June 30 -- CSC Supply Inc. of Clementon, N.J., correction

June 30 -- Treasury deputy says Japan must strengthen its economy: The Asian financial dilemma is hurting American businesses every day, the second-highest ranking official at the U.S. Treasury Department said in Abilene Monday.

June 30 -- Texas Farm Bureau supports China for Most Favored Nation status (J.T. Smith): Bob Stallman is urging the U.S. Congress to support renewing the Most Favored Nation trading status with China.

June 30 -- South of the border craftsmanship in Ballinger: BALLINGER - If combing south-of-the-border villages for exotic merchandise is not on your itinerary anytime soon, a local business offers much of the same shopping experience without the need for a passport.

June 30 -- Top GM, UAW negotiators meet; GM retains medical benefits for nonstrikers: DETROIT (AP) - Efforts to end two crippling strikes against General Motors Corp. intensified Monday after the chief negotiators for the automaker and the United Auto Workers met for the first time in more than two weeks.

June 30 -- Compaq details 5,000 layoffs worldwide, restructuring after buying Digital, Tandem: HOUSTON (AP) - Compaq Computer Corp. is closing six plants overseas and eliminating 5,000 jobs - including 1,000 at its headquarters in Houston - as part of a previously announced cost-cutting drive that follows its acquisitions of Digital Equipment Corp. and Tandem Computers.

June 30 -- Rockwell cutting 3,800 jobs; spinning off Semiconductor Systems, taking $625 million charge: LOS ANGELES (AP) - Rockwell International Corp. will spin off its semiconductor business to shareholders and cut 3,800 jobs in a major restructuring of the automation and avionics businesses that will remain after the split.

June 30 -- Despite Asian financial crisis, region's cities still most costly: GENEVA (AP) - Despite Asia's financial crisis, the region still has seven of the world's 10 most expensive cities for foreign workers, according to a survey released Monday.

June 28 -- Business Notebook: News and notes of interest to the local business community

June 28 -- Express pilots vow to strike as they head back to bargaining table: HOUSTON (AP) -- Continental Express pilots said they'd rather return to the bargaining table than walk the picket line.

June 28 -- PC Banking: Coming soon to a bank near you ... if it's not there already: For those of you with bank accounts, computers and modems, checking up on your balances is going to be a lot easier with the latest service Abilene banks offer.

June 28 -- Oil producers call for government intervention could be risky (Scott Scholten): Inviting the government into business affairs is always a tricky business. Often, it's hard to get it to leave.

June 28 -- Mid-size business falling in 'Y2K' gap: KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Three years ago Plasti-Line went through a rocky conversion of its computer system.

June 28 -- Few livestock auctions open this week (J.T. Smith): If you are thinking of trucking Ol' Bossy to the sale barn this week, be advised that most area livestock auctions will be closed. And you don't want to waste a trip to town.

June 28 -- Y2K problem bigger internationally: Twenty percent of all corporations will go out of business because of the Millennium Bug.

June 27 -- Claims of butterfat shortage just a ploy to bring in imports (J.T. Smith): Claims of "a shortage of butterfat" and predictions of sharp increases in the prices of butter, ice cream and other dairy products appear to be nothing more than a ploy to put pressure on USDA to increase its import quota.

June 27 -- AT&T seeks to reinsure investors over TCI purchase: NEW YORK (AP) -- Stung by a plunge in its stock price, AT&T Corp. on Friday went out of its way to try to reassure investors that its $32 billion purchase of Tele-Communications Inc. wasn't too expensive.

June 27 -- Factories curb production as mercury climbs in Midwest, East: An early-summer heat wave across the eastern half of the nation had people sweltering in temperatures well into the 90s Friday and led factories in the industrial Midwest to shut down or scale back production.

June 27 -- Electronic connector company lays off entire staff: All 22,000 U.S. employees of AMP Inc. of Harrisburg, Pa., will be laid off for 42 days, beginning on July 4, the Independence Day holiday, because of the effects of Asia's economic crisis, the company said Friday.

June 27 -- Report: Asia crisis, drop in semiconductor business, push Rockwell toward layoffs: LOS ANGELES (AP) -- When former defense heavyweight Rockwell International Corp. recast itself as a supplier of automation gear and semiconductors, it bet heavily on two seemingly insatiable demands: the world appetite for computers and Asia's need to modernize its factories.

June 26 -- Local GM dealers already feeling strike's effects: Some local General Motors dealers are feeling effects of the GM strike sooner than anticipated.

June 26 -- GM prepares to complete North American production shutdown: LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Apparently settling in for a long strike, General Motors Corp. is telling its factory managers to lay off nonessential workers, suspend plant maintenance and cut back on electricity.

