LITTLE ROCK — Britney Spears announced Friday that shehas ended her yearlong engagement, capping a week of changes that included her leaving The X Factor andpromising fans she was returning her focus to music. Within hours of confirming her departure from the Fox reality series, Spears also announced that her relationship with talent agent Jason Trawick had ended. Trawick also resigned his role Friday as a Spears’ co-conservator, with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Reva Goetz approving his departure from the case. Spears and Trawick were engaged in December 2011 and he was added as her co-conservator in April. Spears, 31, has been under a court-supervised conservatorship since February 2008, with her father and another co-conservator, lawyer Andrew Wallet, having control over numerous aspects of her personal life.The case was opened after several incidents of erratic behavior by the pop singer and a pair of hospitalizations. Trawick has served as Spears’ agent, and the pair started dating in 2009. He did not have authority over Spears’ finances.

The auction for the Seattle-based Tully’s Coffee chain concluded Friday in federal bankruptcy court, with a judge approving the sale to an ownership group ledby actor Patrick Dempsey. Dempsey had claimed victory earlier this month after bidding concluded, but a company that teamed up with Starbucks to make an offer for Tully’s filed an objection. AgriNurture Inc. had said it was still willing to proceed with its combined bid with Starbucks Corp. of about $10.6 million. The bid from Dempsey’s company, Global Baristas LLC, was for $9.2 million. At a hearing Friday afternoon, Judge Karen Overstreet said the Jan. 4 auction was fair and no mistakes had been made. Dempsey said he was “thrilled that we prevailed.” Starbucks spokesman Zack Hutson said the company respected the judge’s decision.

Front Section, Pages 2 on 01/13/2013