No Longer taking Broker/Discounting Business
plus Leasing Companies Out of Business - Updated

Companies with an * are no longer in business. The others are companies that were taking broker business, but announced that they no longer are accepting broker business. Many have also down-sized or are managing an existing portfolio. This does not include companies merged or acquired who are still in business.

Any updates or changes, please contact: kitmenkin@leasingnews.org

*ABCO Leasing Inc., Bothell, WA
*ACC Capital, Midvale, Utah
Advantage Business Capital, Lake Oswego, Oregon
AEL Financial, Buffalo Grove, Illinois
(No longer taking new broker business)
Agility Solutions Corp., Prescott, Arizona
Allegiant Partners, Bend, Oregon 
Alliance Financial, Syracuse, New York
Allstate Leasing, Towson, Maryland
*Alternative Capital, Apollo Beach, Florida
*AMC Funding, Charlotte, North Carolina
*American Bank Leasing, Alpharetta, Georgia
*American Equipment Finance, Warren, New Jersey
American Leasefund, Tigard, OR (no longer a funder)
Bank of Ozark Leasing/Finance, Little Rock, Arkansas
*Bank of West Indirect Leasing, Dublin, California
*Bank of the West Leasing Indirect, San Ramon, California
*Bank Midwest Leasing, Overland Park, KS
Bankers Healthcare Group, Weston, FL
*BBVA Compass Equipment Leasing, Houston, Texas
*Blackstone Equipment Financing, Orange, California
*BusinessFinance.com (on line aggregate funder)
*Business Leasing NorthWest, Seattle, WA
*Capital One Equipment Finance, Towson, Maryland
*CapitalSource Healthcare Finance, Chevy Chase, Maryland
*CapNet, Los Angeles, California
*C and J Leasing Corp, Des Moines, Iowa
*Carlton Financial Corporation, Wayzata, Minnesota
*Chase Industries, Inc., Grand Rapids, Michigan
*Chesterfield Financial, Chesterfield, Missouri
CHG-MERIDIAN U.S. Finance, Ltd, Woodland Hills, CA
(Sales Management focuses very selectively on certain brokers.)
*Churchill Group/Churchill Leasing, Jericho, NY
CIT Group (limited)
Citizens Business Bank, Ontario, CA
Columbia Bank Leasing, Tacoma, WA
*Columbia Equipment Finance, Danville, California
Commercial Equipment Lease, Eugene, Oregon 
Concord Financial Services, Long Beach, California
*Court Square, Malvern, Pennsylvania
*Creative Capital Leasing Group, LLC, San Diego, CA
Crossroads Equipment Lease & Finance, Rancho Cucamonga, Ca
Diversified Financial Service, Omaha, NE
*Dolsen Leasing, Bellevue/Yakima, Washington
Equipment Finance Partners, a division of Altec, Birmingham, Alabama 
Evans National Leasing, Inc., Hamburg, NY
*Enterprise Capital Partners dba Enterprise Leasing, Spokane, WA
Enterprise Funding, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Enverto Investment Group, LLC, West Los Angeles, California
*Evergreen Leasing, South Elgin, Illinois
*Excel Financial Leasing, Lubbock Texas
*First Corp.(IFC subsidiary), Morton Grove, Illinois
First Federal Financial Services, Inc., Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin
First Republic Bank, San Francisco, CA
Fora Financial, New York, New York
Frontier Capital, Teaneck New Jersey 
*GCR Capital, Safety Harbor, Florida 
GE Capital, Conn (limited)
Global Funding LLC., Clearwater, FL
*Greystone, Burlington, MA
*Heritage Pacific Leasing, Fresno, CA
*Hillcrest Bank Leasing, Overland Park, KS (Parent bank sold)
Huntington Equipment Finance, Vendor Finance Group, Bellevue, Washington
*IFC Credit Corp., Morton Grove, Illinois
Irwin Financial (Irwin Union Bank), Columbus, Indiana 
Irwin Union Bank, F.S.B. (Louisville, Kentucky)
Lakeland Bank, Montville, NJ
LaSalle Systems Leasing
*Latitude Equipment Leasing, Marlton, New Jersey
*Leaf Specialty Finance, Columbia, South Carolina
*LEAF Third Party Funding, Santa Barbara, Ca.
Lease Corporation of America, Troy, Michigan
Lombard, part of Royal Bank of Scotland, worldwide
*M&T Credit, Baltimore, Maryland (Merged with M&T Bank)
Note: M&T Bank | Commercial Equipment Finance, Baltimore, MD
(accepts broker business)
Manufacturer's Lease Plans, Inc., Phoenix, Arizona
*MarVista Financial, Villa Park, California
*MericapCredit, Lisle, Illinois
*Meridian Healthcare Finance, San Diego, California
Merrill Lynch Financial
Midwest Leasing Group, Livonia, Minnesota
*Mount Pleasant Capital, Wexford, PA
National City, Cleveland, Ohio
*Navigator (Pentech subsidiary) San Diego, California
*Northwest Leasing Company, Clyde Hill, WA
OFC Capital, Roswell, Georgia
Old National Bank, Evansville, Illinois
*P&L Capital, Omaha, Nebraska 
*Pentech Financial, Campbell, CA
*PFF Bancorp, Inc, Pomona, CA
Pinnacle Business Finance, Fife, Washington
*Pioneer Capital Corporation, Addison, Texas
PredictiFund, a subsidiary of Capital Access Network, Inc
*Podium Financial Group, Inc.,Costa Mesa, CA
Popular Finance, St. Louis, Missouri
Puget Sound Leasing, Seattle, Washington
Radiance-Capital, Tacoma, WA
Rapid Finance. Bethesda, Maryland
Rational Technology Solutions, Rolling Meadows, IL
*Reliant National Finance, Jacksonville, Florida
Sandy Springs, Olney, MD
*Securities Equipment Lsg. (SEL, Inc.), Glendora, CA
*Select Equipment Leasing Co., Concord, CA
* Sharpe Financial Network, Phoenix, Arizona
Sovereign Bank, Melville, New York
*Snider Leasing, Sacramento sold to Financial Pacific Leasing
Specialty Funding, Albuquerque, NM
Sterling National Bank, Montebello, New York
*Studebaker-Worthington Leasing, Corp., Jerico, NY
(part of sale from Main Street Bank to Ascentium Capital)
*Summitt Leasing, Yakima, Washington
Sun Trust Equipment Finance & Leasing, Baltimore, Maryland 
*SunBridge Capital, Mission, Kansas
Suncoast Equipment Funding Corp., Tampa, Florida
TCF Equipment Finance, Minnetonka, Minnesota 
TechLease, Morgan Hill, California
*Tennessee Commerce Bank, Franklin, Tennessee
Textron Financial
*Triad Leasing & Financial, Inc., Boise, Idaho
*TriStar Capital, Santa Ana, California
*Union Capital Partners, Midvale, Utah
US Bank, Manifest Funding, Marshall, Minnesota
(new requirement: large yearly funding) 
US Bank, Middle-Market, Portland, Oregon 
Velocity Financial Group, Rosemont, Illinois
VenCore, Portland, Oregon (former company Len Ludwig)
*Vision Capital, San Diego, California
Vision Financial Group, Inc. (VFG Leasing & Finance), Pittsburg, PA
Wachovia Bank Leasing
*Warren Capital, Novato, California
*Washington Mutual Financial
Western Bank, Devils Lake, ND
*Westover Financial, Inc., Santa Ana, California
*Your Leasing Solution, Las Vegas, Nevada

Funders looking for new Brokers:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Funders_Only/New_Broker.htm

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New Hires/Promotions in the Leasing Business
and Related Industries

Jonathan Carrizzo was hired as Account Executive Priority Capital Partners, Orlando, Florida.  He resides in Winter Park, Florida. Previously, he was Vice President, Director of Equipment Finance, Cogent Bank (January, 2021 - September, 2021); South-East Regional Manager, Patriot Capital, Equipment Financing Specialist (May, 2016 - November, 2020); South East Territory Sales Manager, Dervie Systems (March, 2014 - May, 2015); Account Executive, Enterprise Fleet Management (May, 2010 - March, 2014). He joined Canon Financial Services as Account Executive, March, 2008; promoted August, 2009, Senior Account Executive.  Relationship Manager, (Outside and Inside Sales), Commercial/Industrial Platform, US Express Leasing (Now TIAA) (May, 2004 - October, 2007); Program Team Lead: Sales Support Representative, GE Capital (Vendor Financial Services Division) (May, 2000 - May, 2004). Client Services Consultant, Cendant Mobility Services (now Cartus Corporate Relocation Services), (April, 1996 - May, 2000). Education: Rollins College, Crummer Graduate School of Business. Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.).  The University of Connecticut. BA, Political Science (1991 - 1995). Activities and Societies: UNCONN Resident Assistant, McMahon Hall. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-carrizzo-mba-41a460b/

Francisca Yanett Mercado Castro was hired as Sales Associate, Blue Bridge Financial, Reston, Virginia. She is located in Yuba City, California.  Previously, she was Direct Banking Relationship Manager, Tri Counties Bank (2000 - March, 2022); Regional Sales Manager, Ascentium Capital (October, 2018 - 2020); Account Executive, TopMark Funding, LC (May, 2017 - 2018); Account Manager,  Go Capital (May, 2017 - October, 2017). https://www.linkedin.com/in/francisca-yanett-mercado-castro-340306155/

