The world's oldest ocean-going passenger vessel has made its final voyage. pa href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/vsFlYDpe0Z-gVci4YHIgxN2Ha2k/0/da"img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/vsFlYDpe0Z-gVci4YHIgxN2Ha2k/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"/img/abr/ a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/vsFlYDpe0Z-gVci4YHIgxN2Ha2k/1/da"img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/vsFlYDpe0Z-gVci4YHIgxN2Ha2k/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"/img/a/pdiv class="feedflare" a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hrdailypress/business?a=pLBEuC7S3p4:JF75xJhH79c:yIl2AUoC8zA"img…

Home sales in South Hampton Roads rose slightly in February but remained flat from year-ago levels, according to a report released Friday. Real Estate Information Network Inc. reported that 580 existing homes were sold last month, up 4.1 percent from January but unchanged from the 580 homes that were sold in February 2009, the Virginia Beach-based multiple listing service reported.

Financial Melissa Taylor has passed the General Securities Registered Representative exam, MICG Investment Management announced. pa href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/4vbR1CMk2dwsJhssGmM-8oAju5k/0/da"img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/4vbR1CMk2dwsJhssGmM-8oAju5k/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"/img/abr/ a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/4vbR1CMk2dwsJhssGmM-8oAju5k/1/da"img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/4vbR1CMk2dwsJhssGmM-8oAju5k/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"/img/a/pdiv…

SAN DIEGO (AP) #8212; Investigators are confronted with a series of nagging questions as they try to unravel the case of a California real estate agent who said his Toyota Prius turned into a runaway death trap after the gas pedal became stuck. pa href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/w0hqEkFLyS0eoghYtVjR12Gbfxc/0/da"img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/w0hqEkFLyS0eoghYtVjR12Gbfxc/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"/img/abr/ a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/w0hqEkFLyS0eoghYtVjR12Gbfxc/1/da"img…

WASHINGTON (AP) #8212; A group of Republican senators is questioning high salaries and expensive travel bills for executives at the Boys Girls Clubs of America, raising issues that could jeopardize millions in federal funding for the national charity. pa href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/xVL3gipuzhawHbN3rjewAfRVt70/0/da"img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/xVL3gipuzhawHbN3rjewAfRVt70/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"/img/abr/ a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/xVL3gipuzhawHbN3rjewAfRVt70/1/da"img…

The Roanoke hotel must open by May 20 to be eligible for up to $1 million in grants.brpThe latest deadline extension offers two more months to developers of the delay-plagued Cambria Suites hotel in Roanoke to open and thus qualify for up to $1 million in grants from Roanoke's Economic Development Authority. /pa href="http://oas.roanoke.com/RealMedia/ads/click_nx.cgi/www.roanoke.com/rss/1245137@Position4"img src="http://oas.roanoke.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_nx.cgi/www.roanoke.com/rss/1245137@Position4"…

VIRGINIA BEACH U.S. Rep. Glenn Nye will host a foreclosure prevention workshop on Saturday in Virginia Beach, his office said. Homeowners will be able to talk to real estate and mortgage experts. The workshop is free and will be held from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in classroom No. 1 of the Sandler Center, 201 Market St., at Town Center.

WASHINGTON (AP) #8212; A group of Republican senators is questioning high salaries and expensive travel bills for executives at the Boys Girls Clubs of America, raising issues that could jeopardize millions in federal funding for the national charity. pa href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/xVL3gipuzhawHbN3rjewAfRVt70/0/da"img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/xVL3gipuzhawHbN3rjewAfRVt70/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"/img/abr/ a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/xVL3gipuzhawHbN3rjewAfRVt70/1/da"img…

Auto manufactures will have a chance this weekend to woo potential buyers possibly gun-shy after recent recall announcements by several large carmakers.

The world's oldest ocean-going passenger vessel has made its final voyage. pa href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/t8JWa-si8Da2v3jOu2sAGKO9MSQ/0/da"img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/t8JWa-si8Da2v3jOu2sAGKO9MSQ/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"/img/abr/ a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/t8JWa-si8Da2v3jOu2sAGKO9MSQ/1/da"img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/t8JWa-si8Da2v3jOu2sAGKO9MSQ/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"/img/a/pdiv class="feedflare" a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hrdailypress/business?a=pLBEuC7S3p4:qUUhhO6rAQc:yIl2AUoC8zA"img…

Jeannette Cordor is CEO and founder of Faces of Hope, a nonprofit organization dedicated to childhood obesity prevention.

