March 31 -- In banking bonanza, Fed would pay interest on cash reserves: WASHINGTON (AP) - Banks would get a big bonus under a new bill before the House: interest payments on cash reserves kept at the Federal Reserve that would reach an estimated $660 million over five years.

March 31 -- Farm Bureau Bank could be reality in less than a year (J.T. Smith): A new Farm Bureau Bank could serve perhaps 36 Farm Bureau federations and be operational by Jan. 1. That's the word from Bob Stallman, interim chairman of FB BanCorp and president of the Texas Farm Bureau.

March 31 -- No more wrinkled, crinkled dirty money? WASHINGTON (AP) - The familiar phrase "paying with plastic" may take on an entirely new meaning. The government is testing new materials for the nation's folding money - including a tough but flexible plastic.

March 31 -- IRS study finds 1,137 wealthy taxpayers paid no taxes in 1994: WASHINGTON - Many wealthy Americans achieve what millions of taxpayers and armies of accountants dream about this time of year: They don't pay a cent in federal income tax.

March 31 -- Coors, a Western mainstay, marks 125th anniversary: GOLDEN, Colo. (AP) - If Peter Coors wants to wander down memory lane, all he has to do is glance out his office window, across the gray, concrete manufacturing complex that once was his playground.

March 31 -- Some Y2K problems showing up early: While Americans have been fretting about the ballyhooed Millennium Bug, another equally sinister programming glitch is already wreaking multi-million dollar havoc. However, the new problem is showing up a year earlier: 1999.

March 31 -- OPEC ministers hope production cuts will save devastated market: VIENNA, Austria (AP) - OPEC sought to boost the weakened oil market Tuesday with promises that it really means to cut crude production this time. Skeptical traders pushed prices lower.

March 29 -- Business Notebook: News and notes of interest to the local business community

March 29 -- Prices for gasoline back on the rise: WASHINGTON -- It was the bargain of the century, but it changed this week.

March 29 -- In high-stakes battle, credit unions turn to grassroots, banks to money: WASHINGTON -- At some credit unions, members filing out deposit slips are also offered a telephone to call Congress or a postcard to send lawmakers. On Capitol Hill, local bankers are appearing in force.

March 29 -- Young peanut grower diversifying farm for survival: DE LEON -- Tim Beaty will complete eight years of service on the Texas Peanut Producers Board come May 1.

March 29 -- Peanuts could soon become astro-nuts!: TUSKEGEE, Ala. -- Peanuts could soon be headed to outer space as one of the crops grown by future astronauts.

March 29 -- Soybean research will be conducted this year at Munday (J.T. Smith Column): Overall -- soybeans haven't been seen as a crop that would fit the Rolling Plains environment. More of a crop for the Deep South or the Midwest.

March 29 -- Farm Bureau sells its tire and battery company: Texas' largest farm and ranch organization announced in Waco Friday it had sold its affiliated tire and battery company to a group of Waco businessmen.

March 29 -- Energy committee chairman calls for tax, royalty relief: WASHINGTON -- Congress should consider offering tax and royalty relief to keep marginal oil wells functioning through the current depressed oil market, the chairman of the senate's energy committee said Friday.

March 28 -- Strong U.S. income growth unharmed by Asia, so far: WASHINGTON (AP) -- Americans' incomes increased briskly for the second month in row, and upbeat White House advisers said the U.S. economy may be able to weather the fallout from Asia's financial turmoil with little harm to overall growth.

March 28 -- Intel plant delay linked to chip slump: FORT WORTH, Texas -- One day after Intel acknowledged that it will not open its highly touted Fort Worth plant until 2002, a company official linked the delay to red flags being raised by semiconductor- and computer makers, including price cuts and warnings of lower-than-projected earnings.

March 28 -- New jobs need workers with people, keyboard skills: Keyboard-savvy Big Country residents could see their wages rise as Abilene's labor market keeps tightening.

March 28 -- Beef industry getting to the meat of promotion: Kikkoman Corp. and the beef checkoff program combined efforts nationwide to distribute beef recipes to 25,000 various supermarkets nationwide -- including 1,100 stores in Texas -- during March.