June 26 -- Baize hog operation buys into world record gilt (J.T. Smith): West Texas Boar Stud of Stamford has bought into a partnership on the world record gilt.

June 26 -- Torrid economic growth in first quarter sets up slowdown: WASHINGTON -- The economy increased its production of goods and services during the first three months of the year at one of the fastest rates in 15 years.

June 26 -- AT&T-TCI: Will ballyhooed all-in-one services be sold at price people can afford?: NEW YORK (AP) -- Lost in the afterglow of the $32 billion merger between AT&T and cable TV giant TCI is this reality check: Can the promised gee-whiz services -- from high-speed Internet access to local phone calls via cable lines -- be sold at a price people can afford or want to pay?

June 25 -- Employers struggle with fitting holidays into work schedules: If Americans are supposed to collectively celebrate the day the United States freed itself from the British Empire, they have their work cut out.

June 25 -- Search for a tall and straight mesquite in Texas (J.T. Smith): There certainly are plenty of mesquites here in West Texas, whether you live in the country or in town.

June 25 -- Where to go to get smart answers to dumb questions: There is no such thing as a dumb question.

June 25 -- With Windows 98, Microsoft finally catches up with Mac: With Windows 98 on the verge of reaching store shelves, it becomes ever more clear that Bill Gates is building a whole lot more than just the ultimate Wintel (Microsoft running on Intel chips) computer.

June 25 -- Have you done your 401(k) checkup yet?: NEW YORK (AP) -- Gone are the days of gold watches and fat pensions. More employers are shifting responsibility for retirement to employees, and they're using 401(k) plans to fill the gap.

June 25 -- If you're dying to take action as stocks tumble, here are five of the big don'ts: In life, there is a time to act and a time to slump on the couch and drink beer.

June 25 -- Why companies should consider a 30-hour workweek: You don't have to be Don Corleone to make your employees an offer they can't refuse. Just tell them that if they can come up with a way to improve productivity, you'll reduce everybody's workweek to 30 hours -- without cutting pay.

June 25 -- Fringe benefits can be tax boon for business: Q: As the owner of a small appliance store with nine employees, I'd like to take full advantage of fringe benefit business deductions as authorized by the IRS. How can I claim every fringe benefit business deduction as a tax advantage?

June 25 -- Outside resources help meet critical needs: Employ outside help when you can't progress with your own resources.

June 25 -- Test yourself on how you get along with your job: It's time to take a stand on exactly how you feel about your job.

June 25 -- On the other side: Secrets of recruiters: What finally tips the scales in your favor and makes the hiring officer decide you're the right person for the job?

June 24 -- Can't find a study group on the Internet? Start one (Brian Bethel): Wanna learn something new? If you have a computer, you're already a good portion of the way there.

June 24 -- Beat the heat with fresh vegetables from Farmers Market (J.T. Smith): Good fruits and vegetables are even more important in your diet in this ongoing intense heat.

June 24 -- Rift between GM, United Auto Workers keeps growing deeper: LAS VEGAS (AP) -- The deepening mistrust between the United Auto Workers and General Motors Corp. is clearly evident at the UAW's convention, as the costly strikes that have crippled the world's largest automaker drag on.

June 24 -- Government confronts Internet privacy, and lack of it: WASHINGTON (AP) -- Warning companies that do business on the Internet to better protect the privacy of consumers, Commerce Secretary William Daley said today the federal government will intervene unless industry changes its ways.

June 24 -- OPEC ministers may cut 1 million barrels from weak oil market: VIENNA, Austria (AP) -- OPEC ministers were clamoring Tuesday to make a new round of oil production cuts even deeper than what has already been promised, and two key players said more than 1 million barrels a day should be removed from the glutted market.

June 24 -- Microsoft appeals victory could affect broader antitrust case: WASHINGTON (AP) -- In a victory for Microsoft with important implications for the government's landmark antitrust case, a federal appeals court on Tuesday removed restrictions a judge had imposed on the company's Windows 95 software.

June 23 -- Farmers Union president urges Congress to provide disaster relief (J.T. Smith): Texas Farmers Union President Wes Sims has asked Congress to act on providing deperately-needed disaster relief to Texas farmers.

June 23 -- Dallas firm buys Cedar Run Apartments: Cedar Run Apartments Associated, LTD was acquired by Dallas-based BH Management Services, Inc. and PRQ Holdings LLC last week.

June 23 -- CompUSA to buy Computer City from Tandy for $275 million in cash: DALLAS (AP) - Eighteen months after a courtship that went nowhere, CompUSA is headed to the altar with rival retailer Computer City.

