without draft animals or the wheel.

"Wow,” I said to myself.

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

Fora Financial Secures Expanded Senior Credit Facility
$62.5 Million Senior Revolving Credit-to go to $75 Million

New facility has the potential to nearly triple
Company's current borrowing capacity

New York, NY --- Fora Financial, a provider of flexible working capital solutions to small businesses, announced today the closing of a $52.5 million senior revolving credit facility. A group of four financial institutions will participate in the new facility, with AloStar Capital Finance, a specialty provider of asset-based loans to the middle market, acting as sole lead arranger and the administrative agent. The deal agreement provides Fora Financial with financing over the next three years and also allows for the expansion of the facility size to $75 million, nearly tripling the company’s current borrowing capacity.

The participating financial institutions include two members of Fora Financial’s current senior lender group, BankUnited and Customer’s Bank, as well as new participant First Tennessee Bank. All four banks have significant experience offering credit to the merchant finance industry, providing Fora Financial with partners who uniquely understand the company’s business model and growth strategy.

Andrew Gutman
CFO
Fora Financial

“This is a landmark achievement for Fora Financial, and we are extremely excited to partner with AloStar and the bank group in the expansion of our senior credit facility,” says Andrew Gutman, Chief Financial Officer at Fora Financial. “This facility will provide us with flexible, low-cost financing that will enable us to continue on our growth trajectory while offering even more attractive and innovative solutions to thousands of small businesses in need of capital.”

To date, Fora Financial has provided over $450 million of working capital to over 9,500 customers nationwide, spanning a wide range of industries. In October 2015, Fora Financial entered into an investment partnership with an affiliate of Palladium Equity Partners, LLC, adding significant market expertise and capitalizing the company’s balance sheet for future growth. Over the past five years, the Company has grown annual originations by over 50 percent.

Andy McGhee
CEO/President
AloStar

“It is always exciting to support a company that shares our interest in helping American companies create their own success stories, and Fora Financial is one of those,” said Andy McGhee, CEO and president of AloStar. “We were pleased to work with our partners to provide a customized solution for Fora Financial.”

About Fora Financial
Fora Financial offers flexible financing solutions to small businesses in need of additional working capital to sustain or grow their enterprise. The company places a high value on transparency and provides businesses with fast, personalized small business loans and merchant cash advances, utilizing its state-of-the-art technology and unwavering customer service. Founded in June 2008, Fora Financial has over 120 employees in its New York City office locations.

For more information on Fora Financial, please visit the company’s website www.forafinancial.com. Follow Fora Financial on Twitter and Facebook.

About AloStar Capital Finance
AloStar Capital Finance provides solutions for clients, prospective clients and referral sources that have capital requirements that range between $5 million and $20 million. These solutions are funded through AloStar’s lending platforms, AloStar Business Credit, AloStar Lender Finance and AloStar Real Estate Finance. AloStar Capital Finance is the lending arm of AloStar Bank of Commerce, Member FDIC. For more information, visit http://www.AloStarBank.com

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

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Fernando's View
By Fernando F. Croce

A couple of very different British period dramas (“Sunset Song,” “High-Rise”) makes for a fascinating night at the movies, while new DVD releases include atmospheric horror (“The Witch”), a trio of films from a French master (“The Films of Maurice Pialat”), and an absorbing tale of human struggle (“The Naked Island”).

In Theaters:

Sunset Song (Magnolia Pictures): Aching emotions and plangent visuals are the hallmarks of the brilliant British filmmaker Terence Davies ("The Long Day Closes"), and his latest release is no exception. Based on Lewis Grassic Gibbon's novel and set in rural Scotland in the early 1900s, the story charts the thorny spiritual journey of Chris Guthrie (Agyness Deyn), a young woman living and toiling in an isolated farm presided over by her tyrannical father John (Peter Mullan). As the years pass, Chris experiences love and hope in the form of Ewan (Kevin Guthrie), the gentle bachelor who courts her. With the Great War looming nearer, however, her happiness grows more fragile by the instant. A symphonic epic about despair and joy, brutality and forgiveness, Davies' film—one of the year's very best—is a scintillating, heartfelt portrait of beauty enduring in the face of harshness.

High-Rise (Magnolia Pictures): Having established himself as a savage and cunning stylist, writer-director Ben Wheatley ("Kill List," "A Field in England") tackles his most ambitious project yet in this gleefully unnerving adaptation of J.G. Ballard's surreal novel. Taking place in a building tower in 1970s London, the film serves up a satirical cross-section of characters and then observes them slip into barbarian mode as the norms of society short-circuit. Among them is a young doctor who becomes the audience's bewildered surrogate (Tom Hiddleston), a brutish apartment-dweller (Luke Evans) and his pregnant wife (Elisabeth Moss), and the building's haughty architect (Jeremy Irons). With pitch-black humor, Wheatley whips up a rollicking vision of anarchy simmering right under the modernist surfaces of normalcy. Not for every taste, but a unique ride for game viewers.

