Business

Paychecks shrinking
Published Friday, July 03, 2009   1 comment(s) WASHINGTON -- Americans lucky enough to still have jobs are noticing something unpleasant in their paychecks: They're making less money.Employers cut 467,000 jobs in June, far more than expected, and the jobless rate hit a 26-year high of 9.5 percent ... full story

Flight 447 broke upon impact, French officials say
Published Friday, July 03, 2009   0 comment(s) LE BOURGET, France -- Air France Flight 447 slammed into the Atlantic Ocean, intact and belly first, at such a high speed that the 228 people aboard probably had no time to even inflate their life jackets, French investigators said Thursday in their ... full story

Disabled vets find confidence by going back to boot camp
Published Thursday, July 02, 2009   0 comment(s) When Ricardo Lopez, a 22-year veteran, re-entered the workforce, he found jobs lacking the structure and camaraderie he was used to in the Army.So when the 43-year-old decided he had spent enough time answering to someone else and wanted to own his o ... full story

Manufacturing index posts positive data
Published Thursday, July 02, 2009   0 comment(s) NEW YORK -- A report on manufacturing activity shows the sector contracted less than expected in June, posting its best showing since last August and offering another sign that a recovery may be near.Manufacturing sectors overseas also are rebounding ... full story

Vicodin, Percocet make panel's discontinue list
Published Wednesday, July 01, 2009   0 comment(s) ADELPHI, Md. -- Government experts say prescription drugs such as Vicodin and Percocet that combine a popular painkiller with narcotics should be eliminated because of their role in deadly overdoses.A Food and Drug Administration panel Tuesday voted ... full story

Medina retires after 47 years in banking
Published Wednesday, July 01, 2009   0 comment(s) Rachel Viviero Medina was recently honored for working almost a half a century at a local bank. Medina retired from CitiBank after 47 years of employment. She began in the banking business with First State Bank, which became First Bank & Trust. ... full story

Seminar will cover employee relations
Published Wednesday, July 01, 2009   0 comment(s) A full-day business seminar will cover understanding the inner workings of companies. The Brazos Valley Human Resource Management Association is hosting the seminar July 16 at Workforce Solutions in Bryan, 3991 E. 29th St. Lunch will be provide ... full story

Chamber networking event set for July 16
Published Wednesday, July 01, 2009   0 comment(s) The Bryan-College Station Chamber of Commerce will host a Business After Hours networking event July 16. The free program will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Tom Light Chevrolet, 738 N. Earl Rudder Freeway in Bryan. Food, drinks and entertainme ... full story

Tickets still available for Ladies' Nite Luau
Published Wednesday, July 01, 2009   0 comment(s) Women still have time to register for the Bryan-College Station Chamber of Commerce's annual evening of food, dancing and entertainment. The Ladies' Nite Luau 2009 will be held from 6:30 to 11 p.m. July 10 at the Hilton College Station. Tables ... full story

Dollar Tree open for business in Bryan
Published Wednesday, July 01, 2009   0 comment(s) A new Dollar Tree has opened in Bryan. The 7,057-square-foot store that sells everything for $1 or less is located at 3121 Wildflower Drive. A Fortune 500 Company, Dollar Tree is headquartered in Chesapeake, Va., and has more than 3,600 stores ... full story

Dollar Tree open for business in Bryan
Published Wednesday, July 01, 2009   0 comment(s) A new Dollar Tree has opened in Bryan. The 7,057-square-foot store that sells everything for $1 or less is located at 3121 Wildflower Drive. A Fortune 500 Company, Dollar Tree is headquartered in Chesapeake, Va., and has more than 3,600 stores ... full story

Pool, spa provider has ribbon-cutting
Published Wednesday, July 01, 2009   0 comment(s) A new aquatic amenities and accessories company has opened in College Station. Aqua Tech Pools at 5657 Raymond Stotzer Parkway held its ribbon-cutting Wednesday, hosted by the Bryan-College Station Chamber of Commerce. The company sells spas, p ... full story

Pool, spa provider has ribbon-cutting
Published Wednesday, July 01, 2009   0 comment(s) A new aquatic amenities and accessories company has opened in College Station. Aqua Tech Pools at 5657 Raymond Stotzer Parkway held its ribbon-cutting Wednesday, hosted by the Bryan-College Station Chamber of Commerce. The company sells spas, p ... full story

China backs down from requirement for Web filter
Published Wednesday, July 01, 2009   0 comment(s) BEIJING -- In a rare reversal, China's government gave in to domestic and international pressure and backed down Tuesday from a rule that would have required personal computers sold in the country to have Internet-filtering software.Just hours before ... full story

