The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA) articles from August 2001

The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA) archives from August 2001

Norfolk, Va.-Based Communications Company Agrees to Help Chicago Dot-Com.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Tom Shean Aug. 1--In its latest investment in an Internet-related enterprise, Landmark Communications Inc. has agreed to provide $15 million to a struggling company that delivers coupons and sales promotions to consumers via the...

Norfolk, Va.-Area Economic Development Group Kicks Off Fundraising Campaign.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Christopher Dinsmore Aug. 1--The Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance has quietly kicked off its capital campaign, seeking private funding for a second five years of operation. Essentially the marketing arm for economic...

House Panel's Proposed Bill to Cut Peanut Quotas, Trim Farmers' Income.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Linda McNatt Aug. 1--The House Agriculture Committee's 2002 Farm Bill, in its first stage, has the nation's and Hampton Roads' peanut farmers roasting. The committee has proposed eventually eliminating peanut quotas that date...

Smithfield, Va., Pork Producer Acquires Another Smithfield Company.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Michael Davis Aug. 1--SMITHFIELD, Va.--Pork giant Smithfield Foods Inc. has bagged yet another company on its shopping spree, as it builds a more profitable menu of product offerings. The company on Tuesday completed the $18...

Small-Business Empowerment Center Opens Doors in Norfolk, Va.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Sean Olson Aug. 1--NORFOLK, Va.--It's a new small-business center with a big name and an even bigger goal: to retain existing businesses within the Norfolk/Portsmouth Empowerment Zone and to draw new ones in. The Small Business...

Norfolk, Va.-Area Trash War Combatants form Partnership.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Scott Harper Aug. 1--They cursed each other for years, sued each other, blamed each other for driving up local garbage costs. Now they are partners. The regional waste authority and five of its private competitors signed a...

Thirteen Business, Professional People to Organize Bank in Norfolk, Va., Area.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Tom Shean Aug. 2--With help from a veteran Wakefield banker, a group of business and professional people on the western edge of Hampton Roads has begun organizing a community bank in Windsor. The proposed bank, to be named...

Cenit Bank to Accept Merger Offer from SouthTrust.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Tom Shean Aug. 2--NORFOLK, Va.--In the midst of a merger wave sweeping up Hampton Roads financial institutions, shareholders of CENIT Bancorp Inc. will vote this afternoon on an agreement to become part of a Birmingham, Ala., bank...

Smithfield Foods Could Lose Millions from Fire at Utah Hog Farm.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Michael Davis Aug. 2--A devastating fire at a Utah hog farm last weekend could cost Smithfield Foods Inc. millions of dollars in lost profits this fiscal year, according to analysts. The loss of about 12,000 hogs, including...

Birmingham, Ala.-Based Bank To Send Team to Norfolk, Va., Area To Aid Merger.
August 3, 2001... Byline: Tom Shean Aug. 3--NORFOLK, Va.--SouthTrust Corp., which is scheduled to buy CENIT Bancorp Inc. today, will send a data-processing team of 63 people to Hampton Roads in December to help with the consolidation, the president and...

Bush Administration Unveils Plan To Close More Military Bases.
August 3, 2001... Byline: Dale Eisman Aug. 3--WASHINGTON--The Bush administration on Thursday formally unveiled its plan for a new round of military base closings, but there was little indication that the idea will catch on in Congress, which for five years...

Charter Communications Announces Cable Upgrade in Suffolk, Va.
August 3, 2001... Byline: Linda McNatt Aug. 3--SUFFOLK, Va.--Cable television customers, who for years have complained about poor reception, frequent outages and lack of service, may soon be in TV heaven. Charter Communications on Thursday announced a...

Man-made Oyster Reef Takes Root in Chesapeake Bay.
August 3, 2001... Byline: Scott Harper Aug. 3--NORFOLK, Va.--The latest attempt to restore oysters in the Chesapeake Bay looks completely out of place. Here on the Eastern Branch of the Elizabeth River, an industrial waterway near downtown Norfolk busy...

Norfolk, Va., Residents Raise Concerns about Proposed Airport Runway.
August 3, 2001... Byline: Debbie Messina Aug. 3--NORFOLK, Va.--Noise, wetlands and water supply are among the chief concerns of residents familiar with Norfolk International Airport's proposal to build a parallel runway to handle increasing air traffic. ...