Netflix Tip: A favorite of cult director Joe Dante, character actor William Schallert (1922-2016) was a warmly familiar face on TV as well as movie screens. So check out some of his best roles, from “The Patty Duke Show” and the original “Star Trek” to “The Incredible Shrinking Man” and “Matinee.”

On DVD:

The Witch (Lions Gate): The intriguing recent wave of quality horror releases continues with this haunting psychological drama, set in 17th-century New England. During times of superstition and fear, a family of farmers struggles with the disappearance of their young son. As they search for the missing child, the parents come to blame their oldest daughter Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy), whose own situation on the verge of womanhood is seen as dangerously sinful by the strict community. When Thomasin is accused of witchcraft by a pair of siblings, paranoia threatens to engulf every character—but is the maiden as innocent as she says she is? Directed by Robert Eggers with an unnerving touch and a splendid sense of atmosphere that belies the film’s modest budget, this is an exceptionally evocative tale about a nation’s primal horrors.

The Films of Maurice Pialat (Cohen Media Group): Often hailed by critics as France’s version of the indie firebrand John Cassavetes, director Maurice Pialat similarly trafficked in intense protagonists and uncompromising emotional honesty. Despite his genius he’s largely unknown to mainstream American audiences, which makes this three-film DVD set especially welcome. Included is the harrowing 1974 drama “The Mouth Agape,” which deals with a family struggling with tragedy, as well as the charming coming-of-age story “Graduate First,” from 1978. Best of all, however, is the splendid 1980 romance “Loulou,” which chronicles the ups and downs of the relationship between a restless young woman and a volatile ex-con (superbly played by Isabelle Huppert and Gerard Depardieu). Brimming with grit and tenderness, this is an excellent intro to Pialat’s work. With subtitles.

The Naked Island (Criterion): Criterion unearths another Japanese classic in this absorbing 1960 tale of human struggle, shot strikingly without dialogue. Set on a small island off the Japanese coast, it tells the simple yet expressive story of a peasant family eking out a living in the face of often inhospitable natural conditions. As the Mother (Nobuko Otowa), the Father (Taiji Tonoyama) and their two sons run a tiny farm away from the local village over the changing seasons, their lives gradually emerge as a challenging balance of arduous work and love. With more and more elemental endeavors materializing on the horizon, can the family members stick together? Employing a minimalistic style reminiscent of documentaries, director Kaneto Shindo creates a starkly resonant vision of strive and resilience.

News Briefs---

In another bad sign for DocuSign, four top executives are gone
http://www.businessinsider.com/four-top-executives-leave-docusign-2016-5?

Lending Club Faces Another Subpoena, This Time Its NY Regulators
http://debanked.com/2016/05/lending-club-faces-another-subpoena-this-time-its-ny-regulators/

Canada Competition Bureau to Examine Whether FinTech Sector Should be Regulated
http://business.financialpost.com/legal-post/competition-bureau-to-examine-whether-fintech-sector-should-be-regulated

Wells Fargo Names Canada Leaders for Equipment Finance
and Commercial Distribution Finance
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160518005327/en/Wells-Fargo-Names-Canada-Leaders-Equipment-Finance

Over 25,000 Madoff victims eligible for $4 billion refund
http://nypost.com/2016/05/19/over-25000-madoff-victims-eligible-for-4-billion-refund/

Tesla contractor launches probe into pay, conditions for foreign workers
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_29909810/musk-we-paid-55-an-hour-factory-workers

Raleigh company offers a Tesla for Every Employee
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/business/article78469567.html

Chase Pay Wallet Delayed,Even Though It’s Live with a Few Partners
http://bankinnovation.net/2016/05/chase-pay-wallet-delayed-even-though-its-live-with-a-few-partners/?goal=0_c7c396d894-e8bbd9092e-38647489

Network spending still hampered by economic jitters,
Cisco Sales Grew Slightly in the last Quarter
http://www.pcworld.com/article/3072636/network-spending-still-hampered-by-economic-jitters-cisco-says.html

ZRG Partners Global Industrial Hiring Index
for First Quarter, 2016

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--You May Have Missed It

Fitbit, Inc. Acquires Wearable Payments Assets
From Financial Technology Company Coin
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160518005325/en/Fitbit-Acquires-Wearable-Payments-Assets-Financial-Technology

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SparkPeople--Live Healthier and Longer

15 Spices You've Probably Never Tried (But Totally Should)
http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=
15_spices_youve_probably_never_tried_but_totally_should

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Baseball Poem

"I Dream of a Baseball Star"

by Gregory Corso

I dreamed Ted Williams
leaning at night
against the Eiffel Tower, weeping.

