Top international ballet event in Miss. in 2010
3:57
The USA International Ballet Competition has attracted the world's best young dancers to Mississippi for 30 years. And while many ballet companies have seen budgets shrink in tough times, the IBC says a record number of...
AmEx says card spending increased in October
3:54
American Express Co. said Tuesday that spending on its credit cards increased in October for the first time this year, an encouraging sign that consumers may be feeling more confident about the economy. Speaking at a...
NH communities face increases in pension rates
3:53
New Hampshire communities are facing rate increases ranging from 11 to 31 percent for their share of public employees' retirement in fiscal 2012 and 2013. The actuary advising the New Hampshire Retirement System...
Bredesen: Biofuels investment back in 'good shape'
3:51
Gov. Phil Bredesen said Tuesday that a private investment deal is back on track following discussions between the company and the head of a legislative panel that questioned a state-backed biofuels initiative in East...
Oil prices fall as Ida fades, dollar climbs
3:45
Oil prices fell Tuesday as workers headed back to deep sea platforms that were bypassed by a rapidly weakening storm in the Gulf of Mexico. Ida, once a Category 1 hurricane, was downgraded to a tropical storm Monday...
Alaska Air Group believes smaller is better
3:41
The parent company of Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air believes the company's smaller size relative to some of its bigger rivals is an advantage in a financially challenging environment. Alaska Air Group Inc. Chief...
Agriculture futures trade mixed on the CBOT
3:40
Agriculture futures were mixed Tuesday on the Chicago Board of Trade. Wheat for December delivery rose 3 cents to $5.23 a bushel, while December corn jumped 8.5 cents to $3.945 a bushel and oats for December delivery...
Neb. utility eyes 4.9 percent rate hike next year
3:31
A year after raising electric rates an average 14.5 percent, the Omaha Public Power District is considering a residential rate increase of 4.9 percent more. OPPD managers presented the proposal to the utility's board...
Williams Cos.: Gas transmission pipeline in use
3:26
Williams Cos. Inc. says a 26.4-mile-long natural gas transmission pipeline in Colorado is now in use. Tulsa-based Williams announced Tuesday that Northwest Pipeline GP, its majority-owned subsidiary, has received...
Nevada casino win down 9 percent in Sept.
3:19
Nevada casinos saw winnings from gamblers decline in September for the 21st month in a row, another sign that the state's tourism-dependent economy continues to suffer in the recession, gambling regulators reported...
US judge nixes credit in bid for Philly newspapers
3:07
A judge says creditors trying to take over Philadelphia's two major newspapers in a bankruptcy auction must bid in cash, not with the $300 million owed them. The decision Tuesday overturns a bankruptcy court ruling...
AIG shares up, Moody's sees government repayment
3:07
Shares of American International Group Inc. climbed Tuesday after Moody's Investor Service analysts said they believe the company will have the resources to fully repay the federal government. As of Sept. 30, AIG owed...
Madoff associate wills bulk of fortune to charity
2:59
A man who made billions of dollars off Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme signed a will leaving the bulk of his fortune to charity, but the gift's ultimate size may depend on legal wrangling over how much of the money...
Thor Industries CEO steps down citing illness
2:55
Thor Industries Inc. said Tuesday its chairman and CEO Wade F. B. Thompson has stepped aside due to illness and has been replaced on an interim basis by the company's vice chairman. The company, which makes...
Dawson Geophysical posts fiscal 4Q loss
2:53
Dawson Geophysical Co., which provides seismic data to oil and gas companies, on Tuesday reported a loss for its fiscal fourth quarter, hurt by lower prices and downtime due to foul weather. For the three months ended...
Cheesecake Factory to pay $345K in harassment case
2:49
National restaurant chain The Cheesecake Factory Inc. has agreed to pay $345,000 to settle a federal lawsuit alleging it let some male employees sexually harass other male workers in suburban Phoenix. The settlement...
Women on pace to be majority of union workers
2:47
Women are on track to become a majority of unionized workers in the next 10 years, signaling their growing clout in the labor movement. The shift, outlined in a report Tuesday from the Center for Economic and Policy...