Bank Rivals Woo Wachovia Shareholders in Virginia on Eve of Vote.
August 3, 2001... Byline: Tom Shean Aug. 3--As today's voting deadline approached, officers of Wachovia and rival suitors First Union and SunTrust Banks spent Thursday trying to win over Wachovia shareholders who had voted for the opposition or had not yet...

Hampton, Va., Benefits from Hosting AAU Junior Olympics.
August 4, 2001... Byline: Caroline Lynch Aug. 4--The AAU Junior Olympics have taken Hampton Roads by storm. "It's like the same effect as when a hurricane comes through -- everything comes inland," said Wesley Dove, general manager of the Hampton Inn in...

First Union Wins Out in Wachovia Merger War.
August 4, 2001... Byline: Tom Shean Aug. 4--SunTrust Banks Inc. ended a bitter campaign to block the planned merger of Wachovia Corp. and First Union Corp. after Wachovia's shareholders endorsed the merger agreement Friday. "They proclaimed victory, and...

Norfolk, Va.-Area Businesses Awaken to Hispanic Market.
August 5, 2001... Byline: Amy Jeter Aug. 5--Leaf through a Spanish-language newspaper at the bank or learn about mortgages en espanol. Pick up some Mexican chewing gum at the Super Kmart or snag a futbol jersey at a Hispanic grocery store. A few...

Need for Hispanic Workers Prompts Discussion of Immigration Policies.
August 5, 2001... Byline: Katrice Franklin Aug. 5--CHESAPEAKE, Va.--Five years ago, when a consultant said a landscaping business would need to hire Hispanic workers to survive, Oscar Richardson laughed so hard his jaw hurt. He isn't laughing now. ...

Julie Andrews: from `Mary Poppins' to `The Princess Diaries'.
August 6, 2001... Byline: Mal Vincent When she comes into a room, there is a hush _ a respectful hush. Automatically, your posture improves. We, after all, are in the presence of Mary Poppins herself _ and Maria, from "The Sound of Music." A...

Virginia Beach, Va.-Area Internet File Sharing Firm Unites Unlikely Partners.
August 6, 2001... Byline: Vandana Sinha Aug. 6--One savored his first Harry Belafonte record when he was 4 years old and spent the '60s hiding Elvis LPs under his bed. A high-tech toy then was Etch A Sketch. The other, who remembers owning only one...

Portsmouth, Va.-Based Bank Posts Increased Net Income.
August 7, 2001... Byline: Tom Shean Aug. 7--PORTSMOUTH, Va.--Citing the earnings contribution from its mortgage banking unit, insurance agency and credit-card services to merchants, TowneBank said Monday that its second-quarter net income was more than...

Defense Companies Still Vying for Newport News, Va., Ship Builder.
August 7, 2001... Byline: Dennis O'Brien Aug. 7--NEWPORT NEWS, Va.--The waiting game continues for Newport News Shipbuilding as the competition to acquire the Peninsula yard enters its 14th week. Original bidder General Dynamics, which expected quick...

Norfolk, Va., Officials to Face Off with Signs Seen as Eyesores.
August 7, 2001... Byline: Melissa Scott Sinclair Aug. 7--NORFOLK, Va.--Two signs face off across the bustling intersection of Granby Street and Little Creek Road, both targets in Norfolk planners' new war on unnecessary commercial displays. One, a giant...

Rare statue over grave of young girl often stolen.
August 8, 2001... Byline: Melissa Scott Sinclair FILE PHOTO ? NORFOLK, Va. _ Marie McKay has lain at peace under a spreading magnolia tree for more than a century. But the marble statue guarding the 3-year-old's grave in Elmwood Cemetery has a...

New York-Based Discount Brokerage to Close Norfolk, Va., Office.
August 8, 2001... Byline: Tom Shean Aug. 8--NORFOLK, Va.--Fighting a prolonged slump in the volume of its customers' trading, the discount brokerage firm TD Waterhouse Group Inc. said it will close its Norfolk office and 16 others nationwide later this...

Illinois Firm's Customer Contact Unit Opens in Suffolk, Va.
August 8, 2001... Byline: Phyllis Speidell Aug. 8--SUFFOLK, Va.--Continental Properties Corp. designed the new Bridgeway Technology Center in North Suffolk as a class A office building with the flexibility to serve tenants' diverse needs. Monday one of...

Norfolk, Va., University to Lead Project to Write Supercomputer Software.
August 8, 2001... Byline: Vandana Sinha Aug. 8--NORFOLK, Va.--Old Dominion University is poised to lead a federal project to write software code for the world's fastest computers as part of a project to supercharge scientific research. The U.S....