Hal Hayden changed position to Advisor, Trinity Capital, Prescott, Arizona. He was General Partner from September, 2012 to December, 2021.  Managing Director, Sun Mountain Private Credit Fund (March, 2018 -  Present); Managing Partner, Agility Ventures (May, 2004 - December, 2021); Segment Manager, Capitalstream (1999 - 2001); Vice President/General Manager, Heritage Software Finance (1997 - 1999); President, Priority Leasing Corp. (1986 - 1996); Account Manager (1980 - 1985). Education: University of Arizona, BS, Marketing (1975 - 1979).  University of Arizona, Eller College of Management, Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) https://www.linkedin.com/in/hal-hayden-0024b73/

Sylvie Lesage was promoted to Manager, Partner Services Operations at CW National Leasing, Winnipeg, Canada. She joined the firm July, 2010, as Account Manager, promoted November, 2017, Senior Account Manager, promoted September, 2019, Team Lad, Partner Services. Education: Universite de Saint' Boniface. Education: Universite de Saint' Boniface. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sylvie-lesage-0a25296a/

Simon Malinski was hired as Director, Bremer Bank, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He joined Wells Fargo January, 2007, Senior Securities Analyst RMBS, promoted December, 2007, Client Services Manager RMBS, promoted June, 2008, Assistant Vice President, Risk Management, promoted December, 2006, Vice President, Asset Backed Securities (ABS), promoted January, 2014, Corporate Municipal and Escrow Solutions, promoted 2016, Middle Market Vendor Finance. Education: Emmanuel College, Boston, Master of Science Management (2004 - 2006). 3.8 GPA. St. Cloud State University, Herberger Business School, BS, Finance (2001 - 2004).  Student Government, Rugby. University of Minnesota, Duluth. AA, Business (1990 - 2001).
New Prague High School, HP Diploma (1995 - 1999). https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonmalinski/

Marianne McNamara, SHRM-SCP was hired as SVP, Global Head of Talent Acquisition and Partner Recruiting, ZRG Partners, LLC, Rochelle Park, New Jersey. She is located in Harvard, Massachusetts. Previously, she was Operations Director, US, Coulter Partners (January, 2020 - November, 2021); Director, Core Functions and Jurisdictions, Talent Acquisition, National Grid (June, 2017 - December, 2019); Director, The Hanover Insurance Group (July, 2016 - June, 2017). She joined ZRG Partner, November, 2003, Senior Executive Search Consultant, promoted January, 2012, Head of Global Search Operations, promoted September, 2013, Senior Director of Business Strategy and Recruiting. Prior, she was at PeopleSoft Inc,  joining September, 1997, as National Recruiting Manger, Special Assignments, promoted Recruiting Consultant, August, 1998. Senior On-Line Recruiter/Researcher, Sally Silver Contract Services, Inc. (November, 1995 - August, 1997). Corporate Communications Manager, T.A.C. Group, Inc./Frugal Fannie's Fashion Warehouse (1992 - 1995). Licenses: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace Certificate, USF Corporate Training and Professional Education, Issued May, 2021. SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM- SCP), SHRM, Issued May, 2017, Expires October, 2023.  Education, Wheaton College Massachusetts, B.A., English Writing and Literature. Magna Cum Laude. https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianne-mcnamara-shrm-scp-444546/

Jesse Nathanson was hired as Sales Development Representative II, Kapitus, New York City, New York. He is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Previously, he was Loan Specialist, National Funding (October, 2019 - April, 2020). He joined US Business Funding December, 2018, as Financial Business Consultant, promoted April, 2019, Senior Account Executive. Prime Service Intern, Cantor Fitzgerald (May, 2015 - September, 2015); Investment Banking Intern, Direct Access Partners (May, 2014 - September, 2014).  Education: University of Arizona, Economics/Industry, 2016, Activities and Societies: Eller College of Management, Sports Marketing Associating. Scarsdale High School (2011). https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesse-nathanson/

Jeffrey Neese was hired as Director of Sales, North American, Lease Security Systems dba BLOK BOX, Lebanon, New Hampshire. He is located in Alpharetta, Georgia. Previously, he was Regional Sales Manager, Commercial Credit Group, Inc. (September, 2020 - March, 2022); Manager, Customers Finance, Norths America, JBT Corporation (July, 2017 - September, 2020); Director of Sales, LEAF Commercial Capital, Inc. (December, 2015 - July, 2017); Vice President, General Manager, LONDON Leasing (August, 2010  - August, 2013); Member, Founder, Principal Capital (August, 2005 - August, 2010); Managing Partner, Plymouth Leasing Company (February, 2001 - August, 2005). Education: Washington State University, College of Business and Economics. Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Business Administration, Management and Operations (1979 - 1984). Actives and Societies: QB Washington State University Football. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-n-3278a85/

Doug Nielsen was hired as Senior Vice President, Chief Sales Officer, Wintrust Specialty Finance, Irvine, California. He is located in Arvada, Colorado. Previously, he was SVP, Business Development, Key Equipment Finance, Superior, Colorado.  Previously, he was SVP, Business Development, Bank of America, Global Vendor Finance (October, 2010 - February, 2018); Western Regional Manager, Corporate Capital Services, Inc. (April, 2009 - December, 2010); Director, Sales and Operations, El Camino Resources, Inc. (April, 2007 - November, 2008); President, Highline Capital Corp. (September, 2000 - April, 2007) VP, International Business Development, Heller Financial (January, 1999 - September, 2000); VP, Business Development, Heller Financial (April, 1996 - January, 1999); SVP, National Sales Manager, Bank of America (June, 1993 - July, 1995); VP, Senior Business Development Officer, Bank of America (June, 1990 - May, 1993); Director, Capital Associates, Inc. (March, 1988 - June, 1990); VP, Chase Manhattan Leasing Company (January, 1986 - March, 1988); VP, Scientific Leasing, Inc (September, 1982 - January, 1986). Education: Brigham Young University, Bachelor Degree, 1982. https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglas-nielsen-8211bb19/

Steve Sanders was hired as Senior Vice President, Business Development, SLR Equipment Finance, Wilton, Connecticut. He is located in Boston, Massachusetts. He previously was at Wells Fargo, November, 2020, as Vice President Business Development; as Vice President, Territory Manager, Wells Fargo Equipment Finance, January, 2018, Portfolio Manager at Wells Fargo Equipment Finance, July, 2015, Relationship Manger, Wells Fargo Capital Finance, September 2012. Prior, he was Project Manager, Gordon Brothers Group (2008 - 2012); Analyst, Wellington Management (2006 - 2007). Education:  Northeastern University, Finance. Activities and Societies: Varsity Ice Hockey. Cushing Academy.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-sanders-5b577728/

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Help Wanted Ads

 

How to Trade Leads with Banks
Work with Community, Small Banks, Credit Union

Many community and regional banks do not offer leasing or plans for purchasing equipment. They provide accounts receivable financing, working capital loans, consumer financing, vehicle financing, large business loans.

They also can be a wormhole, creating shortcuts for long journeys---both ways. You will find bank officers do not like to look for small transactions under $50,000 or other types of financing, including Equipment Finance Agreements. On occasion, one of their customers may ask about it. After they try and talk them out of it, they may search for alternatives. Therefore, one of the best markets to work are smaller, community banks, large banks, credit unions, middle and small leasing companies is to get close to as many banks as you can for leads and funding. You can do this also by referring your customers to them. Most decision makers spend little time going to the bank and don't know who to talk to.

Also, use your email to build up a relationship with a banker you met.

The reason most community banks shy away from leasing is the high cost of setting up a back office. In addition, they do not understand the documentation, don’t like the liability that exposes them as “lessor”, and many customers have complained about extra payments, deposits not returned, being hit with “fair market value” when they thought it was a $1.00 purchase option, or Evergreen Payments. Bankers are particularly not interested in reconciling the difference in an operating lease between a tax lease payoff and a book payoff.

To gain a bank’s trust, you need to explain your procedures and request that a bank loan officer accompany you on a few calls. They need to see how you react with their customers before they will allow you to contact a customer with their blessing. It also gives them an opportunity to pick up a business with deposits. 

One of the reasons banks look to have someone do financing or leases for them is when a customer is reaching their legal lending limit and they are afraid the customer may move to a larger bank. If you make an equipment finance agreement or capital lease, it may not affect the banks decision on larger loans or personal lending.

It may change your funding procedure on that customer so you may have to borrow the money on your own credit because it would be hard to sell it or fund it with another bank.

This is relationship selling, which you can use your FinTech abilities to service their customer and allow larger business and personal loans.

Definitely put them on your email list, but don’t overdo it. It may take time to build the relationship, but good relationships don’t come overnight.

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ELFF Reports Monthly Confidence Chart
Continues Down to 58.2 from 61.8 in February

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$11 Billion Allocated to the SBA 504 Program
in $1.5 Trillion Spending Bill
By Delaney Sexton, Contributing Editor, Coleman Reports

Congress passed the $1.5 trillion Omnibus Appropriations Funding Package last week, and President Biden signed the bill on the afternoon of March 15, 2022. The SBA programs’ spending caps are outlined in the nearly 3,000-page long omnibus.