Job-hunt readiness, surviving a promotion
2:46
READY OR NOT?: With the nation's jobless rate above 10 percent, many workers may expect the unexpected when it comes to their careers. But only one in five have updated their resumes in the last three months, while...
FedEx projects busier busiest day
2:44
FedEx is predicting a little more holiday cheer this year. The company, based in Memphis, Tenn., forecasts it will ship 13 million packages on Dec. 14, which it expects to be its busiest day this year. That would be...
EA shares drop after job cuts, outlook
2:43
Shares of Electronic Arts Inc. took a hit Tuesday, the day after the video game publisher said it is cutting 1,500 jobs and announced it bought Playfish Inc., a maker of online social games. Electronic Arts said the...
Xcel Energy names 2 new execs to subsidiaries
2:40
Power company Xcel Energy Inc. on Tuesday named Riley Hill to the role of president and CEO of its Southwestern Public Service Co. (SPS) subsidiary. Hill, 50, who has served as the chief operating officer of SPS since...
3-state meeting with FairPoint postponed
2:34
Legislative leaders from Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont have postponed a three-state meeting with FairPoint Communications to discuss the company's bankruptcy proceedings. Lawmakers, consumer advocates, union leaders...
Life Technologies buying BioTrove
2:24
Life Technologies Corp., life sciences and medical research tools company, said Tuesday it is buying BioTrove Inc. for an undisclosed amount. BioTrove of Woburn, Mass., makes gene sequencing and analysis equipment,...
Forecast: New England economy slow to rebound
2:20
The worst of the recession may be over, but a new economic forecast points to a "slow and weak recovery" in the New England states, with job losses likely to continue until the fourth quarter of 2010. The report,...
Fossil 3Q profit falls, but co. raises guidance
2:19
Watch maker Fossil Inc. said Tuesday its third-quarter profit fell but sales improved at company-owned stores. The company raised its fourth-quarter and full-year guidance as a result, and shares rose in premarket...
Lawsuit to block foreclosures in Minn. dismissed
2:19
A federal judge has dismissed a class action lawsuit filed by a group of homeowners who sought to block foreclosures in Minnesota, but their attorney said the case led to significant progress anyway. The lawsuit...
FedEx says IRS won't impose penalties for 2004-06
2:16
FedEx says the IRS will not impose tax penalties for 2004 through 2006 in the package delivery company's long-running battle over the classification of its FedEx Ground drivers as contractors instead of employees. The...
Northrop Grumman gets Homeland Security contract
2:12
Northrop Grumman Corp. said Tuesday it won a $46 million contract to provide communication help to U.S. immigration and customs enforcement. The contract from the U.S. Homeland Security Department runs for one base...
NJ, Target settle over expired goods, price errors
2:05
Target Corp. has agreed to pay New Jersey $375,000 to settle a lawsuit that it sold expired baby formula and charged different prices at the register than advertised. Attorney General Anne Milgram says the...
A look at economic developments around the globe
1:56
A look at economic developments and activity in major stock markets around the world Tuesday: ___ LONDON _ Britain's two biggest banks, HSBC Holdings PLC and Barclays PLC, reported strong investment banking profits...
Feds bust ATM hacking ring accused of stealing $9M
1:46
Federal authorities say they've cracked a sophisticated computer hacking ring that stole more than $9 million within 12 hours last November, securing indictments against eight people from Russia, Estonia and Moldova. ...
Settlement reached to clean Idaho superfund site
1:37
The U.S. Department of Justice says two companies and the city of St. Maries, Idaho, have agreed to clean up creosote left at the site of a former wooden utility pole treatment plant. The Justice Department and...
Fluor shares fall after weaker 3Q earnings report
1:34
Shares of Fluor Corp. skidded Tuesday, a day after the engineering and construction firm reported an 11 percent drop in third-quarter earnings due to lower revenue at its oil and gas and power units. The Irving,...
Former GM manager pleads guilty in aluminum fraud
1:32
A former General Motors manager has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and tax evasion, admitting he took $6.5 million in kickbacks in the sale of hundreds of millions of pounds of aluminum worth an estimated $1 billion. ...
