Stocks edge higher; Europe worries ease

Stocks edged higher Friday as investors balanced signs of future growth in the U.S. economy with a looming deadline for Congress to reach a deal in deficit-reduction talks. Steep declines earlier in the week put the S&P 500 index on track for its worst week since September.
The Conference Board’s index of leading economic indicators rose […]

Staples 3Q net income rises, lowers 2011 outlook

Staples Inc. says its third-quarter profit climbed 13 percent, helped in part by better sales of office and break room supplies to businesses as well as promotional products.
But the nation’s biggest office supply company cut its full-year adjusted earnings forecast on Tuesday as its international performance weakened a bit.
Office suppliers have suffered during the recession […]

Syrup smackdown

Move over maple, there’s another syrup in town.
Maple syrup might be the ultimate Canadian culinary symbol, but if Dave Challen has his way, we’ll be turning to birch syrup for our dose of tree-based sweetness.
“There are a lot more birch trees in Canada than there are maple,” said Challen, owner of Thunder Bay-based Boreal Birch […]

Gordmans outlines discounting strategy

A small crowd gathered outside the new Gordmans in Chesterfield Commons on Friday morning as company officials stood before a large purple ribbon and a pair of oversized scissors.
“We want you to never have to wait for a sale,” proclaimed Jeff Gordman, the company’s chief executive who was dressed in a pinstripe suit. “In fact, […]

Boeing leasing shuttle hangar to build new capsule

Boeing is taking over one of NASA’s old space shuttle hangars to build a new capsule that the company hopes will lift astronauts to orbit in four or five years.
More than 100 Boeing, NASA and state and federal officials gathered in the massive empty hangar _ Orbiting Processing Facility No. 3 _ for the announcement […]

Billionaire battle: Russians take feud to UK court

They were once said to be like father and son, vacationing, signing deals, and socializing at the Kremlin together. But these days two of Russia’s richest men can’t stand each other _ and they’re trading insults in a spectacularly expensive public feud.
At more than $6.5 billion, the lawsuit brought by Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky against […]

Target announces midnight opening for Black Friday

As the run-up to holiday shopping intensifies, Target Corp. is saying its stores will open at midnight on Thanksgiving Day for the first time this year.
That’s four hours earlier than last year.
The stores will stay open for 23 hours and close at 11 p.m. Friday, November 25. Target spokeswoman Susan Kahn said the change was […]

UK medical group rejects new skin cancer treatment

An independent British medical watchdog says the first treatment proven to help people with the deadliest form of skin cancer is too expensive to be used by the U.K.’s health care system, a recommendation critics called a potential death sentence.
The drug, Bristol-Meyers Squibb’s Yervoy, has offered some hope to people with advanced skin cancers, though […]

Israel backs Mideast talks plan, with reservations

Israel’s government welcomed on Sunday parts of an international proposal to resume long-stalled peace talks with the Palestinians but said it had concerns about the plan.
The plan by Mideast mediators, known as the Quartet, calls for a peace deal in a year and asks both sides to produce comprehensive proposals on territory and security within […]

Washington University human genome project lays off 54

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