Chesswood Update on COVID-19 Activities
to its Companies/Announces Change in Dividend

“Chesswood Group Limited is North America's only publicly-traded commercial equipment finance company focused on small and medium-sized businesses. Our Colorado-based Pawnee Leasing Corporation, founded in 1982, finances a highly diversified portfolio of commercial equipment leases and loans through relationships with over 600 independent brokers in the U.S. In Canada, Blue Chip Leasing Corporation has been originating and servicing commercial equipment leases and loans since 1996 and today operates through a nationwide network of more than 50 independent brokers. Located in Houston, Texas, Tandem Finance Inc. provides equipment financing to small and medium-sized businesses in the U.S. through the equipment vendor channel. Based in Toronto, Canada, Chesswood's shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol CHW.”

COVID-19 Update

“We continue to monitor and assess the impact of COVID-19 in order to protect the health and safety of our employees and communities and to better understand and address the anticipated effects on our businesses. Steps already taken for the protection of our teams include:

• “All staff are working in a fully remote work environment in Canada and the U.S.

• “Suspension of all gatherings, events and air travel

• “Self-isolating any employee that has returned from travel abroad, become ill, or has been in contact with someone demonstrating symptoms

• “Expansion of our technology to facilitate more effective communications in a remote work environment

“In addition, we have taken a number of steps for the benefit of the businesses, based on what is known today, and recognizing that we are in a rapidly changing environment:

• Reduced our team by 31, to 119 from 150 team members

• Management throughout Chesswood has taken a 20% reduction in salary

• Chesswood Directors' compensation has been suspended

• Underwriting standards have been raised considerably, resulting in very modest new business flow

• Redeployed administrative and other staff to support our customer service and collections teams, while they provide continued support to our customers

Barry Shafran , Chesswood's President and CEO, announced, "In these unprecedented times, we are temporarily reducing our dividend in anticipation of the effects of COVID-19 on the performance of Chesswood's portfolios. Our Board will make decisions basis about future dividends during this extraordinary period on a monthly basis as the effects of COVID-19 emerge and management and the Board can assess their impact."

The April dividend of three and a half cents per share will be payable to shareholders of record at the close of business on April 30, 2020, and will be paid on May 15, 2020. Chesswood has designated its dividends as eligible dividends for the purposes of the Income Tax Act (Canada).

 

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First Midwest Equipment Finance Updates
Funder List/Funder Looking for Broker Business List

Name In Business Since Contact Website Leasing Association	Employees	Geo Area	Dollar Amount		A	B	C	D	E
First Midwest Equipment Finance Co. a subsidiary of First Midwest Bank (F/K/A National Machine Tool Financial Corp.) 1986 Rick Lang, CLFP  Senior Vice President, Sales Director (847) 871-4253 rick.lang@firstmidwest.com www.netlease.com ELFA (click here for further description)	33	48	App Only Machine Tools $100,000 to $500,000 Financial Statement Transaction $100,000 to $10 Million		Y	Y	N	Y	Y

 

Provides Finance Leases and Loans to businesses with “A” & “B” credit profiles throughout the 48 Contiguous States.  Specialists in Machine Tools, Construction, Medical, and Waste, we also do IT.  Broker Qualify – 5 years’ time in business and a full package, call for details.
www.netlease.com

Full a Funder List:
http://leasingnews.org/Funders_Only/Funders.htm

Full Funders Looking for Broker Business
http://leasingnews.org/Funders_Only/New_Broker.htm

Commercial Alternative Finance Company List
Two Companies Do Not Require Brokers Be Licensed

There is no advertising fee or charge for a listing. They are “free.” Leasing News makes no endorsement of any of the companies listed, except they have qualified to be on this specific list.

This list will appear on the website as well as in the News Edition, from time to time, particularly when updated, as well as utilized when Leasing News is asked for a referral or has a good reputation.

To qualify for this list, the company must be a "funder" and not a "Broker."  The company may sell off its portfolio from time to time, but the definition is for a company or financial institution where 50% or more of its business is from actually "funding" transactions themselves, where they are on "recourse." Every non-public company' banker and/or investor(s) are contacted to verify this.

Leasing News reserves the right to not list a company who does not meet these qualifications.

This is for commercial business only, no consumer transactions, and products offered to list include, Bridge Loans, Business Loans Factoring, Capital Leasing, Lines of Credit, Merchant Advance, Trade/PO Financing, Working Capital.

Name In Business Since Contact Website Leasing Association	Employees	Geo Area	Dollar Amount	Products Offered	A	B	C	D
OnDeck 2007 Chris Sandoval 929.279.8102 newpartner@ondeck.com    www.ondeck.com	500+	US, Canada and Australia	$5,000 to $500,000	Term Loans, Buiness Lines of Credit	Y	Y	N	Y
Fora Financial 2008 Tyson R. Garrett 970-223-5715 Tyson.Garrett@ForaFinancial.com www.forafinancial.com	110	Nationwide	$5,000 to $500,000	Working Capital Loans & Products, Merchant Advance Advance of Future Receivables	Y	N	N	Y
Kalamta Capital Group    2013 Levi Capland 347.276.6528 levi.capland@ kalamatacapitalgroup.com  www.kalamatacapital.com	70	Nationwide	$10,000 to $750,000	Working capital, Short term bridge capital, high risk MCA	Y	N	Y	N
Channel Partners Capital 2009 Adam Peterson adam@channelpartnersllc.com www.channelpartnersllc.com AACFB/NEFA/ELFA	30	Nationwide	$10,000 to $250,000	Working Capital Products	Y	Y	N	Y

A -Accepts Broker Business | B -Requires Broker be Licensed
| C -Sub-Broker Program| D - Also "in house" salesmen
To join the list, email: kitmenkin@leasingnews.org

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Some Important Questions to Ask
By Brian Link

Yes, some important questions to ask. The answers will determine who thrives and who gets left behind.

I doubt that there’s a single person reading this who is happy about the Coronavirus and its effect on the economy. The company presidents and owners I talk with are all frustrated and concerned about the forced transition it’s inflicting upon us.  They’re looking at their sales teams and asking, “Who’s going to help us sell our way out of this crisis and how are they going to do it?” Even when the economy “re-opens,” most people recognize that many of these changes are here to stay.

While we can’t control the overall economy, we can control our reaction to it. In fact, how we react over the next 6 months is going to determine who thrives and who gets left behind. 

One of the hardest and yet simplest choices we need to make is whether to play defense and hope everything goes back to normal or to play offense and embrace these changes. Every company needs to be thinking about these questions, addressing them and taking action accordingly. 
For example:

• Selling remotely. As a result of “social distancing,” most people are working remotely. The “home office” has been with us for a long time but now that so many are working remotely, new issues arise. Do our people have the skills and attitudes necessary to be successful? Do we have the systems and processes in place to support them and hold them accountable? Do our managers and sales leaders have the right coaching and motivation capabilities for this new environment?
   
• Vendor Support and Development. The economic changes that affect us in the leasing business also affect our partners. Their markets have changed. Their competitive environment is different. How can we help them be more effective? How can we be better partners? Do we understand their problems and have a way to address them? Do they know that and trust us to deliver new and better solutions? 
  
  
• Sales Forecasting. Having a centralized system to manage the sales pipeline is even more critical when people can’t be face-to-face. Does our system use the right metrics and milestones? Can we trust the sales forecast and rely on the pipeline? Does the team use the system as a tool to be more effective or do they look at it as something that just benefits management? 

• SmartSizing. Marlin Business Services recently furloughed 120 employees. Many other companies will need to make some similarly tough decisions. Is it as simple as letting go of the bottom X%? Maybe people can be more productive in different roles, with a different strategy? Will the same skills that got us here take us where we need to be in this new environment?

Two things are clear. First, the transition we’re experiencing is not optional. We don’t have a choice in the matter. It’s affecting all of us. Second, we do have choices in terms of what we do with it and how to react. The answers to the questions above, and many others, will determine each company’s best path forward and how to chart that path.

Now’s the time to embrace the new reality and make some smart decisions. The choices we make in the short term will determine who thrives and comes out of this on top and who gets left behind.
I’d welcome your thoughts and feedback.

