Source:

The federal unified estate and gift tax - known as the federal transfer tax, or “death tax” - is stifling the economy. In fact, they probably do the most damage to output and income per dollar of revenue raised of all the taxes in the U.S. tax system. The economy, the pre-tax and post-tax incomes of workers, savers, and investors, and federal, state, and local revenue would all be higher if the estate and gift taxes were eliminated

Reuters:

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc on Thursday named Altera Corp’s chief financial officer as its finance chief, the latest move by the Internet company to rebuild itself in the image of its new chief executive. (more…)

Reuters:

NEW YORK (Reuters) - News Corp’s MySpace refused to comment on Thursday on a report the previous day that said the online social network will fire a “massive” number of employees.

The online social network is preparing to lay off as many as 500 of its 1,600 workers, the TechCrunch blog reported on Wednesday, as it cuts costs while trying to stay ahead of growing competition from rival Facebook.

Reuters:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Friday deadline for a nationwide transition from analog to crisper digital television transmission has U.S. retailers hoping for a boost in sales of smaller TVs as consumers upgrade secondary sets in spare rooms.

The digital transition has already unleashed a surge in sales of converter boxes to consumers who want to keep their existing TV sets, and an uptick in cable and satellite TV service sales for Americans who want to upgrade.

Now, retailers are hoping that consumers will turn their attention to replacing analog TVs in bedrooms and spare rooms that are not connected to cable or satellite service.

Source:

Former Kansas athletic director Bob Frederick, who died Friday of injuries received in a biking accident, was remembered as a rare person in college sports. (more…)

The Eagle:

Lawyers for the men convicted of racketeering conspiracy through the Crips street gang have accused jurors of misconduct.

The defense is asking a federal judge in Wichita for a new trial, arguing the jury was not impartial during its deliberations in April. (more…)

Reuters:

NEW YORK, June 12 (Reuters) - U.S. trucking company YRC Worldwide Inc (YRCW.O) has decided not to apply for money from the U.S. government’s bailout program, but instead will push for federal reform to help cope with pension problems.

YRC, based in Overland Park, Kansas, won’t submit an application with the Treasury Department under the Troubled Asset Relief Program, and instead will focus on long-term pension reform, company representative Suzanne Dawson said on Friday.

The Star:

Your next tank of gas is more likely to contain ethanol, but you probably won’t be able to tell because area gas stations don’t have to disclose that.

For the first time in months, wholesale gasoline costs more than E-10, the fuel blend that’s 10 percent ethanol and 90 percent gasoline. That has fuel retailers, who typically buy whatever is cheaper, flocking back to E-10. (more…)

The Star:

The idea for the group came from Darrel Ray, an organizational psychologist and author of “The God Virus: How Religion Infects Our Lives and Culture.” He was raised in a fundamentalist Christian church and attended seminary. But by the time he graduated, he had abandoned the notion of becoming a minister. (more…)

The Star:

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Amid rising joblessness, Willard Agee worries about something else going up - prices.

Early whiffs of inflation, from clamoring gold markets to climbing mortgage rates, have left the 70-year-old retiree searching for ways to protect the purchasing power of his life’s savings. (more…)

The Star:

The Kansas Department of Agriculture recently cited several area restaurants for four or more critical health-code violations. Most critical violations are corrected on-site at the time of the inspection.

Among the actions: (more…)

Politico:

Without much daylight between them on the issues, Kansas Republican Reps. Jerry Moran and Todd Tiahrt have seized on a novel theme in the state’s GOP Senate primary: They are trying to out-Gitmo each other.

(more…)

The Star:

The Elite Fight League of Kansas City will have to look elsewhere for a spot in which to conduct a mixed martial arts event in Kansas.

Olathe City Council members decided Tuesday during a study session to not consider a special-use permit for the company to conduct the event at the Great Mall of the Great Plains.

“I’m not upset, but I am disappointed,” Bob Boggs, one of the local sponsors, said Thursday. “The mayor said we’d get our day in court, but we didn’t even get a chance to speak.”

Boggs, who is founder and chief instructor of the Kenkukan Academy of Self Defense in Olathe, said he would have accepted the council’s decision if it would have voted against the proposal, but members wouldn’t even entertain a vote.

The Star:

Overland Park is going to battle against blighted foreclosed properties with $700,000 in federal money.

