Control tower darkening plan criticized
Washington Control towers at some airports could go dark between midnight and 5 a.m. under a cost-cutting plan the government is considering.
The air traffic controllers’ union says the move would compromise safety. Lawmakers worry it could lead to service reductions in their states.
Spokane International Airport is one of 48 airports the Federal Aviation Administration is considering for reduced staffing hours.
FAA spokesman Greg Martin said the agency is looking to adjust staffing to meet changes in demand. The FAA has not made a final decision and is reviewing each airport, he said.
There are 48 airports that handle few commercial and cargo flights in those five late-night hours.
Circuit City to close 19 superstores
Richmond, Va. Circuit City Stores Inc., the nation’s No. 2 chain of consumer electronics stores, said Wednesday it will close 19 superstores, five regional offices and a distribution center by the month’s end as it attempts to improve its lagging finances.
The retailer also said it has sold one of its buildings in its Richmond, Va., corporate campus.
W. Alan McCollough, Circuit City’s chief executive officer, said an analysis showed that the poor-performing stores are in locations that can no longer support the chain’s superstores.
Circuit City’s board of directors is evaluating the $17-a-share bid from Highfields, which believe the retailer’s operations will improve if it is taken private.
Vioxx lawsuits to be heard in Louisiana
Trenton, N.J. Federal lawsuits alleging the blockbuster arthritis drug Vioxx hurt patients will be transferred to a Louisiana judge for coordinated handling of discovery and other pretrial proceedings.
A panel of federal judges on Wednesday assigned all pending Vioxx product liability lawsuits against manufacturer Merck & Co. Inc. to Judge Eldon E. Fallon of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana in New Orleans, according to the company and plaintiffs’ attorneys.
The judicial panel on multi-district litigation in Fort Myers, Fla. last month heard arguments from Merck and from plaintiffs’ attorneys on possible locations to handle pretrial steps in the massive litigation.
Those steps include overseeing depositions of witnesses, document collection and deciding on pretrial motions filed by either side. The panel announced its decision Wednesday afternoon.
Beanie Baby maker loses ruling
Chicago The company that makes Beanie Baby toys must forfeit more than $700,000 after a federal judge found that owner H. Ty Warner tampered with a witness in a trademark case.
U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow ordered Westmont, Ill.-based Ty Inc. to pay back $716,046 it had won in its trademark-infrigement lawsuit against Softbelly’s Inc., another toy maker.
Ty Inc.’s Beanie Babies, plush-covered, pellet-stuffed animals, sparked a collectors craze in the 1990s, making creator Warner a billionaire.
In 2000, Ty Inc. sued California-based Softbelly’s over a plush toy it marketed as a computer-monitor cleaner, called “Screenie Beanies.” Ty Inc. alleged trademark infringement for use of the word “Beanie.”
According to court documents, Softbelly’s argued that the term Beanie had become generic and was not a brand name. The company planned to call Harold Nizamian, a former executive at plush-toy company Dakin Inc., as an expert witness.