Brian Link
President/Founder
InSource Capital Service
brian@insourcecapital.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandlink/

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Not Canceled

The Ultimate Hire by Ken Lubin, ZRG Partners

 

Things that aren't cancelled:

1. Believing in Yourself
2. Kindness
3. Hard work
4. Passion
5. Surviving
6. Moving

It is easy to put work, fitness, kindness and belief in yourself on the back burner during these times.  As humans we weren’t designed to sit still, we were designed to make a difference and survive.  Make a difference in your work, your family, and your health.  There is a new norm and make sure you raise the bar.  Just be 1% better today, than you were yesterday. 

Good luck, stay safe!

Ken Lubin
ZRG Partners, LLC
Americas I EMEA I Asia Pacific
C: 508-733-4789
https://www.linkedin.com/in/klubin/

A little bit about me. I am a Managing Director and longest tenured employee with ZRG Partners, I am the creator of The Ultimate Hire Blog, Founder of Executive Athletes, a US Olympic Committee Career Adviser, and endurance athlete. As well as following my true passion of being a husband, father, and son. I love to get people out of their comfort zone while helping them achieve their dreams and companies achieve their goals by helping them realize the importance of living a high performance life.

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

 

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

Frequently Asked Questions: the Paycheck Protection Program
and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program Lapse in Appropriations

At this time, by law, the SBA will not be able to issue new loan approvals for our disaster lending programs once the programs experience a lapse in appropriations.  Due to limited funding, the application portal for the EIDL–COVID-19 assistance program (EIDL loans and EIDL Advances) is temporarily closed. We are also not accepting additional  Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) applications from participating lenders at this time until additional funding is authorized.

You can read the statement issued by our Administrator Jovita Carranza about the lapse in appropriations here.    If additional funding is appropriated by congress the programs will resume in accordance with that appropriation. 
 
Below are a few answers to common questions about what this means:

• Q: I have already submitted an application to the PPP with my lender. Does this mean I will not be funded?

 A: For Paycheck Protection Loans, only approved loans are being processed at this time. Applicants will need to consult with their lender as the lender is the one approving the loan.

• Q: I have already submitted an application to the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program with SBA. Does this mean I will not be considered?

 A: No.  Economic Injury Disaster Loan applications are continuing to be reviewed, approved, and funded on a first come, first serve basis.  In order to ensure funding to those who already applied, newapplications were no longer accepted starting last Thursday. 

However, all applicants must still be approved for funding by SBA and can check on their application with the Office of Disaster Assistance at 1-800-659-2955.

• Q: Will there be more money made available for PPP?

A: Maybe. Congress is currently negotiating another stimulus bill.  We do not know the details and cannot comment or speculate on pending legislation. 

• Q: Can I still apply for PPP and have my application held until there is additional funding?

A: By law, the SBA will not be able to issue new loan approvals once the programs experience a lapse in appropriations.  SBA will not be creating a queue.  Some individual lenders may be choosing to in anticipation of additional funding.

• Q: I can't find the EIDL application

A: The application is temporarily closed. SBA is unable to accept new applications at this time for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL)-COVID-19 related assistance program (including EIDL Advances) based on available appropriations funding.

• Q: I already submitted my EIDL application but haven't heard back from SBA yet.  Is my application still being processed?

A: Yes.  All applications received are being processed.  For an update on an application applicants must call 1-800-659-2955 and speak with the Office of Disaster Assistance. 
--

New PPP data released for the full initial appropriation window. Over $33 billion was approved for more than 112,000 businesses in California over the past three weeks. 

Newly updated data showing the full usage of the PPP program over its initial funding window was released last week.  The new data includes breakouts by industry, state, and loan size.

See the April 16 PPP Report
(see the April 14th report here)
--

SBA Office of Inspector General Releases Alert for Business Owners on Scams and Frauds
 Fraudsters have already begun targeting small business owners during these economically difficult times.  Be on the lookout for grant fraud, loan fraud, and phishing.
Grants

• SBA does not initiate contact on either 7a or Disaster loans or grants.  If you are proactively contacted by someone claiming to be from the SBA, suspect fraud.

Loans

• If you are contacted by someone promising to get approval of an SBA loan, but requires any payment up front or offers a high interest bridge loan in the interim, suspect fraud.
• SBA limits the fees a broker can charge a borrower to 3% for loans $50,000 or less and 2% for loans $50,000 to $1,000,000 with an additional ¼% on amounts over $1,000,000.  Any attempt to charge more than these fees is inappropriate.
• If you have a question about getting a SBA disaster loan, call 800-659-2955 or send an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.
• If you have questions about other SBA lending products, call SBA’s Answer Desk at 800-827-5722 or send an email to answerdesk@sba.gov.

Report any suspected fraud to OIG’s Hotline at 800-767-0385 or online
Read the Alert
Make a Report
--
Comparisons of the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program
The SBA cannot accept PPP applications directly.  Business owners must apply and be accepted by a lending partner and each lending partner is different in terms of how they choose to extend the PPP program to clients.  SBA does not require lenders to limit the program to existing customers, but some have chosen to do that at their own discretion.

 A full list of participating banks is on the SBA website, you can find a list of the top local SBA lenders here, or a list of all of the local SBA lenders in our resource guide.

Our  Small Business Development Centers (1-833-ASK-SBDC) are also actively connecting business owners to lenders as they find them.
--

Since March 17, SBA has taken the following major steps to support business owners:

• Booked approved funding of more than 1.6 million forgivable loans totaling more than $340 billion under the Paycheck Protection Program
• SBA will automatically pay the principal, interest, and fees of current 7(a), 504, and microloans for a period of six months.
• Declared all states and territories eligible for Economic Injury Disaster Loan assistance
• 1-year deferment on Economic Injury Disaster Loans provided due to COVID-19
• Automatic deferment of previous disaster loans for homeowners and businesses through 2020
• Waiver of garnishments through 2020

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

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

Northern California Small Business Development Center
Launches Small Business Hotline and rapid response website

You can now call 833-ASK-SBDC (833.275.7232) to reach the Northern California Small Business Development Center's hotline for SBDC support and business financial urgent care. Partners are welcome and encouraged to share this resource with their clients. There are two email addresses as well that are being served by the hotline as well.

Email loans@asksbdc.com for assistance with available loans.
Email espanol@asksbdc.com para asistencia en español.

View the Website

--

The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development is compiling updates, programs, and guidance for employers across state agencies

The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development has compiled helpful information for employers, employees and all Californians as it relates to the COVID-19 outbreak.  They have recently updated and included these resources on a new website dedicated to COVID-19 news.
New programs and updates are being made to this page often. Since the last update changes have been made to this place.

See the State of California's new hub for business owners

--

Benefits for Workers Impacted by COVID-19

The California Labor and Workforce Development Agency is keeping a central summary chart of resources available to employees from different state and federal programs.  Employers should share this resource with their employees.

See the Summary Chart Here

--

Collections of Coronavirus Small Business Resources

Small Business Supporters throughout California have been consolidating some of the programs and options being made available to businesses in response to the Coronavirus impacts on business owners. Here are some of the consolidated resource guides to different programs that have started in the past week:

SBDC Resource Guide	Go-Biz Resource Guide
CAMEO's Resource Guide

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

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

Ascentium Capital LLC Announces First Quarter 2020
Funding Volume of $366.5 Million

Ascentium Capital LLC today announced first quarter 2020 funded volume of $366.5 million, representing a 17.4 percent increase and $2.4 billion in managed assets, representing a 14 percent increase over the same period last year.

Tom Depping, Executive Vice President, Ascentium Group Manager, declared, ”While going through unprecedented times with COVID-19, Ascentium is staying focused on helping businesses succeed with our financial offering. Organizational initiatives remain stable with the strength of our tenured management team and our proprietary technology.

“We anticipate an evolving economy but serve a broad array of markets which supports portfolio diversification,” he added.

Ascentium Capital’s priority during the COVID-19 situation remains the wellbeing of employees, clients and communities across the United States. Ascentium Capital has implemented a comprehensive continuity plan that maintains operations with the ability to serve equipment providers and business clients with mobile-enabled technology and remote-location procedures. Business practices remain committed to credit quality, asset management and client service.