June 23 -- Kuwait: OPEC may need deeper production cuts to save market: VIENNA, Austria (AP) - As OPEC ministers struggle to save the battered oil market, Kuwait gave traders a bit of encouragement Monday by saying OPEC may need to slash production even more sharply than promised.

June 23 -- Expiring crude rises sharply in pre-OPEC meeting squaring: The expiring July crude oil futures contract went off the board sharply higher Monday on the New York Mercantile Exchange as investors bet world oil producers will be forced to pledge additional production cuts this week in a bid to boost prices from their lowest levels in more than a decade.

June 23 -- The scariest thing in many offices is the scuzzy fridge: A monster is lurking in the break rooms of companies across the nation. It's the office refrigerator, bulging at the seams as leftover plastic-foam boxes and forgotten Tupperware containers fight for space with open cans of Coke and rotting fruit.

June 23 -- UAW leader says strikes could last into August, more walkouts possible: LAS VEGAS (AP) - The autoworkers strikes against General Motors Corp. in Michigan could last into August and may expand to other key GM parts plants where union-management disputes continue to fester, a top union leader said Monday.

June 21 -- Business Notebook: News and notes of interest to the local business community

June 21 -- U.S. on the edge of the Asian whirlpool: NEW YORK -- It is hard for Americans to comprehend the deadly black whirlpool that is inexorably sucking in more of the world's economy.

June 21 -- Oil producers worry about speculators' impact: West Texas oil producers are feeling a little antsy these days.

June 21 -- Sam's Club division reinventing itself: LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Sam's Club is embarking on a new wave of expansion with an eye toward its competition: any place a person spends money.

June 21 -- Sports collectors find fun, profit in hobby: Nine years ago, Jim Richmond turned his fervent love of baseball and intense interest in history into his hobby.

June 21 -- Cattlemen decry defective federal program on habitat conservation (J.T. Smith): "Don't mess with Texas' private lands" is the message that state and federal leaders heard from the Indepedent Cattlemen's Association (ICA) as the ranchers exposed serious defects of a habitat conservation plan in Central Texas.

June 20 -- President urges quick end to GM strikes: WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government will not intervene immediately in the United Auto Workers strike against General Motors Corp., but President Clinton urged both sides Friday to settle their differences.

June 20 -- Berkshire Hathaway to buy General Re for $22 billion: STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Investor Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is buying General Re Corp. for $22 billion worth of stock, adding one of the world's leading insurers of insurance companies to its portfolio.

June 20 -- Internet businesses given time to develop own privacy rules: WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Clinton administration indicated Friday it will give Internet businesses more time to develop their own privacy rules to protect information they collect from customers, including names, addresses, credit card numbers -- even medical histories and what they buy at the supermarket.

June 20 -- Texas suffers through second drought in three years: MONTE ALTO, Texas (AP) -- The fields are so parched they're catching on fire. Cornfields are yellowing. Soil is turning to dust, casting a pall over highways. Coyotes and opossums are showing up around homes, looking for water from hoses and pet water dishes.

June 20 -- Advertisers taking low-key approach in U.S. marketing of World Cup: NEW YORK (AP) -- American marketing heavyweights Coca-Cola, Gillette and McDonald's are spending millions this year sponsoring the World Cup, soccer's month-long global championship series.

June 20 -- Texas wheat production is pegged up 11 percent from last year (J.T. Smith): As harvest winds down, the estimate of the Texas wheat crop just keeps getting bigger.

June 20 -- Economic development town hall meeting (Doug Williamson): Abilene residents will have an opportunity Tuesday to voice their views on the economic development of the city.

June 19 -- U.S. trade deficit hits new record in April: WASHINGTON (AP) -- America's trade deficit surged to a record high in April as worsening troubles in Asia pushed U.S. exports down to their lowest level in more than year, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.

June 19 -- Texas Instruments to eliminate 3,500 jobs, citing weak semiconductor market: DALLAS (AP) -- Texas Instruments is eliminating 3,500 jobs worldwide due to the weak semiconductor market, which has been battered by lower prices from Asian competitors and reduced demand for computer memory chips.

June 19 -- Comanche County melon growers don't wait on Fourth of July: GUSTINE -- You'd better slow your vehicle down if traveling Texas Highway 36 through Comanche County. You might come across a convoy of melons.

June 19 -- GM's vehicle pipeline dries up, dealers worry about thinning inventories: DETROIT (AP) -- For General Motors dealers, the strikes that are choking off their supply of new cars and trucks couldn't come at a worse time. And with no end to the dispute in sight, they're worried.

June 19 -- Average mortgage rates fall below 7 percent: WASHINGTON (AP) -- The average rate on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages fell for the fifth consecutive week, dropping to a level -- below 7 percent -- that helped spur a boomlet in home sales and mortgage refinancing early this year.