He was in uniform
and his bat lay at his feet
-- knotted and twiggy.

"Randall Jarrell says you're a poet!" I cried.
"So do I! I say you're a poet!"
He picked up his bat with blown hands;
stood there astraddle as he would in the batter's box,
and laughed! flinging his schoolboy wrath
toward some invisible pitcher's mound
-- waiting the pitch all the way from heaven.

It came; hundreds came! all afire!
He swung and swung and swung and connected not one
sinker curve hook or right-down-the middle.

A hundred strikes!
The umpire dressed in strange attire
thundered his judgment: YOU'RE OUT!

And the phantom crowd's horrific boo
dispersed the gargoyles from Notre Dame.

And I screamed in my dream:
God! throw thy merciful pitch!

Herald the crack of bats!
Hooray the sharp liner to left!
Yea the double, the triple!
Hosannah the home run!

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Sports Briefs----

Phil Mickelson to forfeit nearly $1 million in SEC case
http://www.mercurynews.com/sports/ci_29913229/golfer-phil-mickelson-named-insider-trading-complaint

Jaguars' top pick Jalen Ramsey suffers knee injury
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/jaguars/2016/05/19/jalen-ramsey-knee-injury-jacksonville/84607330/

NFL moving Pro Bowl to Orlando
http://www.theredzone.org/BlogDescription/tabid/61/EntryId/56583/NFL-moving-Pro-Bowl-to-Orlando/Default.aspx

Grant Cohn: 49ers OTAs show confident, effective Blaine Gabbert
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/sports/5637074-181/grant-cohn-49ers-otas-show

NFL Star Patrick Willis is thriving in retirement
as a Silicon Valley tech worker
http://mashable.com/2016/05/18/patrick-willis-retirement-tech-open-source/#IZlKytCxFGqV

(Leasing News provides this ad as a trade for investigative
reporting provided by John Kenny)

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California Nuts Briefs---

California lifts tough statewide water conservation rules
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article78513297.html#emlnl=Morning_Newsletter

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“Gimme that Wine”

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

Opus One wins expansion approval
http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/opus-one-wins-expansion-approval/article_b68cd692-7d7e-5d42-bb6f-d343e66a827c.html

Boxed Wine Aims For The Next Level
http://marketwatchmag.com/wine-files-boxed-wine-may-2016/

Tasting Room Survey Discloses Disparities
http://www.winesandvines.com/template.cfm?
section=news&content=168737

Cold Snap Damages Wine Grape Crops in Minnesota, Wisconsin
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/cold-snap-damages-wine-grape-crops-minnesota-wisconsin-39176719

Sandy Weill’s Wine Country Retirement,
With Notes of Rue and Chagrin
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/19/business/dealbook/sandy-weills-wine-country-retirement-with-notes-of-rue-and-chagrin.html

Calif. almond yields to increase 6 percent in 2016, survey says
http://www.capitalpress.com/California/20160517/calif-almond-yields-to-increase-6-percent-in-2016-survey-says