Richard Baccaro, Ascentium’s, Senior Vice President, Ascentium Sales and Marketing, commented, “Our organization quickly pivoted sales and service strategies during first quarter to meet the needs of equipment vendors and the businesses we serve. We remain dedicated to our business development initiatives, remote recruiting efforts and collaboration with our clients.”  

About Ascentium Capital LLC
Ascentium Capital LLC, a subsidiary of Regions Bank specializes in providing a broad range of business equipment financing, leasing and loans across the United States. The Company’s offering is designed to benefit equipment manufacturers and distributors as well as direct to businesses nationwide. For additional information about Ascentium and its business financing products and services, please visit AscentiumCapital.com.

About Regions Financial Corporation
Regions Financial Corporation (NYSE:RF), with $133 billion in assets, is a member of the S&P 500 Index and is one of the nation’s largest full-service providers of consumer and commercial banking, wealth management, and mortgage products and services. Regions serves customers across the South, Midwest and Texas, and through its subsidiary, Regions Bank, operates approximately 1,400 banking offices and 2,000 ATMs. Regions Bank is an Equal Housing Lender and Member FDIC. Additional information about Regions and its full line of products and services can be found at www.regions.com.

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

2020 AACFB Annual Conference Moves to September
(Caesars Palace Not to Re-Open in May)

The American Association of Commercial Finance Brokers (AACFB) announced in March that their 2020 Annual Conference, scheduled for May 6-8 in Las Vegas would likely need to be postponed or cancelled due to the COVID-19 crisis. Since that time, the association has been diligently working with their hotel partners to provide a solution that would allow the event to take place. While Caesars Palace did not have the availability to accommodate the program later in the year, fortunately the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. was able to offer an expansion that would allow the 2020 AACFB Annual Conference to be held at the property over the dates of September 1-3, 2020.

Effectively, the AACFB Commercial Financing Expo originally scheduled to take place in September in Washington, D.C. will not be held this year to allow for the annual conference to move forward. However, it will return for 2021. Any attendees or exhibitors already registered for the annual conference will have their registrations moved forward to the September event. Should a registered attendee no longer be able to attend, refunds will be available. Anyone wishing to register for the September event may do so at www.aacfb.org.

AACFB President Paul Burnham, CLFP, expressed, “We are so pleased to be able to move forward with our 2020 Annual Conference! The Conference Planning Committee and so many others have worked very hard to put together an outstanding line-up of educational and networking opportunities and this move will allow those efforts to come to fruition. The Marriott Wardman Park Hotel is an absolutely beautiful hotel in the historic center of D.C. and will be the perfect place for our industry colleagues to come together and to get our businesses back on track.”

About American Association of Commercial Finance Brokers (AACFB)
The American Association of Commercial Finance Brokers (AACFB), formerly the NAELB, is the premier trade association empowering independent commercial finance brokers. The AACFB represents the expanding interests of its growing membership by providing best practice education and networking opportunities, while promoting a culture of ethics. For more information visit: www.aacfb.org

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

Catahoula Leopard Dog Mix
Toronto, Ontario, Canada -- Adopt a Dog

Gigi

Female
4 years old
Weight: 20 kg
Color: Black, with Brown, Red,
Golden, Orange or Chestnut
Spayed
Shots Up to Date
House Trained
Good with Cats
Good with Dogs
Needs experienced Adopter

My Story:

Beautiful Gigi is available for adoption to the perfect home. Gigi was abandoned in a house for 6 weeks or longer, without any companionship and with food brought to her sporadically.
Her panic must have been severe, and that experience has left her with two residual issues - separation anxiety and manageable resource guarding, particularly food.

Gigi is a sweet, smart, affectionate and adventurous girl. She loves going on long hikes, is great in the car, loves cuddling on the couch, gets along with cats if they don't compete with her for her person, and loves other dogs. She will make someone a great companion, and a dog friend will make her life easier when alone.
She is on an anxiety medication and that may have to continue for a while, until she has settled into her new home and feels confident and secure.

Gigi needs a home with someone there almost all the time, going forward. She is crate trained but is a true hound when left alone, so shared walls are not an option. Her howl is quite loud. She is a Catahoula mix, about 4-6 years old, spayed, up-to-date on vaccines, microchipped and beautiful. She weighs about 20 kg.

Underdog Railroad, Canada
Toronto, ON M4C IT2
underdograilroadcanada@gmail.com
http://www.underdograilroadcanada.com

Their Adoption Process
1. Submit Application
This helps us to ensure the Pet you’re interested in is likely a suitable match.
2. Approve Application
Please allow 48 hours for volunteers to review the application. If approved, you will be contacted for a meet and greet.
3. Meet the Pet
Meetings take place at the foster home. Please bring all families members and current pets.
4. Home Check
If the meeting goes well, a volunteer will bring the animal to you to complete the informal home check and finalize the adoption.
5. Sign Adoption Contract
Done at the time of the home check
6. Pay Fee
Done at the time of the home check. Our fees range from $300-$500, depending on our expenses incurred with each animal.
7. Take the Pet Home
Done at the time of the home check.
Additional Adoption Info
Our adoption process is set for the well-being and safety of our animals, foster families and potential adopters.

Their Adoption Application
http://www.underdograilroadcanada.com/adoption.html

 

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Zuckerberg says most Facebook workers
will stay home ‘at least’ until end of May

"As part of that plan, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the “vast majority” of Facebook employees will be required to work home until the end of May. Zuckerberg also said that even though he anticipates Facebook employees can start coming back to the office in a month and half, they will be able to continue working remotely for some time, if they so choose.

“We’ve also let our employees know that even after more of our teams can return; if there’s any reason they feel they can’t work in our offices, because they are in a vulnerable population, because with schools and camps canceled they don’t have childcare, or anything else, that they can plan to work from home through at least the summer.”

Zuckerberg added Facebook has extended its policy of no business travel until the end of June, and said that even though employees might be able to come back to their workplaces in a matter of weeks, he doesn’t anticipate large gatherings of workers to become commonplace for some time. As such, Zuckerberg said it won’t hold any physical meetings, conferences or gatherings with more than 50 people until June 2021. Zuckerberg said it will hold virtual versions of some of its events over the next year.

“When society does eventually start re-opening, it will have to open slowly in staggered waves to make sure that the people who are returning to work can do so safely and that we minimize the possibility of future outbreaks,” Zuckerberg said.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/04/17/coronavirus-zuckerberg-most-facebook-workers-will-stay-home-at-least-until-end-of-may/

 

News Briefs----

The Senate just passed a $480 billion “interim” stimulus bill
   to tide over small businesses
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/04/21/coronavirus-congress-reaches-deal-replenish-small-business-program/5151695002/

Fauci tells protesters no recovery
   if virus not 'under control'
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Fauci-tells-protesters-no-recovery-if-virus-not-15212710.php

Protesters Pushing to Reopen Economy Are ‘Idiots,’
   Says Top Manufacturing Lobbyist
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/21/business/jay-timmons-coronavirus-protests.html

Michigan ER doctor on coronavirus:
  'I'm extremely concerned' about talk of reopening society
https://www.aol.com/article/news/2020/04/21/michigan-er-doctor-on-coronavirus-im-extremely-concerned-about-talk-of-reopening-society/24059083/

Lendio
https://debanked.com/2020/04/lendio-facilitated-more-than-4-of-all-ppp-transactions/

Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Among Banks
   Sued Over SBA Virus Loan Aid
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/on-small-business/wells-fargo-jpmorgan-among-banks-sued-over-sba-virus-loan-aid/2020/04/20/7042405e-8326-11ea-81a3-9690c9881111_story.html

Here are the largest public companies taking payroll loans
   meant for small businesses
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/21/large-public-companies-are-taking-small-businesses-payroll-loans.html

Harvard, America's Richest University, Grabs Nearly
  $9 Million in Taxpayer CARES Aid
https://www.yahoo.com/huffpost/harvard-richest-9-million-cares-aid-033517131.html

Paycheck Protection Program Loans
   —The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly
https://www.forbes.com/sites/brockblake/2020/04/19/ppp-loans-good-bad-ugly/#714060c87189

