In brief: Tours highlight green construction

Homeowners on Sunday can learn about techniques for going green, such as a custom-built straw bale home, a green kitchen remodel or an urban chicken coop designed with reclaimed materials.

The projects are on display throughout Spokane County as part of the second annual Green + Solar Home & Landscape Tour and Information Fair.

The free information fair will be held 2-6 p.m. at Eco Depot, 1326 East Sprague Ave., Spokane.

In addition, tickets are on sale for tours of new and remodeled projects showcasing differing sustainable design styles, construction strategies and lifestyle choices. Tickets range from $8 to $25 and can be picked up at Green Salon & Day Spa, 227 W. Riverside Ave., Spokane.

The $8 rate is for those who wish to take a bicycle tour of five projects on the South Hill. Sunday is SpokeFest, the annual bike event with a series of route choices for riders.

The tour is sponsored by the Washington Department of Ecology, the Northwest Eco-Building Guild and the Emerging Green Builders.

Tour booklets and tickets are on sale at Auntie’s Bookstore, Eco Depot and the Main Market Co-op. Tickets can be purchased at Green Salon & Day Spa on Sunday morning.

Information: http://sustainable septemberspokane.org.

Staff reports

New CEO at GM getting same pay

DETROIT – New General Motors Co. CEO Daniel Akerson will get the same $9 million pay package as the man he replaced, Ed Whitacre.

Akerson, a former telecommunications industry and private equity executive, will receive $1.7 million in annual salary, $5.3 million in short-term stock payable over the next three years, and another $2 million in stock that’s part of the company’s long-term executive compensation plan.

The automaker, which is 60.8 percent owned by the U.S. government, disclosed the pay package in a filing on Friday with the Securities and Exchange Commission. It is identical to what the company disclosed for Whitacre in February.

Associated Press

Starr pleads guilty to high-profile fraud

NEW YORK – A financial adviser who has worked for Wesley Snipes, Sylvester Stallone and Martin Scorsese pleaded guilty to fraud charges Friday, admitting cheating wealthy and elderly clients out of tens of millions of dollars in what his lawyer said was a “colossal error in judgment.”

Kenneth I. Starr, 66, stood in his blue prison uniform as he entered the plea in U.S. District Court in Manhattan to charges of wire fraud, money laundering and investment adviser fraud.

He has been jailed since his May arrest, unable to meet the terms of a $10 million bail package despite his relationships with wealthy and influential people among his roster of 200 clients.

Starr admitted committing investment adviser fraud since 2005, losing between $20 million and $50 million of his clients’ money.

Starr and prosecutors agreed in court papers filed with the plea that federal sentencing guidelines call for him to spend 10 to 12 ½ years in prison, though he is permitted to request an alternate sentence, which defense attorney Laura Edwards said she intends to do. Sentencing was set for Dec. 15.

Associated Press