March 27 -- OfficeMax coming to town by mid-summer: OfficeMax should be doing business in Abilene by mid-summer. The nation's largest office products superstore closed a deal with local developer Jack Turner Wednesday to build a 23,500-square-foot store on 2.44 acres on John Knox Drive. The store, which will neighbor Classic Inn and Toys R Us, will employ about 40 workers.

March 27 -- Harold Nixon reflects on 50 years as John Deere dealer this week: Harold Nixon has a special color blindness. He sees only green. John Deere green. It's been that way for half a century.

March 27 -- Interest in grain sorghum evident at Abilene meeting (J.T. Smith): Grain sorghum continues to be a top rotation crop with cotton here on the Rolling Plains. Beyond its rotation value, it also can save the day in some years when weeks of stormy spring weather make it too late to plant cotton.

March 27 -- Today is last day to pre-register for Big Country Pecan Conference: The Big Country Pecan Conference is 9 a.m. Tuesday in the Taylor County Extension Center at its new location on the grounds of the Taylor County Expo Center in Abilene.

March 27 -- Have it your way - at McDonald's: CHICAGO (AP) - After years of gimmicky flops, McDonald's has decided its biggest problem is that some customers just don't like warmed-over burgers.

March 27 -- House panel approves credit union measure: WASHINGTON (AP) - A House panel on Thursday overwhelmingly approved a measure that would overturn a Supreme Court ruling favoring banks over credit unions.

March 26 -- Business Expo a huge success in networking: Abilene's business community had its own Oscar-type occasion, Wednesday. Only, this was Business Expo '98 and the academy was Abilene's business community.

March 26 -- E-mail isn't private, and it may be permanent, too: E-mail. Does it ever go away? Intimate 2-year-old electronic messages - 42 of them - traded by once-powerful Wilmington lawyer Thomas Capano and Anne Marie Fahey, the young woman he allegedly murdered, emerged at a bail hearing for Capano last week.

March 26 -- So just how fast is that 56K modem? When you bought that 56,000-bit-per-second modem last year, you probably thought you were going to zip through cyberspace and rid yourself of the stress you suffer at the hands of the World Wide Wait, er Web.

March 26 -- Business owners often targets of litigation: Having employees can be a legal minefield, especially for small companies that lack in-house resources to avoid buried bombshells.

March 26 -- How to deal with the public: It helps to be interested in human nature if you have a job which involves dealing with the public. And if you observe it closely enough, you will soon have enough material for a novel.

March 26 -- How to motivate a sales force: We've all heard of the Wonder Kid who can sell sand in Arabia or refrigerators in Antarctica. But actually finding one for your business can be as hard to do as ... well, selling sand in Arabia or refrigerators in Antarctica!

March 26 -- Honing only your best skills makes good business sense: How often in school did you receive a report card with a comment from the teacher that said you were a little weak in math, or perhaps spelling, and needed to work on these areas.

March 25 -- Beef industry getting to the meat of promotion (J.T. Smith): Kikkoman Corp. and the beef checkoff program combined efforts nationwide to distribute beef recipes to 25,000 various supermarkets nationwide - including 1,100 stores in Texas - during March.

March 25 -- Are you bugged? (Doug Williamson): Bugs and numbers and people and marriage all highlight this week's trek through the wide world of the World Wide Web.

March 25 -- So you want your own domain name? Establishing a domain on the Internet - for most of us - consists of writing some e-mail or putting up a personal homepage. But most netheads at least dream of having yourname.com or some equivalent.

March 25 -- Crude oil falls amid skepticism oil-producing nations will meet cuts: Crude oil futures prices Tuesday gave up half the previous day's gains amid skepticism oil-producing nations will honor commitments to cut output in a bid to reduce a world supply glut.

March 24 -- Wool outlook appears to be a hard row to hoe (J.T. Smith): When it comes to counting sheep, the numbers pretty well say it all. In 1991, there were 11.2 million sheep in the United States. By 1998, that number had plunged to 7.6 million.