Goodwill, St. Vincent de Paul and others ask folks
  to hold onto donations until sheltering orders end
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/04/20/thrift-stores-see-uptick-in-donations-dumping-at-closed-sites/

Rural hospitals are facing financial ruin and furloughing
      staff during the coronavirus pandemic
https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/21/us/coronavirus-rural-hospitals-invs/index.html

America's 120,000 Gas Stations
  and 1 Million Jobs Are Threatened
https://247wallst.com/energy-economy/2020/04/21/americas-120000-gas-stations-and-1-million-jobs-are-threatened/

United Airlines Posts $2.1B Loss,
   Expects Worse Ahead
https://www.cfo.com/financial-performance/2020/04/united-posts-2-1b-loss-expects-worse-ahead/

The US Now Has 3 Companies Worth Over $1 Trillion
  Amazon, Apple, Microsoft
https://247wallst.com/investing/2020/04/20/the-us-now-has-3-companies-worth-over-1-trillion

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You May Have Missed---

More than 63,000 Freightliner and Western Star trucks
 for lighting issue are being recalled
https://landline.media/more-than-63000-freightliner-and-western-star-trucks-for-lighting-issue/

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  The Autumn Wind

"The Autumn wind is a pirate
Blustering in from sea
With a rollicking song he sweeps along
Swaggering boisterously
His face is weather beaten
He wears a hooded sash
With his silver hat about his head
And a bristly black moustache
He growls as he storms the country
A villain big and bold
And the trees all shake and quiver and quake
As he robs them of their gold
The Autumn wind is a Raider
Pillaging just for fun
He'll knock you 'round and upside down
And laugh when he's conquered and won"

NFL Film President Steve Sabol penned the poem in 1974 for "“The Autumn Wind,” which was set to music and is still considered the Raiders’ unofficial theme song.

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Sports Briefs---

NCAA approves college football rule changes,
 including one that addresses 2019 Iron Bowl controversy
https://www.yahoo.com/sports/ncaa-approves-college-football-rule-changes-including-one-that-addresses-2019-iron-bowl-controversy-205017680.html

Rob Gronkowski set to come out of retirement,
 reunite with Tom Brady in trade to Tampa Bay Buccaneers
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/patriots/2020/04/21/rob-gronkowski-nfl-return-tom-brady-buccaneers-patriots-trade/2999269001/

What would it cost for Raiders to trade with 49ers,
    make back-to-back picks?
https://www.silverandblackpride.com/2020/4/20/21228781/raiders-49ers-trade-draft-rumors

That time the Raiders took a kicker in the first round:
   Inside the weirdest NFL draft pick ever
https://www.espn.com/nfl/draft2020/story/_/id/29071769/that-raiders-took-kicker-first-round-weirdest-nfl-draft-pick-ever

The Ultimate NFL and Super Bowl Statistics 2020
https://gamedayr.com/super-bowl-and-nfl-stats/

[headlines]
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California Nuts Briefs---

Gov. Newsom: California ‘not seeing that downward trend,’
     state death toll hits 1,200
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/04/20/gov-newsom-california-not-seeing-that-downward-trend-state-death-toll-hits-1200/

[headlines]
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“Gimme that Wine”

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

Alta Colina Names Molly Lonborg as Winemaker
https://www.winebusiness.com/people/?go=getPeopleArticle&dataId=229687

The Best Wine Books to Help You Become a Master Somm at Home
https://robbreport.com/lifestyle/product-recommendations/best-wine-books-amazon-2913656/

Will the Real Grenache Please Stand Up?
https://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2020/04/will-the-real-grenache-please-stand-up?rss=Y

Trinity Oaks Wines And Trees for the Future Nonprofit
   Toast To 23 Million Trees Planted This Earth Day
https://www.winebusiness.com/news/?go=getArticle&dataId=229623

Top-tier Napa Cab for $10? With bulk wine prices so low,
   new brands offer deep discounts
https://www.sfchronicle.com/wine/article/Top-tier-Napa-Cab-for-10-With-bulk-wine-prices-15201102.php

US Wine Losses from COVID-19 Could Reach $5.94 Billion
https://www.winebusiness.com/news/?go=getArticle&dataid=229578

