Carolina Panthers (12-5)

Open Camp: July 26, Wofford College, Spartanburg, S.C.

Last Year: Won NFC South and earned first-round bye, but lost at home to San Francisco in divisional playoffs. Coach Ron Rivera got extension.

Important Additions: WRs Kelvin Benjamin, Jerricho Cotchery, Jason Avant, and Tiquan Underwood; TE Ed Dickson; CB Antoine Cason; Ss Roman Harper and Thomas DeCoud; DE Kony Ealy.

Important Losses: WRs Steve Smith, Brandon LaFell and Ted Ginn Jr.; LT Jordan Gross; G Geoff Hangartner; CBs Captain Munnerlyn and CB Drayton Florence; S Mike Mitchell.

Camp Needs: Getting QB Cam Newton healthy following offseason ankle surgery; he should be ready to go for camp. Newton has new group of receivers, so developing chemistry is priority. Secondary remains question with potentially three new starters in Cason, Harper and DeCoud. Offensive line is young, team needs stability at left tackle and both guard spots.

Expectations: Panthers are looking to make playoffs in back-to-back seasons for first time, which wont be easy given free agent departures. If Panthers are to be successful, they need to develop cohesiveness quickly on offense.

New Orleans Saints (11-5)

Open Camp: July 24, White Sulphur Spring, W.V.

Last Year: Coach Sean Payton returned from one-year bounty ban and Saints went to playoffs for fourth time in five seasons, also won first road playoff game in franchise history in Philadelphia. Drew Brees eclipsed 5,000 yards passing and passed for at least 39 TDs for third straight season. Rob Ryan joined as defensive coordinator and improved New Orleans ranking from last to fourth. Saints season ended in divisional round at eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle.

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NFC South

Officials of PM Hospitality Strategies, Inc. (PMHS), a leading, national hotel management company, announced today that it capped off a record second quarter growth spurt with the recent addition/opening of three hotels, bringing to four the number of properties added to the company's rapidly growing, third-party hotel management portfolio in the past 10 weeks.

The three new hotels include the operator's entry into Manhattan under the Homewood Suites by Hilton brand, the acquisition of the Hilton Knoxville, Tennessee and the opening of the Hampton Inn & Suites Wilmington Christiana, its fourth property in Delaware along the busy I-95 corridor. The additions round out the previously announced second quarter opening of the Westin Wilmington, DE. All of the hotels are owned by The Buccini/Pollin Group, a privately held, full service, real estate acquisition, development and management company.

"We significantly expanded our infrastructure more than a year ago in anticipation of accommodating rapid growth by a select group of institutional grade investors with whom we work," said Joseph Bojanowski, president of PMHS. "On the new-builds, we directed all construction and pre-opening activities. Operationally, we are seeing very rapid ramp-up as all three hotels are being well received in their respective communities. We have taken over management of the Knoxville hotel seamlessly, which already is benefiting from our proprietary operating and marketing systems."

"PMHS has a proven track record of working with well-respected brands in primary markets and secondary markets with significant barriers to entry to dynamically improve their bottom lines," said Dave Pollin, of The Buccini/Pollin Group. "During the course of our relationship, PMHS has consistently delivered premium performance, including on the bottom line. PMHS is well positioned as a true, national player to help us achieve our ambitious growth objectives. We look forward to expanding our relationship with PMHS as we both continue to grow."

The four new hotels added in the second quarter include:

Homewood Suites New York Midtown Manhattan Times Square South The brand's first entry into Manhattan is located just three blocks from Times Square at 312 West 37thSt. and also is the brand's largest hotel at 293 over-sized suites. Each suite is 25 percent more spacious than the typical Manhattan hotel room. The hotel's unique design includes: a two-story lobby waterfall, a seasonal rooftop deck and garden terrace. The 22-story, all-suite property is owned by West 37th Street Operator LLC, a joint venture between The Buccini/Pollin Group, Albanese Development Corporation and Rockwood Capital.