Virginia Beach, Va., Planners Consider Proposed Subdivision.
August 8, 2001... Aug. 8--VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.--The look of future development in a swatch of land separating the city's developed north from its rural south faces an important test today. Planning commissioners are scheduled to consider whether a...

Virginia Power Company Plans for Outage Emergencies.
August 8, 2001... Byline: Michael Davis Aug. 8--With back-to-back peak storm seasons -- hurricane, followed by winter -- getting under way, the state's biggest electric company is studying how it will get the lights back on after a major outage. ...

Norfolk, Va., School to Lead Coding of Supercomputers.
August 8, 2001... Byline: Vandana Sinha Aug. 8--NORFOLK, Va.--Old Dominion University is poised to lead a federal project to write software code for the world's fastest computers as part of a project to supercharge scientific research. The U.S....

HEADLINE HERE.
August 9, 2001... Virginian-Pilot NorfolkTHIS IS AN undercover operation," the special agent said. "You're going to be on surveillance _ all 42 of you." Agents from the FBI, game departments, U.S. Customs, National Park Service stirred in their chairs....

Talented Suffolk, Va., Mechanic, Custom Designer Draws Clients.
August 9, 2001... Byline: Phyllis Speidell Aug. 9--SUFFOLK, Va.--When rush-hour traffic builds and drivers wave hello, Ray T. White is reminded why he keeps his businesses. White, who owns Ray T. White Paint and Body Shop and SkyRays Auto Sales on East...

First Phase of Cleanup of Virginia's Elizabeth River to Cost $13 Million.
August 9, 2001... Byline: Scott Harper Aug. 9--NORFOLK, Va.--After four years of study, federal scientists are recommending a $13 million first strike in launching a government cleanup of the Elizabeth River, one of the most contaminated waterways on the...

Proposed Subdivision in Virginia Beach, Va., Area Is Stalled for Now.
August 9, 2001... Byline: Clint Riley Aug. 9--VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.--The Planning Commission held up approval on Wednesday of a new subdivision proposed south of the Green Line, asking the developers to build fewer homes. The commission also suggested...

Norfolk, Va.-Based Investment Firm's Shareholders Watch Their Equity Sink.
August 10, 2001... Byline: Tom Shean Aug. 10--NORFOLK, Va.--Blaming the shrinking value of its investments on four troubled companies, Waterside Capital Corp. said its shareholders' equity plunged 29 percent during the fiscal year ended June 30. ...

Virginia Power Companies Say Systems Can Withstand Heat Wave.
August 10, 2001... Byline: Michael Davis Aug. 10--Despite the blast-furnace heat baking Virginia this week, the state's power companies say they have enough juice to keep the lights on -- and the air conditioner running. "Our system is built to a...

Newport News, Va.-Based Shipyard Awaits Regulators' Decision on Buyers.
August 10, 2001... Byline: DENNIS O'BRIEN Aug. 10--NEWPORT NEWS, Va.--The Pentagon and Department of Justice will be ready Aug. 20 to tell General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman which, if either, company will be permitted to buy Newport News Shipbuilding. ...

Norfolk, Va., University's Magnetic Levitation Train Attracts Attention.
August 10, 2001... Byline: Debbie Messina Aug. 10--NORFOLK, Va.--Key legislators were wowed Thursday by the magnetic levitation train system under construction at Old Dominion University. Senate leaders stood in the scorching heat under a newly built...

North Carolina-Based Bank Expands Virginia Presence with Acquisition.
August 11, 2001... Byline: Tom Shean Aug. 11--BB&T Corp., which has sought to build a statewide banking presence in Virginia, moved closer to its goal Friday by acquiring F&M National Corp. F&M, a Winchester-based banking company that did business in...

Norfolk, Va.-Area Technology Incubator Welcomes First Tenant.
August 11, 2001... Byline: Vandana Sinha Aug. 11--NORFOLK, Va.--An e-commerce company is the first to shift, bag and bandwidth, into a regional technology incubator heralded last fall as a rare economic coup for Norfolk and Virginia Beach. The Hampton...

Norfolk, Va., Restaurateurs Seek Buyer for German Eatery.
August 12, 2001... Byline: Dennis O'Brien Aug. 12--NORFOLK, Va.--Hampton Roads is on the verge of losing a little slice of Stuttgart. After 25 years of serving spaetzle and sauerbraten, the German Pantry at 5329 Virginia Beach Blvd. is poised to close....

