Owners

NBA owners voted Wednesday to reject the Sacramento Kings' proposed move to Seattle, the latest in a long line of cities that have tried to land the franchise. The 22-8 vote in Dallas followed a recommendation made last month by the NBA's relocation committee and may have finally brought an end to an emotional saga that has dragged on for nearly three years. A group led by investor Chris Hansen had a deal to buy the team. Hansen hoped to move the franchise to Seattle and rename it the SuperSonics.

CARACAS, Venezuela - The sale of Globovision, Venezuela's last major television station critical of the government, raised concern Tuesday that no mass media platform may remain on which to challenge the Chavista administration of President Nicolas Maduro. The sale of the station for an undisclosed price by an ownership group led by Guillermo Zuloaga, now self-exiled in Miami, was completed Monday night, according to a statement the broadcaster posted on its website. Zuloaga had said mounting government fines and political harassment had left him with no choice but to sell.

LAS VEGAS - A Hong Kong businessman hit a $70-million court-awarded jackpot Tuesday when a jury agreed that he had helped the casino empire run by billionaire Sheldon Adelson get a gambling foothold in China. This is the second time in five years that jurors have awarded consultant Richard Suen a sizable sum in the bitter dispute. A jury's 2008 finding for Suen was thrown out on appeal. Adelson's lawyers vowed Tuesday to appeal the latest verdict. Suen claimed he was owed $328 million for lobbying mainland Chinese officials to grant the Las Vegas Sands Corp.

WASHINGTON -- Small-business owners were more optimistic about the economy in April, but "pessimism abounds" in a sector that is barely growing, the National Federation for Independent Business said Tuesday. The trade group's Index of Small Business Optimism increased 2.6 points to 92.1 last month after dropping in March. The change was driven by higher expectations that the economy will improve, projections of improved sales and more plans to hire new employees. Still, the April figure was barely above the 90.7 monthly average since the end of the Great Recession, and below the 94.5 reading a year earlier.

The teenager showed up in a panic on Thursday, cradling a wounded puppy in arms spattered with blood. A stray dog had attacked his 2-month-old pit bull on a walk near their South Los Angeles home. The city animal shelter nearby was the only place he knew to go. He ran over to Amanda Casarez, pleading for help. She took one look at the puppy's bloody gash and pulled out her cellphone. Within hours the pup was in surgery, the vet bill guaranteed by strangers from a pool of volunteers working with Downtown Dog Rescue, which sponsors an intervention program at the shelter.

CHICAGO - When the Angels got Josh Hamilton following the Dodgers' signing of Zack Greinke , owner Arte Moreno emerged from hiding, took a bow and told everyone: "Think about how much fun it's going to be. Dodger fans and Angels fans get to argue about whose team is better, who's stronger, who's weaker.… Do you know how much fun it's going to be?" What a blast …of hot air. Are you having fun yet? I began the week talking to Don Mattingly , who felt really good about the Dodgers after three straight losses to the Giants.

The Dodgers are delivering on the promise they made in their marketing slogan. This is "A Whole New Blue. " These Dodgers have hit depths unknown to them even during their 10 months in bankruptcy, their 5-4 defeat against a group of no-names wearing Miami Marlins uniforms Friday night extending their losing streak to eight games. The last time the Dodgers lost eight consecutive games was in 2008. That losing streak was immediately followed by an eight-game winning streak and those Dodgers went on to win the National League West.

Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder said that the football team is going to stick with its name. "We will never change the name of the team," Snyder told USA Today . "As a lifelong Redskins fan, and I think that the Redskins fans understand the great tradition and what it's all about and what it means, so we feel pretty fortunate to be just working on next season. " Snyder's comments come a week after David Grosso , a District of Columbia councilman, said he plans to introduce a resolution that would call on the Redskins to change their moniker.

Everyone knew the day was coming and now it's a reality. After 75 years of horse racing, Betfair Hollywood Park will end its operations following the final race of its autumn meeting Dec. 22. The words "sad day" were repeated often Thursday afternoon at the Inglewood track, where owners, trainers, jockeys and fans reacted somberly to the news. The official announcement came in a letter from track President Jack Liebau sent to the California Horse Racing Board on Wednesday informing them that Hollywood Park Land Co. would not be requesting any 2014 racing dates.

Financially strapped homeowners who are close to foreclosure may want to face the music now rather than continuing to struggle with their monthly payments. There's a high probability of losing the house anyway, even with the government's help. According to a new report, people who take advantage of a key federal program to modify their mortgages in an effort to save their homes are defaulting "at an alarming rate. " The report from the special inspector general for the Treasury Department's Troubled Asset Relief Program doesn't say why an inordinately high percentage of owners who take part in the Home Affordable Modification Program, or HAMP, are unable to maintain their loan modifications.