This week, the City Council agreed to create a land bank where it can buy foreclosed properties that have fallen into disrepair and pose a threat to nearby property values.

As the economy has turned sour, property maintenance has been an increasing problem in Overland Park and other cities where homes can go uncared for if they’re abandoned amid foreclosure proceedings.

LJ World:

Times change, and nowhere could this be more evident than in Lawrence’s retail business sector, particularly in downtown Lawrence. (more…)

Fox News:

Tim Latham, who has spent the last 19 years teaching students American history and government, spent the past school year at a high school in Lawrence, Kan. - and it appears his first year at the school will be his last.

Latham claims it has nothing to do with his abilities as a teacher and everything to do with his conservative politics.

The Star:

Park officials believe using sharpshooters and archers to solve Shawnee Mission Park’s deer population problem will be the quickest and most effective control method.

But they point out that it is also the most economical. (more…)

The Star:

For almost 10 years, St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Parish has celebrated mass in temporary homes - first in a middle school, then in the gym of its education center.

Now, after four years of fundraising, planning and construction, the parish is ready to open its first permanent church. On Saturday, Archbishop Joseph Naumann of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas will dedicate the nearly $16 million Leawood church and parish hall during a 4 p.m. Mass.

The dedication Mass will give most parishioners their first look at a 65,000-square foot church that, as recently as Monday, was still receiving finishing touches from a crew overseen by Overland Park general contractor Mike Johnson, owner of Excel Constructors.

The Star:

DyAnn Stilley of Leawood is one of four designers nationwide chosen to have a table on display at the Mackenzie-Childs store in New York City. The company makes hand-crafted ceramic and enamel tableware, furniture and garden accessories. (more…)

The Star:

For Jack and Carol Daniel, eight wasn’t enough. After raising eight adoptive children and seeing seven of them leave the nest, the Leawood couple will be adopting five more.

The Daniels, both pediatricians at Children’s Mercy Hospital, have adopted eight children since 1975. And even though both parents are 62 years old, they wanted to start over with another house full of children. (more…)

Star:

it’s my opinion that anyone today is probably more able to get information and make better judgments about who should have been #1 in 1919 (for example) than the Helms Foundation in 1939. I suspect they had nothing more than some memories and possibly old newspapers. Even the fact that I say “they” is in question. (more…)

Source:

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The scoreline suggests that the New England Revolution’s 3-1 loss in Kansas City was shaped by Emmanuel Osei’s 31st minute red card. (more…)

Source:

Kansas City, MO (Sports Network) - Miguel Olivo hit a two-run homer and ended with four runs batted in, as the Royals completed a three-game sweep of the Reds with a 7-1 final to cap a weekend interleague series from Kauffman Stadium. (more…)

Politico:

As the lead plaintiff inRicci v. DeStefano - which has emerged as the most discussed case decided by President Barack Obama’s first nominee for the high court - he’s a wanted media commodity. And for a time, he seemed to embrace the spotlight. (more…)

Politico:

Vice President Joe Biden said Sunday that “there’s some real doubt” that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was legitimately reelected president of Iran, going further than any other high-ranking American official in questioning the validity of Friday’s election. (more…)

Politico:

Mitt Romney, a once and maybe future presidential candidate, calls Iran’s presidential results “a fraud” and urged President Barack Obama to speak out against the disputed re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Obama, Romney said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” should “indicate that this has been a terribly managed decision by the autocratic regime in Iran.”

Politico:

Two House Democrats,Joe Sestakof Pennsylvania and Carolyn Maloney of New York, are poised to defy the unambiguous wishes of Obama and challenge incumbent senators of their own party.

(more…)

Column:

The Tiller assassination garnered three stories, an editorial and a column (mine) over the following two days, and a week later a front-page story, whereas The Chronicle ran two national briefs about the military-recruiter attack, on Page A5 one day, and Page A6 the next. Other media underplayed the domestic terrorist attack as well.

For me, the reason is pretty obvious: Stories that reinforce journalists’ political beliefs rate the front page or top of their newscasts; stories that do not are not considered big news. Chronicle Managing Editor Steve Proctor told me he disagrees: “People do not make decisions like that based on their political beliefs.”