• The SBA 7(a) program has a $30 billion allocation for the entirety of fiscal year 2022, which includes the $9.1 billion already approved in the 7(a) program.

• The SBA 504 program has an authorization level of $11 billion for FY22. There is nearly $5 billion in approved 504 loans as of March 11, 2022, but we expect that the 504 program will not reach this lending cap before September 30, 2022.

• The 504 debt refinance without expansion program will have an authorization level of $4 billion.

House Chair Nydia Velázquez remarked, “As small businesses continue to recover from COVID, we must ensure they have access to the capital needed to grow. I worked to ensure this omnibus provides ample funding to SBA loan programs that help entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses,” says. “Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and leading the way in our recovery. This package will help ensure they have the resources needed to continue to push us forward.”

Source:
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022
https://rules.house.gov/sites/democrats.rules.house.gov/files/BILLS-117HR2471SA-RCP-117-35.pdf
House Chair Velázquez Statement
https://smallbusiness.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=4198

Coleman Report, 28081 Marguerite Pkwy.
#4525, Mission Viejo, CA 92690
bob@colemanreport.com

 Even though some countries were awarded high marks, the report also finds that global internet freedom has declined for the eleventh year in a row. 20 countries suspended internet access, 21 states blocked users from using social media and at least 45 countries are said to have obtained spyware from private vendors.

Only 18 countries in the world can be considered truly free when it comes to the internet. What was once envisioned as a space to exchange information and foster community by connecting people around the world has, in some instances, turned into a tool of control and censorship. As our chart shows, most of the world's population has to live with only slightly free internet.

According to the yearly report by Freedom House, 31 of the 70 assessed countries only have partial freedom when it comes to user rights and state control of the internet. China has the questionable honor to come in last for the seventh year in a row, scoring only ten of a maximum of 100 points. This development correlates with recent reports of the Chinese government further tightening regulations on online gaming and internet use by minors. Inhabitants of Iceland and Estonia, on the other hand, are given almost completely free reign over their internet experience, with both countries coming in well over 90 points. The United States was able to score 71 points in 2021, being beaten by Germany and France as well as the more unlikely candidates of Georgia, Taiwan and Costa Rica.

The internet freedom ranking by Freedom House is based on three broad categories: Obstacles to access, limits on content and violations of users' rights. The assessed countries make up roughly 88 percent of the global population with access to the internet.

By Florian Zandt, Statista

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

National Funding Announces the Upsize
of Its Bank Credit Facility to $100 Million

SAN DIEGO--)--National Funding, Inc., one of the largest U.S. specialty finance companies serving small- and medium-sized businesses, announced the recent renewal and upsize of a $100.0 million senior secured warehouse line of credit. The upsize includes an accordion to expand to $125.0 million, which was provided by a prominent U.S.-based commercial bank. The facility will continue to be used by the Company to fund new originations and support additional platform growth.

Dave Gilbert, CEO of the Company, said, “Due to better than expected loan origination growth, the timing of this expansion was ahead of our original plan. In addition, the continued support of our banking partners allows National Funding to live its mission of transforming the way small businesses access the capital they need to grow.

“As the economy continues to rebound from the pandemic, the upsize of our bank credit facility ideally positions National Funding to provide more flexible capital solutions to our small- to medium-sized business client base.”

This upsize comes on the heels of a $55 million corporate note that closed in October 2021. With this additional financing, National Funding is well-positioned to continue to support small businesses as the economy continues to recover.

To date, National Funding has provided more than $4.5 billion in working capital and equipment leasing for more than 80,000 small- to medium-sized businesses nationwide.

President of National Funding, Joe Gaudio, added, "Due to better than expected loan origination growth, the timing of this expansion was ahead of our original plan. In addition, the continued support of our banking partners allows National Funding to live its mission of transforming the way small businesses access the capital they need to grow.”

For more information about National Funding, go to www.nationalfunding.com.

About National Funding, Inc.

Founded in 1999, National Funding is a leading U.S. specialty finance company serving small- and medium-sized businesses. The Company’s foundation serves American small business owners by providing funding solutions to meet their needs to reinvest in their day-to-day operations and help them grow. In addition, National Funding’s digital funding process has elevated its digital capabilities by delivering a fast and simple online application. For more information about National Funding, visit https://www.nationalfunding.com

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

 

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

Chesswood Group Limited to Acquire
Waypoint Investment Partners, Inc.

TORONTO, - Chesswood Group Limited (TSX: CHW) ("Chesswood"), a publicly traded North American specialty finance company, and Waypoint Investment Partners Inc. ("Waypoint"), a Toronto based investment fund and private client investment manager, are pleased to announce that Chesswood and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Chesswood Capital Management Inc. ("CCM"), have entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Waypoint.

Ryan Marr, CEO Chesswood Group, said, "The acquisition of Waypoint is an important step in building an integrated asset management platform within the Chesswood Group of Companies," said.

The acquisition of Waypoint provides CCM with an integrated platform to structure and distribute private credit solutions to Canadian investors alongside Waypoint's growing suite of alternative investment funds.

Jeff Fields, CEO of Chesswood Capital Management, commented, "The team at CCM is excited to work with the management of Waypoint to offer Canadian investors access to Chesswood's diversified loan portfolio in formats designed to offer attractive risk-adjusted returns.

"The acquisition of Waypoint will provide Chesswood with additional capabilities as we expand our institutional forward flow partnerships and private credit investment offerings," added Fields.

Max Torokvei, CEO of Waypoint, said, "The Waypoint team is excited to be joining CCM and we look forward to providing Canadian investors with best-in-class private credit solutions in addition to our existing alternative equity offerings." 

The consideration for the acquisition will be the payment of approximately $1.6 million and the issue of 150,983 Chesswood common shares. The acquisition of Waypoint is expected to close in Q2 2022 following receipt of regulatory approval (including the approval of the Ontario Securities Commission for Chesswood to acquire ownership of a registrant and the approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange for the issue and listing of the Chesswood common shares to be issued).

The websites of Chesswood Group Limited's operating businesses are:
www.PawneeLeasing.com          www.BlueChipLeasing.com
www.TandemFinance.com          www.VaultCredit.com
www.VaultPay.com                    www.Rifco.net

To learn more about Chesswood Group Limited, visit www.ChesswoodGroup.com.

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

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Watch at Home:
by Fernando Croce

New Pixar animation (“Turning Red”) comes to streaming along with a quartet of quality releases from last year (“West Side Story,” “Licorice Pizza,” “Drive My Car” and “Cyrano”). Catch up with them before Oscar night!

Cyrano (Vudu): Having directed imaginative adaptations of “Pride and Prejudice” and “Anna Karenina,” Joe Wright brings vibrant cinematic life to this new version of Edmond Rostand’s oft-filmed play. Keeping some aspects of the original story while changing others, the film finds Cyrano (Peter Dinklage, in a marvelously layered and ardent performance) pining for Roxanne (Haley Bennett), the beautiful orphan who’s in love with a handsome but dim soldier named Christian (Kelvin Harrison Jr.). Though heartbroken, Cyrano helps Christian write romantic letters to Roxanne, in the process expressing his own feelings in a roundabout way. Accentuating the story’s rich theatricality, the film makes inspired use of songs from the group The National that fit right in with Wright’s kinetic camera. With charm and poignancy, it makes classic poetry feel new.

Drive My Car (Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Vudu): After years as an intriguing art-house staple, Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi (“Happy Hour”) scored a well-deserved breakthrough hit with Western audiences with this adaptation of Haruki Murakami’s short story, which received a surprise nomination for Best Picture. Chronicling the relationship that grows between Yusuke (Hidetoshi Nishijima), a recently widowed theater actor and director, and his young chauffeur, Misaki (Toko Miura), it keeps the audience as surprised as the characters about where their journey ultimately leads to. Throughout this, Hamaguchi’s touch remains delicate and exacting, tackling shades of sorrow and grace until we’re faced with a quietly overwhelming humanistic epic, fashioning a breathtaking portrait of mysterious connections. At three hours, it’s a long ride, and worth every minute. With subtitles.

Licorice Pizza (Apple TV, Vudu): Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley has long been a favorite backdrop for the intense visions of Paul Thomas Anderson (“Boogie Nights”), and in his latest film he returns to it for some of his warmest, most charming work. Set in 1973, it follows the friendship that blossoms between Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman), a 15-year-old actor and aspiring impresario, and Alana Kane (Alana Haim), a photographer’s assistant a decade his senior. He starts a waterbed business and she begins to work on a political campaign, as their bond grows stronger despite many ups and downs. Anderson peppers the coming-of-age plot with keen camerawork and a gallery of vivid oddballs played by the likes of Sean Penn and Bradley Cooper. The results are, in a word, delightful.

Turning Red (Disney Plus): Pixar continues its run of quality animation with this cheerful and evocative fable, which is reminiscent of the studio’s earlier “Brave” and “Inside Out.” The heroine this time around is 13-year-old Mei (voiced by Rosalie Chiang), a bright Toronto teen whose burgeoning interests often bump against her disapproving mother, Ming (Sandra Oh). When she wakes up one day to find that she’s been turned into a massive red panda, Mei’s adolescent anxieties are given hilariously visual form. There is a cure to her unusual predicament, one that could bring her closer to her family or pull them further apart. Directed by Pixar veteran Domee Shi (“Bao”), the film brings plenty of energy, affection and wit to an emotional situation at once specific and universal.

