NEWS@jcutrer.com

AAA has projected declines for all major travel holidays so far this year, and the organization on Wednesday said the Christmas season isn’t likely to buck the trend.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.’s board of directors on Tuesday approved an increase in deposit insurance by 7 cents for every $100 in deposits. The increase will be charged annually.

Four top money mangers at James Investment Research Inc. say 2009 is going to be a rough year. The Greene County-based asset management company hosted its 2009 economic outlook for investors Tuesday night and said the future does not look bright.

Apple Inc. said this year's appearance will be its last at Macworld and CEO Steve Jobs won't be the keynote speaker. (AAPL)

Honda Motor Co. Ltd. told investors Wednesday that it’s ready to roll with the punches of a global economic slowdown, but is moving forward with the expectation that conditions will get worse next year. (HMC)

Decorative home furnishings retailer Pier 1 Imports Inc. significantly widened its third-quarter net loss for fiscal year 2009 this week as comparable-store sales fell 17.8%. (PIR)

The Smart Fortwo — a new 104-inch-long car that is being touted as a fuel-efficient and economical nonhybrid — has a new dealership home in Fort Worth.

Information technology services provider Perot Systems Corp. has elected Caroline S. “Caz” Matthews to its board of directors.

Herb Kelleher, chairman emeritus of Southwest Airlines Co., has achieved his latest feat in aviation: induction into the Paul E. Garber First Flight Shrine. (LUV)

Texas Gov. Rick Perry met with trade association representatives, labor unions and industry leaders on Wednesday to continue to gauge the Texas economy.

St. Mark School in Buffalo has joined more than 200 other schools across Upstate New York as a participant in First Niagara Bank’s School Banking Club.

Santa left no gifts under the Christmas tree for U.S. auto dealers in December.

Caroline Kennedy's informal campaign to win one of New York's U.S. Senate seats may be backfiring, according to a new poll.

The president of Buffalo-based Labatt USA says it's “business as usual” at his firm, even though the Canadian brewer is under a mandate to sell off its U.S. brand.

Scott Adams, Western New York area director of the United Auto Workers union’s Region 9 based in Amherst, has been named assistant regional director.

As companies everywhere look to cut costs, millions of American workers are facing smaller raises next year. (HEW)

A Kansas City architecture firm has been chosen to design Birmingham’s $500 million multipurpose dome facility planned for downtown.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. will raise the amount it charges banks for deposit insurance by 7 cents for every $100 in deposits.

Wachovia Corp. has settled a class-action lawsuit brought by an investor who sought to block the company’s sale to Wells Fargo & Co. (WB) (WFC)

AAA has projected declines for all major travel holidays so far this year, and the organization on Wednesday said the Christmas season isn’t likely to buck the trend.

MillerCoors said Thursday that it has reached an agreement with a coalition of states, including Maryland, to voluntarily reformulate its Sparks beverage to remove caffeine, taurine, guarana and ginseng from the product.

Cash-strapped mall owner General Growth Properties Inc. has put two of its prime downtown Baltimore retail properties — Harborplace and the Gallery — on the market, seeking to raise cash to pay down more than $900 million in debt coming due in less than two months.

As companies everywhere look to cut costs, millions of American workers are facing smaller raises next year. (HEW)

President-elect Barack Obama named Mary Schapiro, a regulator he said is “both smart and tough,” to head the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Thirty-year fixed-rate mortgages interest rates fell to their lowest level on record, according to Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market survey released Thursday. (FRE)

As companies everywhere look to cut costs, millions of American workers are facing smaller raises next year. (HEW)

HEB Grocery Co. plans to acquire 47 acres in San Marcos adjacent to its current 75-acre distribution warehouse tract at 2301 Hunter Road, and will expand the warehouse, adding approximately 320 new jobs over a 20-year period.

Software maker ProspX Inc. has closed on a $6.5 million Series A round of funding.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry met with trade association representatives, labor unions and industry leaders on Wednesday to continue to gauge the Texas economy.

A New York pension fund has closed on the purchase of the 290-unit Robertson Hill Apartments.

The University of Georgia Research Foundation won a five-year, $18.7 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to research ways to reduce morbidity from schistosomiasis in low- and middle-income countries in Africa, the Middle East and the Americas.

UPS rival Fed Ex announced Thursday its second quarter earnings were up 3 percent year-over-year, but that it was implementing cost-cutting measures, including reducing its CEO's salary by 20 percent. (FDX)

Georgia-Pacific Corp. is laying off 50 employees at its Palatka, Fla., pulp and paper mill.

Decorative home furnishings retailer Pier 1 Imports Inc. significantly widened its third-quarter net loss for fiscal year 2009 this week as comparable-store sales fell 17.8%. (PIR)

The Georgia Department of Labor said Thursday the state’s unemployment rate increased to 7.5 percent in November -- the highest rate in more than 25 years.

Belen has captured a new Signet Solar manufacturing plant and soon might have a buyer for its soon-to-be-abandoned Solo Cup manufacturing plant.

Homewise of Santa Fe has won a national award with a financial prize of $2.75 million for its program helping low- and moderate-income families purchase, maintain and improve their homes.

Honda Motor Co. Ltd. told investors Wednesday that it’s ready to roll with the punches of a global economic slowdown, but is moving forward with the expectation that conditions will get worse next year.

While credit conditions in the Ninth Federal Reserve District have tightened up, credit is still widely available to businesses, Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank economists said at a regional-outlook media briefing Wednesday.

Three New Mexico properties have made the grade, earning an appearance in a luxury hotel guide published by Condé Nast Johansens.

CUC Mortgage, an Albany, N.Y.-based mortgage lender, has opened a branch office in Pennsylvania.

Delta Air Lines Inc. will sell up to 18.2 million shares of stock to make up for taxes assessed on stock options offered employees after the carrier’s combination with Northwest Airlines Corp. (DAL)

New York state voters favor two prominent political names as a replacement for Hillary Clinton in the U.S. Senate.

A state board voted Wednesday to approve $650 million for an Advanced Micro Devices Inc. plant in Malta, the final step in a state oversight process. (AMD)

Lockheed Martin Corp. has announced its has received an $89.5 million follow-on contract to do repair and maintenance work on sensors and other equipment on the Apache attack helicopter. (LMT)

Apple founder and Chief Executive Steve Jobs, looking to quell rumors about his health, said Monday his doctors have discovered ...

You may never have heard of Daemon author Leinad Zeraus, but get ready to hear a lot about Daemon author Daniel Suarez.

A new study shows that more than half of teenagers mention drugs, alcohol, sex or violence on their MySpace pages. Yet getting ...

Take that, Andromeda! For decades, astronomers thought when it came to the major galaxies in Earth's cosmic neighborhood, our ...

Early January is historically the biggest time of the year in consumer technology. Over the years as Microsoft and Apple came ...