The Columbian

Washougal's Bba Cutting 62 Jobs; Plastic Filaments Manufacturer to Close 2 of 3 Production Lines

Gary Drews knows firsthand about the pain of downsizing. His job as plant manager, along with 61 others, is going away at BBA Nonwovens as the Washougal manufacturing business shuts down two of three production lines.

Dell Under Scrutiny - Sec Investigates Accounting; Earnings Off 36 Percent

DALLAS -- Dell Inc. on Thursday posted disappointing second- quarter earnings amid a regulatory probe. The company also announced an expanded partnership to put Advanced Micro Devices Inc. computer chips into a new line of Dell servers and desktop PCs as early as next month. The deal was revealed as the Round Rock-based company's second- quarter profit fell 36 percent to $605 million, and days after it voluntarily recalled 4.1 million potentially flammable batteries supplied by Sony Corp.

Pension Overhaul Signed; Bush Addresses Underfunded Retirement Plans

WASHINGTON -- President Bush on Thursday signed new rules to prod companies into shoring up their pension plans and offered strong words for corporate America: "Set aside enough money now." Before an enthusiastic audience in an office building on the White House grounds, Bush called the legislation "the most sweeping reform of America's pension laws in over 30 years."

Washington Home Sales Down 12.5% in Second Quarter

PULLMAN -- Sales of existing homes throughout Washington appeared to slow in the second quarter, according to a Washington State University research report. But housing prices remained relatively strong in the April through June period, said Glenn Crellin, director of the Washington Center for Real Estate Research at WSU.

Hotel-Condos Change Small-City Skylines; Developers See Lower Risk, Higher Reward in Projects

NEW YORK -- When urban dwellers think of hotel-condos, they usually imagine sky-high city apartments that come with daily maid service, mints on pillows and the option to order chilled champagne for delivery at any hour. In New York perhaps, their fantasy would not be far from reality.

Hp Earnings, Oil Help Wall Street Add a Bit to Rally

NEW YORK -- A sharp drop in oil prices helped Wall Street extend its rally for a third straight session Thursday, with strong earnings from Hewlett-Packard Co. also giving stocks a modest lift. Higher U.S. energy stockpiles and the continued cooling of Middle East tensions fueled the drop in crude futures. A barrel of light crude settled at $70.06, down $1.83, on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Drug Maker Merck Dealt Dual Blows Over Painkiller Vioxx; Firm Ordered to Pay $51 Million; November Verdict Overturned

NEW ORLEANS -- Merck & Co. suffered two major legal setbacks over the withdrawn painkiller Vioxx on Thursday when a federal jury here ordered the drug maker to pay $51 million to a heart attack victim, and a state judge in New Jersey overturned a November verdict favoring the company. In New Orleans, the jury found that Merck "knowingly misrepresented or failed to disclose" information about Vioxx to retired FBI agent Gerald Barnett's doctors. It said Barnett, of Myrtle Beach, S.C., should ge...

Nation's Economic Growth to Slow but Not Stall Out, Data Suggest

NEW YORK -- An indicator of future economic activity dipped in July, suggesting a slowdown in economic growth in coming months. A cooling housing market was the main culprit. The Conference Board, an industry-based research group based in New York, said its Index of Leading Economic Indicators fell 0.1 percent last month following an increase of 0.1 percent in June and a 0.5 percent decline in May. Analysts had expected an increase of 0.1 percent.