The late Herman Buske started Edwardsville based Buske Lines Inc. in 1923 to deliver groceries with a couple of trucks. Over the next 86 years, the family owned business grew into an international freight carrier with a fleet of more than 200 tractors and 575 dry van and refrigerated trailers hauling goods across the United States and Canada.

That three generation family legacy came to an abrupt end in December. Johnson Son Inc., handed over control of Buske Lines and 13 related Buske companies to the consumer products maker. The change in control took effect Dec. 18 to help pay off a $203.8 million civil judgment against Thomas Buske and a handful of other defendants allegedly involved in a multimillion dollar bribery and kickback scheme.

Thomas Buske, 50, still faces 23 criminal counts, including mail fraud and money laundering, according to court documents. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, and a trial is pending. If convicted, Buske could face as much as 20 years in prison and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, according to court filings. Johnson, according to Buske's criminal indictment. Johnson headquarters in Racine, Wis., began shifting more of the company's contract transportation work to firms that could provide lower cost "intermodal" services combining truck and train delivery, according to the criminal indictment. Buske formed a transportation brokerage called Buske Intermodal that contracted with another company, Pacer Local Logistics, for rail service. Johnson's business to Buske Intermodal. Johnson in exchange for bribes and kickbacks, according to the vikingsofficialonlineshop.com/Teddy_Bridgewater_Jersey_Vikings criminal indictment. Johnson uncovered the scheme after an employee reportedly brought the transactions to the company's attention. He also bribed Morris with expensive golfing and gambling trips, according to the indictment. Johnson between 1999 and 2004. Buske allegedly collected and dispersed funds through Buske Intermodal's account with the Bank of Edwardsville.

The outcome of the criminal case against Buske is pending. The six other criminal defendants who faced related federal charges, including Morris, have pleaded guilty. In addition to being ordered to pay fines and restitution, two defendants received two years or more in prison, two were sentenced to three years' probation, and two more, including Morris, await sentencing Feb. 19. Johnson. That figure was doubled to $203.8 million when punitive damages were added to the civil judgment entered in June 2008. Johnson to help cover his liabilities.

Neither Thomas Buske nor his lawyers in Milwaukee could be reached for comment for this story. Johnson declined to provide details about the value of the Buske assets or the company's revenue. Research firm Dunn Bradstreet puts Buske Lines' annual revenue at about $60 million and notes the company has about 70 employees.

"We are currently learning as much as we can about the businesses," Taylor said of the Buske companies. "For the moment, we are not planning any significant changes in the operation of Buske Lines and its related companies."

John Babington, formerly a vice president with Buske Lines, has taken over the trucking company's management as president. He also declined to be interviewed.

Buske has 3 million square feet of warehouse space at more than 13 locations, including Edwardsville, Ill., and Columbia and Springfield, Mo., according to its Web site. The company lists Anheuser Busch, Hiram Walker, Anchor Glass, Procter Gamble, Seagram's and BASF Corp. among its customers.

The thief, who is being described by police as a roughly 6 foot tall black man, about 45 with a medium build, walked behind the counter and displayed a black handgun.

Police said the robber told the 47 year old male clerk to open the register and then ordered him to the ground as he went through several register drawers and removed an unknown amount of cash. He also took several packs of cigarettes before running south out of the station.

Anyone with information on this or any other serious crime in Arlington Heights is urged to call (847) 590 STOP or send an anonymous text tip to 847411 that includes the keyword 847AHPD in the message. With the Crime Stoppers program, anyone who submits a tip may qualify for a cash reward of up to $1,000.

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Tony Romo and the Cowboys had their way with the Eagles yesterday in Arlington, Texas. Their reward: the NFC East title and the challenge of trying to do it again.

Romo threw a pair of early touchdown passes and the defense took over from there, sending Dallas to a 24 0 victory over Philadelphia and setting up a rematch at its new palace Saturday night.