"This property exceeded occupancy projections in its first week," said Bojanowski. "We created a number of tailored marketing campaigns that are attracting a strong customer base and providing a great return on investment."

Hilton Knoxville Situated in the heart of the business district and within walking distance of the University of Tennessee and the Knoxville Convention Center, the 320-room property was acquired by the The Buccini/Pollin Group. PMHS will oversee a selective renovation to the hotel, which will include public spaces, function rooms and guest rooms.

"The Hilton Knoxville has the premiere location in the city and with the completion of the renovation will be the city's 'newest' hotel," Bojanowski noted. "The renovation will be done in phases to essentially eliminate any guest disruptions."

Hampton Inn & Suites Wilmington Christiana -- The recent opening of the 136-room, Delaware State Green Certified Hotel is the company's second new build to open in Delaware in the second quarter of 2014 and is the first Hampton Inn & Suites in the market.

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PMHS Adds Three Hotels, Including First Property in Manhattan

(PRWEB UK) 16 July 2014

Kew Green Management has secured seven new management opportunities during the second quarter of 2014, including two Holiday Inn Hotels, four Ramada Encore Hotels and The Grand Brighton.

The seven hotels include:

We are delighted to have added these hotels to our portfolio and look forward to seeing them continue to develop under our management. These additions are part of our continued strategy to grow our managed division, alongside our owned estate, with a target to reach a portfolio of in excess of 60 hotels commented Paul Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of Kew Green Hotels Ltd.

Kew Green Hotels now operate 37 hotels across the UK under 6 major brands; Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Crowne Plaza, Days Hotel, Ramada and Courtyard by Marriott. They also operate The Richmond Hill Hotel, a four star property in South West London and The Grand Brighton.

Ends

For further information, please contact: Our marketing department on marketing(at)kewgreen(dot)co(dot)uk or for more information on Kew Green Hotels Limited visit http://www.kewgreen.co.uk/

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Kew Green Hotels secure seven new management contracts during the second quarter of 2014!

EAT

New Menu Additions

Xoco 449 N. Clark St. 312-334-3688

The restaurant's second location in Wicker Park is scheduled to open in early August, but until then, head to River North to fill up on dishes such as a poc chuc torta (wood-grilled pork, tomato, Napa cabbage, cilantro-lime crema, habanero; $12). 8 a.m.-9 p.m.

DRINK

Publishing Cocktails

Resi's Bierstube 2034 W. Irving Park Road 773-472-1749

Bring a wrapped book to swap with other readers and writersand be prepared to rave about it to the person who snags itat this beer garden mixer from the folks at City Lit Books. Refresh yourself with $3 Krombacher Weizen bottles, $4 Stiegl Goldbrau lager tallboys, a dozen German beers on tap and dining options including a $6.50 Coney Island dog featuring a Paulina Market frank, housemade chili, cheese and onions. 6:30 p.m. No cover.

Founders Brewing Big Beer Tapping

Sheffield's 3258 N. Sheffield Ave. 773-281-4989

The rest is here:
Tuesday: Eat. Drink. Do.

Tracie Hunter: Judge denies motion to dismiss criminal charges, trial to begin in September Tracie Hunter: Judge denies motion to dismiss criminal charges, trial to begin in September

Updated: Tuesday, July 15 2014 11:48 AM EDT2014-07-15 15:48:46 GMT

Updated: Tuesday, July 15 2014 11:19 AM EDT2014-07-15 15:19:51 GMT

Updated: Tuesday, July 15 2014 11:16 AM EDT2014-07-15 15:16:39 GMT

Updated: Tuesday, July 15 2014 11:16 AM EDT2014-07-15 15:16:36 GMT

Updated: Tuesday, July 15 2014 11:13 AM EDT2014-07-15 15:13:58 GMT

Officials are investigating the cause of a house fire early Tuesday morning in Colerain Township.

A neighbor reported the fire just before 3:45 a.m. in the 2700 block of Breezy Way. Upon arrival, crews found heavy smoke and flames coming from the first and second floors of a two-story home.