June 18 -- Burger King franchiser named Restaurateur of the Year: Three honorees of the Abilene Area Restaurant Association's 1998 gala and induction of officers this week were out of sight but not out of mind.

June 18 -- Area business people share best advice they ever received: Every business person needs help. Lots of folks are willing to give it, or more likely, sell it.

June 18 -- New day care brightens downtown Ballinger: "Bright beginnings, I have found, start with children safe and sound ..." Jean Warren. BALLINGER -- When Nicole Cook saw these lines of poetry about childhood, the Maryland native knew she had discovered the name for her new day care center here.

June 18 -- Texas A&M Research and Extension Center aims at real world needs (J.T. Smith): VERNON -- It can be easy at times for researchers to get all caught up with their particular science, itself.

June 18 -- E-mail can come back to haunt you: WASHINGTON -- Think about that nasty e-mail message you fired off in anger last week at the office, the one about your co-worker. Or your boss. Or your company's rival.

June 18 -- Rife with rumors, Internet is growing problem to many firms: NEW YORK (Dow Jones News) -- Like most publicly traded companies, Impath Inc. usually refuses to comment on rumors, but the company responded emphatically after a message posted on the Internet last week said the company would be investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission for overstating earnings.

June 18 -- A failure to diversify stock investments could prove disastrous in the long run: One of Wall Street's most important ideas is suffering an untimely demise.

June 18 -- For graduates joining the work force: some ideas for building your nest egg: If you want to put today's ungrateful youth on the fast track to sickening riches, you have to get them when they are young.

June 18 -- Getting people to try your products once: Money-back guarantee. Thirty-day no-risk trial. If you're not completely satisfied just return the unused portion. These catch-phrases have become part of the retailing landscape. But have you ever thought of applying this marketing concept to your small business?

June 18 -- Giving good service, never an easy task, is getting a lot harder: Customers are more demanding, and the rush to please them is making the competition more ruthless. Successful managers today must be students of their customers, because if you don't learn everything there is to know about them, someone else will.

June 18 -- Do some research before seeking a raise: You want more money. Maybe your outflow is exceeding your income. Maybe you believe you're not paid what you're worth and you can't stand it a minute longer.

June 18 -- Retailers find seniors make fine workers: Norman Simpson carefully lists the benefits of his job: paid life insurance, profit sharing, a stock ownership plan, a 401(k) retirement account and health insurance.

June 17 -- New grocery store set to open: Every time a new supermarket is built, shoppers marvel at the stores' newfangled conveniences.

June 17 -- Some tips to make searching the Internet easier (Brian Bethel): The other day, I really wanted some information about Plato's description of the mythical continent of Atlantis.

June 17 -- Lettuce, tobacco, gas increases mean worst inflation in 17 months: WASHINGTON -- Price increases for lettuce, cigarettes, gasoline and prescription drugs pushed up consumer inflation by 0.3 percent in May. On Wall Street, stock prices treaded water after Monday's huge drop.

June 17 -- Greenspan to Congress: Don't jump on mergers just yet: WASHINGTON -- Congress should take care if it tries tinkering with mega-merger mania when history suggests results will be mixed for companies, their stockholders, customers and competitors, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said Tuesday.

June 17 -- Information on babies on the Web (Doug Williamson): Well, it's hard for Business Editor Doug Williamson to write his weekly World Wide Web interesting sites column when his Internet connection is down. So, Doug's taking a week's breather and sharing this sites column from a reporter with the Lexington Herald-Leader in Lexington, Ky.

June 17 -- Texas A&M Research and Extension Center aims at real world needs (J.T. Smith): VERNON -- It can be easy at times for researchers to get all caught up with their particular science, itself.

June 16 -- Old Time Hay Day is June 27 at Hawley (J.T. Smith): If you want to make hay, then Hawley is the place. An "Old Time Hay Day" is 10 a.m. June 27 at Hawley. You can see folks cutting hay, raking hay, baling and hauling hay.

June 16 -- AT&T says one-quarter of managers agree to retire early: NEW YORK (AP) - AT&T Corp.'s early retirement offer really has proven far more tempting to its 52,200 managers than the company expected.

June 16 -- Strike talks continue in Flint as two key events on GM-UAW calendar near: DETROIT (AP) - Negotiators sought Monday to end United Auto Workers strikes at a pair of General Motors Corp. plants. With a national convention coming up, the union may feel more pressure to settle the dispute this week.