Victims of cyber thieves reported $559 million in losses last year, representing a 110 percent increase over 2008 figures, according to the Internet Crime Complaint Center and the FBI. In an interesting twist, scammers claiming to represent the FBI and seeking personal information was the number one complaint filed with the Richmond-based Internet Crime Complaint Center.

The Roanoke hotel must open by May 20 to be eligible for up to $1 million in grants.brpThe latest deadline extension offers two more months to developers of the delay-plagued Cambria Suites hotel in Roanoke to open and thus qualify for up to $1 million in grants from Roanoke's Economic Development Authority. /pa href="http://oas.roanoke.com/RealMedia/ads/click_nx.cgi/www.roanoke.com/rss/1145043@Position4"img src="http://oas.roanoke.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_nx.cgi/www.roanoke.com/rss/1145043@Position4"…

WASHINGTON (AP) #8212; Retail sales posted a surprising increase in February as consumers did not let major snowstorms stop them from racking up purchases. The advance, the biggest since November, provided hope that the recovery from the Great Recession is gaining momentum. pa href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/1t7U09QRizR84WjsWkRL_2hoKVw/0/da"img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/1t7U09QRizR84WjsWkRL_2hoKVw/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"/img/abr/ a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/1t7U09QRizR84WjsWkRL_2hoKVw/1/da"img…

WASHINGTON (AP) #8212; A group of Republican senators is questioning high salaries and expensive travel bills for executives at the Boys Girls Clubs of America, raising issues that could jeopardize millions in federal funding for the national charity. pa href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/xVL3gipuzhawHbN3rjewAfRVt70/0/da"img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/xVL3gipuzhawHbN3rjewAfRVt70/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"/img/abr/ a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/xVL3gipuzhawHbN3rjewAfRVt70/1/da"img…

Hundreds of shoppers were met with hoots and applause as they walked into hhgregg on Thursday, Newport News' newest electronics and appliance retailer. pa href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/1HwDbjFCClS4Bwwcvu0_3t7VsuQ/0/da"img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/1HwDbjFCClS4Bwwcvu0_3t7VsuQ/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"/img/abr/ a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/1HwDbjFCClS4Bwwcvu0_3t7VsuQ/1/da"img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/1HwDbjFCClS4Bwwcvu0_3t7VsuQ/1/di" border="0"…

WASHINGTON—Retail sales posted a surprising increase in February as consumers did not let major snowstorms stop them from storming the malls. The advance, the biggest since November, provided hope that the recovery from the Great Recession is gaining momentum. The Commerce Department said retail sales rose 0.3 percent in February, surpassing expectations that sales would decline by 0.2 percent.

Stock futures are trading higher as investors look to consumers for guidance on the economic recovery. A handful of reports could detail the U.S. economy’s strength today. The Commerce Department releases reports on February retail sales and January business inventories. A report on March consumer sentiment is also due. The reports could shed more light on consumers’ spending appetites during a time of high unemployment.

The Roanoke hotel must open by May 20 to be eligible for up to $1 million in grants.brpThe latest deadline extension offers two more months to developers of the delay-plagued Cambria Suites hotel in Roanoke to open and thus qualify for up to $1 million in grants from Roanoke's Economic Development Authority. /pa href="http://oas.roanoke.com/RealMedia/ads/click_nx.cgi/www.roanoke.com/rss/1282875@Position4"img src="http://oas.roanoke.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_nx.cgi/www.roanoke.com/rss/1282875@Position4"…

HONG KONG—Asian stocks were mixed today as investors held out for additional clues to the strength of economic recovery. European shares rose in early trade. Markets in Asia opened higher but sold down toward day’s end, reflecting uncertainty surrounding the U.S. rebound, China’s policies and debt troubles in Europe. Oil prices hovered above $82 a barrel, while the dollar weakened against the euro and rose against the yen.

State regulators have approved Dominion Virginia Power's latest proposal to forgo a requested rate increase and grant refunds to customers.

CHESAPEAKE The South Hampton Roads mayors who talked transportation Thursday at the Chesapeake Conference Center vowed to work together for the collective good. Whether it was light rail in Norfolk or high-speed rail from Hampton Roads to Richmond and beyond, the diverse bunch predicted success.