The Cowboys (11 5) have quickly become a team nobody wants to face this postseason. This was their third straight impressive win and their most complete performance of the entire season.

ballclub has done a good job of putting its best foot forward when it has to, Romo said. haven arrived and we haven accomplished anything. . . . There hopefully a lot of season left.

The shutout also made for a major milestone in the club storied history: first ever back to back blankings. Only twice in the previous 49 seasons had they even had two shutouts the entire season. The amazing part about this one is that Philadelphia (11 5) came in having won six straight, averaging 31.2 points in that span.

going to go back to the drawing board and make sure that we get ourselves ready for this next game, Eagles coach Andy Reid said.

An added bonus for Dallas was getting revenge for a 44 6 loss at Philadelphia in last season finale, a loss that kept the Cowboys out of the playoffs and led to all sorts of offseason changes.

Donovan McNabb was 20 of 36 for 223 yards, and Philadelphia finished with 228 total yards. The Cowboys had 291 yards at halftime on their way to gaining 474.

A year ago, Jorge Sanchez was struggling to support his family on $9.75 an hour after a decade as a dishwasher at the Hilton hotel.

So Sanchez, 56, threw his support behind hiking the minimum wage to $13 an hour for hotel workers in this port city just south of Los Angeles. A campaign flier featuring Sanchez in his white work uniform urged Latino voters to go to the polls last Nov. 6 and check on Measure N.

But the Colombia native soon experienced what he believes was an unintended consequence: The same month he got a $3.25 an hour bump in pay, Sanchez employer cut his workweek from 40 to 30 hours.

N was good because it raised our wages. But in reality, what the hotel did was cut our hours, so it hasn made a change, he said.

Unlike Sanchez, Hilton bellman Donald Blackwood still works a 40 hour week and pulls in an extra $800 a month thanks to the city wage law.

I have enough money saved up to buy a car, he said. not going to say it a lot of money. But you could live on that. month, people in SeaTac will vote on a similar yet broader ballot initiative:

Proposition 1 would lift the minimum wage to $15 an hour for workers at the airport and its nearby hotels, parking lots and car rental agencies. That a 63 percent increase over Washington current minimum wage of $9.19 an hour, the highest of any state.

Both the SeaTac and Long Beach measures are part of a stepped up effort by labor and community activists nationwide to end what they call poverty wage jobs.

Workers at fast food chains conducted walkouts and strikes last summer, hoping to boost their hourly pay to $15. California lawmakers agreed last month to raise the ramsauthenticofficial.com/Aaron_Donald_Jersey_Rams state minimum wage from $8 to $10 an hour by 2016. And in Seattle, both mayoral candidates are plugging an hourly minimum standard of $15 or more.

Prop. 1 proponents say it would lift low wage workers out of poverty and give them more money to spend at local businesses, pumping an additional $54 million into the economy. Opponents say it would drive up labor costs and force employers to lay off workers, reducing jobs by 5 percent.

But if Long Beach is any indication, the short term effects of a living wage ordinance in SeaTac would be neither as good as supporters hope, nor as bad as critics warn.

Measure N won the backing of 64 percent of Long Beach voters last November, affecting about 2,000 workers at 16 large, nonunionized hotels. Its requirements apply to hotels with 100 or more rooms and can be waived in union contracts.

The Hyatt chain recently began contract negotiations with Unite Here Local 11, making its two Long Beach hotels eligible for exemption. (That means there now are four large, unionized hotels in Long Beach.)

Two other hotels had a different response: They mothballed rooms to bring them just below Measure N 100 room threshold.

At Hotel Current, a 143 room independent property off Pacific Coast Highway, 44 rooms sit empty amid tentative plans to convert them to a fitness center. The 173 room Best Western Golden Sails closed even more rooms.