June 16 -- Year 2000 legal storm may be more of a drizzle, experts say: PALO ALTO, Calif. (Dow Jones News) - The Year 2000 software and hardware problem is wending its way from the computer room to the courtroom. But predictions of a cataclysmic wave of legal liability claims that could run to $1 trillion may be overstated, some experts say.

June 16 -- NationsBank denies Dallas holdings were moved to circumvent merger rules: AUSTIN, Texas - In April, around the time NationsBank Corp. announced it would acquire BankAmerica Corp., NationsBank began to transfer almost half of the bank's Dallas deposits to corporate headquarters in Charlotte, N.C.

June 16 -- Nervous times again for stock investors: NEW YORK (Dow Jones News) - Nervous times have returned to the U.S. stock market. The equity markets here could only complete the worldwide cycle of decline that gripped stock exchanges Monday.

June 14 -- Business Notebook: News and notes of interest to the local business community

June 14 -- Waco's out of the 'Money,' Abilene's in (Doug Williamson): Some folks in Jeruselum on the Brazos aren't one bit happy with us Abilenians.

June 14 -- Antitrust: In merger blitz, regulators vie to bust biggest prizes: FTC officials get testy when the Justice Department is cast as the premier antitrust agency, and they keep a tally of the agencies' wins and losses in court. In the past decade, in cases where a court has issued a decision, the FTC is quick to point out it has won 10 and lost four.

June 14 -- Sears Methodist has expanded by plan: Sears Methodist Retirement System is good at picking up the pieces.

June 14 -- Pepsi and Frito-Lay marketing sodas and chips jointly: PLANO, Texas -- Pepsi and Frito-Lay are courting consumers by marrying chips and sodas in joint promotions and new vending machines.

June 14 -- Texas Cowboy Oldtimers group has full agenda during Reunion (J.T. Smith): The Texas Cowboy Oldtimers Association has four days of activities planned during the upcoming 1998 Texas Cowboy Reunion July 1-4 in Stamford.

June 13 -- USDA forecasts bigger winter wheat crop, fewer exports: WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Agriculture Department today raised its forecast for the U.S. winter wheat crop 2 percent to 1.74 billion bushels and expanded the estimate for supplies in storage because of reduced exports.

June 13 -- Local producers react to USDA's lower cotton and higher wheat estimates: USDA's higher wheat and lower cotton estimates Friday did not catch local agriculture leaders by surprise. In fact, they had been expecting the adjustment.

June 13 -- Japan's recession deepens fears of regional crisis: TOKYO (AP) -- For nearly a year, Asia has been looking to Japan to lead the troubled region back to prosperity.

June 13 -- Value of mergers in '98 already blows away past years: NEW YORK (AP) -- This year's dealmaking frenzy makes the rest of the merger boom look like a penny-ante card game.

June 13 -- Taylor County Farm Bureau calls for queen and talent entries (J.T. Smith): Taylor County Farm Bureau is seeking entries for its annual Queen Contest and Talent Find July 18 at Wylie High School. Entry deadline is July 6.

June 13 -- Scripps and Howard trusts selling $275 million in E.W. Scripps stock: CINCINNATI (AP) -- The Edward W. Scripps Trust, controlling shareholder of The E.W. Scripps Co., and the Jack R. Howard Trust are selling $275 million worth of the company's shares to the public.

June 13 -- General Motors, union workers battle over company's future in Flint: DETROIT (AP) -- Worried that the progress in streamlining its operations hasn't been enough, General Motors Corp. is in an all-out war with its workers to make itself a leaner, more competitive global automaker.

June 12 -- Bankruptcy bill could threaten Texas' homestead exemption: WASHINGTON (AP) -- A bill that sailed through Congress could threaten the Texas law that exempts residents' houses in bankruptcy actions.

June 12 -- Digital shareholders approve sale to Compaq: WESTFORD, Mass. (AP) -- Shareholders of Digital Equipment Corp. today voted to sell the computer company to Compaq, formally ending the one-time industry pioneer's independence.

June 12 -- New shoe store to open (Doug Williamson): Journeys, a hip shoe store, will open Saturday in the Mall of Abilene.

June 12 -- Three more states win battle against cattle brucellosis (J.T. Smith): Texas soon could be the "Lone" state to still be fighting brucellosis disease in cattle.

June 12 -- Second group strikes against GM, production shutdown could result: FLINT, Mich. (AP) -- Workers at a second General Motors Corp. plant went on strike Thursday evening as the United Auto Workers union increased its pressure on the No. 1 automaker.

June 12 -- USDA denies petition seeking milk floor price for dairy farmers: WASHINGTON -- A petition by some dairy farmers to set a minimum price for milk was denied Wednesday by Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman, who said there was scant evidence such a move would help those struggling with low prices.