Kroger recalls beef in some states
Published Wednesday, July 01, 2009   0 comment(s) CINCINNATI -- The Kroger Co. on Tuesday recalled ground beef sold in some of its grocery stores.JBS Swift Beef Co. of Greeley, Colo., earlier voluntarily expanded a beef recall because of possible E. coli contamination. Kroger says the suspect beef w ... full story

Caldwell gets new long-term care center
Published Wednesday, July 01, 2009   0 comment(s) A new nursing and rehabilitation center has opened in Caldwell. Copperas Hollow Nursing and Rehabilitation is a 90-bed facility that offers its patients long-term care and daily activities geared toward wellness and enhancing quality of life. For mor ... full story

Obama touts consumer agency
Published Wednesday, July 01, 2009   0 comment(s) WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama asked Congress on Tuesday to create a new agency to police the fine print on such consumer products as credit cards and mortgages and determine what fees, penalties and interest rates are fair.The Consumer Financi ... full story

Congress trying to cull wasteful medical treatments
Published Wednesday, July 01, 2009   0 comment(s) WASHINGTON -- Irregular heartbeat. Prostate cancer. Back pain. Hearing loss. The government is about to spend millions to try to uncover the best treatments for scores of ailments -- and how to handle these four biggies leads a list of top 100 questi ... full story

Study charts how travelers spread flu
Published Tuesday, June 30, 2009   0 comment(s) ATLANTA -- In a startling measure of just how widely a new disease can spread, researchers accurately plotted swine flu's course around the world by tracking air travel from Mexico.The research was based on an analysis of flight data from March and A ... full story

Apple CEO Jobs back at the office
Published Tuesday, June 30, 2009   1 comment(s) that cancer cells not removed in the original surgery could have spread to Jobs' liver.News and rumors have about Jobs' health sent Apple stock soaring and sinking, but the company has largely kept investors in the dark about the details of the CEO' ... full story

Famous pitchman Mays found dead
Published Monday, June 29, 2009   1 comment(s) TAMPA, Fla. -- Billy Mays, the burly, bearded television pitchman whose boisterous hawking of products such as Orange Glo and OxiClean made him a pop-culture icon, has died. He was 50.Tampa police said Mays' wife found him unresponsive Sunday mornin ... full story

GM to take on liability claims
Published Monday, June 29, 2009   0 comment(s) NEW YORK -- General Motors Corp. has agreed to take on responsibility for future product liability claims, removing what could have been a sizable roadblock on the automaker's path to a quick sale of its assets and emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptc ... full story

Modest earners get student loan relief
Published Monday, June 29, 2009   0 comment(s) NEW YORK -- Repaying a student loan could soon be a little less painful.Starting this week, anyone with a federal student loan can apply for a program, run by the Department of Education, that caps monthly payments based on income and forgives remain ... full story

Compromise could cost some workers
Published Monday, June 29, 2009   0 comment(s) WASHINGTON -- The White House left open the possibility Sunday that President Barack Obama might pay for his health care overhaul by taxing employer-provided health insurance, even though he had campaigned on not raising taxes on middle-class famili ... full story

Supreme Court to decide last 3 cases Monday
Published Sunday, June 28, 2009   0 comment(s) WASHINGTON -- A closely watched discrimination lawsuit by white firefighters who say they have unfairly been denied promotions is one of three remaining Supreme Court cases awaiting resolution Monday.The court intends to finish its work for the summe ... full story

Climate bill battle indicates potential for winners, losers
Published Sunday, June 28, 2009   2 comment(s) NEW YORK -- In addition to raising energy prices, the climate legislation that's winding through Congress would create a parallel financial system with a carbon-based currency.The House on Friday narrowly passed landmark legislation meant to curb gre ... full story

Wal-Mart aims to impress newly frugal customers
Published Sunday, June 28, 2009   0 comment(s) The recession steered a new type of customer to Wal-Mart -- deeper in the pockets and suddenly looking for bargains. Now the world's largest retailer has to figure out how to keep that customer when the economy recovers.So Wal-Mart is bringing in mor ... full story

Fast-acting travelers could find summer airfare bargains
Published Sunday, June 28, 2009   0 comment(s) MINNEAPOLIS -- If you've been waiting for the lowest possible airfare for a trip this summer, it may be time to get off the fence.Fares have dropped for months while travelers held off buying tickets because they were afraid of losing a job or worrie ... full story