Hotel Current downsizing was in the works before Measure N, but the regulations accelerated its decision, management said in a statement, adding that the ordinance cripples the hotel operations. at nearly all of the other affected hotels, including the Hilton, did not respond to requests for comment.

don want to say they having to lay off people, that sort of thing, said Randy Gordon, president and CEO of the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.

Gordon, a vocal critic of Measure N, said hotels probably are using cost cuts and price increases to maintain profits. He said he worries that Long Beach no longer will be seen as an affordable business travel destination.

many conventions do we lose because of higher room rates? he said. compete with Anaheim, San Diego and Sacramento. They don have a living wage ordinance like we do. recent data suggest Long Beach hotels are doing about as well as their Los Angeles County rivals, with strong demand and only modest price increases.

Long Beach hotel occupancy rate from January through July was 76.1 percent, up 3.4 percent from the same period in 2012, according to PKF Consulting. Countywide, occupancy ticked up 2.3 percent to 80.5 percent.

The average daily room rate in Long Beach rose 2.9 percent to $137.01 for the first seven months of 2013, while countywide it increased 4.2 percent to $172.33.

The minimum wage increase also does not appear to have hurt jobs in Long Beach. The city unemployment rate declined to 11.2 percent in August from 12.4 a year ago in line with a countywide drop to 10.2 percent from 11.3 percent. (Sector specific jobs data for Long Beach is not available, according to the California Employment Development Department.)

Nusrat Mirza, general manager of the Renaissance Long Beach, said he has raised prices a little bit because of Measure N but has not laid off workers or cut their hours. He said the biggest change is that he no longer can afford to offer discounts to prospective customers.

a very expensive measure, said Mirza, who oversees about 250 employees. prices don match with the new hourly wage increase. not helping me N guarantees Long Beach hotel workers a raise of at least 2 percent each July, putting the current minimum at $13.26 an hour.

SeaTac Prop. 1, which covers about 6,300 workers at an estimated 72 airport related businesses, calls for annual increases tied to inflation.

Both measures also require hotels to provide paid sick leave and give all the proceeds of any mandatory service charges to their employees.

Sanchez said he and his co workers were replaced in part by less expensive temporary employees.

Workers at some hotels say that to hold down wage and benefits costs in the wake of Measure N, managers also are covering more shifts and requiring that only sold rooms be cleaned.

Sanchez, who shares a tiny, rent controlled apartment in Long Beach with his wife and 29 year old daughter, now is considering a second part time job to get ahead. The apartment entry includes a sofa, flat screen TV, small dining table and single bed. A green chile hangs above the front door to ward off bad luck.

Back to Main MenuFront PorchIt Only MoneyOregon the EconomyPlaybooks ProfitsSilicon ForestSmall Business NewsVideos PhotosWindow Shopmore BizBack to Main MenuNew Car PricingUsed CarsResearchMotorcyclesClassic CarsFind A DealerPlace An AdMoreBack to Main MenuObituariesRentalsFraud PreventionManage Your AdPlace An AdOSAA Cross Country FinalsBoys: Recaps, Photos VideoComplete Boys ResultsGIrls: Recaps, Photos VideoComplete Girls ResultsMore NewsMore Wholesale NFL Jerseys PhotosMore VideosFour Oregon individuals and one boys team are in the field for Nike Cross Nationals, the national high school cross country championship race, held Saturday at Portland Meadows.Central Catholic boys earned a berth into the field as an at large entry. The Rams, winner of the Class 6A state meet in November, placed third at the NXN regional meet in Boise.Oregon girls in the meet are Grant Ella Donaghu and Summit Hannah Gindlesperger, this year Class 6A and 5A state champions, respectively. Among the boys are Reynolds Ahmad Ibrahim and South Eugene Reilly Bloomer.Another local in the meet is Camas junior Alexa Efraimson, one of the favorites to win the girls title. Efraimson is a two time Washington state champion and winner of the NXN regional in Boise. Efraimson was fourth a year ago at Cross Nationals.