Morning headlines

Welcome to L.A.: Time Warner took over Adelphia operations just two days ago and already there are unhappy cable customers. The NFL Network was pulled from the channel lineup because of a dispute over carriage fees. Seems that the NFL wants to keep its channel on the basic cable package so it has access to more viewers, while Time Warner wants to put it on a digital pay tier. As noted earlier this week, Time Warner will be renegotiating a lot of programming deals, so this is probably just a taste of more squabbles.

Goth jitters: City of Industry-based Hot Topic expects a quarterly loss after disappointing back-to-school sales. Analysts had expected the company to break even. The back-to-school period (yes, it starts this early) is being closely watched this year because of concerns that consumers, worried about gas prices, are pulling back on their spending. A study released this week finds that 77 percent of Americans have cut back.

Wage protests: The new federal minimum wage law coming up for a Senate vote has a provision that could slash the pay of California waiters, waitresses, manicurists, bellhops and others who rely on tips. Apparently, there's language in the bill that does not allow "tip credits" that permit tipped workers to be paid much less than the minimum wage. Seven states are affected.

Free AOL: Things are so desperate at AOL that the Time Warner unit has decided to give away its service to broadband users. Lots of coverage.

Cab crackdown: The L.A. City Council is taking aim at the estimated 2,000 illegal cab operators in the city. There will be city inspections, plus enforcement from the cops. The bandit cabbies want to avoid an $80-a-month franchise fee, driver background checks and vehicle inspections.

Scam alleged: A Beverly Hills man who runs an investment website was charged with securities fraud. The Securities and Exchange Commission alleges that Nicholas A. Czuczko bought up shares of little known companies, talked them up on his site and sold them after other investors piled in. It's known as a "pump and dump" scheme.

Another Macy's: Talk about saturation. The Robinsons-May store at Topanga Plaza will be rebranded as a Macy's, while two existing Macy's stores just down the block at the Promenade in Woodland Hills will stay open. Federated Department Stores, which owns Macy's, is phasing out the Robinson-May chain, with stores either converting to Macy's or sold off.

Switching tables: Colman Andrews, a long-time L.A.-based restaurant critic who in recent years has run Saveur magazine, is moving over to Gourmet as a writer. He and Gourmet Editor-in-Chief Ruth Reichl go back to their days at New West magazine, when he was the food editor and Reichl worked for him.