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

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     1570 – Flemish cartographer Abraham Ortelius issues “Theatrum Orbis Terrarum,” the first modern atlas. Three Latin editions of this (besides a Dutch, a French and a German edition) appeared before the end of 1572; twenty-five editions came out before Ortelius' death in 1598; and several others were published subsequently, for the atlas continued to be in demand until about 1612. Errors, of course, abound, both in general conceptions and in detail; thus South America is initially very faulty in outline, but corrected in the 1587 French edition. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Ortelius
    1639 – Dorchester, MA voted to establish a property tax to support public schools: “It is ordered the 20th of May, 1639, that there shall be a rent of twenty pounds a year for ever imposed upon Tomsons Island to be paid by every person that hath property in the said island according to the proportion that any such person shall from time to time enjoy and possess there.”
    1704 – Elias Neau founds school for slaves in New York. His real name was Elias Naud. He was from France, a seaman who sallied to Haiti before arriving in New York.
    1759 - William Thornton (1759-1828) architect who designed the United States Capitol, was born in the British Virgin Islands.
    1768 – Dolley Madison, a widow, married James Madison. During the British invasion of Washington, D.C., in the War of 1812, she escaped with valuable state papers from the White House before it was burned by the British.   Strong-willed, she hung her wash in the East Room of the White House to show her disdain for those who thought the presidency was royalty. She was a noted and charming hostess in the complex game of Washington society.   She acted as hostess for George Washington and reportedly her charm and social grace was a great aid in Madison being nominated for President.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/firstladies/dm4.html
http://www.vcdh.virginia.edu/madison/exhibit/index.html
    1775 – The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence is claimed by some to be the first such declaration made in the Colonies during the Revolutionary War. It was supposedly signed on May 20, 1775, at Charlotte, NC, by a committee of citizens of Mecklenburg County, who declared independence from Great Britain after hearing of the Battle of Lexington. If true, the Mecklenburg Declaration preceded the US Declaration of Independence by more than a year. The authenticity of the Mecklenburg Declaration has been disputed since it was first published in 1819, forty-four years after it was reputedly written. There is no conclusive evidence to confirm the original document's existence, and no reference to it has been found in extant newspapers from 1775. The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence was first published on April 30, 1819, in an article written by Dr. Joseph McKnitt Alexander in the “Raleigh Register and North Carolina Gazette” newspaper. "It is not probably known to many of our readers," wrote the editor of the “Raleigh Register” in an introduction to the article, "that the citizens of Mecklenburg County, in this State made a Declaration of Independence more than a year before Congress made theirs.” According to Dr. Alexander, his father, John McKnitt Alexander, had been the clerk at a meeting convened in Charlotte on May 19, 1775. Each militia company in the county had sent two delegates to the meeting, where measures were to be discussed regarding the ongoing dispute between the British Empire and the Colonies. Relations between the colonies and the mother country had reached a crisis in Boston following the 1774 passage of the Coercive Acts by the British Parliament. During the meeting in Mecklenburg County, the delegates received official news that the Battle of Lexington had been fought in Massachusetts one month earlier. Outraged by this turn of events, wrote Dr. Alexander, the delegates unanimously passed the resolutions at about 2:00 a.m. on May 20. North Carolinian James Street insisted that this “was the first explicit declaration by any Colony in favor of complete separation from Britain.” (Street,”The Revolutionary War” (1954), pg. 79).
    1777 - The first treaty between states after the Declaration of Independence was concluded between Georgia and South Carolina at DeWitt's Corner, SC. Under its provisions, the Cherokees were forced to retire behind a line running southwest through Georgia from the straight part of Pickens County on the North to a point just below the mouth of the Tallulah at the western tip of the state. Since landing on the continent, the natives were moved further and further from their original “homeland.” From an estimated population, some say well into the millions, the population shrank to several hundred thousand, due primarily to disease brought from the old world to humans and animals. http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2002/03/mann.html
    1818 – William Fargo (1818-1881) was born in Pompey, NY. In 1844, he organized, with Henry Wells (1805–1878) and Daniel Dunning, the first express company, Wells & Co, to engage in the carrying business west of Buffalo. The lines of this company (which first operated only to Detroit via Cleveland) were rapidly extended to Chicago, St. Louis, and other western points. In March 1850, through a consolidation of competing lines, the American express Company was organized; Wells became president and Fargo secretary. In 1851, with Wells and others, he organized the firm of Wells Fargo & Company to conduct an express business between New York and San Francisco by way of the Isthmus of Panama and on the Pacific coast, where it long had a virtual monopoly. In 1861, Wells Fargo bought and reorganized the Overland Mail Co., which had been formed in 1857 to carry the United States mails, and of which Fargo had been one of the original promoters. The litany of M&A involving Wells Fargo is lengthy and included expansion into traditional banking services as well in the late nineteenth century. Today, Wells Fargo Bank is the nation’s fourth largest and is headquartered in San Francisco.