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

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

This Day in History

     1451 – Isabella (d. 1504), Queen of Spain, who sponsored the voyages of Christopher Columbus to search for a new trade route to India, was born in Madrigal de las Altas Torres, Spain.
    1526 - The first slave revolt in what would become America occurred in what is now South Carolina.  Nearly 40 years before the first permanent European settlement in North America, Spanish explorers bring enslaved Africans to what are now the Carolinas. The Africans escaped in what is the first recorded slave revolt in North America.
    1778 - Captain John Paul Jones of Ranger led a landing party raid on Whitehaven, England. Whitehaven was an English seaport on the Irish Sea. The decision to raid it was not made because of its strategic value, for the ships in its harbor were mostly coastal fishing vessels, containing little of value to the English war cause. John Paul Jones' original idea was to capture an important person in the course of the raid and hold him hostage until the British ministry released American sailors from prison. Soldiers taken prisoner during land engagements were frequently exchanged as prisoners of war. But the English still treated anyone found on an American armed vessel as a pirate. This was a sore point with sailors in the Continental Navy, and especially with Jones. He hoped his raid might free some of the American seamen languishing in English prisons. The destruction caused by the Whitehaven raid was paltry, but its effectiveness as propaganda was electrifying. No raid had been made on an English seaport since 1667, thanks to Britain's dominance of the seas. Englishmen wondered uneasily where the mighty Royal Navy had been in Whitehaven's time of need, and Jones appeared, not for the last time, in English newspapers as a swashbuckling pirate. The effects of the Continental Navy's daring exploits upon English commerce helped arouse distaste among the British people for continuing the Revolutionary War.
    1793 - President Washington attended the opening of Rickett's, the first circus in the U.S.
    1794 - The first death penalty ban by a state was enacted by Pennsylvania. The law abolished all executions except in cases of murder in the first degree. Michigan enacted a general ban on the death penalty on May 4, 1846, except in cases of treason.
    1802 - The U.S. learned that Napoleon I of France in 1800 had secured through a secret agreement, the Third Treaty of San Ildefonso, the return of the Louisiana territory from Spain.   This reversed the Treaty of Fontainebleau in 1762 that awarded Spain the territory by France.  At the time, 1802, France was at war with England and believed that many British trade ships were disguised as American ships.  In 1808, they began seizing ships, considered piracy by the US. This was alarming news because the mouth of the Mississippi River was now in the hands of an aggressive power, and Americans west of the Allegheny Mountains depended on free passage and the use of the port of New Orleans to transfer their products to oceangoing ships. President Thomas Jefferson ordered Robert R. Livingston, U.S. minister to France, to buy land on the lower Mississippi for use as a port, or to secure a guarantee of free navigation. In October, Spanish officials, still in New Orleans, refused to allow Americans to use the port. This serious disruption of American commerce led Jefferson in the next year to begin negotiations for purchase of Louisiana.
    1836 - A day after the Battle of San Jacinto, forces under Texas General Sam Houston identified Mexican General Santa Anna among the captives of the battle when one of his fellow captives mistakenly gave away his identity.
    1844 – Lewis Powell, co-conspirator of John Wilkes Booth and attempted assassin of Secretary of State William H. Seward, was born in Randolph County, AL.  He was hanged in 1865 in Washington, DC.
    1864 - By Act of Congress, the phrase "In God We Trust" began to be stamped on all U.S. coins.  The first coin with this inscription was the 2 cent coin, in circulation from 1864 to 1872.
    1870 – Nikolai Lenin (d. 1924) was born in Simbirst, Russia.  Leader of the Socialist Revolution in 1917 that overthrew the czarist regime that had ruled the country for centuries. 
    1876 - In the first National League game ever played, the Boston Red Caps, later the Braves, defeated the hometown Philadelphia Athletics, 6-5. Jim O'Rourke got the first hit and Joseph Borden, playing under the name of Josephs, was the winning pitcher.  Wes Fisler scored the first run.
    1883 - An outbreak of tornadoes from Louisiana to Kansas claimed the lives to 200 persons. One of the tornadoes destroyed the town of Beauregard, MS.
    1887 - James Norman Hall (d. 1951) was born in Colfax, Iowa.  American writer, best-known for the “Mutiny on the Bounty” (1932), co-authored with Charles Nordhoff. Hall lived in California and Tahiti. He also published poetry, children's books, short stories, and travel books. 
    1889 - At precisely high noon, thousands of would-be settlers make a mad dash into the newly opened Oklahoma Territory to claim cheap land. The nearly two million acres of land opened up to white settlement was located in Indian Territory, a large area that once encompassed much of modern-day Oklahoma.  Within hours the cities of Oklahoma City and Guthrie were formed with populations of at least 10,000.
    1891 - Laura Gilpin’s (d. 1979) birthday in Santa Fe, NM.  Famed photographer of New Mexico, the Southwest, and the Navajo Indian way of life.
http://www.photographydealers.com/htdocs/representedartists/
lgilpin/artistindex.html
http://ci.rio-rancho.nm.us/library/gilpin.html
http://www.sla.purdue.edu/WAAW/Palmquist/Photographers/Gilpin.htm
    1891 – Anarchist Nicola Sacco (d. 1927) of Sacco and Vanzetti infamy was born in Foggia, Italy.  They were two Italian migrant anarchists who were controversially convicted of murdering a guard and a paymaster during a 1920 armed robbery in Braintree, MA. Seven years later, they were electrocuted in the at Charlestown State Prison. Celebrated writers, artists, and academics pleaded for their pardon or for a new trial. Harvard law professor and future Supreme Court justice Felix Frankfurter argued for their innocence in a widely read “Atlantic Monthly” article that was later published in book form. Responding to a massive influx of telegrams urging their pardon, Massachusetts governor Alvan Fuller appointed a three-man commission to investigate the case. After weeks of secret deliberation that included interviews with the judge, lawyers, and several witnesses, the commission upheld the verdict and both were executed in August, 1927.
    1898 - The American gunboat Nashville captured the Spanish ship Buena Ventura. On April 24, Spain declared that a state of war existed with the United Sates. The following day, Congress declared that a state of war had existed since April 21.  President McKinley ordered the blockade of Havana Harbor.
http://www.spanamwar.com/timeline.htm
http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/record/
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/sawhtml/sawhome.html
    1898 - On the same day, Ted Breitenstein of the Cincinnati Reds and Jay Hughes of the Baltimore Orioles each pitched no-hitters. Breitenstein beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 11-0, while Hughes took the Boston Beaneaters, 8-0.
    1903 – Having relocated from Baltimore and been renamed, the New York Highlanders won their first game, defeating the Washington Senators, 3-1 before a crowd of 11,950.
    1904 – J. Robert Oppenheimer (d. 1967) was born in NYC.  Among the select few physicists who worked on The Manhattan Project to develop the atomic bomb that hasted the end of World War II, he is recognized as one of the fathers of atomic energy.  Shortly thereafter, in 1946, Dr. Oppenheimer received a Presidential Citation and a Medal of Merit for his direction of the Los Alamos Laboratory, where the bomb had been developed.  In the years from 1945 to 1952, Dr. Oppenheimer was one of the foremost government advisers on key phases of United States atomic policy. He was the dominant author of the Acheson-Lilienthal Report which offered a plan for international control of atomic energy.  He was also the virtual author of the Baruch Plan calling for United Nations supervision of nuclear power. He was consultant to Bernard M. Baruch at the United Nations and to Frederick H. Osborn, his successor, in futile United Nations negotiations over the plan, which was rejected by the Soviet Union.  In 1954, he was stripped of security clearance by the Atomic Energy Commission because of his alleged association with Communists.  The same agency nine years later awarded Dr. Oppenheimer the $50,000 Fermi award for "his outstanding contributions to theoretical physics and his scientific and administrative leadership." 
    1906 - Father Ricard at the University of Santa Clara wrote to the "San Jose Mercury":
“The earthquake period is gone. Once the pent-up forces of nature have had a vent, nothing of a serious nature need be apprehended. At the most a succession of minor shocks may be felt and that's all. It is not unreasonable, therefore, for people to continue in dread of a new destructive temblor. People should fearlessly go to work and repair mischief done and sleep quietly at night anywhere at all, especially in wooden frame. Never mind foreboders of evil:  they do not know what they are talking about. Seismonetry is in its infancy and those therefore who venture out with predictions of future earthquakes when the main shock has taken place ought to be arrested as disturbers of the peace.” Board of Supervisors met for the first time since the earthquake in Sup. McGushin's saloon. Lawyers for the Home Telephone Co. were also there and paid bribes to the supervisors.  All this was aftermath of the Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire on the morning of April 18, 1906.”
    1906 – The 1906 Summer Olympics opened in Athens.