March 24 -- Decision to cut crude oil production likely to raise prices at the pump: DALLAS (AP) - Cheap gasoline's days are numbered. A decision by major oil-producing countries to cut their crude oil output and the approach of the summer travel season means automobile owners are likely to see gas prices creep upward.

March 24 -- Quality of new cars is improving, Consumer Reports: DETROIT (AP) - The Consumer Reports annual auto issue finds that new cars are safer and higher quality, while used cars are more reliable.

March 24 -- Loan guarantee cutback shouldn't hurt here: Big Country consumers probably won't feel the pinch when the Federal Housing Administration curtails its ARM loan guarantee program next month.

March 24 -- U.S. says Lockheed-Northrop merger threatens soldiers, taxpayers: WASHINGTON (AP) - Backed by the Pentagon, the Justice Department sued to block Lockheed Martin's $8.3 billion acquisition of Northrop Grumman on grounds the merger could threaten soldiers' lives and taxpayers' wallets.

March 24 -- German media giant buying biggest U.S. book publisher: NEW YORK (AP) - Random House, the largest U.S. book publisher, is being bought by a German media giant in a deal that assembles an all-star roster of best-selling authors.

March 22 -- West Texas Brangus Breeders to roll on Saturday in Abilene (J.T. Smith): A major cattle sale is less than a week away. The West Texas Brangus Breeders Association (WTBBA) will stage a superb sale at Abilene Livestock Auction at noon Saturday.

March 22 -- Stamford Electric annual meeting: STAMFORD - A capacity crowd turned out here at Stamford High School Auditorium for the 59th annual meeting of Stamford Electric Cooperative Saturday night and heard plans for a possible merger with another electric cooperative.

March 22 -- Promotions at ARN: Abilene Reporter-News Editor James Denley has announced two management changes in the newsroom.

March 22 -- Snyder's Patterson Energy experiencing phenomenal growth: One could say Patterson Energy, Inc. is marking time. With oil trading in the $14 per barrel neighborhood, oil rights holders have little enthusiasm to retrieve oil, says Cloyce Talbott, chairman and CEO of Patterson Energy, Inc.

March 22 -- Auto industry focusing attention on gadget overload: DETROIT (Dow Jones News) - As automakers and parts suppliers introduce a host of electronic gadgets for cars and trucks, worries about driver distraction are starting to be translated into industry guidelines.

March 21 -- Oops! Beardstown ladies discover their mistake: The Beardstown Ladies, the famous investment club that grew out of an informal gathering of older women, have discovered where they made their mistake.

March 21 -- Computerized tax filing surges this year: WASHINGTON (AP) -- Electronic tax filing is up by more than 20 percent this year as taxpayers become more comfortable with their computers. Many professional preparers are now including computerized filing as part of their basic cost.

March 21 -- Cattle on feed numbers are up in Texas: Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market from Texas feedlots with capacity of 1,000 head or more totaled 2.6 million head as of March -- up 5 percent from a year ago.

March 20 -- Middle Clear Fork honors conservationists Hensley and Murphey: The Middle Clear Fork Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) honored its outstanding conservationists Thursday night at its annual banquet in Abilene.

March 20 -- At Parker Implement, they're all for sale except that one (J.T. Smith Column): It's mighty odd when a tractor dealer tells you a tractor is not for sale nowadays.

March 20 -- Lottery officials attempt to mollify store owners: Texas Lottery officials met with Abilene area retailers Thursday, hoping to add shine to the commission's tarnished image.

March 20 -- Payment-in-kind could cost millions, official says: WASHINGTON -- Industry-backed legislation to let oil and gas companies pay federal royalties with product instead of cash could cost taxpayers a half-billion dollars a year, an administration official said Thursday.

March 19 -- Abilene Livestock Auction acquires Bowie auction: Abilene Livestock Auction continues to beef up its territory.

