News

Hyundai To Build Compact At Montgomery Factory

September 21, 2010 4:57 am | Comments

DETROIT (AP) — Hyundai Motor Co. will begin building the new Elantra compact at its factory in Montgomery, Ala., late this fall, the Korean automaker announced Monday. The Elantra, previously built in South Korea, will be an all-new model introduced in showrooms early next year. It will make its U.

Bulked-Up Salmon Might Become The New Normal

September 21, 2010 4:57 am | by Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press Writer | Comments

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. regulators are weighing whether to approve genetically modified salmon for human consumption, and if they do, it might not be labeled any differently from conventional fish. It is still unclear whether the Food and Drug Administration will approve the fish, which was created by a Massachusetts company and grows twice as fast as its conventional counterparts.

Firefighter Injured At Four-Alarm Peanut Butter Fire

September 21, 2010 4:54 am | Comments

SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle firefighters have controlled a four-alarm blaze that tore through the former Sunny Jimpeanut butter plant in south Seattle, injuring a firefighter and sending smoke high into the air. An estimated 120 firefighters responded Monday to the vacant, city-owned, two-story building.

Ford Abandons Ranger Pickup In North America

September 21, 2010 4:53 am | Comments

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — Ford Motor Co. has confirmed that it will not sell the next generation of the small Ford Ranger pickup truck in North America. The market for small pickups has shrunk in recent years, and Ford believes it can cover the whole North American market with multiple versions of its F-150 full-size pickup truck, said Mark Schirmer, a spokesman for the Dearborn, Mich.

Survey: Computers, Electronics Keep Getting Better

September 21, 2010 4:52 am | by Rachel Metz, AP Technology Writer | Comments

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Consumers are as happy as they've ever been with their computers, and those with Apple computers are the most pleased, a new survey says. The American Customer Satisfaction Index's score for personal computers, which is part of a larger survey that also includes consumer sentiments on home electronics, totaled 78 out of 100 for the past 12 months.

New Asphalt Plant Meets Suburban Resistance

September 20, 2010 5:02 am | by Dan Olson, AP Writer | Comments

ROSEVILLE, Minn. (AP) — A major Twin Cities asphalt manufacturer has run into strong opposition over a new plant in Roseville. Mendota Heights-based Bituminous Roadways wants to build an asphalt plant in the northern inner ring suburb. State pollution control officials say the asphalt plant poses no human health risks.

Seven Arrested In Chinese Toxic Milk Scandal

September 20, 2010 5:01 am | Comments

BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese dairy company executive and six other people were arrested after authorities discovered 26 tons of milk powder tainted with a toxic chemical, the latest incident highlighting the country's enduring struggle with food safety, a report said Monday. The Jinfulai Dairy Company in Yangquan city of Shanxi province traded fresh milk for expired milk powder that contained high levels of the industrial chemical melamine, according to JCRB.

S.C. Electric Car Company Delays Production

September 20, 2010 5:00 am | Comments

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) — An electric car manufacturing company is delaying production at a new South Carolina plant until at least Christmas. The Herald-Journal of Spartanburg reported Monday that CC&T Southeast expects production at its plant in Duncan to start in four to six months.

Govt', GM Could Seek Foreign Investors For IPO

September 20, 2010 4:57 am | by Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writer | Comments

DETROIT (AP) — Investment bankers handling the upcoming General Motors Co. stock sale are expected to court foreign investors as well as those in North America, according to a U.S. Treasury Department statement. GM and the Treasury Department would not comment Sunday on reports that the automaker is in talks with its current partner in China, SAIC, about buying a stake in the Detroit company.

Paper Mill Worker Hospitalized For Steam Burns

September 20, 2010 4:56 am | Comments

LINCOLN, Maine (AP) — A co-owner a paper mill in Lincoln, Maine, says a worker has been hospitalized after suffering burns during the mill's annual shutdown for maintenance. Keith Van Scotter, co-owner of Lincoln Paper and Tissue LLC, says the worker suffered hot water and steam burns while inspecting one of the tissue machines at the plant on Thursday.

The Well Is Dead, But Troubles Aren't Over

September 20, 2010 4:55 am | by Allen G. Breed, AP National Writer | Comments

The "nightmare well" is dead. But the Gulf coast's bad dream is far from over. Federal officials declared Sunday that the well where the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded had finally been killed. Workers drilled a relief well into the damaged one and sealed it with cement. Its official end came 11 years after Texaco first sank an exploratory well near that same spot 50 miles (80 kilometers) out in the Gulf of Mexico, then moved on after finding it unprofitable.

Toyota In Talks With Diamler Over Hybrids

September 17, 2010 4:46 am | Comments

TOKYO (AP) — Toyota is in talks with Daimler AG about sharing its gas-electric hybrid technology with the German automaker, Japanese media reports said Friday. Toyota Motor Corp., the world's top automaker, said it has a policy of sharing its hybrid technology with other automakers to help make it widespread but declined to comment on any specific talks with other automakers.

World Markets Rise On Tech Company Earnings

September 17, 2010 4:46 am | by Pan Pylas, AP Business Writer | Comments

LONDON (AP) — World stock markets mostly rose Friday as positive earnings news from technology companies such as Oracle and BlackBerry maker Research in Motion helped shore up sentiment. Figures showing that U.S. consumer prices rose 0.3 percent in August — roughly in line with expectations — had little impact on the markets on a day when trading is likely to be volatile given that many futures and options contracts have to be settled in both Europe and the U.

Mullaly: Ford Committed To Miss., Plant Still In Limbo

September 17, 2010 4:45 am | by Heather Hollingsworth, Associated Press Writer | Comments

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Ford Motor Co. CEO Alan Mulally told a crowd of business and government leaders Thursday that he's committed to Missouri but doesn't have any news about a new product line for the Claycomo assembly plant near Kansas City. There had been speculation that Mulally might make news when he spoke during a gathering of the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and during a separate economic development conference in Kansas City.

Biden Defends Stimulus-Funded Manufacturing Projects

September 17, 2010 4:40 am | by Darlene Superville, Associated Press Writer | Comments

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rehabilitating New York's Staten Island Ferry Terminal. Cutting a new highway through Nelsonville, Ohio. Building a trio of battery factories in Michigan. In a report being released Friday by Vice President Joe Biden, the White House pushes back against criticism of its $814 billion stimulus program and highlights 100 projects that it says are creating jobs and growing the economy.