Rasmussen:

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Sunday shows that 34% of the nation’s voters now Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Thirty-two percent (32%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of +2 (see trends). (more…)

Rasmussen:

The Rasmussen Consumer Index, which measures the economic confidence of consumers on a daily basis, was up two points on Sunday to 71.8. The index is now down a point from a week ago and down three points from one month ago. However, today’s index is up twelve points from its first reading of 2009. (more…)

TIME:

Biden tells “Meet the Press” that “everyone guessed wrong” on the impact of the stimulus, economy was worse off than anyone thought.

Backs away from the estimate that the funds could create or save 3.5 million jobs, instead promises 600,000 by the end of the summer.

Post:

“New search engines have come and gone in the past 10 years, but Bing seems to be of particular interest to Sergey,” said one insider, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The move by Brin is unusual, as it is rare these days for the Google founders to have such hands-on involvement in day-to-day operations at the company, the source added. (more…)

AFP:

Israel is headed for a clash with main ally the United States over the issue of Jewish settlements, former US president Jimmy Carter said in an interview on Sunday.
Asked by the liberal Haaretz newspaper whether the Jewish state was looking at a “head-on collision” with the United States if it doesn’t comply with Washington’s demands, Carter said “Yes.” (more…)

AP:

NEW YORK (AP) - Another Obama relative has a book deal.

A memoir by George Obama, the president’s half brother and a resident of Huruma, Kenya, will be published by Simon & Schuster in January 2010. George Obama, 27, shares the same father with his famous, older half sibling, although George and Barack Obama-20 years apart in age-did not grow up together and did not meet as children.

UK Daily Mail:

There is also a private submarine, which doubles as an escape pod.

The project has been shrouded in such secrecy that at one point the shipbuilders would only say that a yacht called Eclipse was being built somewhere in Germany. Needless to say, they would not confirm who had bought it.

But there is little doubt that 40-year-old Abramovich who already owns four luxury vessels, is the proud owner.

According to industry experts, the Eclipse has been specifically designed to overshadow the world’s current largest private yacht, a 525-footer owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai.

Abramovich’s new toy is due to be delivered in 2010 and will join the rest of his fleet. None of his ships  - the Pelorus (377ft), the Ecstasea ( 282ft) and the Sussurro (161ft) - are insubstantial but the Eclipse will dwarf them all.

The oil magnate, who is the 11th richest man in the world according to Forbes, uses his yachts for very specific purposes.

Source:

The cloudy, chilly and rainy open to June here has been the talk of the town. So far this June is running more than 12 degrees cooler than last year, and the clouds, rain and chilly lake winds have been persistent. The average temperature at O’Hare International Airport through Friday has been only 59.5 degrees: nearly 7 degrees below normal and the coldest since records there began 50 years ago.

Source:

Last fall, the 16-year-old sophomore was accused of posting personal information on 250 district employees on his personal Web site. And now police say he built an application to shut teachers out of the grading system.

State Police spokeswoman Maureen Tuffey said Beighey was arrested Wednesday and charged with two misdemeanors: unauthorized use of a computer and third-degree identity theft. He was issued an appearance ticket and ordered to return to court Wednesday. His parents could not be reached for comment.

AFP:

The mayor of Hiroshima — one of the two Japanese cities obliterated by US atom bombs during World War II — on Sunday denounced North Korea for threatening to build more nuclear weapons, a report said.
“I am furious, with them (North Korea) for defying strong protests from the international community, including Hiroshima, the city attacked in an atomic bombing,” mayor Tadatoshi Akiba said in a statement, as reported by Jiji Press.

AP:

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea’s communist regime has warned of a nuclear war on the Korean peninsula while vowing to step up its atomic bomb-making program in defiance of new U.N. sanctions.

The North’s defiance presents a growing diplomatic headache for President Barack Obama as he prepares for talks Tuesday with his South Korean counterpart on the North’s missile and nuclear programs.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak told security-related ministers during an unscheduled meeting Sunday to “resolutely and squarely” cope with the North’s latest threat, his office said. Lee is to leave for the U.S. on Monday morning.

AP:

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Protesters battled police over Iran’s disputed election and shouted their opposition from the rooftops Sunday, but President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dismissed the unrest as little more than “passions after a soccer match” and drew his own huge rally of support.

Just after sundown, cries of “death to the dictator” echoed through Tehran as thousands of backers for Ahmadinejad’s rival, Mir Hossein Mousavi, heeded a call to bellow from the roofs and balconies. The deeply symbolic act recalled the shouts of “Allahu Akbar,” or God is Great, to show opposition to the Western-backed monarchy before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.