West Side Story (Hulu, Disney Plus, Vudu): A rare remake that outclasses the original, Steven Spielberg’s update of the famous 1961 musical is one of the most exhilarating cinematic spectacle in many a year. The story remains the same, a transposition of “Romeo and Juliet” to Manhattan’s Upper West Side in the 1950s, where young delinquent gangs clash with lyrics and switchblades. In the midst of a gang fight between the Jets and the Sharks, star-crossed lovers Tony (Ansel Elgort) and Maria (Rachel Zegler) struggle for their romance to transcend violence. What makes this retelling endlessly fresh is Spielberg’s camera, which has rarely been more expressive, kinetic, or passionate, masterfully making this American fable sing anew. The exceptional Stephen Sondheim score includes “Tonight,” “America” and “One Hand, One Heart.”

Labrador Retriever/Mixed (short coat)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada   Adopt-a-Dog

Charlie

Male
Color: Golden/Chestnut
5 1/2 months old
20 lbs. (40-50 lbs. when fully grown
Not good with cats
Good with dogs
Reacting to new people: Friendly
Housetrained
Needs Training

Charlie is a 5 ½ month old male lab mix who is not only cute as can be, but has boundless energy.  He was surrendered when his owner was having an allergic reaction to his fur and saliva.  We’re not sure what breeds he’s mixed with (possibly Lab), nor do we know how big he’ll get, but he's currently about 20 pounds.  He will most likely be a 40-50 pound dog when full grown.

Charlies loves fetching the ball and he is quite food motivated.  He knows sit, give paw and get ball.  He is also housetrained.

Charlie is at the puppy stage where he likes to mouth things, grab socks, shoes, and his leash and try to counter surf. His foster mom is working through all of this with him.  Crate training is a work in progress and he's making strides.  He’s learning to walk on his leash and is currently being socialized with dogs he meets outside.  He mostly wants to play with other dogs he meets, but sometimes he’s not sure about them and may bark at them.  Charlie likes people; however we do not know what he is like around children and his previous owner told us he’s not good with cats.

He has occasional resource guarding issues with toys and treats.  His adopter will need to work on counterconditioning his guarding behavior, a behavior we see often.  We can assist the adopter with this.

Charlie needs a home with someone who has puppy experience. Training a puppy isn’t as easy as most people think.  It requires time and patience.  It also requires your home to be puppy-proofed.

A home without dogs or cats or kids under 12/years is ideal.  He is good on his own for up to 4 hours, so hiring a dog walker or an owner who works part time, or from home is required. 

His new family should be active since Charlie is young and needs mental and physical stimulation, as well as proper socialization.  A house with a yard where he can play fetch is preferred.  Here is the link to our adoption application:  https://www.speakingofdogs.com/adoption/dog-adoption-application-2

Available for Adoption
Etobicoke, ON

Speaking of Dogs Rescue
Toronto, ON M9W 3L8
(705) 444-7637
info@speakingofdogs.com
https://speakingofdogs.com

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Exhibitors

4 Hour Funding
360 Equipment Finance
AACFB Benefits
American Capital Group
American Lease Insurance
AMUR Equipment Finance
Ascentium Capital LLC
AvTech Capital LLC
Balboa Capital
Bankers Capital
BankFinancial Equipment Finance
Banleaco
Baystone Government Finance/KS StateBank
Blue Bridge Financial
C.H. Brown Co. LLC
Channel
CLFP Foundation
Commercial Funding Partners LLC
Corporate Freight Savers/Discounted Overnight Envelope Air Labels
CreditBench Powered By BayFirst
Dedicated Funding, LLC
East Harbor Financial
Entegra Capital LLC
Equipment Leasing Group of America, LLC
FileInvite
Financial Pacific Leasing, Inc.
First Business Bank
First Federal Leasing
First Foundation Bank
FirstLease
Fountainhead Commercial Capital
Gulf Coast Business Credit
instaCOVER
MAKO Equipment Finance
Marlin Capital Solutions
Maynards Capital
Meridian Equipment Finance
National Business Capital
Navitas Credit Corp.
NCMIC/Professional Solutions
NewLane Finance
NFS Leasing
North Mill Equipment Finance LLC
North Star Leasing
Orange Commercial Credit
Pawnee Leasing Corporation
Providence Equipment Finance, a Division of Providence Bank & Trust
Quality Leasing Co., Inc.
ROK Financial
SCJ Commercial Financial Services
SLIM Capital LLC
The Monitor
TimePayment
TradeRiver USA
Universal Finance
VFI Corporate Finance
Y.E.S. Leasing

Speakers:
https://annualconference.aacfb.org/agenda/speakers

Agenda At A Glance
https://annualconference.aacfb.org/agenda/at-a-glance

Registration
https://annualconference.aacfb.org/registration

Hotel (special cut-off price date April 19)
https://annualconference.aacfb.org/registration

News Briefs---

Strong Turnout Expected at ELFA Funding Conference
     April 12-14 at The Palmer House Hilton in Chicago
https://leasingnews.org/PDF/2022%20Funding%20Conference_Press%20Release_FINAL.pdf

Mortgage Rates Rise Above 4%
    for the First Time Since 2019
https://www.wsj.com/articles/mortgage-rates-top-4-for-the-first-time-since-2019-11647525619

 U.S. Energy Secretary cuts to the chase and urges
     oil & gas companies to produce more
https://www.offshore-energy.biz/u-s-energy-secretary-cuts-to-the-chase-and-urges-oil-gas-companies-to-produce-more/?utm_source

Russians have up to $213B stashed
     in Swiss bank accounts
https://nypost.com/2022/03/17/russians-have-up-to-213-billion-stashed-in-swiss-banks/

PayPal enables customers to send money to Ukrainians
    as well as make transfers within Ukraine and abroad
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/business/paypal-enables-customers-to-send-money-to-ukrainians/

'Jeopardy!' Fans Are Congratulating Ken Jennings
      on His Incredible Hosting News
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/jeopardy-fans-congratulating-ken-jennings-224500602.html

Today ZRG is a Global Talent Advisor
     Providing People Solutions
https://www.zrgpartners.com/about-zrg/talentadvisory/

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You May Have Missed---

Do You Know Where and How to Find Remote Jobs?
   Here is “Remote Work Guide Around the World”
https://globalexpansion.lpages.co/would-you-like-to-find-remote-work-in-2022/

[headlines]
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Sports Briefs---

Baker Mayfield requests trade from Browns,
      who say they won't deal starting QB
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/browns/2022/03/17/baker-mayfield-requests-trade-cleveland-browns-deshaun-watson/7080523001/

A’s Howard Terminal ballpark faces ‘major setback’
     after key stat panel doesn’t endorse changes at the site
https://www.sfchronicle.com/eastbay/article/A-s-Howard-Terminal-ballpark-faces-major-17007403.php

Best Dodgers lineup ever? Five ways Freddie Freeman
    improves an already loaded team
https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2022-03-17/best-dodgers-lineup-five-ways-freddie-freeman-improves-loaded-team

Unvaccinated Mets and Yankees Players
    Can’t Play in New York
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/15/sports/baseball/yankees-mets.html

Steph Curry out indefinitely with foot injury
    after ‘dangerous’ play
https://nypost.com/2022/03/17/steph-curry-injury-out-indefinitely-after-dangerous-play/

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California Nuts Briefs---

'Significant' early spring heat wave coming
     to California next week
https://www.sfgate.com/weather/article/California-early-spring-heat-wave-17007564.php

Mask or no mask? California schools leave the choice
    up to students, teachers as mandate ends
https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/education/article259394714.html?ac_cid=DM620531&ac_bid=-740587782 

Big new Colusa County reservoir on track
     for $2.2 billion federal loan
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/big-new-colusa-county-reservoir-on-track-for-2-2-billion-federal-loan/

[headlines]
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"Gimme that wine"

French Seize Russian-Owned Wineries
https://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2022/03/french-seize-russian-owned-wineries

Ukraine winery owner urges Europe’s vintners
     to host refugees
https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/ukraine-winery-owner-host-refugees-appeal-476313/

Over 8,000 fake Penfolds busted in ‘mega’
    fake wine operation
https://vino-joy.com/2022/03/16/over-8000-fake-penfolds-busted-in-mega-fake-wine-operation/

Second Annual Women in Wine Day to be
     Celebrated March 25
https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/256894