Virginia Tobacco Growers No Longer Cashing In.
August 13, 2001... Byline: Linda McNatt Aug. 13--In fields just west of Courtland, tall, straight stalks reach skyward. Huge, dark green leaves bow gently in the breeze. In some fields, pale yellow flowers appear on spires above the plants. The...

The cast of `American Pie 2' talks _ and celebrates.
August 14, 2001... Byline: Mal Vincent MALIBU, Calif. _ Apparently wide groups of people are ready for a second helping. "American Pie 2" opened to a take of well over $30 million for its first weekend, suggesting that there are ample folks (and not all...

Virginia Beach, Va., Building Boom Continues.
August 14, 2001... Byline: Jason Skog Aug. 14--VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.--The city's latest building boom continues to echo this year with projects like Town Center at the forefront of the trend. The value of new construction is at its highest level in five...

`Mandolin' star has always marched to beat of a different drummer.
August 15, 2001... Byline: Mal Vincent MALIBU, Calif. _ Nicolas Cage knows what it's like to be an outsider. For most of his life, and career, he's been the loner, the extreme character on the outer edge of accepted society. He first attracted...

U.S. Department of Energy Approves Funds for Supercomputer Updates.
August 15, 2001... Byline: Vandana Sinha Aug. 15--A federal agency signed off Tuesday on a $57 million effort to recharge its current crop of supercomputers, sprinkling more than $7 million toward projects involving a local university and science lab. ...

Virginia Beach, Va.-Based Dry Cleaner Files for Bankruptcy Protection.
August 15, 2001... Byline: Michael Davis Aug. 15--Hampton Roads' biggest dry cleaner has filed for bankruptcy protection but will stay in business as it sorts through its debts. Virginia Beach-based Albano Cleaners -- which has shrunk its number of...

Reborn Virginia Beach, Va., Electronics Firm Grows Again.
August 15, 2001... Byline: Hattie Brown Aug. 15--VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.--Ron Hurley accomplished his dream when he started his own company in 1985. At the time, he could not have known he would be reliving that dream 16 years later. Hurley started his...

Clifton, N.J.-Based Company Seeks Funding for Its Fuel Cells.
August 15, 2001... Byline: Vandana Sinha Aug. 15--VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.--As the supply of energy dwindles but the demand for it surges, an alternate fuel source is emerging as the next potential way to heat homes and offices. Presenting its technology to...

Tattoo Shop Proponent Wins Virginia Beach, Va.-Area Battles.
August 15, 2001... Aug. 15--The first tattoo studios in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake may open next month after separate actions Tuesday by a city council and a judge. "I'm ready to get to work," J.D. Crowe, owner of Ancient Art Tattoo Studio, said shortly...

Virginia Shuts Down Virginia Beach Provider of Asbestos-Removal Training.
August 16, 2001... Byline: Bill Burke Aug. 16--RICHMOND, Va.--The state on Wednesday shut down a Virginia Beach company whose illegal training practices prompted what is believed to be the most extensive criminal investigation ever conducted into fraud in...

Two Electronics Firms Pay to Study Norfolk, Va., Company's Electric Technology.
August 16, 2001... Byline: Vandana Sinha Aug. 16--NORFOLK, Va.--Two multimillion-dollar electronic-components manufacturers have paid a local company so they can study one of its latest inventions: a device that can create high-voltage electricity. ...

Virginia Beach, Va.-Based Health-Care Provider Reports Income Growth.
August 16, 2001... Byline: Tom Shean Aug. 16--VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.--Amerigroup Corp., a provider of managed health care to welfare recipients and uninsured children, said its net income for the six months through June jumped 26 percent largely because of...

Flight Attendants at US Airways-Owned Commuter Airline Likely to Walk Off Job.
August 17, 2001... Byline: Michael Davis Aug. 17--Flight attendants for US Airways' biggest commuter carrier are threatening to walk off the job next month after more than two years without a new labor contract. At this point, "It's very likely" that the...

Two Ames Stores in Norfolk, Va., Area Fall in Round of Closings.
August 17, 2001... Byline: Vandana Sinha Aug. 17--Sapped by debt from a major acquisition last year and a soft economy this year, Ames Department Stores Inc. announced Thursday it will close 47 stores, including two in Hampton Roads, by the end of October....