March 19 -- Southern Rolling Plains growers have upbeat meeting: BALLINGER -- The Southern Rolling Plains Cotton Growers had a positive annual meeting here Tuesday night as farmers anticipated having good moisture to plant the 1998 crop in a few weeks.

March 19 -- Talk of the future: Calling via the Internet: Motorola executive Sean Parham looks into the future and sees a revolution in the way people use the telephone.

March 19 -- Peripheral devices ease space crunch: When I heard a year ago that the new computer my company was about to buy me had a 1-gigabyte hard drive, I was ecstatic. I never thought I would fill up a thousand megabytes of room.

March 19 -- Pros and cons of paying down the mortgage early: If you follow the advice of most financial planners, you won't put money into the stock market if you're going to need it within five years. And you won't add extra payments to your mortgage -- or even get a 15-year loan -- if you can get a better return on your money by investing.

March 19 -- Short-term fears can spoil long-term plans: NEW YORK (AP) -- Though they may describe themselves as long-term investors, many owners of mutual funds spend a great deal of time thinking short-term.

March 19 -- Employers told to document, be fair and settle before firing troublesome worker: MIAMI -- It's a title destined to send chills down a worker's spine: How to Finally Fire the High-Maintenance, Long-Time, Borderline Employee Who You Know Will Sue.

March 19 -- Companies send intrepid retirees to work abroad: Dick Delott had been retired for more than a year from his job as a senior engineer at Whirlpool Corp. when the company came to him in 1995 with a tempting offer: a six-month trip to China, all expenses paid.

March 19 -- Texas ag exports $3 billion and still growing (J.T. Smith Column): Ag exports are important to all 50 states -- but especially so in Texas.

March 19 -- Americans continue to take work home, study shows: WASHINGTON (AP) -- More than 21 million Americans did some work at home as part of their primary jobs last year, the Labor Department reported Wednesday.

March 19 -- A hierarchy of acceptable reasons for cutting out of work: When Jean O'Connell must leave work for a personal reason -- be it to visit her ailing father or attend to one of her teen-age daughters -- she doesn't make up some excuse. It's a matter of principle.March 18 -- Get those browser bookmarks organized (Brian Bethel Column): Clutter is a way of life for some of us, but your web browser is no place for it.

March 18 -- Americans are still borrowing more, but they're making payments on time: NEW YORK (AP) -- Confident that the growing economy will keep their jobs secure, American consumers continue to charge up a storm. But a growing number are also mailing their payments sooner, or even paying off their balances.

March 18 -- Stamford Electric Cooperative slates meeting for Saturday: STAMFORD -- The election of three directors to fill expiring terms will highlight the 59th annual meeting of the Stamford Electric Cooperative, Inc., here Saturday at the Stamford High School Auditorium.

March 18 -- Some Spring Break website fun (Doug Williamson Column): Here we are in the middle of Spring Break week.

March 18 -- Rolling Plains Cotton Conference is April 1 at Haskell (J.T. Smith Column): The second annual Rolling Plains Cotton Conference is April 1 at the Haskell Civic Center.

March 17 -- Home office likely to trigger audit (Doug Williamson Column): If you have a home office, you are asking the Internal Revenue Service to audit you.

March 17 -- Wheat is making fast growth (J.T. Smith Column): "Rapid" is the word for wheat growth across the Rolling Plains. But that fast growth also may have set up some wheat for a bit of freeze damage.

March 17 -- AutoGas develops prepaid gas card: First it was prepaid phone cards. Now, if Abilene-based AutoGas Systems Inc. has its way, millions of Americans will be filling their tanks using prepaid gasoline cards.

March 15 -- In a switch, Apple shines, other PC stocks are laggards: NEW YORK (Dow Jones News) -- Apple Computer Inc.'s shares, which have delivered only heartache to investors over the last five years, have performed far better than other personal computer industry giants since the beginning of 1998.

March 15 -- How to deal with a boss who's a pain: They come in every size, shape and psychological state of mind. They can make your work life a breeze or pure misery. Don't allow a bullying boss to batter self-esteem

March 15 -- Strange bedfellows make a power play: Utility companies, consumer groups both wary of deregulation: Although many states have cast onto the sea of electrical deregulation, Florida's ship remains securely docked, and an improbable crew wants it to stay there.

