Business

Horizon Air to drop one Walla Walla-Seattle flight

SeaTac – Horizon Air is dropping one of its daily flights from Walla Walla to Sea-Tac due to a lack of travelers.

COFFEE: New Dutch Bros. to serve free drinks

LACEY – Dutch Bros. Coffee, an Oregon-based chain of drive-through coffee stands, will open its first South Sound location Friday at 7225 Martin Way E. in the Lacey Urban Center, according to a news release.

The rush is on in skyrocketing gold market

CHICAGO – The new gold rush is on.

Panic or fraud? Tough to prove

WASHINGTON – The swift acquittal of two Bear Stearns executives in the government’s criminal case tied to the financial meltdown likely will force prosecutors to rethink the evidence they planned to present in a raft of cases that have yet to go to trial, legal experts say.

Shared work works for all sides

WASHINGTON – Thousands of employers are forgoing layoffs and taking advantage of state “work-sharing” programs in which they cut the hours of full-time workers, who then recoup a portion of their lost wages from unemployment insurance benefits.

MATCHMAKING: Dating service relocates to bigger office

OLYMPIA – Table for Two N.W., a personalized dating service, has moved and expanded into 1,100 square feet at 3905 Martin Way E., Suite E, Olympia, business owner Wendy Dillon said.

PHARMACEUTICALS: Drug companies want new Web rules

As federal regulators take their first tentative steps toward policing the wild west of medical information online, pharmaceutical companies are pressing their case to market drugs via Google, Twitter and other Web sites. The Food and Drug Administration will hold a two-day meeting, beginning today, to hear the drug industry’s position on Internet marketing.

DEPARTMENT STORES: Loss smaller as Macy’s localizes offerings

Macy’s Inc.’s third-quarter loss shrank as tight inventory controls and a move to localize merchandise at its department stores by region paid off. The company also raised its full-year profit and sales outlook.

COMPUTERS: HP announces deal to purchase 3Com

Hewlett-Packard Co., looking to expand into a business long dominated by Cisco, said Wednesday that it has agreed to buy networking software and equipment maker 3Com Corp. for $2.7 billion.

Bill proposes to shift oversight

Senate: Democrats would strip Fed of supervisory powers, create three agencies WASHINGTON – Senate Democrats on Tuesday proposed stripping the Federal Reserve of its supervisory powers and creating instead three new federal agencies to police banks, protect consumers and dismantle failing institutions.