June 12 -- Mitsubishi to pay $34 million for harassment at Illinois factory: CHICAGO (AP) -- Mitsubishi Motors agreed to pay a record $34 million Thursday to settle allegations that women on the assembly line at its Illinois factory were groped and insulted and that managers did nothing to stop it.

June 11 -- Learn to have fun at work: "I have to go to work." Sounds like you don't plan on having fun.

June 11 -- USDA says cotton appraisals can begin a week after planting deadline: USDA's Risk Management Agency (RMA) announced Wednesday that insurance appraisals can begin a week after the final planting date for the crop.

June 11 -- Aggie "Brush Busters" aim to battle mesquite more economically (J.T. Smith): Excessive amounts of brush rob precious water and choke out grass.

June 11 -- Year 2000 bug no problem to many PC users: At the stroke of midnight on Dec. 31, 1999, the "Y2K" bug will strike.

June 11 -- Reviews of shareware programs: Reach for the stars: Today we are going to reach heights we had never imagined possible. We're going to load a CD packed with thousands of astronomy files and about 200 astronomy programs and we are going to reach for the stars.

June 11 -- Fund 'profile' about to make its debut: NEW YORK (AP) -- Designing a simple, plain-English document that mutual funds can use to describe themselves to investors has proved to be no simple project.

June 11 -- The fine points of selling your house in five days: Bill Effros is not a real estate agent. Nor does he want to be.

June 11 -- Learning to manage in a global workplace (you're on your own): Are there differences between major domestic and multinational organizations? Can a great domestic leader transfer success to the global arena? Are great global leaders born or made? If a global leader falls in the forest ... just kidding.

June 11 -- A best-selling author in business: NEW YORK (AP) -- You may not find his books in the usual retail outlets, but Price Pritchett is one of the very best-selling authors in America, and perhaps the best-read writer of business books.

June 11 -- Firms have greater incentive to check resumes as more job seekers lie: Lying is a growth industry. More people are lying on their resumes, so more employers are checking resumes, so more resume-checking services are popping up around the country.

June 11 -- Writers say it's not their job to check facts: Carol Conley once worked for a Lexington company that hired "this bright, brilliant young woman based on her personality and looks. No one checked her out" -- until the money disappeared.

June 10 -- Upgrading speakers can enhance computer enjoyment (Brian Bethel): Are you hearing everything your computer has to offer?

June 10 -- Texas FFA plans 70th annual convention for Cowtown (J.T. Smith): Plans are under way for the annual Texas FFA State Convention slated for July 14-17 in Fort Worth.

June 10 -- No joy for oil producers as OPEC seeks more supply cuts: LONDON -- Things are looking pretty dismal in the oil market.

June 10 -- Many older people slow to adapt to changing technology: MINNEAPOLIS -- "I don't have one and I'm not interested in them," Jack Griffin barks when asked about personal computers.

June 10 -- Favorite Web sites (Doug Williamson): Today's travels through the World Wide Web take us from the grill to a whale and from time to long-ago TV memories

June 10 -- Texas exports grown despite Asian problems: AUSTIN (AP) -- The North American Free Trade Agreement provided the antidote for the Asian economic flu, with Texas exports reaching $22.2 billion in the first quarter of 1998.

June 9 -- Gasoline prices fall below a dollar in Abilene: Falling New York Mercantile Exchange prices are translating broadly into 98 cents per gallon gasoline prices locally.

June 9 -- Wells Fargo, Norwest agree on $31.9 billion merger: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Wells Fargo & Co. and Norwest Corp. are merging into what would be the nation's seventh-largest bank - the latest deal in a rush by banks, brokerages and insurers to expand their base of customers while lowering costs.

June 9 -- Comanche County melon tour to give latest in production tips (J.T. Smith): The Comanche County Melon Production Tour is June 18 with departure from the Comanche Community Center on Highway 377.

June 9 -- BBB auction this Thursday (Doug Williamson): The annual Abilene Better Business Bureau auction and membership meeting will be Thursday, June 11, at Lytle Bend Ranch.

June 9 -- Tins of mints become the latest status symbol of people with everything: NEW YORK (AP) - Power tie. Power breakfast. Power lunch. Now there's the power mint. Super strong mints offered from chic little tin boxes have become the must-have accessory for the trendy - particularly after all those caffe lattes and expensive cigars.

June 9 -- State Farm announces additional rate cut; premium return: AUSTIN (AP) - State Farm, Texas' largest auto insurer, is cutting its rates an average of 3 percent this summer and returning to customers $178.6 million in premiums already paid.

June 9 -- FTC moves against computer chip maker: WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal regulators moved to rein in computer chip maker Intel on Monday, charging the company has misused a monopoly position to freeze out and punish competitors.