Authorities said live electrical wires from a telephone pole to the house were also down in the front yard, creating an additional hazard to responding firefighters.

According to the Colerain Fire Department, the house had undergone several additions and renovations. The fire spread from the second floor into the attic and along void spaces in the walls, making the flames difficult to contain.

See original here:
Fires break out Tuesday morning in Colerain Township, Kenton County

Tracie Hunter: Judge denies motion to dismiss criminal charges, trial to begin in September Tracie Hunter: Judge denies motion to dismiss criminal charges, trial to begin in September

Updated: Tuesday, July 15 2014 11:41 AM EDT2014-07-15 15:41:14 GMT

Updated: Tuesday, July 15 2014 11:19 AM EDT2014-07-15 15:19:51 GMT

Updated: Tuesday, July 15 2014 11:16 AM EDT2014-07-15 15:16:39 GMT

Updated: Tuesday, July 15 2014 11:16 AM EDT2014-07-15 15:16:36 GMT

Updated: Tuesday, July 15 2014 11:13 AM EDT2014-07-15 15:13:58 GMT

Officials are investigating the cause of a house fire early Tuesday morning in Colerain Township.

A neighbor reported the fire just before 3:45 a.m. in the 2700 block of Breezy Way. Upon arrival, crews found heavy smoke and flames coming from the first and second floors of a two-story home.

Authorities said live electrical wires from a telephone pole to the house were also down in the front yard, creating an additional hazard to responding firefighters.

According to the Colerain Fire Department, the house had undergone several additions and renovations. The fire spread from the second floor into the attic and along void spaces in the walls, making the flames difficult to contain.

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Fire causes heavy damage to Colerain Township home

July 14, 2014 - Texas League (TL) Tulsa Drillers The Tulsa Drillers took the second game of a four-game series with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals at Arvest Ballpark in Springdale Monday night by a final score of 6-4.

The contest was not the cleanest, as it saw five errors (two for Tulsa, three for Northwest Arkansa), three wild pitches (all from Tulsa), a balk and an ejection.

The Drillers got off to a great start, thanks in part due to a defensive miscue from Northwest Arkansas. Delta Cleary Jr. led off the game and reached base on a fielding error by Naturals first baseman Max Ramirez. The speedy Cleary Jr. proceeded to steal second and moved to third on a single by Christhian Adames.

In the next at-bat, Taylor Featherston catapulted his team-leading 24th double over the head of left fielder Justin Trapp to clear the bases and put Tulsa up 2-0.

Still at 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth, an interesting play occurred. Micah Gibbs reached first after Will Swanner was charged with a missed catch error. Tulsa manager Kevin Riggs adamantly disagreed with the call, however, and was ejected after arguing with first base umpire Clay Park.

The Drillers extended their lead to 3-0 in the top of the fifth, but missed an opportunity to put more runs on the board. After Adames led off with a single, Featherston tripled to right field to easily score Adames. However, Andy Ferguson would get Brian Humphries to ground out and then struck out the next two batters to strand Featherston at third.

The Naturals responded by manufacturing a run in the home half of the fifth. Ethan Chapman reached on an infield bunt single, moved to second on a sac bunt and scored on Orlando Calixte's base knock.

The teams would again exchange blows by each scoring one run in the seventh inning. Delta Cleary Jr. led off the top of the seventh with his second home run of the season.

For Northwest Arkansas, Chapman again used his speed to produce a run. After another infield single, Chapman stole second and scored on Angel Franco's ensuing hit back up the middle.

For the third time in the game, the two teams would again score one apiece in the same inning, this time in the eighth inning. One of Tulsa's new additions, Will Swanner, led off the top of the eighth with a double after a high chopper defected off of the outstretched glove of Calixte and allowed Swanner to take an extra base.

Link:
Drillers Survive Sloppy Game in Springdale

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES -When sales of the condominiums at the Barker Block began early this year, real estate watchers were paying close attention. The 68 units in the Arts District were the first new for-sale residences in Downtown to hit the market in more than a year.