March 15 -- Business Notebook: A compilation of news about employees

March 15 -- Restaurant industry looking for career employees (Doug Williamson Column): Think of your first job. Minimum wage. Short hours. Not very skilled or technical.

March 14 -- Linkup is mixed bag for small investors: The Nasdaq Stock Market's plan to take over the American Stock Exchange might be largely a boon for individual investors.

March 14 -- Low oil prices causing U.S. producers to cutback: WICHITA, Kan. (AP) -- Like most other oil producers, Danny Biggs was optimistic four months ago. The average price of oil was close to $20 a barrel, and his company was planning to look for new oil fields in 1998.

March 14 -- Construction begins on sporting goods store (Doug Williamson Column): Construction as begun on a 52,500-square-foot Academy Sports and Outdoors store behind the Target store on John Knox Drive.

March 14 -- March 15-21 is National Agriculture Week (J.T. Smith Column): On March 20, America will celebrate Ag Day as part of the Agriculture Council of America's recognition of National Agriculture Week March 15-21.

March 14 -- Attitude, not age, biggest factor in employability: Workplace age discrimination is a nettlesome issue.

March 13 -- Study says many credit reports still contain serious errors: NEW YORK (AP) -- Consumers may be rejected for loans or jobs based on mistakes in their credit reports and not even know it, according to a study released Thursday.

March 13 -- Rosenbaum named Engineer of the Year (Doug Williamson Column): Clint Rosenbaum has been named "Engineer of the Year" by the Abilene Chapter of the Texas Society of Professional Engineers.

March 13 -- Comanche farm and ranch day slated for March 26 (J.T. Smith Column): The 6th Annual Comanche County Farm/Ranch and Dairy Day is March 26 at the Comanche Community Center.

March 13 -- Consumer group warns of abuse by some insurance companies: A statewide consumer organization is warning Texans of "abusive behavior" by some insurance companies.

March 13 -- Communities to receive temporary reduction in homeowners rates: AUSTIN -- A temporary reduction in homeowners rates will go into effect May 1 for two Taylor County communities -- Buffalo Gap and Tye Volunteer Fire Department, according to the Texas Department of Insurance.

March 13 -- Judge gives bank permission to sell Stempel property: COLEMAN -- A bankruptcy judge in Amarillo has given Texas Bank, Brownwood, permission to sell the property Stempel Manufacturing left behind when it pulled up stakes and moved to Amarillo last year.

March 12 -- In a switch, Apple shines, other PC stocks are laggards: NEW YORK (Dow Jones News) -- Apple Computer Inc.'s shares, which have delivered only heartache to investors over the last five years, have performed far better than other personal computer industry giants since the beginning of 1998.

March 12 -- Top chipmaker launches help center for all hardware, software: HILLSBORO, Ore. (AP) -- Have a problem with your computer? Intel Corp. says "no problem," no matter what kind of hardware or software you use. Just agree to their monthly fee and dial them up.

March 12 -- Women start own businesses due to an idea, survey says: MIAMI -- Corporations trying to attract the best of the best are losing out on half the population.

March 12 -- You can reduce the angst of job-seeking: With a good economy and jobs around every corner, you wouldn't think job-seekers would have much to worry about. After all, it's not like the recession, when it took months to get an interview, right?

March 12 -- $530,000 grand steer at Houston had Callahan roots (J.T. Smith Column): The Grand Champion Steer shown by 15-year-old Carrie Adams of Willis FFA which sold for a world record $530,000 at the 1998 Houston Livestock Show over the past weekend had Big Country roots.

March 11 -- Injection site blemishes should be avoided in cattle (J.T. Smith): Giving an injection in the wrong place can make beef unsightly and also leave tough spots in the meat. And that's sure not what you want in the stores for consumers.

March 11 -- Are you a user or abuser of the Internet? (Brian Bethel): here's a concept from earlier forms of communication that is bandied about a lot on the Internet: "Signal to noise ratio."