    1825 - Birthday of Antoinette Brown (1825-1921), the first woman minister in U.S. History, in Henrietta, NY. A graduate in theology from Oberlin College in 1850, she was refused ordination by a number of churches, but finally was accepted by the Congregational Church in South Butler, New York (1852-54.) She married into the renowned Blackwell family (Elizabeth was the first woman physician in U.S. history and her sister Emily, also a physician, was one of the organizers of the first woman's hospital.) Antoinette had six children and abandoned her battles for women's rights. Later she resumed her women's rights activities to become one of the most sought after speakers in the nation. She also published a number of well received books, her last book “The Social Side of Mind and Action” (1915) was written when she was 90. She lived to 96, long enough to see women get the vote.
http://www.oberlin.edu/external/EOG/OYTT-images/NettyBlackwell.html
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0935312048/avsearch-bkasin -20/002-0667839-4443242
    1845 – The first legislative assembly formed in Hawai’i.
    1851 - Birthday of Emil Berliner (1851-1929), Jewish immigrant, who came to the United States in 1870 from Germany and later worked for Alexander Graham Bell's telephone company. In 1877, the year after Graham invented the telephone, Berliner developed an improved telephone receiver. Ten years later, Berliner dramatically improved the phonograph when he developed the flat gramophone record, which quickly replaced Thomas Edison's recording cylinder. He also developed a method for mass-producing records. He also invented the microphone among other achievements.
http://memory.loc.gov/mmem/berlhtml/ http://www.hebrewhistory.org/factpapers/berliner27-II.html
    1856 - Revolutionizing communication, David Edward Hughes of Louisville, KY, received a patent on a telegraph ticker that successfully printed type. He then sold his rights to the Commercial Company for $100,000 on November 1, 1855, a huge sum of money for the day, perhaps the first “dot commer” of the “communication revolution” to follow. The modern teleprinter, telex system and computer keyboards are all direct descendants of this invention. http://www.acmi.net.au/AIC/HUGHES_BIO.html
    1861 - Kentucky proclaimed its neutrality, which lasted until September 3 when Confederate forces entered the state. Meanwhile, North Carolina seceded from the Union.
    1862 - President Lincoln signed the Homestead Act opening millions of acres of government-owned land in the West to settlers or “homesteaders,” who had to reside on the land and cultivate it for five years. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/may20.html
    1872 - Madeline McDowell Breckinridge’s (1872-1920) birthday in Woodlake, KY. U.S. social activist who began by organizing and taking part in grassroots movements in her native Kentucky battling for educational and health facilities.   She campaigned for juvenile courts, branched out into fighting political corruption while heading charity organizations and was even instrumental in building a tuberculosis hospital (a disease she suffered from most of her life).   She headed the Kentucky Equal Rights organization which not only successfully passed suffrage in a southern state, but also obtained rights for married women that "allowed" them to keep their own earnings, have joint custody of their own children, etc.
http://www.womeninkentucky.com/site/reform/m_breckinridge.html http://www.womeninkentucky.com/site/reform/motherssphere.html
    1873 - Levi Strauss secures the necessary patents for canvas pants with copper rivets to reinforce the stress points. Born in Buttenheim, Bavaria, in 1829, the young Levi Strauss immigrated to the United States in 1847. He arrived in San Francisco in 1853 with a load of merchandise that he hoped to sell in the California mining camps. Unable to sell a large supply of canvas, Strauss hit on the idea of using the durable material to make work pants for miners. Strauss' canvas pants were an immediate success among hardworking miners who had long complained that conventional pants wore out too quickly. In 1872, Strauss received a letter from Jacob Davis, a customer and tailor who worked in the mining town of Reno, Nevada. Davis reported that he had discovered canvas pants could be improved if the pocket seams and other weak points that tended to tear were strengthened by copper rivets. Davis' riveted pants had proven popular in Reno, but he needed a patent to protect his invention. Intrigued by the copper-riveted pants, Strauss and his partners agreed to undertake the necessary legal work for the patent and begin large-scale production of the pants. Davis' invention was patented on this day in 1873. In exchange for his idea, Strauss made the Reno tailor his production manager. Eventually, Strauss switched from using canvas to heavyweight blue denim, and the modern "blue jeans" were born. Since then, Levi Strauss & Company has sold more than 200 million pairs of copper-riveted jeans. By the turn of the century, people outside of the mining and ranching communities had discovered that "Levi's" were both comfortable and durable. Eventually, the jeans lost most of their association with the West and came to be simply a standard element of the casual American wardrobe.