    1906 – Actor Eddie Albert (d. 2005) was born Edward Albert Heimberger in Rock Island, IL.  He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1954 for his performance in “Roman Holiday” and in 1973 for “The Heartbreak Kid.”  Other well-known screen roles of his include Bing Edwards in the “Brother Rat” films, traveling salesman Ali Hakim in the musical “Oklahoma!,” and the sadistic prison warden in 1974's “The Longest Yard.” He starred as Oliver Wendell Douglas in the 1960s television comedy “Green Acres” and as Frank MacBride in the 1970s crime drama “Switch.” He also had a recurring role as Carlton Travis on “Falcon Crest.” 
    1913 - Birthday of guitarist Willie C. “Boll Weenie Bill” Moore (d. 1971) in Kinston, NC
    1914 - Babe Ruth made his professional pitching debut, playing for the International League Baltimore Orioles in his hometown. Allowing just six hits and contributing two singles himself, Ruth shut out the Buffalo Bisons, 6-0.  The second batter Ruth faced was Joe McCarthy, the manager he will play for 17 years later with the Yankees.
    1914 - FLETCHER, FRANK JACK, Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Lieutenant, U.S. Navy. Place and date: Vera Cruz, Mexico, 21 and 22 April 1914. Entered service at: Iowa. Born: 29 April 1885, Marshalltown, lowa. G.O. No.: 177, 4 December 1915. Citation: For distinguished conduct in battle, engagements of Vera Cruz, 21 and 22 April 1914. Under fire, Lt. Fletcher was eminent and conspicuous in performance of his duties. He was in charge of the Esperanze and succeeded in getting on board over 350 refugees, many of them after the conflict had commenced. Although the ship was under fire, being struck more than 30 times, he succeeded in getting all the refugees placed in safety. Lt. Fletcher was later placed in charge of the train conveying refugees under a flag of truce. This was hazardous duty, as it was believed that the track was mined, and a small error in dealing with the Mexican guard of soldiers might readily have caused a conflict, such a conflict at one time being narrowly averted. It was greatly due to his efforts in establishing friendly relations with the Mexican soldiers that so many refugees succeeded in reaching Vera Cruz from the interior.
    1915 – The Yankees adopted the pinstriped uniforms and the hat-in-the-ring logo.  They added pinstripes to their uniforms on a permanent basis soon after Jacob Ruppert bought the team in 1915 after briefly wearing pinstripes in 1912.
    1916 – Birthday of Yehudi Menuhin (d. 1999), New York City.  Regarded as one of the greatest classical violinists, he began lessons at age 4 and debuted at age 7 with the San Francisco Symphony.  He performed for Allied soldiers during World War II and for the survivors of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945.  Over a 70-year career he performed all of the major works of the 18th and 19th centuries.
    1917 - The William Metz Ice Company of Pittsburgh, PA, began operating equipment to ice refrigerated railroad cars. Manufactured by Thomas Wright of Jersey City, NJ, it consisted of a truck with an extension top adjustable to any position to enable ice to be placed in the upper most section of the car, making it possible for one man to do all the loading without the help of assistants. It is credited with expanding the agriculture and farming industry in the United States.
    1920 – Birthday of Hal March, born Harold Mendelson (d. 1970), in San Francisco.  Emcee of several early television shows: “What's It For?,” “The $64,000 Question,” “Laughs for Sale.”  He also was an actor in “My Friend Irma,” “The Soldiers,” “The Imogene Coca Show,” “The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show.” 
http://us.imdb.com/Name?March,+Hal
    1921 - Birthday of congo/bongo drummer Cándido de Guerra Camero in San Antonio De Los Baños, Cuba.
http://www.rhythmweb.com/bongo/candido.htm
http://www.latinpercussion.com/candido.htm
    1922 – Jazz pianist Lou Stein (d. 2002) was born, Philadelphia, PA.  Stein's first major gig came in 1942 when he joined Ray McKinley’s band.  He also played with Glenn Miller when the latter was stateside during World War II. 
http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/e/w/ews3/SHJM/
SteinHausJazzMusic/LouStein.html
    1922 - Bassist Charlie Mingus (d. 1979), a leader in modern jazz, was born in Arizona. He started with the traditional jazz outfits of Louis Armstrong, Kid Ory and Lionel Hampton. But by 1953, Mingus had moved to the modern camp, playing with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. He was also justly famous for leading his own groups, and for his compositions.
http://www.mingusmingusmingus.com/bio/mingusbio.html
http://www.duke.edu/~rdk1/
http://webusers.siba.fi/~eonttone/mingus/
    1923 – Film and TV producer Aaron Spelling (d. 2006) was born in Dallas.  Through his production company, Spelling Television, he holds the record as the most prolific television writer and producer in US television history, with 218 producer and executive producer credits.  Beginning in 1968, Spelling began producing successful television shows including “The Mod Squad,” “The Rookies,” “Charlie’s Angels,” “and “Beverly Hills 90210.”  As of 2009, Spelling, through his production company Spelling Television, holds the record as the most prolific television writer and producer in US television history, with 218 producer and executive producer credits.  Forbes ranked him the 11th top-earning deceased celebrity in 2009.    
    1928 - Birthday of trumpet player Tommy Turrentine (d. 1997), Pittsburgh, PA
http://members.tripod.com/~hardbop/tommyt.html
    1930 - The United Kingdom, Japan and the United States signed the London Naval Treaty regulating submarine warfare and limiting shipbuilding.
    1935 - Birthday of bass player Paul Chambers (d. 1969), Pittsburgh.
    1936 – Glen Campbell (d. 2017) was born in Billstown, Arkansas. At the age of 22, he moved to Los Angeles and began playing guitar on recording sessions. One record he is said to have played on is "Tequila" by the Champs. In 1965, Campbell took Brian Wilson's place on a tour by the Beach Boys. Two years later, he topped both the country and pop charts with "Gentle on My Mind" and "By the Time I Get to Phoenix." His other hits include "Wichita Lineman" and "Galveston." His television series, "The Glen Campbell Show," ran for 4.5 years.  In April 2014, news reports indicated Campbell had become a patient at an Alzheimer's long-term care and treatment facility.  On March 10, 2015, NBC News reported that Campbell could no longer speak for himself.
rdbop/chambers.html
http://www.glencampbellshow.com/
http://www.branson.net/
    1937 – Birthday of John Joseph “Jack” Nicholson in Neptune City, NJ.  Nicholson's 12 Academy Award nominations make him the most nominated male actor in the Academy’s history.  Academy Award-winning Best Actor: “One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest” [1975], “As Good as It Gets” [1997]; Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor:  “Terms of Endearment” [1983].  He, Walter Brennan, and Sir Daniel Day Lewis are the only males to win three Oscars.  Among his work:  “Five Easy Pieces,” “The Shining,” “Batman,” “Broadcast News,” “Chinatown,” “Two Jakes,” “Easy Rider,” “Prizzi's Honor,” “The Witches of Eastwicke,” “Little Shop of Horrors,” “A Few Good Men,” “The Departed,” “The Bucket List,” “Anger Management”…and as a true Jerseyan, he knows how to have a good time!
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Film/3000/
http://www.evesmag.com/nicholson.htm
http://the-movie-times.com/thrsdir/actors/jnicholson.html
    1937 – Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson were among 18 black players who jump to the Dominican Republic league. Negro league owners regard this as desertion and plan to ban the players from the league. In May, Paige was banned for life.
    1939 - Birthday of singer Mel Carter, Cincinnati, OH.  He is best known for his 1965 million-selling recording, "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me.”
http://www.mel-carter.com/
    1940 - The first all-Chinese commercial radio program was broadcast this day over KSAN Radio in San Francisco, CA.
    1940 - Rear Admiral Joseph Taussig testified before U.S. Senate Naval Affairs Committee that war with Japan is inevitable.  As Captain in 1918, he was head of the Division of Enlisted Personnel. Aware of the inadequacies of manpower from his experience in the fleet during World War I, in 1920, he was embroiled in a publicized dispute with then Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt and testified before the Senate Committee on Navy Affairs regarding the personnel shortage in the Navy.  He stated that Navy department heads had failed "to take adequate steps to provide personnel necessary for the proper conduct of the Navy during the war." For his outspoken views, Taussig earned the lifetime enmity of Roosevelt, who wrote a sharp letter to the Navy subcommittee denying Taussig's charges.  Taussig candidly maintained that, "the Navy was far from being ready for War... and the enlisted personnel was entirely inadequate for the proper manning of our already completed ships on a peace time basis, and was dangerously inadequate should we suddenly be thrown into war." Secretary Josephus Daniels was angered by Taussig's dissent and denied publication of Taussig's prize-winning essay on naval personnel in the Naval Institute Press.  In May 1940, Taussig again locked horns with now-president Roosevelt, when Taussig testified at Senate hearings on plans to expand the Navy. Taussig advocated the building of Iowa class and Montana class battleships, offering testimony to the aggressive, imperialistic designs of Japan that planned to annex China, the Philippines and the Dutch East Indies. He warned of the superiority of the Japanese Merchant fleet to that of the US, and the need to replenish U.S. bases in the Pacific Ocean and prepare for defense of the Philippines, stating, "I cannot see how we can escape being forced into war based on the present trends of events." Taussig's testimony set off a controversy that lasted in the press for weeks and infuriated FDR who wanted Taussig relieved of his command of Norfolk Navy Yard and the Fifth Naval District. However, CNO Admiral Harold Stark convinced Roosevelt to reconsider and Roosevelt took no action; however, Stark publicly stated that Taussig's views were contrary to the Navy Department's and on 23 April 1940, issued a reprimand that was placed in Taussig's file after the Senate testimony. According to a May 9, 1940 article by Drew Pearson, Taussig was forced into retirement due to his public prediction that war with Japan was inevitable. In a June 9, 1940 article authored by Drew Pearson and Robert Allen, Taussig was referred to as "the star scholar and strategist of the navy." Taussig was forced to retire in September 1941 due to his age, despite his petition to continue on active duty with the impending international crisis. He was promoted to vice admiral due to his service in the Boxer Rebellion.  On 8 December 1941, President Roosevelt ordered the reprimand removed from Taussig's personnel file, after his son was severely wounded and lost his leg, earning a Navy Cross while serving on the Nevada during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
