Aspen Skiing Co. plans new Sun Valley hotel

ASPEN, Colo. – Aspen Skiing Co. plans to build a hotel in Ketchum, Idaho, modeled on its Limelight Hotel in Aspen.

The company said Tuesday the hotel will be near Sun Valley’s River Run base at Bald Mountain. It will also be called the Limelight.

Aspen Skiing bought the property from Bald Mountain LLC. No cost figures were released.

The company said the site has approval for 119 rooms and suites and 11 residential units. The company said it will ask Ketchum city officials for minor modifications in the plans, including a reconfiguration of the main floor.

The Aspen Limelight has 126 rooms. Aspen Skiing Co. bought it in 2010.

Pimco money manager hit by sanctions, fired

Pacific Investment Management Co. said it dismissed the money manager of two small funds after he was fined by a self-regulatory body for making improper trades.

Rahul Seksaria, who ran two Pimco funds that offered inflation-protection strategies, last week was barred from trading for three months by CME Group Inc., the owner of the Chicago Board of Trade and other exchanges, for trades dating to 2012. The alleged profit was $2,675.

Pimco disclosed his dismissal Tuesday.

“The two funds Seksaria had run, Pimco Real Income 2029 and Pimco Real Income 2019, were liquidated Nov. 14, according to Pimco’s website.

On Dec. 17, CME levied sanctions against Seksaria that also included a $65,000 fine and an order to return the gain.

The unusual public dismissal is something of footnote to a tumultuous year for Pimco, which had been roiled by investor defections and management turmoil including the noisy and abrupt departure in September of its high-profile fund manager, Bill Gross.

Investor outflows from Pimco’s signature Total Return fund jumped to more than $32 billion in October alone, but have since stabilized, according to Morningstar Inc., the Chicago mutual-fund research firm.

White Castle offering sliders for vegetarians

NEW YORK — White Castle is offering a vegetarian version of its famous sliders, but they’re not necessarily for dieters.

The hamburger chain said it will offer the Veggie Slider for 99 cents each for a limited time at its 400 locations in 12 states.

The sliders range between 150 and 270 calories, with customers able to choose from three sauces — honey mustard, ranch and sweet Thai. Regular beef sliders range between 140 and 220 calories, depending on the topping, according to White Castle’s website.

The chain, based in Columbus, Ohio, said the sliders are made with Dr. Praeger’s veggie patty and include carrots, zucchini, peas and spinach. A spokesman, Todd Hutchins, said they were tested this past summer in New York and New Jersey.

White Castle Vice President Jamie Richardson said in a statement the company is committed to “listening to our customers and keeping up with changing tastes” with new menu items.

A petition on Change.org asking McDonald’s to offer a veggie burger had more than 107,000 supporters. Chipotle has also been rolling out a “Sofritas” vegan tofu topping for its burritos and bowls, and executives have noted the offering has appeal even for meat eaters.