Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News articles from July 30 2004

Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News archives from July 30 2004

Manhattan, N.Y.-based investment firm scales back Greenwich, Conn., plans.
July 30, 2004... By Peter Healy, The Stamford Advocate, Conn. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--Ziff Brothers Investments, a Manhattan-based financial services firm that expected to open a 61,177-square-foot office at 55 Railroad Ave. in...

The Stamford Advocate, Conn., Top Rung column.
July 30, 2004... By Julie Fishman-Lapin, The Stamford Advocate, Conn. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--You can call Ronald DeFeo many things -- a visionary, a risk taker, a strategist. But above all he's a survivor. In the 12 years since...

Ohio utilities commission report shows SBC competition remains strong.
July 30, 2004... By Betty Lin-Fisher, Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--SBC numbers released on Thursday by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio show competition continues to flourish despite increases in rates to...

Housing bonanza aids Georgia-Pacific, Beazer Homes with profits.
July 30, 2004... By Michael E. Kanell, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--One boom -- two sets of profits. Surging profits at both Georgia-Pacific and Beazer Homes have been given a steady boost from soaring...

Bundling of services boosts second-quarter results at Cox Communications.
July 30, 2004... By Robert Luke, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--Cox Communications' second-quarter earnings fell 42 percent, largely because it had fewer investment gains than a year ago. But operating...

Georgia World Congress Center facility scratches way to profit for year.
July 30, 2004... By Leon Stafford, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--The Georgia World Congress Center's operators thought they would end fiscal 2004 almost $5 million in the hole because of a continued slump in...

Pepsi spotlights healthier products.
July 30, 2004... By Scott Leith, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--PLANO, Texas -- Pepsico plans a new campaign to promote its lineup of healthier foods and drinks, putting the company on the offensive in...

Sales tax break lures shoppers to Georgia.
July 30, 2004... By Renee Degross, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--St. Simons resident Elizabeth Brunson times her back-to-school shopping spree in Atlanta to Georgia's tax-free weekend. She makes the...

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Wall Street column.
July 30, 2004... By Tom Walker, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--DIP IN OIL PRICE HELPS MAJOR INDEXES CLIMB: The stock market opens Friday with the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index poised to break its...

Woodville, Texas, administrator keeps job as report-tampering probe continues.
July 30, 2004... By Jacqueline Lane, The Beaumont Enterprise, Texas Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--WOODVILLE, Texas -- The crowd that filled the council chambers here Wednesday night clapped after hearing that embattled city administrator...

Medicaid forum in Gulfport, Miss., assists those about to lose coverage.
July 30, 2004... By Tom Wilemon, The Sun Herald, Biloxi, Miss. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--GULFPORT, Miss. -- Myrna McPheron said it was worth her time to sit more than two hours and listen to Medicaid officials discuss prescription...

Bush administration proposes tariffs on shrimp imported from 4 more countries.
July 30, 2004... By Greg Harman, The Sun Herald, Biloxi, Miss. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--BILOXI, Miss. -- Mississippi Coast fishermen may soon see a little relief from low shrimp prices. The Bush administration proposed Thursday to...

New cancer treatment center opens in Fairview Heights, Ill.
July 30, 2004... By Patrick J. Powers, Belleville News-Democrat, Ill. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. -- It was a simple idea: take radiation therapy out of the hospital basement. The result was a 4-acre brick and...

Natural artifacts seller opens in Broomfield, Colo., mall.
July 30, 2004... By Greg Avery, Daily Camera, Boulder, Colo. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--BROOMFIELD, Colo. -- Polished stone plates and bowls, colorful geodes, rock chess sets, jewelry and fossils went up on shelves Thursday, readying...

Developer pulls out of Boulder, Colo., retail project.
July 30, 2004... By Alisha Jeter, Daily Camera, Boulder, Colo. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--A major retail developer has backed out of the Palisade Park project planned for Broomfield's next big retail corridor. But no worries, the...

Brownsville, Texas, agencies seek assurances on border program.
July 30, 2004... By Analiz Gonzalez, The Brownsville Herald, Texas Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--BROWNSVILLE, Texas -- The Brownsville Chamber of Commerce is among several local agencies seeking assurances that the US-VISIT program will...

Accounting firm becomes first signed tenant in new Baltimore office building.
July 30, 2004... By June Arney, The Baltimore Sun Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--Reznick Fedder & Silverman, the accounting firm currently located in the Mercantile Bankshares Corp. Building, plans to move into the new office tower at 500...