Auto manufactures will have a chance this weekend to woo potential buyers possibly gun-shy after recent recall announcements by several large carmakers.

Auto manufactures will have a chance this weekend to woo potential buyers possibly gun-shy after recent recall announcements by several large carmakers.

Auto manufactures will have a chance this weekend to woo potential buyers possibly gun-shy after recent recall announcements by several large carmakers.

Piles of tour books, brochures and maps are strewn across the kitchen table. It’s two weeks before the trip, and you’re feeling anxious about last-minute scheduling hitches. Nope, it’s not a spring-break vacation to Disney World or to a beach. This is much bigger: a college road trip with your high school junior—a grinding six campus stops in four days.

Stocks rise for third day as financial shares climb NEW YORK Arally in financial stocks yesterday helped the market extend its grind higher to a third day. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index cleared an important hurdle watched by traders when it closed just above its January peak to set a new 17-month high. That could bring some hesitant buyers into the market.

Americans are recovering their shrunken wealth—gradually. Household net worth rose last quarter, mainly because the healing economy boosted stock portfolios. But the gain was slight. And it was less than in the previous two quarters. The Federal Reserve said yesterday that net worth rose 1.3 percent in the fourth quarter to $54.2 trillion. It marked the third straight quarter of gains. But economists say consumers would need a stronger and more prolonged increase in their wealth to persuade…

Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim has jumped ahead of Bill Gates to become the world’s richest person. Forbes magazine named Slim, a telecom mogul, as the world’s richest in its annual ranking, dethroning Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft Corp. Slim became the first person from outside the U.S. to lead the rankings in 16 years. Slim, 70, who built a telecommunications empire after buying Mexico’s state-run phone monopoly two decades ago, had an estimated wealth of $53.5 billion,…

Usually, bankers like to hear your Plan A, then your Plan B—and then take your collateral before lending to your business. But a novel new bank—it is owned by a nonprofit organization—is doing all right by skipping the Plan B discussion about the personal assets a borrower would use if a basic business plan fails. When the mission is financing community development, many of the small-business owners or nonprofit volunteers involved don’t have much in personal assets, said…

Government vehicle-safety regulators may seek greater authority to investigate defects in cars and trucks and are weighing a range of new safety requirements in response to Toyota’s recall of more than 8 million vehicles over brake and acceleration problems. David Strickland, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said his agency will take a “hard look” at the power it has to set safety standards for automakers.

Richmond-based Massey says the court also allowed it to withdraw a $72 million bond it posted while the case was being weighed. Massey general counsel Shane Harvey says the company is pleased the case has been finished. Lawyers for the plaintiffs say they’re considering their options. The recommendation was part of what the governor described as “a very candid discussion” with Appalachian executives Tuesday afternoon. The company has been under fire from some legislators over rate…

No silver bullet will solve Virginia’s growing energy needs. But silver buckshot could, speakers at an industry meeting said yesterday. “We need to do it all,“ David A. Heacock, president and chief nuclear officer for Dominion Nuclear, told about 150 energy leaders at the Summit on Virginia’s Energy Future. Dominion Nuclear is a unit of Richmond-based Dominion Resources Inc.

Dominion Virginia Power customers will save $726 million under a settlement of a group of rate cases the State Corporation Commission approved yesterday. A typical residential electricity user will receive about $153 in bill reductions as a result of the agreement, the commission said. Those customers will see about $80 in credits applied to their bills during the next nine months.

Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative is reducing the amount it charges consumers to recover the cost of fuel used to generate electricity. pa href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/mnH2n_b0Liiz5656SHy84NoAKb8/0/da"img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/mnH2n_b0Liiz5656SHy84NoAKb8/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"/img/abr/ a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/mnH2n_b0Liiz5656SHy84NoAKb8/1/da"img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/mnH2n_b0Liiz5656SHy84NoAKb8/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"/img/a/pdiv…

Following four consecutive quarterly losses, Smithfield Foods Inc. bounced back with net income of $37.3 million in its third quarter, or 22 cents per share. pa href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/b0O7MkYKA3GshlKSlm6r_ocRcpc/0/da"img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/b0O7MkYKA3GshlKSlm6r_ocRcpc/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"/img/abr/ a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/b0O7MkYKA3GshlKSlm6r_ocRcpc/1/da"img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/b0O7MkYKA3GshlKSlm6r_ocRcpc/1/di"…