“Gimme that Wine”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJnQoi8DSE8

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

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

This Day in History

     1543 - The first record of a flood in the United Sates was observed by the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto.  He noted the Mississippi River began overflowing its banks and continued until it crested on April 20.  By the end of May, the flood had receded. de Soto introduced wild pigs into the wilderness that environmentalists say changed the animal population considerably, including introducing smallpox that killed millions of Indians.  When expeditions returned a hundred years later, they questioned de Soto's reports because of the major changes to the landscape. http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2002/03/ 
    1644 – The third and final Anglo-Powhatan War, between the Powhatan Indians of Chief Opechancanough and the English settlers in Virginia Colony began and was not settled until 1646 when Opechancanough was captured and killed.   The First Anglo–Powhatan War, between the Powhatan and the English colonists, lasted from 1610 to 1614.  The second was 1622-28.  The Powhatan were forced to give up all the land between the James and York Rivers. The Third war resulted in a boundary being defined between the Indians and English lands that could only be crossed for official business with a special pass. The war's end ushered in 30 years of relative peace between the colonists and the Powhatan, shattered only by the attacks of Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676.  This resulted in the Treaty of Middle Planation signed by Cockacoeske, Opechancanough’s matrilineal successor.  Under her next two successors, lands within the original Pamunkey reservation, which was coterminous with King William’s County, would be sold to the English, resulting in the relatively small Pamunkey and Mattaponi reservations of the present.
    1673 - Lord Berkeley sold half of his holdings in New Jersey to the Quakers. He and Sir George Carteret were the founders of the Province of New Jersey.  Berkeley's personal relationships with Charles II and the Duke of York led to his receiving an interest in New Jersey, in addition to that in Carolina previously received. Berkeley was co-proprietor of New Jersey from 1664 to 1674. In 1665, Berkeley and Carteret drafted the Concession and Agreement, a proclamation for the structure of the government for the Province that also provided freedom of religion in the colony. Berkeley sold his share to a group of Quakers because of the political difficulties between New York Governor Richard Nicolls, Carteret, and himself. This effectively split New Jersey into two colonies: East Jersey, belonging to Carteret, and West Jersey. The division remained until 1702 when West Jersey went bankrupt; the Crown then took back and subsequently re-unified the colony.
    1692 - Following the accession of William III to the English throne, Pennsylvania is declared a royal colony and New York governor Benjamin Fletcher is declared governor of Pennsylvania, depriving William Penn of his proprietary powers. The Crown takes over Pennsylvania because the pacifist Quakers refused to involve themselves in the war against France and because William Penn had maintained friendly relations with the former English monarch, James II.
    1741 - The Conspiracy of 1741, also known as the Negro Plot of 1741 or the Slave Insurrection of 1741, was a purported plot by slaves and poor whites in the British colony of New York in 1741 to revolt and level New York City with a series of fires.  Manhattan had the second-largest slave population of any city in the Thirteen Colonies after Charleston, SC. Rumors of a conspiracy arose against a background of economic competition between poor whites and slaves; a severe winter; war between Britain and Spain, with heightened anti-Catholic and anti-Spanish feelings; and recent slave revolts in South Carolina and St. John in the Caribbean. In March and April 1741, a series of 13 fires erupted in Lower Manhattan, the most significant one within the walls of Ft. George, the home of the governor. After another fire at a warehouse, a slave was arrested after having been seen fleeing it. A 16-year-old Irish indentured servant, Mary Burton, arrested in a case of stolen goods, testified against the others as participants in a supposedly growing conspiracy of poor whites and blacks to burn the city, kill the white men, take the white women for themselves, and elect a new king and governor. 
    1748 - George Washington visited the public spa at a mineral spring deeded to the colony of Virginia in 1756 by Thomas Fairfax, sixth Baron Fairfax “to be forever free to the publick for the welfare of suffering humanities.” The spa was located in Bath, Berkeley County, VA (now Berkeley Springs, Morgan County, WV). 
    1766 - Opposition to the Stamp Act was not limited to the colonies. British merchants and manufacturers, whose exports to the colonies were threatened by colonial boycotts, pressured Parliament. The Act was repealed on March 18, 1766 as a matter of expedience, but Parliament affirmed its power to legislate for the colonies "in all cases whatsoever" by also passing the Declaratory Act. There followed a series of new taxes and regulations, likewise opposed by the colonists.  The episode played a major role in defining the grievances - later clearly stated within the text of the ‘Indictment of George III section of the Declaration ofIndependence’ - and enabling the organized colonial resistance that led to the American Revolution in 1775.
    1782 - Birthday of John Calhoun (d. 1850) at Abbeville District, SC.  American statesman and first Vice President of the US to resign that office (Dec 28, 1832). He was considered the South's strongest advocate for slavery. The Vice-Presidents ran as separate offices in his day and he served under John Quincy Adams from March 4, 1825 to March 4, 1829 and under President Andrew Jackson from March 4, 1829 to December 28, 1832. He resigned to fill the vacancy in the Senate caused by the resignation of Robert Young Hayne, senator form South Carolina. Calhoun was elected to fill the vacancy on December 12, 1832. He had been Secretary of War and Secretary of State. He was too weak and ill to read his speech or oppose Daniel Webster's brilliant oratory that brought about the “Missouri Compromise” regarding limited slavery in the Western territory. Senator Daniel Webster argued in favor of the compromise. He both cautioned Southerners that disunion would lead to war and advised Northerners to forgo antislavery measures. The Compromise of 1850 was passed and Calhoun died soon after on March 31, 1850. 
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/mar18.html 
    1806 - Birthday of African-American Norbert Rillieux (d. 1894), New Orleans.  Inventor of sugar refining. 
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blrillieux.htm 
http://gibbsmagazine.com/Rillieux.htm 
    1813 - David Melville of Newport, Rhode Island patented the gas streetlight. He first installed these lights in front of his own house on Pelham Street.  Soon everyone in the neighborhood wanted one. 
    1818 – Congress approved the first pensions for government service.  Public pensions got their start with various promises, informal and legislated, made to veterans of the Revolutionary War.  They were expanded greatly, and, more extensively, the Civil War and began to be offered by a number of state and local governments during the early Progressive Era in the late nineteenth century. 
    1837 - The 22nd and 24th president of the US was born Stephen Grover Cleveland (d. 1908) at Caldwell, NJ. Terms of office as president: March 4, 1885—March 3, 1889 and March 4, 1893—March 3, 1897. He ran for president for the intervening term and received a plurality of votes cast but failed to win in the Electoral College. Only president to serve two nonconsecutive terms. Also the only president to be married in the White House. He married 21-year-old Frances Polsom, his ward. Their daughter, Esther, was the first child of a President to be born in the White House.
    1848 - "California Star" reported that non-Native population of San Francisco was 575 males, 177 females and 60 children 
    1850 - Henry Wells and William Fargo formed American Express in Buffalo.  Wells had formed Wells, Butterfield & Company as the successor of Butterfield & Wasson. That same year, the American Express Company was formed as a consolidation of Wells & Company, Livingston, Fargo & Company, and Wells, Butterfield & Company. Wells was president of American Express from 1850 to 1868.  When John Butterfield and other directors of American Express objected to extending the company's service to California, Wells organized Wells, Fargo & Company on March 18, 1852, to undertake the venture. Edwin B. Morgan was the company's first president, and Wells, William Fargo, Johnston Livingston and James McKay were on the boards of both Wells Fargo and American Express.   
    1858 - Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel (d. 1913), the inventor of the diesel engine, was born in Paris.
    1865 – The Congress of the Confederate States of America adjourned for the last time.  One of its final acts was the passage of a law allowing for the emancipation and military induction of any slave willing to fight for the Confederacy.
    1869 – Neville Chamberlain (d. 1940) was born in Birmingham, England.  UK Prime Minister from May 1937 to May 1940. Chamberlain is best known for his appeasement foreign policy, and in particular, for his signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938, conceding the German-speaking Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia to Germany. However, when Hitler later invaded Poland, the UK declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939, and Chamberlain led Britain through the first eight months of World War II.   His premiership was dominated by the question of policy toward the increasingly aggressive Germany, and his actions at Munich were widely popular among Britons at the time. When Hitler continued his aggression, Chamberlain pledged Britain to defend Poland's independence if the latter were attacked, an alliance that brought Britain into war when Germany attacked Poland in 1939. Chamberlain resigned the premiership on May 10, 1940 after the Allies were forced to retreat from Norway, as he believed a government supported by all parties was essential, and the Labour and Liberal parties would not join a government headed by him. He was succeeded by Winston Churchill but remained very well regarded in Parliament, especially among Conservatives. Before ill health forced him to resign he was an important member of Churchill's War cabinet, heading it in the new premier's absence. Chamberlain died of cancer six months after leaving the premiership. 1870 – The first wildlife preserve in the US was established at Lake Merritt in Oakland, CA.