June 9 -- Wrigley subsidiary to launch caffeine-packed gum: CHICAGO (AP) - Here's a new one to chew on: Caffeine-laced gum. Amurol Confections Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co., is getting ready to launch Stay Alert, a new gum where two sticks are the equivalent of one to two cups of coffee.

June 7 -- AARP focusing on baby boomers turning 50: WASHINGTON (AP) -- When Linda Vrooman Peterson turned 50 last October, a wise-guy friend gave her a cane with a horn and rearview mirror.

June 7 -- Business Notebook: News and notes of interest to the local business community

June 7 -- Drought puts crop insurance in the spotlight for farmers: Cotton is rapidly running out of days left in the growing season to make a crop since dry ground prevented timely planting in May for the majority of growers.

June 7 -- Bob Lovvorn is "dusting in" cottonseed on 2,000 acres before deadline: STAMFORD -- On a sweltering afternoon Wednesday, Bob Lovvorn was down on his hands and knees in one of his cotton fields seven miles south of here.

June 7 -- Farm Bureau president warns of statewide catastrophe: The president of the Texas Farm Bureau has alerted state and federal officials that "a statewide catastrophe " is in the making as both Texas crop and pasture conditions fade under record temperatures and dry conditions.

June 7 -- Why aren't Americans saving: Ask the people, not the experts: NEW YORK (AP) -- Gathered in Washington this week are members of the money establishment, the big brains of the banking, insurance and mutual funds, summoned by a government concerned that Americans aren't saving enough for retirement.

June 7 -- Perry initiates drought preparedness efforts at TDA: Every passing day without a big, general rain is taking a toll on Texas and its enormous agricultural economy.

June 6 -- Success comes from relentless pursuit of doing simple well, speaker says (Doug Williamson): A business person's credo should be to relentlessly pursue doing the simple things well.

June 6 -- Strong job gains in May hold unemployment at 28-year low: WASHINGTON (AP) -- The economy produced nearly 300,000 new jobs in May, from engineers to shop clerks, holding unemployment to a 28-year low of 4.3 percent despite Asian spillover problems in manufacturing. Wall Street roared its approval.

June 6 -- Glickman authorizes emergency grazing of CRP land: USDA Secretary Dan Glickman has announced emergency grazing by livestock will be permitted on land idled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acreage in some areas suffering from drought.

June 6 -- Perry says TxDOT allows mowing and baling along highway rights-of-way: Ranchers have a bit of good news during the ongoing drought.

June 6 -- House passes Ag Research, Extension and Education Reform Act (J.T. Smith): "For the first time in my legislative life, we have nutrition money being reprogrammed for production agriculture, with the support of the nutritition community and the agriculture community."

June 6 -- Asian flu only part of Motorola's problems: CHICAGO (AP) -- Like El Nino, the Asian economic crisis has become a timely scapegoat for American companies set to report poor results, but analysts said Friday that Motorola Inc.'s problems extend back to strategic blunders made years ago.

June 6 -- Strike effects to take awhile locally: It will take at least one month before Abilene repair shops are affected by the seventh conflict between United Auto Workers and General Motors since 1997, thanks to a long lead time for parts deliveries.

June 5 -- Alcatel to buy DSC Communications in stock swap worth $4 billion: DALLAS (AP) -- Alcatel, the world's fourth-largest telecommunications equipment maker, is buying DSC Communications Corp. for $4 billion worth of stock, expanding the French company's presence in the United States.

June 5 -- Bomer revokes license of top insurance finance company: AUSTIN (AP) -- The state has revoked the license of one of Texas-- top auto insurance finance companies, shedding light on an industry unknown by most drivers.

June 5 -- Oil, oil-services stocks rise on talk of output cutbacks: NEW YORK (Dow Jones News) -- Shares of oil and oil-services companies, buoyed by news of possible reductions in world oil production, were among the best performers in Thursday's stock market.

June 5 -- Retailers report fifth-straight month of strong retail sales: NEW YORK (AP) -- The nation's largest retailers posted better-than-expected sales gains in May, with good weather through much of the country and a healthy U.S. economy encouraging Americans to shop.

June 5 -- Michigan strike would threaten GM's truck production, new model launch: DETROIT (AP) -- General Motors Corp., the U.S. automaker with the worst labor relations, negotiated with the United Auto Workers ahead of a Friday deadline for a strike that could halt production of its high-profit trucks and delay the launch of its new full-size pickups.

June 5 -- Tank mixing can hurt punch of Roundup Ultra with Roundup ready crops (J.T. Smith): Roundup Ready cotton is growing in popularity by leaps and bounds in the Abilene region.