March 11 -- A veritable smorgasbord of Web servings (Doug Williamson): This week's look at sites on the Information Superhighway can only be described as a hodgepodge.

March 11 -- Vo-techs invent curricula for particular labor markets: OIL CITY, Pa. (AP) - Generally, vocational-technical high schools provide classes in construction and auto repair and perhaps the slightly more exciting computer-aided design or health-care technology.

March 11 -- Congress looks for money for permanent crop insurance program: WASHINGTON (AP) - Key members of Congress are trying to find $200 million a year to provide permanent subsidies for crop insurance, which now is subjected to annual spending battles that cause much uncertainty for farmers.

March 11 -- Energy speaker talks about threat to national security: Disruptions in U.S energy supplies threaten national security. That's what Elena Melchert, a petroleum engineer with the U.S. Department of Energy, said after Tuesday's Desk and Derrick Club of Abilene luncheon, high above Abilene in the Petroleum Club.

March 10 -- Frullati Cafe top rookie (Doug Williamson): Larry and Carol Pearce, franchise owners of Frullati Cafe in the Mall of Abilene, were named "Rookie of the Year" at a recent national Frullati Cafe Convention in Dallas.

March 10 -- Injection site blemishes should be avoided in cattle ( J.T. Smith): Giving an injection in the wrong place can make beef unsightly and also leave tough spots in the meat.

March 10 -- Oil companies may be able to pay with product: WASHINGTON - Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Clarendon, has introduced legislation that would allow oil and gas companies to pay federal royalties with product instead of cash.

March 10 -- Compaq inventories won't make much difference locally: Don't expect Compaq's bloated business computer inventories to make an appreciable difference in the prices of new computer systems.

March 10 -- Companies say Justice Department opposed to merger: LOS ANGELES (AP) - The planned $8.3 billion merger of Lockheed Martin Corp. and Northrop Grumman Corp. appeared in jeopardy Monday after the Pentagon said it has serious concerns about the deal, which would create a defense behemoth with 25 percent of the department's budget.

March 8 -- Dallas company ranks fifth on Fortune list: FARMERS BRANCH, Texas (AP) -- Jack Lowe is chief executive officer of the largest air conditioning and plumbing company in Texas, but he has no fancy corner office with a sprawling view and a private bathroom.

March 8 -- New products appearing on home-party scene: Move over, Mary Kay. Now there's something trendier.

March 8 -- Unemployment falls to 4.6 percent; Asian slump worries economists despite low jobless rate: WASHINGTON (KRT) -- The nation's unemployment rate returned to a 24-year low of 4.6 percent in February, although economists said they are seeing the first effects of the Asian economic crisis.

March 8 -- Born in a spare bedroom, Internet radio service becoming a mainstay: DALLAS (AP) -- It was July 1995, and Indiana University alumni Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner were two Hoosiers stuck in Dallas without access to IU basketball.

March 8 -- Business Notebook: News and notes of interest to the local business community

March 8 -- Sending personal computers to school pays under tax law: Hey, business owner, want to help out your neighborhood school -- and get Uncle Sam to pick up most of the tab?

March 8 -- Small Pasture Management meeting slated for Abilene: There's an old saying about the "the grass is always greener...."

March 7 -- A.L. "Dusty" Rhodes of Abilene has high-selling Houston bull: There were 109 top-notch bulls from 12 breeds in the 31st annual Houston Livestock Show's "All Breed Registered Range Bull Sale." The bulls averaged almost $2,500 per head.

March 6 -- In Auckland's heart of darkness, businesses at risk of going under: AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) -- New Zealand's largest city struggled Thursday to stem the financial crisis caused by a massive power failure, with the mayor warning that thousands of businesses in downtown Auckland were in serious trouble.

March 6 -- Fisher County 4-H Shootout slated south of Roby: The Fisher County 4-H Shootout is March 21-22 at Roby.