    1891 - The first public display of Edison’s prototype Kinetoscope.
    1899 - The first traffic ticket in the US…and wouldn’t you know, it was in NYC. New York City taxi driver Jacob German was arrested for speeding while driving 12 miles per hour on Lexington Street.
    1901 - Pianist Jimmy Blythe (1901-31) was born in Louisville, KY. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/x.dll?UID=8:52:12|PM&p=amg&sql=B10175
    1902 – Cuba gained independence from the US.
    1907 - Forty-one Igorrote, head-hunters and dog-eaters from the wild districts of Bontac providence in the northern part of Luzon, were brought to this country by the steamer Nippon Maru, arriving Friday. Despite the cold air the Igorrotes, almost naked, stood about the steerage deck of the liner and gazed with awe upon the surrounding evidence of civilization. The rumor spread on board that the head-hunters had been imported by Patrick Calhoun for the purpose of breaking the car strike, but this was denied by R. Schneidewind, who is bringing the Igorrotes to this country.
    1908 – James Stewart (1908-97) was born in Indiana, PA. Stewart was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime Achievement award. Stewart was named the third greatest male screen legend in cinema history by the AFI. He was a major MGM star. He also had a noted military career and was a World War II and Vietnam War veteran, who rose to the rank of Brigadier General in the Air Force Reserve.
    1913 – William R. Hewlett (1913-2001) was born in Ann Arbor, MI. Co-founder, with David Packard, of the Hewlett-Packard Company.
    1916 - Norman Rockwell's first cover for The Saturday Evening Post appeared. It depicted a boy having to care for his infant sibling, pushing the baby carriage while his buddies set off to play ball. His last Post cover appeared in 1963.
    1919 – Comedian George Gobel (1919-1991) was born in Chicago.
    1920 - The Chicago police, dressed as soldiers and farmers, raid the Wrigley Field bleachers arresting two dozen Cub fans for gambling as Grover Cleveland Alexander blanks the Phillies, 6-0.
    1921 – Hal Newhouser (1921-98) was born in Detroit. Newhouser was considered to be the most dominating pitcher of the World War II era of baseball, winning a pitcher’s Triple Crown for the Tigers in 1944. He posted a 29–9 record, leading the league in wins and strikeouts (187). His 2.22 ERA was second in the league, as were his 25 complete games and six shutouts. Newhouser was named MVP and won the first Sporting News Pitcher of the Year Award (The Cy Young Award was not created until 1956). In 1945, he became the first and only pitcher to repeat as MVP and helped the team win the World Series. He won the pitcher's Triple Crown, leading the AL in wins (25-9), ERA (1.81) and strikeouts (212). He also led the league in innings pitched, games started, complete games and shutouts. Newhouser pitched four innings of relief on the season's final day as Detroit rallied for the pennant. He won the second Sporting News Pitcher of the Year Award. In 1946, he went 26–9 with a 1.94 ERA, again leading the league in wins and ERA. His 275 strikeouts were second in the league. Newhouser continued to rate among the game's best pitchers for the next five years. He won 17 games in 1947, led the AL with 21 wins in 1948 and rang up an 18–11 mark in 1949. He ended his career with a record of 207–150 and a 3.06 ERA. While scouting for the Houston Astros, he was angered when the team did not listen to his recommendation to draft Derek Jeter and instead picked Phil Nevin. Newhouser was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992.
    1927 – Bud Grant was born in Superior, WI. Grant served as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings for eighteen seasons; he was the team's second (1967–83) and fourth (1985) head coach. Before coaching the Vikings, he was a head coach in the CFL for ten seasons, winning the Grey Cup four times. Grant is the most successful coach in Vikings history, and the third most successful professional football coach overall (behind Don Shula and George Halas), with a combined 290 wins in the NFL and CFL. Grant was elected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994. He was the first coach in the history of professional football to guide teams to the Grey Cup finals and the Super Bowl.
    1927 - May 20-21, Captain Charles Lindbergh, 25-year old aviator, departed from rainy, muddy Roosevelt Field, Long Island, NY, alone at 7:52am in a Ryan monoplane named Spirit of St. Louis. He landed at Le Bourget airfield, Paris, at 10:24pm Paris time (5:54pm NY time), May 21, winning a $25,000 prize offered by Raymond Orteig for the first nonstop flight between New York City and Paris, France (3,600 miles). The "flying fool", as he had been dubbed by some doubters, became "Lucky Lindy," an instant world hero. Very few in history drew the universal acclaim of this man.
    1931 - Kenton Lloyd “Ken” Boyer (1931-82), baseball player and manager, born at Liberty, MO. Boyer was an exceptional third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals, winning the National League MVP award in 1964, and he was an 11-time All-Star. He managed the Cards from 1978 through June 8, 1980. Boyer was one of three brothers who played MLB, including Cloyd and Cletis, with whom he has the fourth-most combined HRs in MLB history.
    1932 - Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic.
