North Iowa Business Stories
| The Week Ahead: Fighting fire with fire in Europe |
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What started as a smoldering hotspot has turned into a serious bonfire in Europe. This week, leaders of the 17 eurozone nations hope to create a big enough financial firewall before the flames grow into a raging inferno, threatening to jump oceans.
Published at 11:06am, December 4, 2011
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| GM learns from Toyota how not to handle a crisis |
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LOS ANGELES For years, General Motors Co. has wanted to be more like Toyota Motor Corp. It wanted to sell more passenger cars, like Toyota. It wanted Toyota’s reputation for reliability. But in one area, GM is doing everything it can to not be like Toyota.
Published at 11:04am, December 4, 2011
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| East Iowa towns fear loss of post offices |
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Dec. 03--When Kris Doll's daughter in Tennessee sends her a package via UPS, the big brown trucks don't come to her farm to deliver it. The box is dropped instead at the Onslow Post Office, about four miles south.
Published at 6:16pm, December 3, 2011
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| Obama gets an assist from Bill Clinton in latest jobs push |
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 WASHINGTON Buoyed by a promising jobs report, President Barack Obama said a fledgling recovery demands further action from Congress and again pressed lawmakers to extend a payroll tax holiday. PHOTO: President Barack Obama and Former President Bill Clinton tour a "trophy" office space building at 815 Connecticut Ave. NW in Washington, D.C., and speaks about job creation and energy efficiency December 2, 2011.
Published at 12:53pm, December 3, 2011
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| Black Hawk, Linn and Johnson counties' lobby group meets, grows |
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Dec. 02--First order of business for the new Interstate 380 Coalition: a name change. "We want a name that's more reflective of what it's going to be," Linn County Supervisor Ben Rogers said of the lobbying group of Eastern Iowa's urban counties.
Published at 4:41pm, December 2, 2011
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| Study shows UI's 'hidden' economic impact in I.C. |
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Dec. 02--IOWA CITY -- University of Iowa students and visitors have a $513 million "hidden economic impact" on the area each year, a study released Thursday found.
Published at 4:38pm, December 2, 2011
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| Railroads, unions reach deal to avoid pre-Christmas strike |
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WASHINGTON The nation’s freight railroads and two labor unions representing 26,500 railroad employees reached a tentative agreement Thursday to avoid a strike that threatened to halt shipments of consumer goods three weeks before Christmas.
Published at 1:51am, December 2, 2011
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| Massachusetts sues banks over foreclosures |
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LOS ANGELES The nation’s five biggest mortgage lenders are facing a major legal challenge in Massachusetts to seek relief for homeowners foreclosed on during the housing crisis, a case that could have reverberations for consumers across the nation.
Published at 1:45am, December 2, 2011
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| Alliant Energy helps Upper Iowa University save energy with new building |
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FAYETTE, Iowa Students at Upper Iowa University are already benefitting from a smart, energy-saving decision as they use the new Liberal Arts Building on campus. Interstate Power and Light Company, an Alliant Energy company, helped find the best ways to save money on energy with this new building.
Published at 9:57am, December 1, 2011
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| China’s slowdown: good or bad? |
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Some people see the recent slowdown in the Chinese economy as good news for the United States and other western economies. But those who subscribe to the “misery enjoys company” theory forget that good news for some isn’t necessarily good news for all.
Published at 9:48pm, November 30, 2011
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| Coordinated central bank moves prompt monster stock rally |
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WASHINGTON A surprise coordinated move Wednesday by the Federal Reserve and five other central banks to keep credit flowing amid the worsening debt crisis in Europe sparked a huge rally on Wall Street, but experts doubted the momentum would hold.
Published at 7:06pm, November 30, 2011
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| Hormel Foundation plans $5.7M in contributions |
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Nov. 29--The Hormel Foundation is giving $5.7 million to Austin, MN this year. The Foundation recently approved more than $5.7 million in contributions to numerous Austin-area organizations, with the main recipient being The Hormel lnstitute.
Published at 11:47pm, November 29, 2011
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| American Airlines on path to shrink in bankruptcy |
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 FORT WORTH, Texas American Airlines will get customers to their holiday destinations this year, but the Fort Worth-based carrier will likely get smaller in 2012 as its parent company, AMR Corp., reorganizes under Chapter 11 bankruptcy. PHOTO: An American Airlines jet is seen at Terminal D at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Tuesday, November 29, 2011.
Published at 10:27pm, November 29, 2011
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| Fitch reaffirms US AAA credit rating, but lowers outlook |
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WASHINGTON Fitch Ratings on Monday reaffirmed its AAA rating for U.S. government debt, but revised its long-term outlook to negative because of the failure of the congressional supercommittee to agree to deficit cutting measures.