June 5 -- Productivity, factory, jobless figures hint at trouble: WASHINGTON (AP) -- Hints of trouble are emerging in the just-right U.S. economy, including a lapse in worker productivity gains, a drop in demand for most factory goods and a jump in applications for unemployment benefits. Americans, however, turned out in force at shopping malls in May.

June 4 -- Grooming should be subtle, reflect work environment: Well-groomed doesn't necessarily mean head-to-toe application of lotions, makeup, hair spray and the like for women or men. Grooming tips from local experts

June 4 -- Computer programs offer features users don't want: NEW YORK (AP) -- Computers will organize your life. Maybe they'll even cook for you someday. But Jackie Wildau just wants to know how to get rid of those paragraph marks all over the letter she's trying to write.

June 4 -- Sick of junk e-mail? Here are some tips for fighting back: Along with death and taxes, add a third nuisance to the list of life's certainties: junk e-mail.

June 4 -- Learn how lenders decide if you get a mortgage -- or not: If you've ever applied for a mortgage and been turned down, you probably were angry but also puzzled. What made the lender reject my application? How did he decide? Was the information he had about me wrong?

June 4 -- Is now a good time to shift into small stocks?: Go small. That is the latest line from the mutual-fund industry.

June 4 -- Good employees deserve good treatment: Be as attentive to your best employees as you are to your best customers.

June 4 -- Cultivating customer loyalty key to survival: Customer loyalty is a bottom-line issue for small businesses.

June 4 -- Managing Time: Here are some ways to better manage your time

June 4 -- Aptitude test results can affirm job choice, or need for change: BOSTON -- Seventeen years ago, Ann Frank was a successful journalist in Florida, but felt she was in the wrong job.

June 4 -- References mean more than resumes: If you're a job seeker, you probably already know you have little control over the reference you get from former supervisors.

June 4 -- Perry says Valley losses alone could reach $97 million from drought (J.T. Smith): Texas Ag Commissioner Rick Perry says that ag producers in the Rio Grande Valley are facing the fifth straight year of weather-related economic losses.

June 3 -- To maintain hard drive space, program weeding required (Brian Bethel): I remember my first hard disk. It had 30 big megabytes of storage, and I was sure it would never get full.

June 3 -- Long John Silver's Restaurants files for bankruptcy: LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -- Long John Silver's Restaurants Inc., the nation's biggest fast-food seafood chain, has sought protection from creditors under federal bankruptcy laws while it tries to sort out its finances.

June 3 -- New restaurant to open in controversial sports bar's old place: Another spicy establishment is moving in where Knockers, a Hooter's-like sports bar, once titillated Abilenians.

June 3 -- Sprint unveils new phone system: NEW YORK (AP) -- Imagine logging on to the Internet, sending a fax and talking on the phone, all from the same telephone line.

June 3 -- From Pluto to potato (Doug Williamson): Our visit through the world of the World Wide Web this week takes us from Pluto to potato and from English football (soccer) to English grammar.

June 3 -- Farmers' market must do or die at Expo Center grounds (J.T. Smith): After two hours of discussion Monday night, the questions surrounding the future of fresh produce markets in Abilene remain largely unresolved.

June 2 -- USDA releases a new weapon in war against fire ants (J.T. Smith): A new biological weapon was released last week by the government to fight the red imported fire ant. USDA says a microorganism from South America is the latest in the biological arsenal to combat the treacherous fire ant. The idea was to release some infected ants.

June 2 -- Azle bank to be acquired by Independent Bankshares: Independent Bankshares is expanding out of West Texas to the Metroplex. Officials have announced plans to acquire Azle Bancorp and its Azle State Bank in Azle, a suburb northwest of Fort Worth.

June 2 -- American Home Products merging with Monsanto: ST. LOUIS (AP) - American Home Products Corp. and Monsanto Co., both active in merger talks over the past several months, came together Monday in one of the biggest corporate buyouts ever.

June 2 -- Intel delays release of future-generation processor: SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - Investors expressed disappointment Monday with a delay in Intel Corp.'s next-generation microprocessor while analysts disagreed whether it was a serious setback for the world's largest maker of computer chips.

June 2 -- Travelers Group takes 25 percent stake in top Japanese brokerage: TOKYO (AP) - Travelers Group Inc. is buying a quarter of Nikko Securities Co., the third-largest Japanese brokerage house, expanding its worldwide presence and placing a $1.6 billion bet on Japan's financial future.

June 2 -- Anger, embarrassment as strike begins before World Cup: PARIS (AP) - In normal times, a strike by Air France pilots would merely cause havoc. Monday's walkout created something even worse: deep embarrassment for a country about to host the world's biggest sporting event, World Cup soccer.