Business news for Thu, 15 Nov 2007. 1536 news.

Zona Communications is open for business south of Wickenburg, thanks to U.S. loans and subsidies for rural service.{b} Feds investigate exclusive agreements

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Manitowoc Co. said late Thursday it priced its offering of 4 million shares at $39.48 a share. Manitowoc expects to secure about $156.9 million in net proceeds. The funds will be used to repay debt and for other general corporate purposes, said Manitowoc. The company also said the agreement does not provide an option for the underwriter to purchase additional shares from the company to cover over-allotments. Morgan Stanley is the sole book-runner for the deal. The offering comes as the company joins the S&P 500 Index.

USA TODAY announced plans Thursday to eliminate 45 newsroom jobs or 8.8% of the editorial staff through voluntary buyouts.

WASHINGTON -- With home foreclosures skyrocketing, the House on Thursday voted to crack down on mortgage lenders by forcing them to get licenses, making them responsible for discovering whether borrowers can really repay and fining them for steering people toward risky subprime loans.

The Smart car is certainly making a smart move: Hitting the U.S. market just as gas prices pass the $3-a-gallon mark.

Reuters - BEA Systems Inc posted a better-than-expected 59 percent rise in quarterly net profit as margins improved, and the business software maker said the results validated its decision to reject a takeover bid from Oracle Corp .

BOSTON (Reuters) - BEA Systems Inc posted a better-than-expected 59 percent rise in quarterly net profit as margins improved, and the business software maker said the results validated its decision to reject a takeover bid from Oracle Corp .

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Moody's Investors Service said late Thursday it had cut Alcoa Inc.'s senior unsecured ratings to Baa1 from A2, while keeping its outlook stable. The ratings agency said the lowered debt rating reflects the ongoing challenges the company faces in managing its cost position, particularly in a softening aluminum price environment, and other factors. Shares in the New York-based aluminum producer fell 1.4% to $36.33 ahead of the report.

Investor's Business Daily - As hard as it is to watch the stock markets go up and down, it could be worse. They could go down and stay there.

Long Island's job market has turned in another anemic performance, and economists warn that its continued slowdown could bode poorly for the holiday shopping season.

Progress on securing funding partners and finalizing the route connecting the Central Valley and Bay Area were the main components of a meeting of the California High Speed Rail Authority board Wednesday.

Retailers J.C. Penney Co. and Kohl's Corp., whose middle income customers are struggling amid a souring economy, offered a bleak outlook for the holiday quarter as they reported a drop in third-quarter profits.

Dana Shafman, founder of Shieldher Inc., has recently started sponsoring Taser parties, giving women a chance to buy Tasers for $300 or $350 with a laser beam to help with aiming.

US coffee giant Starbucks has warned of a tough 2008 as hard-up US consumers buy fewer lattes.

(AP) -- BP America Inc. said Thursday it will sell all of its more than 700 company-owned and -operated U.S. convenience stores over the next two years, eliminating nearly 10,000 jobs. The company said most of the sites will be sold to franchise owners, while some will be sold to dealers and ...

For more than two months, Bush has bitten his lip when asked about a September 6 Israeli strike on a mysterious Syrian site, angering some Republican supporters

Bango has developed a new product called the Bango Button that should make it easier for people to find and download Web content onto mobile handsets.

Retail gasoline and heating oil prices are still rising, but several energy-related developments yesterday suggested some relief for consumers later this year or next.