State-backed golf resort in Western Maryland gets mired in red ink.
July 30, 2004... By June Arney, The Baltimore Sun Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--Losses at the state-backed Rocky Gap Lodge and Golf Resort in the Maryland mountains have been mounting at an increasing pace, bringing the total to $25.5...

CORRECTION: Rouse misses analysts targets, regains popularity with investors.
July 30, 2004... By Jamie Smith Hopkins, The Baltimore Sun Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--The story slugged BZ-ROUSE filed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News for Jul. 29 that began "Though income from malls and land development spiked "...

Wages inch up, but inflation rises faster as U.S. workers lose buying power.
July 30, 2004... By Paul Adams, The Baltimore Sun Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--The economy is growing but American workers are losing ground against inflation, a new report shows. The Labor Department said yesterday that the average...

Cape Cod commuters benefit as convention-traffic fears help clear roads.
July 30, 2004... By Christie Smythe, Cape Cod Times, Hyannis, Mass. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--SAGAMORE, Mass. -- Boarding the Plymouth & Brockton bus in Sagamore at 6:55 a.m. Wednesday, Cape-area commuters couldn't have been happier to...

Citing natural disasters, Massachusetts lawmaker pushes for reinsurance fund.
July 30, 2004... By Frederick Melo, Cape Cod Times, Hyannis, Mass. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--Hoping to calm the property insurance industry's jitters about coastal storms, state Sen. Robert O'Leary has proposed a state fund that would...

Duke Energy profits rise by 2.9 percent.
July 30, 2004... By Stan Choe, The Charlotte Observer, N.C. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--Duke Energy Corp. profits grew a slim 2.9 percent last quarter, a preview of things to come as the company throttles back to its conservative roots....

Goodrich sees air transit rise, raises earnings forecast.
July 30, 2004... By Charles Lunan, The Charlotte Observer, N.C. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--Goodrich Corp. upped its sales and earnings forecast for the year after reporting its profits more than doubled in the second quarter. The...

The Charlotte Observer, N.C., Doug Smith column.
July 30, 2004... By Doug Smith, The Charlotte Observer, N.C. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--WHOLE FOODS TO JUMP-START ELIZABETH REDEVELOPMENT: Whole Foods Market's decision to locate its first Charlotte store in the Elizabeth neighborhood...

Textile refugees in North Carolina rejoin job market.
July 30, 2004... By Mike Drummond, The Charlotte Observer, N.C. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--Armed with a flashlight and a can of insect killer, Brian Mason recently slipped into the broiling crawl space of his mother's home in Concord to...

Columbia, S.C., newspaper wants access to financial firm's settlement.
July 30, 2004... By Ben Werner, The State, Columbia, S.C. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--The State newspaper has asked a federal judge to make public the details of a proposed settlement ending the $1 billion lawsuit filed against the...

Exxon Mobil quarterly profit up nearly 40 percent on oil, gas hikes.
July 30, 2004... By Sudeep Reddy, The Dallas Morning News Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--Enriched sharply higher oil and gasoline prices, Exxon Mobil Corp. said Thursday its second-quarter profits rose nearly 40 percent to $5.8 billion. ...

Economists see U.S. automakers losing more market share in coming years.
July 30, 2004... By Jamie Butters, Detroit Free Press Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--Two new studies from Wall Street experts point to Detroit automakers losing an even larger share of their home market in the coming years. The experts,...

Chrysler spurs big profit hike in second quarter for DaimlerChrysler.
July 30, 2004... By Jeffrey McCracken, Detroit Free Press Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--This time there was no second-quarter surprise. In fact, this time the Chrysler Group was able to beat Wall Street expectations and help its parent...

Detroit Free Press Tom Walsh column.
July 30, 2004... By Tom Walsh, Detroit Free Press Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--What's a new CEO to do? Imagine you're an outsider, just hired to take over a $9-billion-a-year car and truck parts supplier with 32,000 employees at 160...

Detroit Free Press Mike Wendland column.
July 30, 2004... By Mike Wendland, Detroit Free Press Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--SMALL RESORT TOWN TAKES A BIG WI-FI NETWORK STEP: The Lake Michigan resort community of Grand Haven became the first place in the United States this week to...

Duluth News-Tribune, Minn., business briefs column.
July 30, 2004... Duluth News-Tribune, Minn. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--SAPPI LTD, the South African company that owns the Sappi Fine Paper mill in Cloquet, on Thursday reported earnings per share of 18 cents for its fiscal third quarter...