    1874 - Hawaii signed a treaty with the United States granting exclusive trade rights.
    1886 - Edward Everett Horton (d. 1970) was born in Brooklyn.  Narrator: “Fractured Fairy Tales” on “The Bullwinkle Show;” actor: “It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World,” “Lost Horizon,” “Sex and the Single Girl,” “Arsenic and Old Lace.” 
    1901 - William H. Johnson (d. 1970) was born in Florence, SC. Johnson spent many years in Europe painting expressionist works. He was strongly influenced by the vivid styles and brushstrokes of Henry O. Tanner, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Edward Munch and Otto Dix. He left Europe when Hitler began destroying art that had primitivist or African themes. Back in the US, Johnson developed a new, flatter style and delved into subjects of his own experience as well as historical African-American figures and events. “Going to Church” (1940—41) and “Mom and Dad” (1944) are examples of his later work. 
    1902 - 29-year-old Italian opera singer Enrico Caruso was paid $50 each to record 10 songs on wax for the Gramophone and Typewriter Company in Italy; $500. He would go on to become the world's first recording star. Two years later, he began recording in America for the Victor Talking Machine Company (later RCA Victor). Over a 16-year span, he would earn millions of dollars in royalties from the retail sales of his 260 recordings. 
    1907 - The lawyers prosecuting alleged grafters score point after point in the proceedings before the grand jury and announce that they have sufficient evidence to prove that the United Railroads, the Pacific States Telephone Co., Home Telephone Co., the Prize-Fight Trust and the Gas Co., have bribed San Francisco supervisors and other city officials. 
    1909 – Ernest Gallo (d. 2007) was born in Jackson, CA.  He co-founded with brother Julio, E&J Gallo Winery in Modesto, CA shortly after the repeal of Prohibition. 
    1911 - Deane Kinkaide’s (d. 1992) birthday in Austin, TX.  Noted big band arranger, Dorsey's “Boogie Woogie,” Goodman's “Bugle Call Rag.” Had many of his arrangements in my high school/college gig.
    1919 - The Order of DeMolay was founded in Kansas City with nine members, as an international fraternal organization for young men ages 12 to 21. It was named for Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar who was burned at the stake on Mar. 18, 1314.
    1925 - The 'Great Tri-state Tornado' tore a 219 mile path through Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana, resulting in the greatest US tornado disaster ever. 695 people were killed, the largest death toll from a single tornado in US history. 234 deaths occurred at Murphysboro, Illinois, the biggest death toll within a single city from a tornado on record. At one point, the tornado was moving at a record setting 73 mph. This tornado was easily an F5 on the Fujita scale with winds exceeding 260 mph. Instead of occurring along a cold front or in a squall line, the tornado was closely associated with a surface low pressure area. In all respects, it was a remarkable tornado and stands alone in tornadic events. 
    1926 – Actor Peter Graves was born Peter Duesler Aurness (d. 2010)in Minneapolis, MN.  TV credits include:  “Fury,” “Mission Impossible,” “The Winds of War.”  Film credits include:  “Airplane,” “Airplane 2,” “Stalag 17,” “The President's Plane is Missing,” “The Night of the Hunter.”  He was the brother of actor James Arness, who lived near us and took my brother and I to University High School often.  Our next-door neighbor, James Whitmore, turned down the “Gunsmoke” role and recommended Arness instead.   He earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2009.
    1927 – Author George Plimpton (d. 2003) was born in NYC.  He is widely known for his sports writing and for helping to found “The Paris Review.”  He was also famous for "participatory journalism" which included competing in professional sporting events, acting in a Western movie, performing a comedy act at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, and playing with the New York Philharmonic, and then recording the experience from the point of view of an amateur. Outside the literary world, Plimpton was famous for competing in professional sporting events and then recording the experience from the point of view of an amateur.  In 1958, prior to a post-season exhibition game at Yankee Stadium between teams managed by Willie Mays (National League) and Mickey Mantle (American League), Plimpton pitched against the National League. His experience was captured in the book “Out of My League.” Plimpton sparred for three rounds with boxing greats Archie Moore and Sugar Ray Robinson while on assignment for Sports Illustrated.  In 1963, Plimpton attended preseason training with the Detroit Lions as a backup quarterback, and ran a few plays in an intra-squad scrimmage. These events were recalled in his best-known book “Paper Lion,” which was later adapted into a feature film, released in 1968. Another sports book, “Open Net,” saw him train as a goalie with the Boston Bruins, even playing part of a NHL preseason game.  Plimpton's classic, “The Bogey Man,” chronicles his attempt to play professional golf on the PGA Tour during the 960s. Among other challenges for Sports Illustrated, he attempted to play top-level bridge, and spent some time as a high-wire circus performer.  In the April 1, 1985 issue of Sports Illustrated, Plimpton pulled off one of the greatest April Fools’ Day pranks of all time. With the help of the New York Mets organization and several Mets players, Plimpton wrote a convincing account of a new unknown pitcher in the Mets spring training camp named Siddartha Finch who threw a baseball over 160 mph, wore a heavy boot on one foot, and was a practicing Buddhist with a largely unknown background. The prank was so successful that many readers believed the story, and the ensuing popularity of the joke resulted in Plimpton writing an entire book on Finch.
    1931 - The first electric razor was manufactured by the Schick Dry Razor Company of Stamford, CT. Remington had introduced the dual-headed electric shaver in 1940. The electric shaver was invented by Colonel Jacob Schick (1877-1937), who recognized that soldiers in the field needed a razor that did not require soap or hot water.  He patented a tiny electric motor in 1923 and received patents on his “shaving implement” on November 6, 1928. He could not convince anyone to manufacture his invention so raised money himself to start his own company.  Jacob Schick's first business venture, the Magazine Repeating Razor Co, founded 1925, sold a razor with injection cartridge blades designed much like a repeating rifle, where the blades were sold in clips that could be loaded into the razor without touching the blade. This business provided the necessary capital to develop his electric razor concept when he sold it to the American Chain & Cable Company in 1928. Schick became a Canadian citizen in 1935 to avoid an investigation by the Joint Congressional Committee on Tax Evasion & Avoidance after he moved most of his wealth to a series of holding companies in the Bahamas.
    1932 - Author John Updike (d. 2009) was born in Reading, PA and was raised in nearby Shillington.  An American novelist, poet, short story writer, and art and literary critic, Updike's most famous work is his "Rabbit" series.  The novels “Rabbit, Run;” “Rabbit Redux;” “Rabbit is Rich;” “Rabbit at Rest;” and the novella “Rabbit Remembered,” chronicled the life of the middle-class everyman Harry ‘Rabbit’ Angstrom over the course of several decades, from young adulthood to death.
http://www.hycyber.com/HF/updike_john.html 
    1932 - Casa Loma Band cuts “Smoke Rings.”
    1938 – Singer and former minor league baseball player, Charley Pride, was born in Sledge, MS. He is considered to be the most successful black entertainer in country music. By the early 1970's, Pride had become RCA Victor's biggest-selling artist since Elvis Presley, with hits such as "Is Anybody Going to San Antone?" "Kiss and Angel Good Morning" and "Wonder Could I Live There Anymore." In total, he has garnered 39 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. When his first record, "Snakes Crawl at Night," was released in 1965, there was almost no publicity and few people realized that Pride was black. But by the following year, Pride had gained a huge hit and a Grammy Award nomination for "Just Between You and Me."  And in 1967, he was introduced on the Grand Ole Opry by Ernest Tubb.  From 1952-60, Pride pitched for several minor league teams after stints in the Negro Leagues.  Arm trouble forced him out of the game and into the music business. 
    1938 – New York became the first to require serological blood tests of pregnant women.  
    1939 - Frank Sinatra makes his very first recording, a demo called "Our Love," recorded with the Frank Mane band.
    1940 - Casa Loma Band cuts “No Name Jive,” (Decca)
    1941 - Wilson Pickett (d. 2006), one of the great soul singers of the 1960's, was born in Prattville, AL. Pickett joined a Detroit group called the Falcons in 1962, and sang lead on their hit, "I Found a Love." But Pickett, on the suggestion of the Falcons' producer, soon began a solo career. He signed with Atlantic in 1964, and had the first of his many hits with "In the Midnight Hour." His backup group on this record was Booker T. and the MG's. Pickett's other successes included "Land of 1,000 Dances," "Funky Broadway" and "I'm a Midnight Mover." 
    1942 - The War Relocation Authority was established in the United States to take Japanese Americans into custody. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, authorizing military commanders to create zones from which certain persons could be excluded if they posed a threat to national security. Military Areas 1 and 2 were created soon after, encompassing all of California and much of Washington, Oregon and Arizona, and subsequent civilian exclusion orders informed Japanese Americans residing in these zones they would be scheduled for "evacuation." The WRA was formed via Executive Order 9102, with Milton S. Eisenhower as the original director.
    1942 – Jackie Robinson and Nate Moreland requested a tryout with the Chicago White Sox during spring training in Pasadena, CA. Sox manager Jimmy Dykes allowed the two to work out but later dismissed them.
