In brief: BofA building dims lights for Earth Day
Bank tellers worked in the dark Tuesday as visitors to the Bank of America Financial Center in downtown Spokane climbed frozen escalators.
Building owner Unico Properties LLC cut the lights over the lunch hour to celebrate Earth Day by conserving energy. Unico left main building systems running but darkened common areas and restrooms.
“The majority of the building did participate,” said Chrissy McCullough, property manager.
Seattle-based Unico previously estimated that would save 250 kilowatts of energy.
The company also is replacing all incandescent light bulbs in the 330,000-square-foot, 20-story tower with compact fluorescent bulbs, installing heating and air conditioning controls, encouraging bicycle commuting and cleaning in groups to reduce lighting use, among other measures.
In a noon ceremony, Mayor Mary Verner praised Unico for taking “green” steps in an existing building. Verner said she envisions trying to fashion Spokane as a hub of sustainability. She handed out fluorescent bulbs to building employees with Unico CEO and President Dale Sperling.
Sperling, a Spokane native, said the company did not want to take a chance its buildings could be conceived as obsolete.
“Every little bit counts,” he said.
– Parker Howell
SAN JOSE, Calif.
EBay sues Craigslist, claiming share dilution
In a move that pits two of the Internet’s most popular sites against each other, eBay Inc. sued Craigslist on Tuesday, alleging the classifieds company unfairly tried to dilute the online auctioneer’s stake in it.
EBay purchased a 28 percent stake in privately held Craigslist in 2004.
But in January, eBay says, Craigslist’s board, consisting of founder Craig Newmark and chief executive Jim Buckmaster, unilaterally acted to dilute eBay’s economic interest in Craigslist by more than 10 percent.
EBay, the world’s largest online auctioneer, was an unsolicited suitor to quirky Craigslist in 2004. An unnamed former Craigslist shareholder sought out eBay and sealed a deal whose financial terms were never disclosed.
At the time, Newmark said the companies had similar philosophies, but Craigslist spokeswoman Susan MacTavish Best said, “Craigslist has never sought any outside money, and that’s not going to change.”
EBay said at the time of the deal that it was interested in learning about the classifieds business, a portion of its own site that’s been growing rapidly in recent years.
San Jose-based eBay made $7.7 billion in revenue in 2007 and has 279 million registered users. It is the 17th most popular English-language site, according to traffic ranking site Alexa, while Craigslist ranks 45th.
Craigslist, based in San Francisco, has never disclosed revenue figures, and charges for job ads and apartment listings only in select cities.
– Associated Press
WASHINGTON
Meat industry backs downer cattle ban
In a significant reversal, the meat industry is backing a total ban on so-called downer cattle from entering the food supply.
Calls for such a ban have come from watchdog groups in the wake of the massive beef recall from a Southern California slaughterhouse.
Current law bans slaughter of most cows that are unable to stand, but they’re allowed in if they fall down after passing a veterinarian’s inspection and then are re-inspected.
Advocacy groups call that a loophole, but the Agriculture Department and the meat industry opposed changing it.
Now industry has reconsidered.
The American Meat Institute, the National Meat Association and the National Milk Producers Federation announced Tuesday that they have asked the Agriculture Department to enact a total ban.
– Associated Press