Three More States Join Effort to Clean Chesapeake Bay.
August 17, 2001... Byline: Scott Harper Aug. 17--ANNAPOLIS, Md.--New York, West Virginia and Delaware are joining the Chesapeake Bay cleanup, officials announced Thursday as part of a significant shift in strategy for restoring the famed estuary. ...

Chesapeake, Va., Moves to Close $3.65 Million Deal for Business Park.
August 17, 2001... Byline: Amy Jeter Aug. 17--CHESAPEAKE, Va.--The city will spend $3.65 million to buy land for a business and technology park in a deal expected to close today, city and company officials said Thursday. The city will pay Williams...

Self-Made Real Estate Mogul Lends Savvy to Environmental Causes.
August 17, 2001... Byline: Scott Harper Aug. 17--NORFOLK, Va.--In person, Nancy Chandler is small and talks with a husky Southern lilt. She needs a little extra time to rise from a chair these days, but her presence remains large. The self-made real...

Portsmouth, Va., to Update Its Plans for City Zoning.
August 17, 2001... Byline: Louis Hansen Aug. 17--PORTSMOUTH, Va.--Junk car lots surrounded by razor wire fences on major roads. Modern apartment buildings erected in the middle of a neighborhood of big, old homes. Railroad container cars cutting through...

Virginia Beach, Va., Residents Decide How to Spend Tax Refunds.
August 18, 2001... Byline: Hattie Brown Aug. 18--Bryan Chapman of Virginia Beach had already planned his 11-day honeymoon to Florida when he got his tax refund check in the mail. Even so, he figured the money could help make his trip a little better. ...

Virginia Jury Gives $116 Million to Investors of Fire-Escape Ladder.
August 19, 2001... Byline: Marc Davis Aug. 19--NORFOLK, Va.--A federal jury on Friday returned the biggest civil verdict in Virginia history: $116 million to the young inventors of a fire-escape ladder who say their design was stolen by a national...

Funerals Become More Personalized, Contain More Memories as Boomers Age.
August 19, 2001... Byline: Joanne Kimberlin Aug. 19--Baby boomers are shaking things up in an industry not accustomed to change. They prefer funerals that celebrate a life, rather than dwell on a death. That outlook has funeral homes and their...

Virginia's Two Jamestowns Clash over Name, Policy.
August 19, 2001... Byline: Amy Jeter Aug. 19--Accusations are flying like musket balls as organizations try to hammer out how best to showcase Jamestown as it approaches its 400th anniversary. A bitter dispute drawing on long-held grudges erupted this...

Consumers Alliance Hopes to Keep Cost of Funerals Low.
August 20, 2001... Byline: Joanne Kimberlin Aug. 20--Call it the lay-me-to-rest-in-a-plain-pine-box movement. In the forefront: the Funeral Consumers Alliance -- formerly known as the Funeral & Memorial Societies of America. With 100-plus chapters in...

Virginia's Funeral Home Industry Accused of Rapaciousness.
August 20, 2001... Byline: Joanne Kimberlin Aug. 20--At nearly $10,000, a typical funeral and burial follows only a home and car as the most expensive purchase most people will make in a lifetime. But when a loved one dies, grief and social taboos...

Richmond, Va., Hopes to Become Site of National Slavery Museum.
August 20, 2001... Byline: Katrice Franklin Aug. 20--Their arguments are convincing and practical, laced with passion and self-serving emotion. "We're only 50 miles from D.C. and 50 miles from Richmond," said the Rev. Lawrence A. Davies, the former mayor...

Battle for Internet Domain Names Begins to Heat Up.
August 20, 2001... Byline: Vandana Sinha Aug. 20--VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.--The Internet is big enough for 500 million people to rifle through billions of Web sites at any one time. But is it big enough for people who don't play by the same rules as the rest?...

Norfolk, Va.-Area Investment Firm, Radisson-Hotel Owner Files for Bankruptcy.
August 20, 2001... Byline: Christopher Dinsmore Aug. 20--NORFOLK, Va.--Despite a foreclosure threat from its largest creditor, the owner of the Radisson Hotel Norfolk has filed a bankruptcy reorganization plan. Patrick Investments Corp., the owner of the...

Norfolk, Va., Funeral Director Bucks the System.
August 21, 2001... Byline: Joanne Kimberlin Aug. 21--NORFOLK, Va.--One name turns up in just about every local conversation about the changes spawning tension within the funeral industry: Carlos Howard. The Norfolk funeral director received national...