    1943 - MATHIS, JACK W., (Air Mission) Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Corps, 359th Bomber Squadron, 303d Bomber Group. Place and date: Over Vegesack, Germany, 18 March 1943. Entered service at: San Angelo, Tex. Born: 25 September 1921, San Angelo, Tex. G.O. No.: 38, 12 July 1943. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action with the enemy over Vegesack, Germany, on 18 March 1943. 1st Lt. Mathis, as leading bombardier of his squadron, flying through intense and accurate antiaircraft fire, was just starting his bomb run, upon which the entire squadron depended for accurate bombing, when he was hit by the enemy antiaircraft fire. His right arm was shattered above the elbow, a large wound was torn in his side and abdomen, and he was knocked from his bomb sight to the rear of the bombardier’s compartment. Realizing that the success of the mission depended upon him, 1st Lt. Mathis, by sheer determination and willpower, though mortally wounded, dragged himself back to his sights, released his bombs, then died at his post of duty. As the result of this action the airplanes of his bombardment squadron placed their bombs directly upon the assigned target for a perfect attack against the enemy. 1st Lt. Mathis’ undaunted bravery has been a great inspiration to the officers and men of his unit.
    1945 - MURPHY, FREDERICK C., Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Medical Detachment, 259th Infantry, 65th Infantry Division. Place and date: Siegfried Line at Saarlautern, Germany, 18 March 1945. Entered service at: Weymouth, Mass. Birth: Boston, Mass. G.O. No.: 21, 26 February 1946. Citation: An aid man, he was wounded in the right shoulder soon after his comrades had jumped off in a dawn attack 18 March 1945, against the Siegfried Line at Saarlautern, Germany. He refused to withdraw for treatment and continued forward, administering first aid under heavy machinegun, mortar, and artillery fire. When the company ran into a thickly sown antipersonnel minefield and began to suffer more and more casualties, he continued to disregard his own wound and unhesitatingly braved the danger of exploding mines, moving about through heavy fire and helping the injured until he stepped on a mine which severed one of his feet. In spite of his grievous wounds, he struggled on with his work, refusing to be evacuated and crawling from man to man administering to them while in great pain and bleeding profusely. He was killed by the blast of another mine which he had dragged himself across in an effort to reach still another casualty. With indomitable courage, and unquenchable spirit of self-sacrifice and supreme devotion to duty which made it possible for him to continue performing his tasks while barely able to move, Pfc. Murphy saved many of his fellow soldiers at the cost of his own life.
    1945 - TREADWELL, JACK L., Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Army, Company F, 180th Infantry, 45th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Nieder-Wurzbach, Germany, 18 March 1945. Entered service at: Snyder. Okla. Birth: Ashland, Ala. G.O. No.: 79, 14 September 1945. Citation: Capt. Treadwell (then 1st Lt.), commanding officer of Company F, near Nieder-Wurzbach, Germany, in the Siegfried line, single-handedly captured 6 pillboxes and 18 prisoners. Murderous enemy automatic and rifle fire with intermittent artillery bombardments had pinned down his company for hours at the base of a hill defended by concrete fortifications and interlocking trenches. Eight men sent to attack a single point had all become casualties on the hare slope when Capt. Treadwell, armed with a submachine gun and hand grenades, went forward alone to clear the way for his stalled company. Over the terrain devoid of cover and swept by bullets, he fearlessly advanced, firing at the aperture of the nearest pillbox and, when within range, hurling grenades at it. He reached the pillbox, thrust the muzzle of his gun through the port, and drove 4 Germans out with their hands in the air. A fifth was found dead inside. Waving these prisoners back to the American line, he continued under terrible, concentrated fire to the next pillbox and took it in the same manner. In this fort he captured the commander of the hill defenses, whom he sent to the rear with the other prisoners. Never slackening his attack, he then ran across the crest of the hill to a third pillbox, traversing this distance in full view of hostile machine gunners and snipers. He was again successful in taking the enemy position. The Germans quickly fell prey to his further rushes on 3 more pillboxes in the confusion and havoc caused by his whirlwind assaults and capture of their commander. Inspired by the electrifying performance of their leader, the men of Company F stormed after him and overwhelmed resistance on the entire hill, driving a wedge into the Siegfried line and making it possible for their battalion to take its objective. By his courageous willingness to face nearly impossible odds and by his overwhelming one-man offensive, Capt. Treadwell reduced a heavily fortified, seemingly impregnable enemy sector.
    1945 - The first professional hockey player to score 50 goals in one season was Joseph Henri Maurice “Rocket” Richard of the National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens, who scored his 50th goal at 17:45 of the third period against the Boston Bruins at the Boston Garden. He retired in 1960 with 544 goals in 16 regular seasons. 
    1945 - The Japanese released mechanized flying bombs piloted by young Japanese men. These suicide bombs, directed against the US aircraft carrier fleet attacking the Japanese fleet in the Kure-Kobe area, inflicted serious damage on Enterprise, Intrepid and Wasp. 
    1945 - About 1300 American bombers, with some 700 escorting fighters, drop 3000 tons of bombs on Berlin, despite heavy anti-aircraft defenses, including numerous jet fighters. The US fleet loses 25 bombers and 5 fighters.
    1945 - *WILKIN, EDWARD G., Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Army, Company C, 157th Infantry, 45th Infantry Division. Place and date: Siegfried Line in Germany, 18 March 1945. Entered service at: Longmeadow, Mass. Birth: Burlington, Vt. G.O. No.: 119, 17 December 1945. Citation: He spearheaded his unit's assault of the Siegfried Line in Germany. Heavy fire from enemy riflemen and camouflaged pillboxes had pinned down his comrades when he moved forward on his own initiative to reconnoiter a route of advance. He cleared the way into an area studded with pillboxes, where he repeatedly stood up and walked into vicious enemy fire, storming 1 fortification after another with automatic rifle fire and grenades, killing enemy troops, taking prisoners as the enemy defense became confused, and encouraging his comrades by his heroic example. When halted by heavy barbed wire entanglements, he secured bangalore torpedoes and blasted a path toward still more pillboxes, all the time braving bursting grenades and mortar shells and direct rifle and automatic-weapons fire. He engaged in fierce fire fights, standing in the open while his adversaries fought from the protection of concrete emplacements, and on 1 occasion pursued enemy soldiers across an open field and through interlocking trenches, disregarding the crossfire from 2 pillboxes until he had penetrated the formidable line 200 yards in advance of any American element. That night, although terribly fatigued, he refused to rest and insisted on distributing rations and supplies to his comrades. Hearing that a nearby company was suffering heavy casualties, he secured permission to guide litter bearers and assist them in evacuating the wounded. All that night he remained in the battle area on his mercy missions, and for the following 2 days he continued to remove casualties, venturing into enemy-held territory, scorning cover and braving devastating mortar and artillery bombardments. In 3 days he neutralized and captured 6 pillboxes single-handedly, killed at least 9 Germans, wounded 13, took 13 prisoners, aided in the capture of 14 others, and saved many American lives by his fearless performance as a litter bearer. Through his superb fighting skill, dauntless courage, and gallant, inspiring actions, Cpl. Wilkin contributed in large measure to his company's success in cracking the Siegfried Line. One month later he was killed in action while fighting deep in Germany
    1949 - Top Hits 
“Far Away Places” - Margaret Whiting
“Powder Your Face with Sunshine” - Evelyn Knight
“Cruising Down the River” - The Russ Morgan Orchestra (vocal: The Skyliners)
“Don't Rob Another Man's Castle” - Eddy Arnold
    1950 - Teresa Brewer's "Music! Music! Music!" hits #1
    1951 – Bennett Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s, was born in Merrick, Long Island, NY.  He first met his partner, Jerry Greenfield in 7th grade.
    1953 - In baseball's first franchise shift in half a century, the Boston Braves announced that they would become the Milwaukee Braves. The team remained in Milwaukee through the 1965 season after which it moved to Atlanta.
    1957 - Top Hits
“Young Love” - Tab Hunter
“Round and Round” - Perry Como 
“Little Darlin'” - The Diamonds 
“There You Go” - Johnny Cash 
    1957 - “Tales of Wells Fargo” premiered on TV. This half-hour western starred Dale Robertson as Jim Hardie, agent for Wells Fargo Transport Company. In the fall of 1961, the show expanded to an hour. Hardie bought a ranch and new cast members were added, including Jack Ging as Beau McCloud, another agent, Virginia Christine as Ovie, a widow owning a nearby ranch, Lory Patrick and Mary Jane Saunders as Ovie's daughters and William Demarest as Jeb, Hardie's ranch foreman. Jack Nicholson appeared in one of his first major TV roles in the episode "The Washburn Girl." My father, Lawrence Menkin, wrote many of the episodes.
    1957 - In what is believed to be the largest offer for a player to date, Cleveland Indians GM Hank Greenberg rejected a million-dollar offer for left-handed pitcher Herb Score from Boston Red Sox GM Joe Cronin. Greenberg refused, saying that Cleveland is interested in building for the future, not in selling its premier ballplayers. Score won 20 games in 1956 and led the AL with 263 strikeouts.  Unfortunately, six weeks later, Score will be struck in the eye by a batted ball by the Yankees’ Gil McDougald and would win only 19 more games over the rest of his career.
    1958 - Jerry Lee Lewis becomes the first musician to appear on American Bandstand actually singing and not lip-synching his performance. Singing "Great Balls Of Fire," "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," and "Breathless" live, he also becomes the first guest to perform three songs on the program.
    1959 - Bill Sharman of the Boston Celtics began what was to be the longest string of successful consecutive free throws (56 in a row) to set a new National Basketball Association record.
    1959 - President Eisenhower signed the Hawaii statehood bill
    1959 - EMI announces its intention to halt production of 78 rpm records.
    1960 – “Rio Bravo,” the classic Howard Hawks/John Wayne Western that also stars Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson, opens in US theaters.
    1962 - Gary "U.S." Bonds appears on The Ed Sullivan Show performing his latest hit, "Twist, Twist, Senora," which will reach #9 in April.
    1963 – Construction began on the first domed sports stadium that was fully enclosed. The Astrodome, Houston, TX, formally known as the Harris County Domed Stadium. The overall cost was $35.5 million. The arena could accommodate 66,000 people. The first baseball game under the dome was played on April 9, 1965 between the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees, who lost 2-1. In the game, Mickey Mantle hit the first home run there, off Turk Farrell.  The first football game was played on September 11, 1965, when the University of Tulsa defeated the University of Houston 14-0. 
