Testimony ends over Nuclear One death
Testimony ended Wednesday on a part of a lawsuit filed against Entergy Corp. by the family of a worker for a subcontractor who was killed in a 2013 accident at Arkansas Nuclear One.
The hearing was in Russellville before an administrative law judge for the Workers' Compensation Commission.
The lawsuit was filed by the family of Wade Walters, 24, who was killed in the March 2013 accident, and two other workers who were injured. A 1 million pound piece of equipment collapsed, falling through the second level floor to the first level of the nuclear plant, injuring eight workers and killing Walters.
A part of the case was moved to the Workers' Compensation Commission because Entergy contends that it should be considered the employer for the workers. As such, it would face lesser liability. The three worked for Precision Surveillance Corp.
The judge asked attorneys to file post-hearing briefs after a transcript of the hearing becomes available, said Sach Oliver, lead attorney for the workers. The judge could make a final ruling on whether Entergy was employer for the men after March 1, Oliver said.
-- David Smith
Zoo, brewery heir vie to buy Grant's Farm
ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Zoo wants to buy the sprawling animal park Grant's Farm from the heirs of August Busch Jr. for about $30 million, but one son of the beer baron is making his own offer to keep it in the family.
Grant's Farm has drawn 25 million guests since it opened in 1954 on a farmlike setting in south St. Louis County. Zoo leaders said Wednesday the deal would triple the zoo's acreage, add a third campus and allow for an extensive breeding site for endangered animals.
Jeffrey Bonner, president and chief executive officer of the St. Louis Zoo, said the zoo would keep the features that have made Grant's Farm "a truly unique attraction for decades."
Anheuser-Busch InBev, formed when InBev purchased Anheuser-Busch from the Busch family in 2008, currently leases the Grant's Farm land from the family, and has agreed to donate about $27 million to the zoo for the purchase.
The deal would likely require residents of St. Louis city and some surrounding counties to approve an added tax to fund annual park operation costs.
The sale will go through if a St. Louis judge agrees with four of six Busch heirs to release the land from a trust.
One of August Busch Jr.'s children, William Busch, is making his own bid at a "comparable price."
-- The Associated Press
30-year mortgage rate declines a hair
WASHINGTON -- Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates edged slightly lower this week after two straight weeks of sharp increases. Expectations persist that the Federal Reserve may soon raise its key short-term interest rate.
Mortgage giant Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average rate on a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage slipped to 3.97 percent from 3.98 percent a week earlier. The key 30-year rate was close to its level of a year ago, 3.99 percent.
The rate on 15-year, fixed-rate mortgages declined to 3.18 percent from 3.20 percent.
While the Fed kept the key rate at a record low near zero, it recently signaled the possibility that a rate increase could come at its next meeting in December. Fed officials believed last month that the economic conditions needed to trigger the first interest rate increase in nearly a decade could "well be met" by that time, minutes of their October discussions released Wednesday showed.
To calculate average mortgage rates, Freddie Mac, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., surveys lenders across the country at the beginning of each week. The average doesn't include extra fees, known as points, which most borrowers must pay to get the lowest rates. One point equals 1 percent of the loan amount.
The average fee for a 30-year mortgage was unchanged from last week at 0.6 point. The fee for a 15-year loan declined to 0.5 point from 0.6 point.
-- The Associated Press
In first, genetically altered salmon OK'd
U.S. regulators on Thursday approved production of a genetically engineered animal for the first time, allowing AquaBounty Technologies Inc. to begin marketing its faster-growing salmon.
The Food and Drug Administration cleared AquAdvantage Salmon, which has added genes that allow the fish to grow quickly and larger. It's a victory for AquaBounty after a two-decade struggle to be able to sell the animal to farmers.
The FDA "determined that they have met the regulatory requirements for approval, including that food from the fish is safe to eat," said Bernadette Dunham, director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine.
The decision is also part of an effort by the FDA to adapt to the rapidly changing world of genetically modified food. The agency also released guidelines Thursday for food companies that want to label their plant-derived products either as genetically engineered or as containing no genetically engineered ingredients. Food manufacturers aren't required to label their products with the information but can do so voluntarily.
In the new guidelines, the FDA relies on the term "food derived from genetically engineered plants," rather than "genetically modified" or "genetically modified organism," though it won't take action against companies that use the initials "GMO."
-- Bloomberg News
Bank's debit card can be used in Cuba
HAVANA -- American travelers who carry in wads of cash while visiting to Cuba will now have a debit-card option.
Stonegate Bank of Pompano, Fla., announced Thursday that it is offering a debit MasterCard for use on the island.
The bank said U.S. travelers will be able to use the card at any of Cuba's 10,000 hotels, restaurants and other sites.
MasterCard announced in January that it would begin handling U.S. card transactions in Cuba, but most credit-card issuers still prohibited transactions on the island.
Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro announced plans to restore relations between the former Cold War foes nearly a year ago. The U.S. lifted a ban on U.S. banks and credit-card companies from doing business in Cuba as part of the normalization.
-- The Associated Press
Business on 11/20/2015