Monopolistic Funeral Homes Have the Law on Their Side, Critics Say.
August 21, 2001... Byline: Joanne Kimberlin Aug. 21--Her father's heart was growing weaker. "We knew what was coming and I was trying to get ready," said Sandi M. Murden. "It seemed smart to get prices from different funeral homes but I only made it to...

Net Loss Widens at Virginia Horse-Racing Track.
August 21, 2001... Aug. 21--Citing a sharp rise in expenses, the parent of Colonial Downs horse-racing track in New Kent County said Monday that its net loss for the April-June quarter widened despite an increase in revenues. Colonial Holdings Inc. said it...

Norfolk, Va.-Area Bank Buys Local Insurance Agency.
August 21, 2001... Byline: Tom Shean Aug. 21--Seeking a foothold in the market for property and casualty insurance in Hampton Roads, a unit of banking company BB&T Corp. has agreed to buy the Virginia Beach insurance agency Lowery D. Finley & Co. for an...

Sprint Launches DSL in Norfolk and Newport News, Va.
August 21, 2001... Byline: Vandana Sinha Aug. 21--NORFOLK, Va.--Sprint Corp. flicked on its new digital subscriber line service for small businesses in Norfolk and Newport News on Monday, hopping on a road that's seen many predecessors crash -- and some,...

New Pressures Erode Peace of Cemeteries in Norfolk, Va., Area.
August 22, 2001... Byline: Joanne Kimberlin Aug. 22--The gravedigger's skill is evident: a shoe-box-perfect rectangle cut 8 feet long, 3 feet wide and 5 feet deep into the dark earth. A shiny, powder-pink coffin rests on the bottom, nestled inside a...

Norfolk, Va., Woman Takes Care of Graves at Local Cemetery.
August 22, 2001... Byline: Joanne Kimberlin Aug. 22--NORFOLK, Va.--Alesia Raper has lived most of her 39 years among the graves in St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery. Her mother, Shirley Carr, was St. Mary's longtime superintendent. Raper's father, Glen...

Boston Information Technology Firm to Buy Virginia Beach, Va., Business.
August 22, 2001... Byline: Vandana Sinha Aug. 22--VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.--Metro Information Services Inc., a company that grew from a spare bedroom in a Beach home to one of the leading technology companies in the region, is being purchased by a Boston firm for...

Norfolk, Va., Tombstone-Cutting Family Crafts Grandness From Granite.
August 22, 2001... Byline: Joanne Kimberlin Aug. 22--NORFOLK, Va.--Fancy caskets eventually fall apart. The best-embalmed bodies decompose. The Barnes family produces the one element of today's funeral that is really built to last: the tombstone. ...

Virginia Beach, Va., Bakery Searches for New Building.
August 23, 2001... Byline: Sean Olson Aug. 23--VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.--Cannoli, dusted with confectioner's sugar, are in the grand, glass cases. Dark chocolate drips over white chocolate on the eclipse cake. Green, ivy icing crawls across a raspberry cake,...

Internet Provider for Cox Communications Throws Services into Doubt.
August 23, 2001... Byline: Vandana Sinha Aug. 23--The company that supplies the backbone for Cox Communications Inc.'s local high-speed Internet reported "substantial doubt" about its financial future, but industry observers say that means little for the...

Naval medical centers fare better, nurse-wise, than most hospitals.
August 23, 2001... Byline: Liz Szabo PORTSMOUTH, Va. _ Jim Goss is something of a rarity. He's a hospital nurse who feels respected. Goss said doctors have good reason to treat him well: As a Navy lieutenant, he frequently outranks them. Like all Navy...

Virginia-Based Smithfield Foods Posts Record Earnings, Higher Sales.
August 24, 2001... Byline: Michael Davis Aug. 24--Porked-up retail prices and a growing herd of acquisitions helped drive meat giant Smithfield Foods Inc. to stronger sales and record earnings on the first quarter. The world's biggest hog farmer and...

Hampton, Va., Port Offers Solution to Shipping Line-Trucker Disputes.
August 24, 2001... Byline: Christopher Dinsmore Aug. 24--Hoping to head off legislation feared to be adverse, Hampton Roads' port community has developed a solution to a thorny dispute between truckers and shipping lines. Every day, truckers haul several...

Wachovia Won Approval for First Union Merger with 60 Percent of Shares.
August 24, 2001... Byline: Tom Shean Aug. 24--Wachovia Corp., which waged a combative campaign to attract support for its merger agreement with First Union Corp., confirmed Thursday that it won the contest by a substantial margin. Wachovia, which needed...