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The questions were simple: Would people actually buy a home in post-recession Downtown? If so, how much were they willing to spend?

Now, the answers are pretty clear: The appetite to buy is voracious, and although prices may not have eclipsed the $600 per square foot that they reached before the economy tanked in 2008, they have gotten pretty close.

Sixty-six of the 68 units in the Arts District complex have sold. With many buyers paying more than the asking price, and with a few bidding wars, real estate experts expect the interest in owning in the Central City to remain high.

You no longer have to sell Downtown as a terrific place to live, said Alan Mark, president and founding partner of the Mark Company, a real estate, marketing and sales firm based in San Francisco that tracks condominium sales.

The Barker Block sales were spurred not just by the scarcity of Downtown condos, Mark said, but also by the renaissance of the area, with stores, restaurants and other businesses opening. He also pointed to the walkability of the community and the access to public transportation.

The first phase of the Barker Block, developed by the Kor Group with 242 condos, opened in 2006. Then the recession hit, scuttling plans for the next phase.

It took until spring 2013 for the project to move forward again. Thats when CityView, a development firm run by former U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Henry Cisneros, teamed with investment firm Blackstone on the second phase. The $25 million project (with marketing help from the Kor Group) included units ranging from approximately 675-2,000 square feet.

The highest asking price in the bunch was a two-story residence listed at $739,000. Multiple offers pushed the sale price north of $1 million, said Con Howe, managing director of CityView.

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Barker Block Sells 66 of Its 68 Condos

Sterlingstarred for Liverpool in the second half of last season, finishing the term with nine goals in 33 Premier League appearances as the Anfield club finished runners-up behind Manchester City.

Like Ibe is now, Sterling started last term at the age of 18 but Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has shown he is not afraid to give youth the chance to shine if they are good enough.

Ibe got a taste of first-team action with aloan stint at Championship outfit Birmingham City.

And the England Under-19 international is hoping to kick on this season and follow in Sterling's footsteps.

"He's only a year older than me so I need to follow in his footsteps, and watch all of the other attacking players," Ibe told Liverpool's official website.

"He's done well and scored a lot of goals.

"He's working hard all the time in training and impressing the manager. Because he's young, players are helping him, so hopefully they can do the same for me."

Ibe has set his sights on more first-team action at Liverpool this season but knows the club may make several further additions to their squad after the sale of Luis Suarez to Barcelona for a reported 75million.

Liverpool have already signed Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert and Emre Can in the close-season and Ibe knows he must perform in pre-season to keep in contention.

"For me personally, I'm trying to get into the first team and hopefully get minutes," he added.

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Ibe hoping to follow Sterling footsteps

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) -- Firefighters say they're "pretty sure" they know what caused a fire early Monday morning, but have not finished their investigation.

The fire at 521 Union Street was reported by a neighbor around 5:15 a.m. Monday. Eau Claire Fire and Rescue says the fire apparently started in the front porch area, then spread up a wall and into the roof area of the two-story house. Firefighters had some difficulty getting to the fire, in part, because of different additions to the house. There were five people in the house at the time, and they tried to put it out before crews got there. They all ended up escaping. A cat escaped too. Nobody was hurt. Investigators say the circumstances surrounding the fire are "not suspicious in any way."

The fire caused nearly $35,000 in damage. The fire department says the home is considered a local landmark. Battalion Chief Tim Deziel says electrician Asa Foreman built the stick-style home in the late 1800's and lived there until 1903. That's when someone from the Daniel Shaw Lumber Company bought it. -------------------------------------------- EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) -- Fire crews knocked down a house fire in downtown Eau Claire early Monday morning. It happened at 521 Union Street around 5:30am.

Dispatchers quickly issued a second-alarm. A man who says he lives in the house tells WEAU 13 News a number of students live in the duplex. He says the fire started while they were sleeping, everyone escaped safely, and no one was hurt. So far no word on how the fire started.

We'll continue following this story and we'll update this story as we gather new information.

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NEW INFORMATION: Home that caught fire in Eau Claire considered landmark; cause under investigation