Published at 8:41am, November 29, 2011
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| Community banks use anti-big backlash to make inroads |
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 ST. LOUIS When Carrollton Bank opened its new branch in Clayton, Mo. this fall, the bank sent out a mailing to 20,000 households. Tucked inside the note from its chief executive was an unusual promise: a free apple pie from a local bakery. PHOTO: "It's a nice touch," said Regional President of Carrollton Bank Scott Larson, who comes to work with a handful of apple pies he picked up enroute to work, November, 17 2011, at the Carrollton Bank in Clayton, Missouri. Carrollton Bank keeps fresh pies on hand to give out to customers who open new accounts.
Published at 8:36am, November 29, 2011
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| Chinese factories face labor unrest |
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BEIJING With demand for Chinese exports slowing, some factories in the nation’s industrial heartland are grappling with trouble at home: strikes by workers whose pay is shrinking.
Published at 10:25pm, November 28, 2011
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| Judge rejects $285 million settlement between SEC, Citigroup |
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NEW YORK A federal judge in New York issued a stern challenge to the government’s recent history of imposing “relatively modest” punishments on big Wall Street banks for wrongdoing during the financial crisis.
Published at 10:23pm, November 28, 2011
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| Strong holiday sales help push up stock market |
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LOS ANGELES The strong start to the holiday shopping season finally injected some confidence into a recession-wary Wall Street, sending major market indexes barreling higher in what has been a brutal November for stocks.
Published at 10:04pm, November 28, 2011
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| Shoppers, stores go mobile this holiday season |
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HACKENSACK, N.J. This holiday shopping season, retailers are trying to get consumers into their stores by getting inside their cellphones.
Published at 11:35am, November 27, 2011
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| Black Friday frenzy bodes well for retail spending as holiday season begins |
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 LOS ANGELES _ An early kickoff to the holiday shopping season appeared to pay off for retailers, who bet correctly that extended late-night hours would draw even more bargain hunters to the annual Black Friday extravaganza. PHOTO: Customers stream into the Foot Locker store in South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, California, at the 8am opening for Black Friday specials and deals, Friday, November 25, 2011. Black Friday has become a shopping tradition with retailers hoping for big turnout on the day after Thanksgiving.
Published at 1:46pm, November 26, 2011
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| Small businesses await their piece of holiday pie |
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. Crowds on Friday lined up at malls and big-box stores for bargain prices on televisions, laptops and hand-held video games. On Saturday, small businesses hope it’s their turn.
Published at 1:42pm, November 26, 2011
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| Minuscule engines fight for supremacy |
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Get ready for the Attack of the Tiny Engines, as Ford and General Motors start production of a new generation of fuel-efficient little powerplants.
Published at 1:40pm, November 26, 2011
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| AT&T at odds with FCC over deal withdrawal |
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LOS ANGELES A day after AT&T Inc. filed to withdraw its request to the Federal Communications Commission to acquire T-Mobile USA for $39 billion, the company said it didn’t need the FCC’s permission to back out of the application.
Published at 1:39pm, November 26, 2011
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| Web Buzz: AutoSlash.com helps you find rental car deals |
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Do you scour the Internet looking for car rental deals, only to spend time idling your engine and wondering whether you could have found a better price if you had waited a bit longer?
Published at 9:06am, November 25, 2011
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| A&TT and T-Mobile withdraw FCC application for $39 billion merger |
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WASHINGTON Acknowledging the mounting difficulties in obtaining government consent for their proposed merger, AT&T Inc. and the parent company of T-Mobile USA Inc. said Thursday that they had temporarily withdrawn their application to the Federal Communications Commission and will focus first on battling the Justice Department for approval of the deal.
Published at 8:49am, November 25, 2011
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| 3 years after InBev deal, a new Anheuser-Busch |
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 This month marked the three-year anniversary since InBev took control of A-B in a $52 billion deal that rocked St. Louis, spreading justified fear of job losses and the anxiety that comes with losing control of a business widely considered a cultural institution. PHOTO: In this October 13, 2011 file photograph, the Budweiser Clydesdales make their way past the Cardinals dugout prior to the start of game four of the National League Championship Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
Published at 9:18am, November 24, 2011
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| Renting a car is cheaper this Thanksgiving |
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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. Airfares are up, hotel rates are up, gas prices are up, but at least one travel item costs less this Thanksgiving holiday than last: renting a car.