Minnesota high school students get business education at annual camp.
July 30, 2004... By Chuck Frederick, Duluth News-Tribune, Minn. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--Take a chill pill, the aspiring business professionals urged. They were pitching a fictitious new product, the Chill Pill-O, a...

Fleming Cos. workers in Superior, Wis., division closer to getting back pay.
July 30, 2004... Duluth News-Tribune, Minn. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--About 240 former employees of Fleming Cos. Inc.'s now-defunct Superior division are a step closer to getting the back pay and benefits the once-prominent grocery...

Erie, Pa.-based rent-to-own company Rent-Way to add new stores.
July 30, 2004... By Peter Panepento, Erie Times-News, Pa. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--Rent-Way Inc. plans to step up its timetable for opening new stores as a flurry of consolidations in the rent-to-own industry have given the company...

Evening Standard, London, Anthony Hilton column.
July 30, 2004... By Anthony Hilton, Evening Standard, London Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--HOW HIGGS' ONE-CHAIR RULE HURTS: Chairmen of public companies are becoming much more assertive, according to the financial website BreakingViews....

Fired car salesman, 85, files age-discrimination suit in Pompano Beach, Fla.
July 30, 2004... By Niala Boodhoo, South Florida Sun-Sentinel Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--An 85-year-old Pompano Beach car salesman filed a lawsuit against his former employer, Coral Cadillac Hummer Inc., on Thursday, charging executives...

Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based homebuilder Levitt doubles profit amid boom.
July 30, 2004... By Rafael Gerena-Morales, South Florida Sun-Sentinel Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--Florida's housing boom helped Fort Lauderdale-based Levitt Corp.'s second-quarter profit more than double to $13.7 million from a year ago,...

Fresno, Calif., heart hospital loses chief financial officer.
July 30, 2004... By Tracy Correa, The Fresno Bee, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--The Fresno Heart Hospital has lost another key management official -- chief financial officer Jeff D. Rodriguez -- four months after its chief executive...

San Joaquin Valley, Calif., is state's specialty melon region.
July 30, 2004... By Robert Rodriguez, The Fresno Bee, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--California's specialty melon growers want consumers to know there is more than just cantaloupes and watermelons. In the central San Joaquin...

Charles Schwab to close Fort Worth and Arlington, Texas, offices.
July 30, 2004... By Andrea Jares, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--Charles Schwab Corp. is closing investment offices in Fort Worth and Arlington this fall as part of a nationwide consolidation. The company...

Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas, Savvy Consumer column.
July 30, 2004... By Teresa McUsic, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--With job layoffs and salary cutbacks continuing in North Texas, saving money out of your monthly budget is more important than ever. So I...

Exxon Mobil posts 39 percent profit gain.
July 30, 2004... By Dan Piller, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--Exxon Mobil Corp. of Irving on Thursday reported a 39 percent increase in second-quarter profit, to $5.79 billion, on the strength of higher oil...

Dallas-based utility posts $600 million net loss in second quarter.
July 30, 2004... By Dan Piller, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--TXU Corp. reported a $600 million second-quarter net loss after booking an $849 million charge to buy back preferred stock to reduce debt. ...

Hampton Inn hotel for Spring Lake, N.C., is planned.
July 30, 2004... By Al Greenwood, The Fayetteville Observer, N.C. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--SPRING LAKE, N.C. -- The owner of the Holiday Inn Express here plans to build a Hampton Inn and Suites across the street. Vivek Tandon said...

'Advergames' spark concerns of kids being targeted.
July 30, 2004... By Hiawatha Bray, The Boston Globe Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--Games or commercials? Advergames such as these blur the line. As computer games go, Flip the Mix is one of the simplest. There are no bullets to dodge or...

The Boston Globe Downtown column.
July 30, 2004... By Steve Bailey, The Boston Globe Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--Wayne Budd is fielding job offers. In this week of Democrats, a Republican is among the hottest properties in town. Wayne Budd, the best-known...

Accounting probe targets Google executive for alleged dealings at former firm.
July 30, 2004... By Robert Weisman, The Boston Globe Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--As founders and executives wind up a road show designed to convince investors that Google Inc. is an Internet company for the new millennium, Google's general...

Ten major hospitals resuming use of Boston Scientific stent.
July 30, 2004... By Ross Kerber, The Boston Globe Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--Half the hospitals that had halted use of Boston Scientific Corp.'s blockbuster Taxus cardiac stent after a partial recall have started to use them again, the...

U.S. oil companies consolidate, reap bigger profits.
July 30, 2004... By Peter J. Howe, The Boston Globe Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--The number of big US oil companies has shrunk in the past five years. But for the survivors, life is terrific. As crude oil traded at more than $42 a...