    1945 - Adolf Hitler, learning from one of his generals that no German defense was offered to the Russian assault at Eberswalde, admits to all in his underground bunker that the war is lost and that suicide is his only recourse. Almost as confirmation of Hitler's assessment, a Soviet mechanized corps reaches Treuenbrietzen, 40 miles southwest of Berlin, liberates a POW camp and releases, among others, Norwegian Commander in Chief Otto Ruge.
    1945 - Himmler meets Count Bernadotte of the Swedish Red Cross and gives him a message to pass to the western Allies, offering a German surrender to the British and Americans but not to the Soviets. The message is passed to the Allies on the 24th.
    1945 - US 7th Army units cross the Danube at Dillingen and Baldingen.
    1945 - Units of 2nd and 4th US Corps (parts of US 5th Army) reach the Penaro River in their advance to the Po River. On the left flank Modena is taken.
    1945 - HAYASHI, JOE, Medal of Honor
Private Joe Hayashi distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 20 and 22 April 1945, near Tendola, Italy. On 20 April 1945, ordered to attack a strongly defended hill that commanded all approaches to the village of Tendola, Private Hayashi skillfully led his men to a point within 75 yards of enemy positions before they were detected and fired upon. After dragging his wounded comrades to safety, he returned alone and exposed himself to small arms fire in order to direct and adjust mortar fire against hostile emplacements. Boldly attacking the hill with the remaining men of his squad, he attained his objective and discovered that the mortars had neutralized three machine guns, killed 27 men, and wounded many others. On 22 April 1945, attacking the village of Tendola, Private Hayashi maneuvered his squad up a steep, terraced hill to within 100 yards of the enemy. Crawling under intense fire to a hostile machine gun position, he threw a grenade, killing one enemy soldier and forcing the other members of the gun crew to surrender. Seeing four enemy machine guns delivering deadly fire upon other elements of his platoon, he threw another grenade, destroying a machine gun nest. He then crawled to the right flank of another machine gun position where he killed four enemy soldiers and forced the others to flee. Attempting to pursue the enemy, he was mortally wounded by a burst of machine pistol fire. The dauntless courage and exemplary leadership of Private Hayashi enabled his company to attain its objective. Private Hayashi’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.
    1946 - Tex McCrary and Jinx Falkenburg arrived at WEAF radio in New York City with an entertaining morning show called, "Hi, Jinx." This was one of the most popular radio shows in the 1940's and early 1950's. They switched over to television in the 1950's.  WEAF later became WNBC and then WFAN SportsRadio 66.  
http://www-itg.lbl.gov/Seaborg.talks/presidents/24.html
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Studio/5217/jinxbio.htm
    1947 – In the first NBA Championship, the Philadelphia Warriors beat Chicago Stags, 4 games to 2.
    1950 – Peter Frampton was born in London.  Rock musician, singer, songwriter, producer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist.
    1951 - *LITTLETON, HERBERT A., Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, Company C, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division (Rein.). Place and date: Chungchon, Korea, 22 April 1951. Entered service at: Blackhawk, S. Dak. Born: 1 July 1930, Mena, Ark. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a radio operator with an artillery forward observation team of Company C, in action against enemy aggressor forces. Standing watch when a well-concealed and numerically superior enemy force launched a violent night attack from nearby positions against his company, Pfc. Littleton quickly alerted the forward observation team and immediately moved into an advantageous position to assist in calling down artillery fire on the hostile force. When an enemy hand grenade was thrown into his vantage point shortly after the arrival of the remainder of the team, he unhesitatingly hurled himself on the deadly missile, absorbing its full, shattering impact in his body. By his prompt action and heroic spirit of self-sacrifice, he saved the other members of his team from serious injury or death and enabled them to carry on the vital mission which culminated in the repulse of the hostile attack. His indomitable valor in the face of almost certain death reflects the highest credit upon Pfc. Littleton and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
    1952 - Top Hits
“Wheel of Fortune” - Kay Starr
“Anytime” - Eddie Fisher
“Be My Life's Companion” - The Mills Brothers
“(When You Feel like You're in Love) Don't Just Stand There” - Carl Smith
    1954 - Senator Joseph McCarthy begins hearings investigating the United States Army, which he charges with being "soft" on communism. McCarthy rose suddenly to national fame in February, 1950 when he asserted in a speech that he had a list of "members of the Communist Party and members of a spy ring" who were employed in the State Department.  Thus began his dizzying rise to fame as the most famous and feared communist hunter in the United States but McCarthy was never able to prove his sensational charge and he never produced the list.   McCarthy made additional accusations of Communist infiltration into the State Department, the administration of President Truman, the Voice of America, and the Army. He also used various charges of communism, communist sympathies, disloyalty, or homosexuality to attack a number of politicians and other individuals inside and outside of government.  Early in 1954, the U.S. Army accused McCarthy and his chief counsel, Roy Cohn, of improperly pressuring the Army to give favorable treatment to G. David Schine, a former aide to McCarthy and a friend of Cohn, who was then serving in the Army as a private. McCarthy claimed that the accusation was made in retaliation. The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, usually chaired by McCarthy himself, was given the task of adjudicating these conflicting charges. Republican Senator Karl Mundt was appointed to chair the committee and, as a result, the Army-McCarthy hearings convened on April 22, 1954.  One of the most prominent attacks on McCarthy's methods was a series of episodes of the CBS television documentary series “See It Now,” hosted by journalist Edward R. Murrow, which was broadcast in March and April, 1954. Titled "A Report on Senator Joseph R. McCarthy," the first episode consisted largely of clips of McCarthy speaking without substantive comment from the host. In these clips, McCarthy accused the Democratic Party of "twenty years of treason," describes the ACLU as "listed as 'a front for, and doing the work of', the Communist Party," and berates and harangues various witnesses, including an Army General.  In a later broadcast, as an accommodation by Murrow to give McCarthy an opportunity to respond, McCarthy appeared on “See It Now” and made a number of charges against the popular Murrow, including the accusation that he colluded with a "Russian espionage and propaganda organization." This response did not go over well with viewers and the result was a steep decline in McCarthy's popularity.  These televised hearings gave the American public their first view of McCarthy in action and his recklessness, indignant bluster, and bullying tactics quickly resulted in his fall from prominence. In December 1954, the Senate voted to censure McCarthy for his conduct.
    1955 – In their first game after moving from Philadelphia, the Kansas City Athletics beat the Detroit Tigers, 6-2.  Arnold Johnson purchased the A’s from former owner Connie Mack’s family in 1954 and moved them to Kansas City the following season. Arnold and his brother, Earl Johnson, were co-owners of the A's from 1954 to 1961, when they sold the team to Charlie Finley.  Johnson was a rich businessman from Chicago who, among other interests, was the owner of Yankee Stadium and of Kansas City's Blues Stadium where the Yanks’ top farm team played their games.  While in KC, the A’s never finished higher than 6th place.
    1956 - Elvis Presley made his Las Vegas debut at the Frontier Hotel. With "Heartbreak Hotel" at the top of the pop charts, one can imagine the excitement generated by the new ‘King of Rock and Roll.' Even with a number one hit, Elvis was not yet well-received by the middle-aged audience. Management of the Frontier was so unimpressed, they gave Elvis his walking papers after one week of a two-week engagement.  “Elvis left the building” would later be the way to get audiences to leave and stop applauding for an encore.
    1957 - Frances Farmer, once a $1,500-a-week movie star, said yesterday that "San Franciscans are extremely civilized people to let me get down to the business of living" as a $70-a-week clerk. Farmer, a flaxen-haired beauty at 40, was discovered over the weekend working as a reservation clerk at the Sheraton-Palace Hotel.
    1957 – The last NL team to integrate was the Philadelphia Phillies with John Irwin Kennedy.  Kennedy pinch ran for Solly Hemus in the 5-1 loss to the Dodgers at Ebbets Field. He played in five games, two at third base, and went hitless.
     1959 - The Chicago White Sox took ‘batting practice' against the Kansas City Athletics, 20-6. Chicago scored 11 runs in the seventh inning with only one hit, a single by Johnny Callison. The Sox got 10 walks and one hit batter. Not to be outdone in the effort, the Athletics contributed three errors.
