Published: Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Business briefs: Home prices slipping in many areas
National home prices rose for the fifth month in a row in October, but the recovery is shaky with only 11 of the 20 metro areas tracked showing gains. The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller home price index released Tuesday edged up 0.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted reading of 145.36 in October from September. Without adjusting for seasonal factors the index was flat. The index was off 7.3 percent from October last year, nearly matching expectations of economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters.
Credit card hacker pleads guilty in theft
A computer hacker who helped orchestrate the theft of tens of millions of credit and debit card numbers from major retailers in one of the largest such thefts in U.S. history pleaded guilty Tuesday in the last of three cases brought by federal prosecutors. Albert Gonzalez, a one-time federal informant from Miami, faces a prison sentence of up to 25 years under the terms of separate plea agreements. He is tentatively scheduled for sentencing in March. “This is a young kid who did some reckless things and he's going to pay a price for it,” said Gonzalez's attorney, Martin Weinberg.
Outback settles discrimination suit
Outback Steakhouse has agreed to pay $19 million to female workers and take other steps, including hiring a new human resources executive, to settle a sex discrimination lawsuit. A consent decree describing the settlement between the Tampa-based restaurant chain and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was filed in U.S. District Court in Denver on Tuesday. The EEOC filed a lawsuit against Outback there in 2006, claiming that female workers were often denied favorable jobs which prevented them from advancing to profit-sharing management positions.
Moldy odor prompts Tylenol caplet recall
Johnson & Johnson is expanding a voluntary recall of Tylenol Arthritis Caplets because of consumer reports of a moldy smell that can cause nausea and sickness. According to a statement posted to the Food and Drug Administration Web site late Monday, the New Brunswick, N.J., company is now recalling all product lots of the Arthritis Pain Caplet 100 count bottles with the red EZ-Open Cap. Johnson & Johnson had recalled five lots of the product last month after consumers complained of a musty, mildewlike odor that triggered nausea, stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea.
Correction
Weyerhaeuser spokesman Anthony Chavez says that if the $8,000 federal tax credit for first-time home buyers succeeds in boosting home sales, it could increase demand for timber products. Congress recently extended the credit until April. A wire service story in The Herald Business section on Tuesday attributed a less conditional statement to Chavez.
From Herald news services
Credit card hacker pleads guilty in theft
A computer hacker who helped orchestrate the theft of tens of millions of credit and debit card numbers from major retailers in one of the largest such thefts in U.S. history pleaded guilty Tuesday in the last of three cases brought by federal prosecutors. Albert Gonzalez, a one-time federal informant from Miami, faces a prison sentence of up to 25 years under the terms of separate plea agreements. He is tentatively scheduled for sentencing in March. “This is a young kid who did some reckless things and he's going to pay a price for it,” said Gonzalez's attorney, Martin Weinberg.
Outback settles discrimination suit
Outback Steakhouse has agreed to pay $19 million to female workers and take other steps, including hiring a new human resources executive, to settle a sex discrimination lawsuit. A consent decree describing the settlement between the Tampa-based restaurant chain and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was filed in U.S. District Court in Denver on Tuesday. The EEOC filed a lawsuit against Outback there in 2006, claiming that female workers were often denied favorable jobs which prevented them from advancing to profit-sharing management positions.
Moldy odor prompts Tylenol caplet recall
Johnson & Johnson is expanding a voluntary recall of Tylenol Arthritis Caplets because of consumer reports of a moldy smell that can cause nausea and sickness. According to a statement posted to the Food and Drug Administration Web site late Monday, the New Brunswick, N.J., company is now recalling all product lots of the Arthritis Pain Caplet 100 count bottles with the red EZ-Open Cap. Johnson & Johnson had recalled five lots of the product last month after consumers complained of a musty, mildewlike odor that triggered nausea, stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea.
Correction
Weyerhaeuser spokesman Anthony Chavez says that if the $8,000 federal tax credit for first-time home buyers succeeds in boosting home sales, it could increase demand for timber products. Congress recently extended the credit until April. A wire service story in The Herald Business section on Tuesday attributed a less conditional statement to Chavez.
From Herald news services
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