Stocks gain on reassurance from a top Fed official
Reassuring comments from a Federal Reserve official and better earnings from two big retailers helped push the stock market higher Tuesday.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Reassuring comments from a Federal Reserve official and better earnings from two big retailers helped push the stock market higher Tuesday.


It was a safe bet that Cerner Corp. would once again lead the The Stars rankings as the regions top-performing public company. Cerner, the nations second-largest company that helps hospitals and doctors offices convert paper files into computerized medical records, is in a sweet spot. Other top-ranked companies here do business in areas that have an edge: energy, rail transit and online government services.
The already-hefty pay packages of many public-company executives bulged last year, thanks to higher values of their company stocks. Million-dollar base salaries as paid to Cerner Corp. CEO Neal Patterson (pictured) and Waddell & Reed Financial CEO Hank Herrmann are only the beginning. For most of the bigger-company CEOs, stock awards, options and non-equity incentive compensation dwarf their base pay.

More than three years after it closed, Westport mainstay The Corner Restaurant has been resurrected in the same spot but with new owners, a new decor and new menu. Executive chef Natasha Sears said the kitchen uses many local vendors, and makes about 90 percent of the menu from scratch on-site.

Oak Park Mall said it has signed local fast-casual chain Ingredient for its food court. Menu items include salads, grilled sandwiches, soups, wraps and panini, burgers, and gourmet pizzas.
Most regional stocks finished little changed on Tuesday. The Dow ended higher
While the device still had the top ranking among mobile phone users, Samsung and Motorola have narrowed the gap, according to the 2013 American Customer Satisfaction Index.
The new offer of $3.40 a share topped Sprint’s previous offer of $2.97 a share, which was lower than Clearwire shares had been trading in the stock market. Clearwire put off a shareholder vote set for today so its board could weigh the new bid.

Microsoft thinks it has the one. The company unveiled the Xbox One, a next-generation entertainment console that promises to be the one system households will need for games, television, movies and other entertainment. It will go on sale later this year.
The Small Business Administration says it has lined up pledges from more than 120 banks to increase lending to veterans.
The U.S. Department of Labor has ordered Enercon Services Inc. to reinstate the employee who had reported unsafe conditions. The company plans to appeal.

The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce recognized the real estate company as its 2013 Small Business of the Year and winner of the Mr. K Award, named after the late Ewing Kauffman, founder of Marion Laboratories and original owner of the Kansas City Royals.
The real estate company, which was established in 1922 in downtown Kansas City, receives the Mr. K Award,. The award honors the late Ewing Kauffman, founder of Marion Laboratories and original owner of the Kansas City Royals.

Reaction to my last column allowing that the advocates of a new single terminal at Kansas City International Airport might have a decent case was certainly bracing. Most of the more than 100 callers, emailers and kansascity.com commenters batted me roundly about. But many others allied themselves with the single-terminal advocates.

After fully hashing out pros and cons, Kansas Citians may want to stick with the old flame. To carry the day, new-airport advocates will have to heavily restack the deck of arguments in their favor. Thats whats going to be required to toss over a 40-year love affair.

Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew says the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative political groups was "unacceptable and inexcusable" and he has directed the agency's acting director to hold people accountable.

Best Buy Co. on Tuesday reported a loss for its fiscal first quarter as it sold its stake in Best Buy Europe and works on a turnaround plan that includes cutting costs and closing some stores.