Sheraton Hotel gets makeover in Colorado Springs, Colo.
July 30, 2004... By Sarah Colwell, The Gazette, Colorado Springs, Colo. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--With all the reality makeovers on TV these days, it's no wonder that the Sheraton Colorado Springs Hotel is following suit. As part of...

Rainy summer dilutes profits for Colorado Springs, Colo., outdoor businesses.
July 30, 2004... By Wayne Heilman, The Gazette, Colorado Springs, Colo. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--A rainy summer is washing away customers for many Colorado Springs businesses that depend on sunshine as a major draw. Above average...

Comcast offers faster Internet service to Harrisburg, Pa.-area customers.
July 30, 2004... By David DeKok, The Patriot-News, Harrisburg, Pa. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--Comcast Corp. will offer a new cable-modem Internet service in the midstate that will provide a faster download connection speed of 4...

Indian computer consulting behemoth sells stock.
July 30, 2004... By David DeKok, The Patriot-News, Harrisburg, Pa. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--Tata Consultancy Services, the Indian parent of a midstate software and computer services company of the same name, had its initial public stock...

Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna beats forecast, raises outlook and creates jobs.
July 30, 2004... By Diane Levick, The Hartford Courant, Conn. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--Aetna's stock sprouted wings with a 6.7 percent increase Thursday as the company beat second-quarter profit forecasts, raised earnings guidance for...

CIGNA to cut jobs in Connecticut, South Carolina and Philadelphia.
July 30, 2004... The Hartford Courant, Conn. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 230--CIGNA Corp., after agreeing to outsource a printing contract to R.R. Donnelly Corp. of Chicago, announced Thursday plans to eliminate approximately 120 jobs in...

The Hartford Courant, Conn., Inside Pitch column.
July 30, 2004... By Matthew Kauffman, The Hartford Courant, Conn. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--I think of myself as a savvy consumer, unswayed by slick ads, leery of marketing claims, and certainly never propelled toward the telephone by...

Minnesota-based UnitedHealth buys Trumbull, Conn.-based Oxford Health Plans.
July 30, 2004... The Hartford Courant, Conn. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--UnitedHealth Group said late Thursday it has completed its acquisition of Trumbull-based Oxford Health Plans, and raised earnings guidance. The closing came the...

Phoenix Cos. reports profit, layoffs.
July 30, 2004... By Diane Levick, The Hartford Courant, Conn. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--The Phoenix Cos. Inc. said Thursday it will lay off about 70 employees by outsourcing, and it reported a modest second-quarter profit, but issued...

Saddle Brook, N.J.-based company buys automotive products firm.
July 30, 2004... By Jennifer Caballero, The Record, Hackensack, N.J. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--Friend Skoler Equity InvestorsLP of Saddle Brook has purchased a Kansas company that manufactures specialty automotive products. The...

Bristol-Myers Squibb raises profit forecast; woes loom for New Jersey firm.
July 30, 2004... By Lewis Krauskopf, The Record, Hackensack, N.J. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. on Thursday raised its profit forecast for this year, but warned that Wall Street's earnings estimates for 2005 and...

EPA charges 2 chains in New Jersey, New York over misbranded goods.
July 30, 2004... By Joan Verdon, The Record, Hackensack, N.J. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--The federal Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday charged Odd-Job Stores Inc. and National Wholesale Liquidators with the illegal sale of...

IKEA's Paramus, N.J., opening does not overwhelm local traffic as feared.
July 30, 2004... By Joan Verdon, The Record, Hackensack, N.J. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--Before the new IKEA store opened in Paramus (NJ) last year, the big worry was too much traffic. Now, there's a new traffic worry. Where is all...

Developer posts Web site on redevelopment of Ford plant in Edison, N.J.
July 30, 2004... By Joan Verdon, The Record, Hackensack, N.J. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--Developer Hartz Mountain Industries wants to interact with Edison residents and it is using a new Web site to do so. The developer, which wants...

Dell distribution center could bring 665 jobs to West Chester Township, Ohio.
July 30, 2004... The Journal-News, Hamilton, Ohio Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--WEST CHESTER TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- Dell, the nation's leading manufacturer of personal computers, may open a $15.4-million distribution center in West Chester...

Butler County, Ohio, moves to create port authority.
July 30, 2004... By Mary Lolli, The Journal-News, Hamilton, Ohio Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--HAMILTON, Ohio -- A new layer of government will soon be in place in Butler County in the form of a countywide port authority. County...