Published at 7:44am, November 24, 2011
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| Cadillac’s new XTS shines |
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 LOS ANGELES The XTS luxury sedan Cadillac unveiled Wednesday at the Los Angeles auto show is simply gorgeous, inside and out. It has some of the most advanced features I’ve ever seen. PHOTO: The new Cadillac XTS is unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show at the LA Convention Center, Wednesday, November 16, 2011, in Los Angeles, California.
Published at 4:29pm, November 23, 2011
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| Banks’ debit-card fees face antitrust review |
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WASHINGTON The Justice Department said Tuesday it is reviewing banks for possible antitrust violations in decisions to charge fees for debit card use.
Published at 3:58pm, November 22, 2011
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| Sick-day faking on the rise |
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CHICAGO If you plan to use the last of your 2011 sick days before the end of the year even if you’re not really under the weather you might not be alone.
Published at 3:57pm, November 22, 2011
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| Black Thursday replacing Black Friday |
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LOS ANGELES Black Thursday is becoming the new Black Friday. Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the nation’s largest retailer, will for the first time launch its holiday sale kickoff at 10 p.m.
Published at 3:56pm, November 22, 2011
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| Q&A: Volkswagen’s ambitious plans for US |
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LOS ANGELES Jonathan Browning, chief executive of Volkswagen Group of America, has tough marching orders from his German bosses back in Wolfsburg: Sell 1 million VWs and Audis annually in America by 2018.
Published at 3:54pm, November 22, 2011
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| Time to dismantle Fannie and Freddie |
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Congress is moving to block bonus payments to executives of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two mortgage giants that have received nearly $170 billion in taxpayer bailout money. On the surface, it’s outrageous to hand out bonuses to the people who operate the two agencies that did so much to cause the housing meltdown.
Published at 10:43am, November 22, 2011
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| The Week Ahead: Supercommittee has much to prove |
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What comes after super? The Super Bowl is the last game of the NFL season. Super Tuesday used to be the biggest day during a presidential nomination run. The debt-reduction supercommittee held the promise of cutting through the political gridlock on Capitol Hill over spending and taxes.
Published at 11:26am, November 21, 2011
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| Ask Airfarewatchdog.com: Airlines are starting to weigh carry-on luggage |
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Q: Recently I flew on Hawaiian Airlines from San Diego to Honolulu and and they brought out a portable luggage scale at the gate to weigh our carry-on bags. Any bag over 25 pounds had to be checked in at the gate and a checked bag fee had to be paid. You couldn’t get on the flight without a sticker showing the bag had been weighed. Is this a common practice?
Published at 11:13am, November 20, 2011
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| Museum turns spotlight on Wal-Mart’s hometown |
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 BENTONVILLE, Ark. It’s fairly easy to sense that this is a company town. You can drive the commercial strip of Walton Boulevard, the U.S. 71 Business Route, past Wal-Mart’s world headquarters and numerous corporate outposts: Wal-Mart Logistics, Wal-Mart Global Support and the like. PHOTO: The original Walton's 5&10 opened in Bentonville, Arkansas on May 1950. The building is now a visitors center and museum.
Published at 11:12am, November 20, 2011
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| BRIEF: Ohio firm wins $500,000 to build Iowa biorefinery |
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Nov. 18--A Ohio firm has been awarded $500,000 in state assistance to build a biorefinery in the City of Nevada that will produce sustainablechemicals from agricultural biomass.
Published at 12:50pm, November 19, 2011
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| FDA revokes Avastin as breast cancer treatment |
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LOS ANGELES The cancer drug Avastin should not be used to treat breast cancer that has spread to other organs because it doesn’t help patients enough to justify its risky side effects, the Food and Drug Administration ruled Friday.
Published at 10:40am, November 19, 2011
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| We need to tackle student debt |
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Soaring student debt is a problem that only Congress can answer. Until it acts, students and their families will keep falling deeper into debt.
Published at 3:18pm, November 18, 2011
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| TSA seeks to raise awareness of what is not allowed on airplanes |
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NEWARK, N.J. A cache of replica guns and grenades, daggers and hatchets, a slingshot, a pipe bomb even a belt made of bullets were piled into plastic bins on a table in a side room at Newark Liberty International Airport on Thursday morning.
Published at 12:11pm, November 18, 2011
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| Consumer prices sink slightly in October |
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WASHINGTON Americans got some relief in October as the cost of living fell, mainly because of lower prices for gasoline, fruits and vegetables, the government reported.
Published at 1:41pm, November 17, 2011
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| Ford aims to revitalize its Lincoln brand |
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 LOS ANGELES AutoNation Inc., the largest new-car seller in the U.S., owns 18 Mercedes-Benz stores and 11 BMW franchises, but only two that sell Lincolns. PHOTO: The new headlamp on the 2013 Lincoln MKS is seen.