    1964 - Birthday of Bonnie Blair in Cornwall, N.Y. She moved with her parents to Champaign, Ill., when she was 2 and began skating. In 1988, Blair won the gold medal in the 500 meters at the Winter Olympics in Calgary, and a bronze in the 1,000 meters. In the 1992 games in Albertville, France, she won two gold medals at the same distances, becoming the first American Woman to win three gold medals in the Winter Olympics and in 1994 she added more.
    1965 - Top Hits 
“Eight Days a Week” - The Beatles 
“Stop! In the Name of Love” - The Supremes 
“The Birds and the Bees” - Jewel Akens
“I've Got a Tiger by the Tail” - Buck Owens
    1966 - Robert C. Weaver became first Black presidential cabinet member when sworn in as Secretary of Housing and Urban Affairs in the Johnson Administration.
    1967 - The Beatles went gold, receiving a gold record for the single, "Penny Lane." The ‘B' side of hit record was the also-popular "Strawberry Fields Forever."
    1967 - After three minor chart makers, an Oklahoma group called Five Americans release their biggest hit, "Western Union," which would rise to #5 on The Hot 100. 
    1968 - Congress repealed the requirement for a gold reserve to back US currency. In the 1780s, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Morris, and Alexander Hamilton recommended to Congress the value of a decimal system. This system would also apply to monies in the United States. The question was what type of standard: gold, silver or both.  The United States adopted a silver standard based on the Spanish milled dollar in 1785.  In 1792, Congress passed the Mint and Coinage Act, authorizing the federal government's use of the Bank of the United States to hold its reserves, as well as establish a fixed ratio of gold to the U.S. dollar. Gold and silver coins were legal tender, as was the Spanish Real. In 1792, the market price of gold was about 15 times that of silver.  Silver coins left circulation, exported to pay for the debts taken on to finance the American Revolution.  Passage of the Independent Treasury Act of 1848 placed the U.S. on a strict hard-money standard. Doing business with the American government required gold or silver coins.  Congress passed the Gold Reserve Act on 30 January 1934; the measure nationalized all gold by ordering Federal Reserve banks to turn over their supply to the U.S. Treasury. In return, the banks received gold certificates to be used as reserves against deposits and Federal Reserve notes. The act also authorized the President to devalue the gold dollar. Under this authority, President Roosevelt, on 31 January 1934, changed the value of the dollar from $20.67 to the troy ounce to $35 to the troy ounce, a devaluation of over 40%.  After the World War II, a system similar to a gold standard and sometimes described as a "gold exchange standard" was established by the Bretton Woods Agreements. Under this system, many countries fixed their exchange rates relative to the U.S. dollar and central banks could exchange dollar holdings into gold at the official exchange rate of $35 per ounce; this option was not available to firms or individuals. All currencies pegged to the dollar thereby had a fixed value in terms of gold.  Starting in the 1959–1969 administration of President deGaulle and continuing until 1970, France reduced its dollar reserves, exchanging them for gold at the official exchange rate, reducing US economic influence. This, along with the fiscal strain of federal expenditures for the Vietnam War and persistent balance of payments deficits, led President Nixon to end international convertibility of the U.S. dollar to gold on August 15, 1971.  
    1969 – The United States began secret bombing of the Sihanouk Trail in Cambodia used by communist forces to infiltrate South Vietnam.
    1970 - Country Joe McDonald is convicted for obscenity and fined $500 for leading a crowd in his infamous Fish Cheer ("Gimme an F..!") at a concert in Massachusetts.
http://www.countryjoe.com/
    1970 - Brook Benton received a gold record for the hit single, "Rainy Night in Georgia." It was Benton's first hit since 1963's "Hotel Happiness." 
    1970 - A wild-cat strike of postal employee locals of the National Association of Letter Carriers that began in New York City spread to parts of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. On March 23, President Richard Nixon decaled a state of national emergency and called out 30,000 troops to move the mail. The strike ended on March 24.
    1970 – Queen Latifah was born Dana Owens in Newark, NJ. 
    1971 - High winds accompanied a powerful low pressure system tracking from the Rocky Mountains to the Great Lakes. Winds gusted to 100 mph at Hastings, Nebraska and to 115 mph at Hays, Kansas. High winds caused 2 million dollars in property damage in Kansas.
    1972 - The Knox-class ocean destroyer escort, the Jesse L. Brown, was named at the Avondale Shipyards, Westwego, LA, becoming the first naval ship to be named for an African-American naval officer. Jesse Leroy Brown of Hattiesburg, MI, was commissioned an ensign on April 15, 1949. He died near the Changjin Reservoir in Korea, becoming the first African-American flier in the Naval Reserve to be killed in combat.
    1972 - The Chicago vocal group, The Chi-Lites make their second appearance on TV's Soul Train, where they perform their newest release, "Oh Girl." The tune will go on to top the Billboard Pop and R&B charts and reach #14 in the UK. Not bad for a song that writer Eugene Record would later say he was surprised that the record company even wanted to issue as a single. 
    1972 - Neil Young enjoyed his only solo, US number one hit with "Heart of Gold."  Backup vocals were provided by James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt.
    1972 - Paul Simon's self-titled debut album topped the chart on the strength of the singles "Mother and Child Reunion" and "Me and Julio Down By The School Yard." 
    1973 - Top Hits 
“Killing Me Softly with His Song” - Roberta Flack 
“Love Train” - O'Jays Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001) - Deodato
“Teddy Bear Song” - Barbara Fairchild
    1974 - Most OPEC nations ended a five-month oil embargo against the United States, Europe and Japan.
    1978 - The Bee Gees started an eight-week stay at the top of the pop music charts with "Night Fever" (they had a total of nine #1 hits) from the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack.
    1981 – In a monumental contract misstep by the Red Sox that allowed C Carlton Fisk to become a free agent, he signed contract with the Chicago White Sox. The five-year pact will pay Fisk $2.9 million.
    1981 - Top Hits
“9 to 5” - Dolly Parton
“Keep on Loving You” - REO Speedwagon 
“Woman” - John Lennon 
“Guitar Man” - Elvis Presley 
    1985 - History was made in the short-lived United States Football League. A pro football record was set by Denver and Houston of the USFL with a total of 112 passes thrown in the game. Houston went airborne 69 times, Denver took to the air 43 times.
    1985 – New MLB Commissioner Peter Ueberroth reinstated Hall of Famers Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle, who had been banned from association with organized baseball by former commissioner Bowie Kuhn due to their employment by Atlantic City casinos. Ueberroth's ruling allowed both men to pursue employment with Major League teams.
    1989 - Top Hits 
“Lost in Your Eyes” - Debbie Gibson 
“The Living Years” - Mike & The Mechanics 
“Roni” - Bobby Brown 
From a Jack to a King - Ricky Van Shelton
    1989 - A storm in the western U.S. produced heavy rain in California, with heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada Range. Venado, CA was drenched with 5.40 inches of rain in 24 hours. A dozen cities in the eastern U.S. reported new record high temperatures for the date, including Baltimore, MD with a reading of 82 degrees.
    1990 - Heavy rain caused extensive flooding of rivers and streams in Georgia, with total damage running well into the millions. Flooding also claimed six lives. Nearly seven inches of rain caused 2.5 million dollars damage around Columbus, and up to nine inches of rain was reported over the northern Kinchafoonee Basin in Georgia.
    1992 - Disco Queen, Donna Summer gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
    1995 - Michael Jordan, considered one of the NBA'S greatest all-time players, made history again when he announced that he was returning to professional play after a 17-month break. The 32-year-old star had retired just before the start of the 1993—94 season, following the murder of his father, James Jordan. Jordan, who averaged 32.3 points a game during regular season play, had led the Chicago Bulls to three successive NBA titles. While retired, he tried a baseball career, playing for the Chicago White Sox minor league team. On his return to the Bulls, he led them to three more NBA titles in 1996, 1997 and 1998.   
    2012 - The Washington Nationals assigned top prospect Bryce Harper to the AAA Syracuse Chiefs in anticipation of a call-up to Washington expected before the end of the summer. Indeed, the call-up occurred on April 29, at the insistence of manager Davey Johnson, and Harper will never look back, earning Rookie of the Year honors in the NL.  He was the 2015 NL MVP.  After the 2018 season, he became a free agent, signing with the Philadelphia Phillies for a 13-year, $330 million contract.  In their first year without Harper, the Nationals won the World Series in 2019.   
    2013 - The FBI reported they have discovered who stole $580 million in masterpieces from Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990, the greatest art heist in American history.  In the early morning hours of March 18, 1990, a pair of thieves disguised as Boston police officers gained entry to the museum and stole thirteen works of art. The total worth of the stolen pieces has been estimated at $500 million, making the robbery the greatest single property theft in world history.[7] Among the stolen works was “The Concert”, one of only 34 known works by Vermeer and thought to be the most valuable unrecovered painting at over $200 million. Also missing is “the Storm on the sea of Galillee,” Rembrandt’s only known seascape.  Despite efforts by the FBI, the works have not yet been recovered. The case remains unsolved, with the museum offering a reward of $5 million for information leading to recovery of the art. Empty frames hang in the Dutch Room gallery as placeholders for the missing works, in hopeful expectation of their return. The selection of stolen works puzzled experts, as more valuable artworks were present in the museum.  The FBI believe the thieves were members of a criminal organization based in the Mid-Atlantic and New England.