The largest expansion project in the history of the Virginia Port Authority cleared its final regulatory hurdle Thursday, when the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality approved a permit authorizing the eastward expansion of Craney Island. pa href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/fx68v30mirdmLBLHNwa-Z0goNDw/0/da"img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/fx68v30mirdmLBLHNwa-Z0goNDw/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"/img/abr/ a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/fx68v30mirdmLBLHNwa-Z0goNDw/1/da"img…

VIRGINIA BEACH It was like a pre-spring version of Black Friday. A 42-inch LCD television set went for $499. A Blu-ray player with Internet capability cost about $100 less than its regular price. A clothes washer and dryer set was discounted to $698.

VIRGINIA BEACH It was like a pre-spring version of Black Friday. A 42-inch LCD television set went for $499. A Blu-ray player with Internetnbsp; capability cost about $100 less than its regular price. A clothes washer and dryer set was discounted to $698.

Hundreds of shoppers were met with hoots and applause as they walked into hhgregg on Thursday, Newport News' newest electronics and appliance retailer. pa href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/wwuXCFm8pxhlGwGjir9TMHsWuP0/0/da"img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/wwuXCFm8pxhlGwGjir9TMHsWuP0/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"/img/abr/ a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/wwuXCFm8pxhlGwGjir9TMHsWuP0/1/da"img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/wwuXCFm8pxhlGwGjir9TMHsWuP0/1/di" border="0"…

NORFOLK #8212; Gov. Bob McDonnell's administration could opt to scrap a state review of three proposals that aim to privatize Virginia's port operations, a move that would effectively end a nearly year-long, high-profile debate over the future operational structure of the state's cargo terminals. pa href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/yoqQTduk8y0jfyKNVFVmCQvGjoM/0/da"img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/yoqQTduk8y0jfyKNVFVmCQvGjoM/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"/img/abr/ a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/yoqQTduk8y0jfyKNVFVmCQvGjoM/1/da"img…

We've been downtown for seven years. My husband takes me in the morning and sets everything out. I just have to break it down when I leave.

JACUMBA, Calif. (AP) #8212; A Toyota executive said Thursday the company is "mystified" by a report that a California man's Prius gas pedal became stuck and caused the car to speed out of control on a California freeway. pa href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/dBxUmUzd28HakXaijJ4RnLwtOTw/0/da"img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/dBxUmUzd28HakXaijJ4RnLwtOTw/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"/img/abr/ a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/dBxUmUzd28HakXaijJ4RnLwtOTw/1/da"img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/dBxUmUzd28HakXaijJ4RnLwtOTw/1/di"…

Dominion Virginia Power customers will save $726 million under a settlement of a group of rate cases the State Corporation Commission approved today. A typical residential electricity user will receive about $153 in bill reductions as a result of the agreement, the commission said. Those customers will see about $80 in credits applied to their bills over the next nine months.

WASHINGTON (AP) #8212; U.S. exports dipped in January, the government said Thursday, but economists weren't fazed. They predict export growth will be a bright spot for American manufacturers through the rest of 2010. pa href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/PtoMDkPlkXhucsqWljHIKzs8A_4/0/da"img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/PtoMDkPlkXhucsqWljHIKzs8A_4/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"/img/abr/ a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/PtoMDkPlkXhucsqWljHIKzs8A_4/1/da"img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/PtoMDkPlkXhucsqWljHIKzs8A_4/1/di"…

Foreclosure activity in this area remains relatively low, compared with the state and nation.brpForeclosure filings for the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area declined last month for the first time in more than a year, compared with the prior year./pa href="http://oas.roanoke.com/RealMedia/ads/click_nx.cgi/www.roanoke.com/rss/1101584@Position4"img src="http://oas.roanoke.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_nx.cgi/www.roanoke.com/rss/1101584@Position4" alt="Advertisement"/img/a

The largest expansion project in the history of the Virginia Port Authority cleared its final regulatory hurdle Thursday, when the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality approved a permit authorizing the eastward expansion of Craney Island. pa href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/fx68v30mirdmLBLHNwa-Z0goNDw/0/da"img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/fx68v30mirdmLBLHNwa-Z0goNDw/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"/img/abr/ a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/fx68v30mirdmLBLHNwa-Z0goNDw/1/da"img…