Published at 1:38pm, November 17, 2011
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| Q&A: Email mix-up probably not an accident |
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QUESTION: Someone else with my name and a very similar Gmail address has been having his mail delivered to me. My email address contains periods between the first and last name, and his doesn’t. I was puzzled by this, because I know Gmail actually ignores periods in email addresses so this person appeared to have the same email as me.
Published at 11:13am, November 17, 2011
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| Microsoft struggles to regain former growth |
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SEATTLE A quarter-century into its career as a publicly traded company, Microsoft finds itself a prisoner of its own past success.
Published at 11:12am, November 17, 2011
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| IPOs give tech companies instant wealth but lots of headaches |
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SAN JOSE, Calif. With Groupon Inc.’s high-flying IPO earlier this month and Zynga Inc. poised to go public, Silicon Valley is once again atwitter (if you will) about its favorite obsession: the initial public stock offering.
Published at 3:49pm, November 16, 2011
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| Mobile Flash can’t die soon enough |
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As you may have heard, Adobe last week admitted defeat in its long-running battle with Apple over Adobe’s Flash technology. As Apple’s CEO, the late Jobs barred Flash from Apple’s iPhone and other handheld devices and famously wrote an open letter last year explaining why.
Published at 3:47pm, November 16, 2011
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| Catalogs turn a page as retailers boost digital delivery |
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 It’s catalog season, the time of year when our mailboxes sag with accumulated paper and retailers nationwide cross their fingers. But even though print continues to dominate the world of presentation, the digital revolution promises to transform the shopping experience. PHOTO: Increasing printing and mailing costs have sent some retailers towards a digital format for their catalogs.
Published at 9:02am, November 16, 2011
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| FHA might need taxpayer bailout next year |
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WASHINGTON There might yet be another casualty in the real estate market: the Federal Housing Administration.
With home prices still seeking their bottom, the federal agency that insures more than $1 trillion in mortgages faces a nearly 50 percent chance that it could need a taxpayer bailout next year, according to a government report released Tuesday.
Published at 8:49am, November 16, 2011
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| Bank of America expects $1.8 billion from sale of Chinese bank shares |
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. In its latest step to build capital amid continued questions from regulators and investors, Bank of America Corp. has agreed to sell most of its remaining shares in China Construction Bank Corp., the bank said Monday.
Published at 9:29am, November 15, 2011
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| $778,500 in Vision Iowa Grants Awarded to Iowa Communities |
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November 14, 2011 (Des Moines) - The Vision Iowa Board awarded $778,500 in grants to a year-round public market in Cedar Rapids and a library expansion project in Rippey. The grants were approved last Wednesday by the Vision Iowa Board at their meeting in Des Moines.
Published at 2:14pm, November 14, 2011
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| I cover the storefront |
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Nov. 13--I swear this is mostly true. Except for the parts, as you'll see, that aren't. According to the most recent census, there are more than 27 million small businesses operating in America -- some with up to 500 employees, some with none.
Published at 2:04pm, November 13, 2011
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| Lincoln MKT a loaded, likable luxury crossover SUV |
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There was a time when Lincoln and Cadillac were considered relatively even in the battle for the American luxury-car consumer. But General Motors gave Cadillac a shot of adrenalin about 10 years ago to update its model portfolio, and Ford has been pushing Lincoln to catch up ever since.
Published at 1:26am, November 13, 2011
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| Great price, perfect condition: It’s a steal |
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HARTFORD, Conn. Brenda Cullen has a killer deal on craigslist for a spotless, low-mileage Nissan Altima. But it won’t last.
Published at 1:18am, November 13, 2011
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| Fuel exports hit record, helping keep gas prices high in U.S. |
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LOS ANGELES U.S. exports of refined fuels, particularly diesel, have surged to fresh all-time highs, helping to keep the prices of gasoline and diesel in this country at record levels for this time of year.
Published at 1:42am, November 12, 2011
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| China’s e-commerce market expected to surge in years ahead |
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LOS ANGELES China’s online shopping market is expected to surge over the next several years and could reach 2 trillion renminbi, or $315 billion, by 2015, according to research by Boston Consulting Group.
Published at 12:39am, November 12, 2011
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| Provisions of Obama jobs plan earn rare Senate approval |
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 WASHINGTON The Senate overwhelmingly approved provisions from President Barack Obama’s jobs plan that found rare bipartisan appeal, including a proposal to give companies tax credits for hiring unemployed veterans.
