Polynesian Cultural Center taps new leader
Alfred Grace has been named president of the Polynesian Cultural Center. He will succeed current President Von Orgill in February.
Grace, who will be promoted from his current post as chief operating officer, started his career at PCC as a performer. He will take the reins of the center’s $38 million, five-year renovation plan launched in the spring of 2011.
Grace also will oversee the 50th anniversary of the state’s largest paid visitor attraction, which seeks to perpetuate and preserve the many cultures of Polynesia.
After 13 years at PCC, Orgill will move to a new position as mission president with the Mormon Church.
‘Last Resort’ ratings steady as it winds down
ABC’s "Last Resort" held steady in the ratings, drawing 5.49 million viewers to Thursday’s episode, according to Nielsen ratings released by the network.
The series, which was not picked up for a full season, shoots in Hawaii and wrapped up Friday. It averaged 5.4 million viewers over the last three episodes.
Among adults 18-49 Thursday, "Last Resort" drew 1.2 percent of the total viewing audience and 3 percent of those watching TV at the time.
The series, which is produced for ABC by Sony Pictures Television, has only three more episodes.
AT&T still working on voicemail problem
An outage of the visual voicemail notification system for AT&T wireless customers continued Friday, after customers on Thursday were told repairs could take up to two days.
A spokesman said the company is "looking into a potential issue with visual voicemail that may prevent some customers from receiving an indicator informing them they have a voicemail." The messages themselves are intact, the spokesman said, and can be accessed by pressing and holding 1 on their keypad. The company did not provide an updated estimate for restoration of the feature, but said it "regret(s) the inconvenience."
Best Buy extends takeover deadline
Struggling Best Buy Co., hoping that the Christmas season will boost its fortunes, agreed Friday to give founder and former chairman Richard Schulze more time to make a takeover bid for the electronics chain.
The announcement came amid a two-day burst of trading that ended about where it started. The stock went up nearly 16 percent to $14.12 on Thursday with word of an imminent bid from Schulze, only to be followed Friday with a drop of $2.07, or 14.7 percent, to $12.05 with news of the delay. The shares had closed at $12.18 on Wednesday.
In August, Schulze had offered to buy the beleaguered retailer for as much as $8.84 billion, a deal that could have been the biggest buyout ever of a U.S. retailer. But the offer was met with considerable skepticism from Wall Street since Schulze implied he had yet to find investors.
Under the new terms, Schulze can make a proposal any time in February, extending his previous deadline of mid-December. Then the board of directors will have 30 days to consider the offer.
Samsung plant caused cancer, agency says
SEOUL » A South Korean government agency said Friday that working at a Samsung Electronics factory caused the breast cancer of a worker who died earlier this year, only the second time it has recognized a link between cancer and Samsung’s chip plants.
The Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service, which is part of the labor ministry, ruled earlier this month that there was a "considerable causal relationship" between the woman’s cancer and her five years of work at a semiconductor plant near Seoul. The ruling didn’t become public until Friday when the agency announced compensation for the woman’s family.
Samsung spokesman James Chung said the company will not appeal the government’s decision. Samsung is the world’s largest maker of computer memory chips.
Cheaper gas lowers consumer prices 0.3%
WASHINGTON » A steep fall in gas costs pushed down U.S. consumer prices last month, keeping inflation mild.
The seasonally adjusted consumer price index dropped 0.3 percent in November from October, the Labor Department said Friday. Gas prices fell 7.4 percent, the biggest drop in nearly four years, offsetting a 0.2 percent rise in food prices. In the past year consumer prices have risen 1.8 percent, down from October’s 12-month increase of 2.2 percent.
Excluding the volatile food and gas categories, prices ticked up 0.1 percent in November. Core prices have risen 1.9 percent in the past year — below the Federal Reserve’s annual target of 2 percent.
ON THE MOVE
Mobi PCS has named Bo Schlotzhauer as product manager. He was previously a director of product management and carrier relations at Super Fair Cellular in Detroit as well as director of product management and marketing at Pocket Communications in Texas.
Turtle Bay Resort has appointed the following employees:
>> Michael Fields as director of finance. He was previously director of finance for Park Place Hospitality and also worked for management companies and leading hotel brands across the nation.
>> Jeffrey R. Perkins as director of operations. He was previously director of housekeeping for the St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort in Puerto Rico as well as director of rooms for the Trump Ocean Club International Hotel & Tower in Panama City.