    1959 - Alan Freed premieres his last Rock 'n' Roll movie, “Go Johnny Go,” starring Chuck Berry, Ritchie Valens, Jackie Wilson, Eddie Cochran and The Flamingos.
    1959 – Cleveland Indians Manager Terry Francona was born in New Brighton, PA.  As manager of the Boston Red Sox (2004-2011), he broke the Curse of the Bambino and delivered two World Series championships to long-suffering BoSox fans.
    1959 – You’ll never see this again:  Whitey Ford of the New York Yankees shutout the Washington Senators, 1-0 in 14 innings, striking out 15.  The Yankees won on a Moose Skowron solo home run - the longest contest in Major League history ending 1-0 on a home run.
    1960 - Top Hits
“The Theme from ‘A Summer Place’ " - Percy Faith
“Greenfields” - The Brothers Four
“Sweet Nothin's” - Brenda Lee
“He'll Have to Go” - Jim Reeves
    1962 - The Toronto Maple Leafs won back the Stanley Cup after 11 years. The National Hockey League champions kept Lord Stanley's cup locked up in Toronto for the next three seasons.
    1966 - The Troggs release "Wild Thing."
    1966 – The Atlanta Braves won their first game after moving from Milwaukee, over the New York Mets, 8-4.
    1966 – Still in high school, Bruce Springsteen gets a boost when his band, The Castiles, won a battle of the bands contest at a roller rink in Matawan, NJ.   First prize?  Opening for the Crystals and the Ad-Libs at next week's show.
    1967 - Randy Matson set a world outdoor record in the shot put with a toss of 71 feet, 5-1/2 inches in College Station, Texas. The shot landed in section E-83 of the grandstand, but fortunately, no one was hurt.
    1968 - Top Hits
“Honey” - Bobby Goldsboro
“Cry like a Baby” - The Box Tops
“Lady Madonna” - The Beatles
“Fist City” - Loretta Lynn
    1968 - Trumpeter Herb Alpert sang "This Guy's In Love With You" on his CBS-TV special. The Burt Bacharach / Hal David composition would rise to the top of the US chart, where it stayed for four weeks.  Alpert is the only recording artist to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart as both a vocalist ("This Guy's In Love With You," 1968), and an instrumentalist ("Rise," 1979).
    1968 - In a news conference, Defense Secretary Clark Clifford declares that the South Vietnamese have "acquired the capacity to begin to insure their own security [and] they are going to take over more and more of the fighting."
    1970 - Tom Seaver of the New York Mets struck out 19 batters to tie a National League baseball record. He also set a record by striking out 10 batters consecutively as the ‘Amazin’' Mets defeated the San Diego Padres at Shea Stadium.
    1970 - Henry Ross Perot, remember him, a candidate for the U.S. Presidency, did not have a good day. Perot, of Dallas, TX, reportedly lost $450 million in the stock market.     
    1970 - Earth Day is an annual event, celebrated on April 22, on which day events worldwide are held to demonstrate support for environmental protection. It was first celebrated in 1970 and is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network and celebrated in more than 193 countries each year.  On Earth Day 2016, the landmark Paris Agreement is scheduled to be signed by the United States, China, and some 120 other countries.  This signing satisfies a key requirement for the entry into force of the historic draft climate protection treaty adopted by consensus of the 195 nations present at the 2015 UN Climate Change Conference in Paris.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/apr22.html
    1971 - Former US Navy Lieutenant John Kerry testified before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee and talked about alleged war crimes and atrocities committed in Vietnam by US forces.  During 1968–1969, he served an abbreviated four-month tour of duty in South Vietnam as officer-in-charge (OIC) of a Swift Boat. For that service, he was awarded combat medals that include the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts. Securing an early return to the United States, Kerry joined the Vietnam veterans Against the War organization in which he served as a nationally recognized spokesman and as an outspoken opponent of the Vietnam War. He appeared in the Fulbright Hearings before the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs where he deemed United States war policy in Vietnam to be the cause of war crimes.
    1974 - Redbone won a gold record for the single, "Come and Get Your Love." The group, playing American Indian ‘swamp rock', formed in Los Angeles in 1968. Lolly and Pat Vegas, brothers, had been session musicians and worked on the "Shindig" TV show. Anthony Bellamy and Peter De Poe were also members of the group. Redbone had one other hit, "The Witch Queen of New Orleans." The top five hit, "Come and Get Your Love," was the group's second and final chart success.
    1976 - Top Hits
“Disco Lady” - Johnnie Taylor
“Let Your Love Flow” - Bellamy Brothers
“Right Back Where We Started From” - Maxine Nightingale
“Drinkin' My Baby (Off My Mind)” - Eddie Rabbitt
    1976 - Johnnie Taylor's "Disco Lady" becomes the first single record to sell over 2 million copies.
    1978 - Bob Marley and the Wailers performed at the One Love Peace Concert near Kingston, Jamaica. It was Marley's first appearance in his homeland since being wounded in an assassination attempt in December, 1976. After the concert, Marley persuaded Prime Minister Michael Manley and Opposition Leader Edward Seaga to come on stage and shake hands.
http://www.bobmarley.com/
    1978 - Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street" is released. It will become his biggest US hit, reaching #2 on the Hot 100.
    1978 - On tonight's “Saturday Night Live”, John Bulushi and Dan Akroyd team up to debut two new characters called "The Blues Brothers," who perform a cover of Sam and Dave's "Soul Man."
    1980 - The United States boycotted the Olympic Games by refusing to send its athletes to the Summer Olympic Games in Moscow to protest the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. At the urging of President Jimmy Carter, the U.S. Olympic Committee voted 1,604 to 797 to boycott the games. The following day, a number of athletes and coaches filed a class-action suit in the U.S. District court in Washington, DC, to block the boycott, but the suit was dismissed on May 16. The Soviet Union retaliated by boycotting the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, CA.
    1980 - A record April heat wave sent the mercury up to the 100 degree mark in Iowa.
    1981 – Dodgers rookie Fernando Valenzuela, in the year that would become Fernandomania, pitched his third shutout in four starts, striking out 11, and had the game's only RBI with a single in a 1-0 win against the Houston Astros.  The 20-year-old Valenzuela took Los Angeles and baseball by storm, winning his first 8 decisions and leading the Dodgers to the World Series title. That year, Valenzuela became the only player in MLB history to win the Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Awards in the same season; he was also awarded the Silver Slugger Award.
    1982 - The Atlanta Braves’ Major League record for the fastest start ended at 13 straight victories when they lost, 2-1, to the Cincinnati Reds.   New manager Joe Torre pushed all the right buttons for the team led by MVP Dale Murphy and they went on to win the pennant, the Braves’ first since 1969.
    1984 - Top Hits
“Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)” - Phil Collins
“Hello” - Lionel Richie
“Hold Me Now” - The Thompson Twins
“The Yellow Rose” - Johnny Lee with Lane Brody
    1987 - Fifteen cities in the southeastern U.S. reported new record high temperatures for the date. The afternoon high of 96 degrees at Pensacola, FL established a record for the month of April.
    1989 - Twenty-seven cities in the central U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date. The high of 96 degrees at Omaha was an April record, and the high of 100 degrees at Lubbock, TX equaled their record for April. Hill City, KS and Liberal, KS tied for honors as the hot spot in the nation with afternoon highs of 103 degrees.
    1989 – Nolan Ryan struck out Ricky Henderson for Ryan’s 5000th career K.
    1991 – Johnny Carson announced his retirement as host of “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson”, in 1992.
    1993 - The museum commemorating the Holocaust, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, opened to the public in Washington, DC. The museum combined innovative multimedia displays with one of the nation's largest repositories of documentary information about the Holocaust.
http://www.ushmm.org/
    1993 - Version 1.0 of the Mosaic web browser was released.
    1998 - Top Hits
“Too Close” - Next
“All My Life” - K-Ci
“Let's Ride” - Montell Jordan Feat
“Frozen” - Madonna
“You’re Still The One” - Shania Twain
    2000 - The event which triggers the biggest mass suspension in the history of the game takes place at Comiskey Park after White Sox hurler hits Dean Palmer with a seventh inning pitch in retaliation of Jeff Weaver's plunking of Carlos Lee in the previous frame. The ensuing brawls in both the seventh and ninth innings will see the ejection of eleven participants with sixteen players, coaches and managers suspended and another nine being fined.
    2000 - In a pre-dawn raid, federal agents seize six-year-old Elian Gonzalez from his relatives' home in Miami.
    2004 – Former Arizona Cardinal safety Pat Tillman, having walked away form a multi-year, multi-million dollar contract to become a US Army Ranger in Afghanistan, was killed by friendly fire.
    2005 - Zacarias Moussaoui pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiring with the Sept. 11 hijackers to kill Americans. He was later sentenced to life in prison.
    2013 - The News Corporation phone hacking scandal results in the company's agreement to pay $139 million to American shareholders.
    2013 - Charged with bribing public officials in Argentina between 2005 and 2009, clothing retailer Ralph Lauren agrees to pay $1.6 million to resolve U.S. regulatory and criminal claims.
    2014 - Albert Pujols of the Los Angeles Angels became the 26th Major Leaguer to hit 500 home runs, knocking two off the Washington Nationals in an inter-league game at Nationals Park in DC.

NBA Finals Champions
    1947 - Philadelphia Warriors
Stanley Cup Champions
    1945 - Toronto Maple Leafs
    1962 - Toronto Maple Leafs