    1941 - Harry James records “You Made Me Love You,” putting the band on top!
    1942 - Glenn Miller Band records “I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo.” Victor.
    1942 – Jill Jackson was born in McCamey, TX. With Ray Hildebrand, they were Paul and Paula whose hit record, “Hey, Paula” rose to #1 in 1963.
    1944 - The Stan Kenton Band with Anita O'Day records “And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine.”
    1944 - Singer Joe Cocker (1944-2014) was born in Sheffield, England.
http://www.cocker.com/
    1945 – Cher was born Cherilyn Sarkasian LaPier in El Centro, California. She and husband Sonny Bono enjoyed great success beginning in 1965 with the chart- topping "I Got You Babe." Sonny and Cher became household names with their TV series which ran from 1971 to '75. But a marriage breakup also ended their professional career together. Cher went on to a successful career as a singer and an actress, hitting number one with three singles in the early '70s, "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves," "Half-Breed" and "Dark Lady." She revived her singing career in 1988 with two top-20 singles, "I Found Someone" and "We All Sleep Alone." Recently, she scored a hit with the resurrected 'I Got You Babe' performed with MTV's Beavis and Butthead.
http://www.cher.com/
http://www.cherworld.com/
    1948 - In front of only 5,001 fans in Chicago, Joe DiMaggio strokes four extra base hits for the fourth time in his career as he hits for the cycle for a second time in a 13-2 rout of the White Sox. The 'Yankee Clipper' paces the Bombers' 22-hit attack with a two home runs, a triple, a double and a single and drives in 6 runs.
    1949 – The Armed Forces Security Agency, the predecessor to the NSA was established.
    1951 - The first “Ace” to fly a jet was Captain James Jabara (1923-66) of Wichita, KS, a member of the fourth Fighter Interceptor Wing, who shot down his first and sixth enemy Mig jet airplanes over Sinjuiju, northwest Korea. He eventually defeated 15 Migs over Korea and became the second triple jet Ace. The first Triple jet Ace was Captain Joseph Christopher McConnell, Jr, who shot down 16 MiG-15s. He shot down three in one day, May 18. He completed 106 missions in Korea. His neighbors built him a house in Apple Valley, CA, known as Appreciation House.   He was killed August 24, 1954 at Edwards Air Force base, CA, while testing a new plane, an F-86H.
    1953 - In just their 13th game of the season, the Braves, in their first year in Milwaukee, surpassed their total of 1952 attendance of 28,127, their last year in Boston.
    1954 - Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock" was released. The record was not a hit until after it was included in the soundtrack of "Blackboard Jungle" the following year. http://www.history-of-rock.com/haley.htm
    1956 - In Operation Redwing, the first United States airborne hydrogen bomb was dropped over Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
    1956 - Top Hits
“Heartbreak Hotel/I Was the One” - Elvis Presley
“The Wayward Wind” - Gogi Grant
“I'm in Love Again” - Fats Domino
“Blue Suede Shoes” - Carl Perkins
    1957 - Frank Sinatra recorded "Witchcraft."
    1957 - A tornado touched down to the southwest of Kansas City and traveled a distance of seventy-one miles cutting a swath of near total destruction through the southeastern suburbs of Ruskin Heights and Hickman Mills. The tornado claimed the lives of forty-five persons, and left hundreds homeless. It was the worst weather disaster of record for Kansas City. About all that remained of one house was a small table and a fish bowl atop, with the fish still swimming about inside the bowl, rather unconcerned.
    1960 – Congress’ committee on "payola" indicts eight men accused of receiving $116,580 in illegal payoffs for promoting records. The indictments will lead, two years later, to highly influential DJ Alan Freed's eventual indictment for tax-evasion.
    1960 - A Liverpool band called Johnny and the Moondogs changes their name to the Silver Beetles and embarks on a Scottish tour, backing singer Johnny Gentle. The band members, except for leader John Lennon, take pseudonyms: Paul McCartney becomes Paul Ramon, George Harrison becomes Carl Harrison, and Stu Sutcliffe becomes Stuart de Stael. A punk band called the Ramones would later take their name from McCartney's fake one.
    1961- A white mob attacked a busload of Freedom Riders in Montgomery, Ala., prompting the federal government to send in United States marshals to restore order.
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0520.html
    1964 - Top Hits
“My Guy” - Mary Wells
“Love Me Do” - The Beatles
“Ronnie” - The 4 Seasons
My Heart Skips a Beat - Buck Owens
    1966 - In Windsor, England, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey performed with the rhythm section of the opening act when John Entwistle and Keith Moon were late for the show. When the duo finally arrived, with the show half over, Townshend hit Moon over the head with his guitar. Keith and John quit the band, but were convinced to return within the week.
    1967 - Only a week after surrendering the top of the R&B chart to Martha & the Vandellas, Aretha Franklin retakes the top spot with "Respect," a tune that will also be Number One on the pop chart. It was originally recorded and written by Otis Redding who would say he prefers Franklin's version to his own.
    1967 - The Beatles premiere their new album, “Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band”, on Kenny Everett's BBC radio program “Where It's At.” All the tracks are played save "A Day in the Life," which the "Beeb" has banned the day before for its seemingly positive attitude towards drug use. Paul and John give live interviews about the making of the album.