March 6 -- Intel christens "Celeron" microprocessor for sub-$1,000 PCs: NEW YORK (AP) -- First there was Intel's Pentium. Now the world's largest chip-making company wants computer users to remember a similarly cryptic name for its first new brand of PC microprocessors in five years.

March 6 -- Consumers still buying plenty of computers despite Intel profit warning: NEW YORK (AP) -- A warning by Intel Corp. that its computer chip sales would fall below expectations sent the stock market swooning on Thursday, arousing fears that the long boom in computer sales may be slowing.

March 5 -- Men getting away with more casual-wear business attire: The fashion police are easing off on their once-rigorous enforcement of men's traditional work dress.

March 5 -- Greenspan says Congress should put budget on surplus path: WASHINGTON - The best thing Congress can do for the economy is to put the federal budget on a path of "significant surplus" for the coming years, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said.

March 5 -- Big Country Business notes: Albany visitor center moving, etc.

March 4 -- Lots of interesting sites out there: From hockey pucks to station wagons and from the Spanish-American War to cockroaches, the World Wide Web offers a true diversity of interests. Look at these sites.

March 4 -- Mailbombing still happens; how to deal with it: Last weekend, I experienced, at ground zero, something I didn't think I'd ever see.

March 4 -- Local Eagle Aviation crews begin preparing jets for service: The 240 employees of Eagle Aviation Services in Abilene have a little more work to do for the next 16 months.

March 4 -- Gates defends Microsoft at Senate hearing: WASHINGTON (AP) -- Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates came under intense questioning at a Senate hearing today as he was asked repeatedly whether his company restricts Internet businesses from promoting products of rival Netscape Communications Corp.

March 4 -- Sheep dog trials Friday through Sunday in Coke County: The Coke County Sheep Dog Trials are Friday through Sunday at the Cedar Hill Ranch.

March 3 -- Glickman insists USDA is righting past discrimination: WASHINGTON (AP) -- Despite slow progress in resolving hundreds of discrimination complaints from black farmers, the Agriculture Department has made major strides in improving civil rights, Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman said Monday.

March 3 -- With economy booming, employment firms recruit homeless: BOSTON (AP) -- The booming economy was giving Jim Myers a headache.

March 3 -- INTERBULL helps U.S. cows meet the world's best bulls: America's most productive dairy cows can be bred to the world's best bulls. That's thanks to information that U.S. scientists supply to an international bull-rating service.

March 3 -- PacifiCorp, Texas Utilities in bidding fight for Energy Group: LONDON (AP) -- PacifiCorp offered Monday night to pay $7.05 billion for Britain's Energy Group PLC, outdoing a rival bid from Texas Utilities Co. by a slight 1 percent.

March 1 -- Is credit a plastic house of cards?: NEW YORK (AP) -- In these, the best of times, there are likely to be more than 1.3 million consumer bankruptcy filings by year's end. The major reason: credit card bills.

March 1 -- Court ruling prompts examination of credit unions' role: The $351 billion in assets held by the nation's federally chartered credit unions are nothing to sneeze at.

March 1 -- Longtime businessman retiring but not quitting: "You're either green and growing or ripe and rotting," quips Bob Kuykendall, paraphrasing the aphorism of motivational speaker Zig Ziegler.

March 1 -- Down at the cube farm, America is speaking a whole new language: Bad day at the cube farm? It might be time for a round of blamestorming. After all, if you have another salmon day like this one, you'll go postal.

March 1 -- Business Notebook: News and notes of interest to the local business community

March 1 -- Cruising the Web's fast lane via cable: A few weeks ago, two technicians came to my apartment in Cambridge, Mass., spliced the cable that goes from the wall into my TV set, connected it to a new modem that they placed on top of my PC, and installed some software and a network card. In less than two hours, I was cruising the Internet at supersonic speed.

March 1 -- Economist sees slow growth for Abilene area: The Abilene area is in for economic growth in the next five years, but the pace will lag slightly behind the statewide average.

March 1 -- Animal health is timely topic in Abilene Thursday: A special Animal Health Clinic is 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Abilene Livestock Auction just off Northeast Intersate 20.