Tw telecom shares jump after JPMorgan upgrade
1:30
Shares of tw telecom inc. hit a 12-month high Tuesday, propelled by a JPMorgan upgrade on expectations for a recovery in the business telecommunications market. JPMorgan analyst Mike McCormack raised the company to...
GM appoints international exec to head Opel
1:15
General Motors Co. said Tuesday that a senior executive who now runs its international divisions will take over responsibility for the European Opel and Vauxhall units while the company searches for a permanent chief...
Carter's will restate financial results
1:01
Shares of children's clothing maker Carter's Inc. fell on Tuesday after the company said it would have to restate some financial results following a review of its accounting for margin payments to wholesale customers. ...
Baldor Electric's board names VP of generators
12:59
Electrical equipment maker Baldor Electric Co. said Tuesday its board of directors promoted Jeffery Hubert to vice president of generators, effective Jan. 1. Hubert will oversee all of Baldor's generator business,...
JPMorgan Chase to hire 1,200 mortgage officers
12:55
JPMorgan Chase & Co. said Tuesday it will hire 1,200 mortgage loan officers by the end of next year, a 60 percent increase in its sales force. The workers are needed as the company aggressively goes after new home...
Baldor Electric declares quarterly dividend
12:50
Electrical equipment maker Baldor Electric Co. on Tuesday declared a quarterly cash dividend of 17 cents. The dividend is payable on Jan. 5 to shareholders on record as of Dec. 15. Shares of Baldor Electric fell 41...
Emeritus shares fall after 3Q loss reported
12:44
Shares of assisted-living services provider Emeritus Corp. fell Tuesday after the company reported a $16 million loss even though occupancy at its centers increased in the third quarter. Emeritus said late Monday that...
Sector Snap: Airline stocks fall
12:38
Airline stocks fell Tuesday as the broader market paused after big rallies in recent days. The Amex Airlines Index dropped 1 percent, with 11 of its 13 components lower in midday trading. An analyst for UBS said...
Harbin posts $1.9M loss for 3rd quarter
12:28
Harbin Electric Inc. said Tuesday it lost $1.91 million in its third quarter, hurt by a substantial charge, though adjusted results showed a net profit. The Chinese maker of electric motors said its loss amounted to 7...
Cumberland 3Q profit rose on Caldolor sales
12:17
Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Tuesday its profit rose 6 percent in the third quarter, as sales of its recently approved fever and pain treatment Caldolor were partly offset by costs to launch the drug. Caldolor...
Sprint, others give Clearwire $1.5B in financing
12:16
Investors in Clearwire Corp., including Sprint Nextel Corp. and major cable companies, Tuesday said they are pumping an additional $1.5 billion into the company so it can keep building out its nationwide wireless data...
Okla.'s Langston Univ. receives $800,000 fed grant
12:09
Langston University will receive an $800,000 federal grant that school officials say will be used for economic development in Langston and Oklahoma City. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded the...
Qiagen 3Q profit jumps on boost in test sales
12:09
Diagnostic products maker Qiagen NV said Monday its third-quarter profit jumped 81 percent on a boost in test sales and businesses acquired over the last year. The company, based in the Netherlands, earned $37.7...
Entertainment Properties prices share offering
12:05
Entertainment Properties Trust on Tuesday priced its offering of 5.5 million shares and an additional 825,000 shares to be bought by underwriters at $173.3 million. The real estate investment trust's shares fell $2.84,...
DC transit union wants Metro pay raises enforced
11:58
Metro's largest union has filed a federal lawsuit asking a court to enforce wage increases for bus and train operators. The lawsuit filed Monday in Maryland comes after last week's announcement by Metro that it would...
Iraqi PM: Cabinet to discuss Zubair deal next week
11:57
Iraq's Cabinet will meet next week to ratify a deal with a consortium led by Italy's Eni SpA to develop a prized southern oil field, the prime minister said Tuesday. Eni, the U.S.'s Occidental Petroleum Corp. and South...