    1971 – Sprint Cup Series champ Tony Stewart was born in Columbus, IN.
    1972 - Top Hits
“The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” - Roberta Flack
“Oh Girl” - Chi-Lites
“I'll Take You There” - The Staple Singers
“Grandma Harp” - Merle Haggard
    1973 - Ken Moore beat 4,030 competitors to win the 63rd Bay-to-Breakers footrace in San Francisco, CA. Moore stepped his way to the finish line in 37 minutes, 15 seconds over a course measured at 7.8 miles.
    1978 - Mavis Hutchinson, 53, made it to New York City to become the first woman to run across America. The 3,000-mile trek took her 69 days. She ran an average of 45 miles each day. Now that's what we call a daily workout.
    1980 - Top Hits
“Call Me” – Blondie
“Ride like the Wind” - Christopher Cross
Lost in Love - Air Supply
“Gone Too Far” - Eddie Rabbitt
    1982 - TV's "Barney Miller" was seen for the last time in its original network run on ABC-TV. Hal Linden as Barney, Abe Vigoda as Fish and a talented cast continue to bring the fictional 12th Precinct to TV screens through syndication.
http://timstvshowcase.com/bmiller.html
http://www.zxcproductions.com/web/Abe/abe.html
    1983 – The first publication of the discovery of the HIV virus that causes AIDS in the journal “Science” was written by Luc Montagnier.
    1985 - The Dow Jones industrial average broke the 1300 mark for the first time. The Dow gained 19.54 points to close at 1304.88.
    1985 - The game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Cleveland Indians in Cleveland was rained out. Remarkably, this was the first rainout of the season in either league, after a Major League record 485 games had been played without a postponement.
    1985 - Larry Holmes retained the heavyweight boxing title of the International Boxing Federation at Reno, NV by defeating Carl Wilson in 15 rounds. The fight marked the first, heavyweight title fight in Reno since Jack Johnson and Jim Jeffries duked it out in 1910.
    1985 - Daryl Hall and John Oates headlined a concert for the grand re-opening of the legendary Apollo Theatre in Harlem. The show benefited the United Negro College Fund and also featured two of the original Temptations, David Ruffin and Eddie Kendrick.
    1987 - The Milwaukee Brewers ended a 12-game losing streak by beating the Chicago White Sox by a 5-1 score. The Brew Crew had opened the season winning 13 games in a row.
    1988 - Frank Sinatra's funeral was held at Beverly Hills' Church of the Good Shepherd, with attendees including Tony Bennett, Bob Dylan, Liza Minnelli, Jack Nicholson, Tony Curtis, Kirk Douglas, Sophia Loren, Bob Newhart, Faye Dunaway, Angie Dickinson, and ex-wife, Mia Farrow. Dylan's statement reads, in part, "Right from the beginning, he was there with the truth of things in his voice... He was one of the very few singers who sang without a mask." Ten years later to the day, May 13th was declared Frank Sinatra Day by the Congress of the United States.
    1988 - Thunderstorms in the south central U.S. produced wind gusts to 70 mph at Omaha, NE, and wind gusts to 80 mph at Midland and Dallas, TX. Temperatures in California soared into the 90s and above 100 degrees. San Jose, CA reported a record high of 97 degrees.
    1988 - Top Hits
“Anything for You” - Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine
“Shattered Dreams” - Johnny Hates Jazz
“One More Try” - George Michael
“I'm Gonna Get You” - Eddy Raven
    1990 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather across the southeastern quarter of the nation through the day and night. Severe thunderstorms spawned six tornadoes, including one which injured two persons at Algoma, MS, and another which injured nine persons at Rogersville, MO. There were 119 reports of large hail or damaging winds. Thunderstorms produced baseball size hail at Houston, MO and damaging winds which killed one person at Toccoa, GA.
    1995 - Don Henley of The Eagles marries Sharon Summerall in Malibu. Among those present and who performed were Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Sting and Tony Bennett.
    1996 - The Supreme Court ruled, in Romer v. Evans, against a law that would have prevented any city, town or county in the state of Colorado from taking any legislative, executive, or judicial action to protect the rights of gays and lesbians.
    2001 - Barry Bonds becomes 13th player in Major League history to hit home runs in four consecutive at-bats. The Giant outfielder went yard in his final two at-bats yesterday and homers in his first two official turns at the plate today.
    2003 - South Carolina's parole board pardons James Brown of all past offenses committed in the state, even the felonies, spurring James to spontaneously sing "God Bless America" at the conclusion of the hearing.
    2006 - Their hometown of Hawthorne, CA dedicates a monument to the three Wilson brothers in the Beach Boys.
    2013 – An F5 tornado struck the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, killing 24 people and injuring 377 others.
    2014 - General Motors announced an additional recall of 2.4 million vehicles as a proactive measure against discovery of further safety defects; in 2014 to date, the company had recalled over 13 million vehicles for safety issues.
    2014 - Credit Suisse pled guilty to criminal charges of assisting U.S. customers in tax fraud and evasion; however, the Swiss government prohibited the bank from cooperating with the U.S. government's request for the names of those customers.

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