Butler County, Ohio, moves forward on plan to reduce traffic congestion.
July 30, 2004... The Journal-News, Hamilton, Ohio Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--HAMILTON, Ohio -- Butler County Engineer Greg Wilkens is moving forward with a plan to reduce traffic congestion by controlling future access to public...

Houston Chronicle Moneymakers column.
July 30, 2004... By Jenalia Moreno, Houston Chronicle Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--NAFTA CONSULTANT SEES DIFFERENT WORLD AFTER PACT: A decade ago, the North American Free Trade Agreement linked the economies of the United States, Canada...

Shell to pay over $150 million in fines over misstatements on reserves.
July 30, 2004... By Tom Fowler, Houston Chronicle Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--The Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies has agreed to pay more than $150 million in fines to American and British securities regulators over misstatements the...

Houston Chronicle Loren Steffy column.
July 30, 2004... By Loren Steffy, Houston Chronicle Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--INSURANCE COMPANIES KEEP THOSE BAD MEMORIES ALIVE: I've been writing this column for a few months now, so it's time to let you in on a dirty little secret...

Gift store to close Jacksonville, Fla., location.
July 30, 2004... By Sarah Skidmore, The Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--Longtime Jacksonville resident Ty Thebaut remembers when brides would wait with anticipation for the afternoon delivery of gifts. She...

Oil prices bubble down as fears of Russian output slump dissipate.
July 30, 2004... By Karen Brune Mathis, The Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--Oil prices eased Thursday but remained above $42 a barrel, a day after hitting a 21-year high in U.S. trading because of a threat by...

Strong demand for services ups earnings for Jacksonville, Fla., staffing firm.
July 30, 2004... By Mark Basch, The Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--MPS Group Inc. Thursday reported higher second-quarter earnings, with particularly strong demand in its professional services side of the...

North Carolina port officials celebrate budget appropriation for development.
July 30, 2004... By Jannette Pippin, The Daily News, Jacksonville, N.C. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--RADIO ISLAND, N.C. -- Local, state and port officials gathered Thursday in Morehead City to celebrate a $2 million step forward in efforts...

UMB Bank to sell downtown block to Kansas City, Mo.
July 30, 2004... By Kevin Collison, The Kansas City Star, Mo. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- UMB Bank has agreed to sell the city a key block it owns in the planned Kansas City Live downtown entertainment district, a...

Kansas City, Mo.-based bank holding firm posts lower quarterly earnings.
July 30, 2004... By Dan Margolies, The Kansas City Star, Mo. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- UMB Financial Corp. on Wednesday reported sharply lower second-quarter earnings, citing lower net interest and fee income. ...

The Kansas City Star, Mo., commodities column.
July 30, 2004... By Victoria Sizemore Long, The Kansas City Star, Mo. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- EXPORT NEWS BOOSTS PRICES: Kansas City and Chicago wheat futures prices closed mixed Thursday following early gains. ...

Macon, Ga., ranked No. 1 bargain spot for conventions.
July 30, 2004... By Linda S. Morris, The Macon Telegraph, Ga. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--Macon is ranked as the top bargain spot for conventions, according to EXPO magazine, an international publication for people who organize...

Macon, Ga., eatery to be rebuilt, will plan September opening.
July 30, 2004... By Maggie Large, The Macon Telegraph, Ga. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--The owners of the Captain D's franchise on Pio Nono Avenue in Macon are rebuilding the fire-damaged restaurant and planning a September opening. ...

Some Macon, Ga.-area shoppers get a jump on sales tax holiday.
July 30, 2004... By Natasha Smith, The Macon Telegraph, Ga. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--At midnight Wednesday, a time when most people are already in bed, Dorothy Fuller and her friends were buying a computer. Fuller said they arrived...

New Perry, Ga., subdivision to focus on nature.
July 30, 2004... By Ayanna McPhail, The Macon Telegraph, Ga. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--PERRY, Ga. -- Another massive subdivision is breaking ground in Houston County, and this one is offering 550 acres and a theme that's "au naturale."...

New parent of Georgetown, S.C., steel firm announces profit as plant gears up.
July 30, 2004... By Colin Burch, The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, S.C. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--As the mill formerly known as Georgetown Steel prepared Thursday to start production this weekend, its new parent company announced $94.1...

State budget to drain Monterey County, Calif., of $3.5 million over two years.
July 30, 2004... The Monterey County Herald, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jul. 30--Analysts for local government in Monterey County say there are no surprises in the state budget compromise crafted by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and...