NEWS@jcutrer.com

Foreign stock markets posted losses Thursday as the Dow bounced around and nipped at the 9000 mark again at the close of trading.

The value of goods and services in the Midwest last month held steady in September from the month before, though it remains nearly 5 percent higher than a year ago, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said Thursday.

All three Democratic Montgomery County Commissioners have endorsed Issue 5 and are encouraging Ohioans to vote yes for the payday lending reform. The County Commissioners Association Ohio is also asking citizens to vote yes on Issue 5.

Dolco Packaging in Troy is packing up permanently.

A national retail organization is reporting that holiday spending will be up this year, but at the lowest increase since 2002.

The American Airlines Federal Credit Union, which provides financial services for American Airlines’ employees and retirees, is opening a new branch in Irving.

Financial services company SWS Group said Thursday the company expects to record a charge of $5.4 million, or 13 cents per share, in its upcoming first quarter report because of its exposure to Lehman Brothers. (SWS)

Wireless communications provider MetroPCS Communications Inc. has a new service allowing users to screen calls on their MetroPCS pre-paid wireless phones. (PCS)

The Dallas Cowboys said Thursday “going green” is not enough. America's team wants to go a step further.

A new report says gas prices in Texas fell 39 cents in just the past week, with the average price per gallon in Texas hitting $2.89 per gallon, according to a AAA Texas Weekend Gas Watch report.

Lease negotiations are ongoing between the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Niagara Falls and Niagara County Community College, which wants to rent space from the hotel to open a restaurant and demonstration kitchen, an NCCC official said Thursday.

The Massachusetts company behind an embattled, $2 billion project to create a statewide wireless network has told the state that previous flaws have been fixed and the system is ready for testing. (TEL) (MOT)

The former gymnasium at Holy Angels Academy in Buffalo has been transformed into a new library, digital media center and 110-seat theater.

The Niagara Tourism and Convention Corp. is looking across the Rainbow Bridge for a fall marketing campaign.

There was more job growth in the Buffalo/Niagara Falls area last month but any increase did not include the private sector.

Space Vector Corp., a subsidiary of Alabama Aircraft Industries Inc., has been awarded a $4.9 million two-year contract to develop and produce tracking units for space rockets.

North Carolina’s BB&T Corp. reported a 20 percent decline in earnings in the third quarter of 2008. (BBT)

Regions Financial Corp. has hired former Bank of America executive Rex Bradley as its new executive vice president of Commercial Real Estate.

The fuel hedges that have made Southwest Airlines the most financially successful carrier in the past year drove the company to a loss in the third quarter, the company said Thursday. (LUV)

A national retail organization is reporting that holiday spending will be up this year, but at the lowest increase since 2002.

Joe the Plumber, the star of Wednesday night’s presidential debate, appeared at a Senate hearing Thursday.

CSC has won a task order with an estimated total value of $88 million to provide systems engineering and integration services to the Army’s Future Battle Command program. (CSC)

Montgomery College got $29 million from Maryland to build a Rockville science center.

Cuts in tourism funding will put the state back at least 10 years in its spending level and be “devastating” to its efforts in luring visitors.

Baltimore-based Practice Management Partners Inc., a billing and service company for health care providers, said Thursday it was being acquired by NextGen Healthcare Information Systems Inc. (QSII)

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. on Thursday reported a third quarter loss of $67 million, or 11 cents a share, compared with a loss in the same quarter last year of $396 million, or 71 cents a share.

Zimmer Holdings Inc.’s $360 million purchase of Abbott Spine is complete. (ZMH)

Southwest Airlines might want to take a second look at a radio spot it nixed from Austin public relations agency Door Number 3.

Shares of corrugated packaging and building products company Temple-Inland Inc. dropped more than 18 percent on Thursday as it suffered the effects of an apparent failed price hike in the containerboard industry.

When it comes to getting the most for your money, Texas appears to have a lock on the country.

Sen. John McCain compared Democratic presidential rival Barack Obama’s tax and trade stances to those of Herbert Hoover in their third and final debate Wednesday night warning they could exacerbate an already rough economy.

The average retiree will have about $750 more coming to them next year thanks to a rise in Social Security benefits.

The Coca-Cola Co.’s board of directors has added GenSpring Family Offices CEO Maria Elena Lagomasino as a member. (KO)

Upon being defeated for re-election to his U.S. Senate seat from South Dakota in 2004, Tom Daschle was recruited by his former Senate rival Bob Dole to work out of the Washington, D.C., office of Alston & Bird as a special policy advisor. Daschle spent 10 years in the Senate as the Democratic Party. […]

Atlanta-based home builder Ashton Woods USA LLC cannot file its most recent quarterly financial report to the federal government on time, but it expects a loss of between $13 million and $18 million for the period, the company said in a Securities and Exchange filing.

The Rio Grande Electric Cooperative is partnering with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to reduce pollution from compact fluorescent light bulbs.

The University of New Mexico School of Medicine has been named the recipient of the 2008 Spencer Foreman Award for outstanding community service by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).

Cynthia Leonard a veteran Albuquerque business owner, has acquired Cabo Sunrise Salon & Spa at 7849 Tramway in the Northeast Heights.

The cast of the popular television program, “Breaking Bad,” will host a public event to talk about their experiences in the industry and filming in New Mexico.

The University of New Mexico’s International Study Institute will present a series of free public lectures on global instability and the current financial crisis from Monday through Thursday, Oct. 20-23, at the UNM campus.

Albany College of Pharmacy will add more health, biotechnology and clinical programs to broaden its image to more than a training ground for pharmacists.

The person to lead The Foundry Co. says he’s excited about the project in Malta and shovels should be in the ground next spring to begin work on a new computer chip plant. (AMD)

The Massachusetts company behind an embattled, $2 billion project to create a statewide wireless network has told the state that previous flaws have been fixed and the system is ready for testing. (TEL) (MOT)

A 106-room TownePlace Suites by Marriott hotel has opened in Albany, N.Y.

Eamonn Hobbs, president and CEO of Queensbury-based medical device maker, has been appointed to the board of directors at Delcath Systems Inc., another medical technology company. (DCTH) (ANGO)

Autumn temperatures in the Arctic are at record levels, the Arctic Ocean is getting warmer and less salty as sea ice melts, and ...

Two new IRS computer systems that will eventually cost taxpayers almost $2 billion are being put into service despite known security ...

Will the first Google phone become the apple of your eye? We'll have an inkling in six days when the much-anticipated T-Mobile ...

If you're thinking about buying that expensive big-screen TV well, that's probably about as far as you're going to get.

BERLIN (AP) Google has appealed two court decisions that could ban it and other search engines from operating image searches ...