Published at 2:54am, November 11, 2011
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| College.xxx? Schools snap up porn domains to keep them clean |
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ST. LOUIS The world is getting closer to the launching of a new Internet address system for pornography providers, and there are some eye-opening names being registered. Among them: washu.xxx and mizzou.xxx.
Published at 2:48am, November 11, 2011
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| Mortgage refinance plan another dud |
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When you’re in trouble, nothing beats a helping hand provided you can reach it. Certain homeowners with “underwater” mortgages are about to find that out.
Published at 2:22am, November 11, 2011
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| Adobe kills Flash for mobile devices |
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SAN JOSE, Calif. Adobe’s Flash multimedia platform will no longer be developed for mobile devices, the San Jose software company announced Wednesday, years after Apple Inc. and co-founder Steve Jobs refused to use the technology on their mobile devices.
Published at 2:12am, November 10, 2011
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| Apple presses legal war over Android |
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LOS ANGELES Steve Jobs’ legacy at Apple Inc. goes well beyond cool gadgets, a thriving retail chain and a music empire. He also launched the company’s all-out legal war on Google Inc.
Published at 2:11am, November 10, 2011
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| NLRB documents shed light on Boeing fight |
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WASHINGTON Lawyers for the federal labor agency fighting Boeing’s new factory in North Charleston, N.C., repeatedly joked among themselves about the dispute and exchanged a political cartoon portraying S.C. Sen. Glenn McConnell as a crass-speaking confederate soldier, according to internal documents released Wednesday.
Published at 2:09am, November 10, 2011
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| Packed planes, high airfares expected for holidays |
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LOS ANGELES Travelers planning to fly for the Thanksgiving holiday face two helpings of bad news: Ticket prices are expected to be 6 percent to 12 percent higher than last year, and empty seats will be even harder to find.
Published at 1:43am, November 10, 2011
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| Europe's economy - and eurozone - on shaky ground once more |
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 LOS ANGELES _ After weeks of deepening drama over Europe's debt crisis, global financial markets now fear that the unthinkable may be inevitable: a partial breakup of the continent's 12-year-old currency union. GRAPHIC: Chart tracking closing prices on the Dow Jones Industrial Average for the past two weeks.
Published at 1:42am, November 10, 2011
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| Best Buy to close UK stores |
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MINNEAPOLIS Best Buy Co. Inc. certainly wants to turn that frown upside down. First came the bad news that the Richfield, Minn.-based company said it would close its lackluster big-box stores in the United Kingdom and that it will pay more than $1 billion to end its profit-sharing contract with Carphone Warehouse Group over its mobile stores.
Published at 1:53am, November 8, 2011
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| Vikings stadium sales tax is dead; other options still on table |
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Nov. 06--A local sales tax has been taken off the table as a funding source for a new Minnesota Vikings stadium, Gov. Mark Dayton said Tuesday. But Dayton left the door open for the state to up its contribution to the construction of a new home for the team and tagged electronic pulltabs as the leading funding option at the moment.
Published at 1:11pm, November 6, 2011
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| Hormel settles trademark suit |
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Nov. 06--Hormel Foods Corp. has reached a settlement for a lawsuit alleging trademark infringement, according to a Hormel lawyer.
Published at 1:01pm, November 6, 2011
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| Clunkers turn into cash cows |
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 LOS ANGELES Tiffany Lee wanted a car. She was weary of the two-hour bus ride to her job at a UCLA Health System clinic. She hated having to ask friends to drive her 7-year-old son to his asthma treatments. GRAPHIC: Illustrated look at how Buy Here Pay Here dealers make their profits.
Published at 11:09am, November 6, 2011
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| The Week Ahead: Trade a rare bright spot in economy |
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It’s tough to get too excited about international trade. After all, trade policies are thick with technical language setting out rules such as how much material from the U.S. must an athletic shoe include to be considered “Made in the U.S.A.”
Published at 9:19pm, November 5, 2011
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| Q&A: Small advancements add up to improve mileage |
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QUESTION: How have manufacturers been able to build vehicles that have so much horsepower, but get gas mileage that is far better than it used to be? Where have they made the advancements?
Published at 9:17pm, November 5, 2011
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| Chevrolet, America’s brand, needs to win back our hearts |
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Like many of you, the first car I ever drove was a Chevrolet. There’s something incredibly American about that. It’s an essence that GM captured in the 1970s ad slogan, “baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet.”
Published at 9:16pm, November 5, 2011
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North Iowa Businesses
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WASHINGTON D.C. - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today announced that $2,045,000 has been awarded to the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area Planning Agency by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to develop a Regional Plan for Sustainable Development.