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Whitney Blake
HP to acquire EDS; metro-area jobs uncertain
- Hewlett-Packard Co. announced plans on Tuesday to purchase Electronic Data Systems Corp. for $13.9 billion.
Metro-area housing market shows improvement in April
- The metro-area real estate market saw a slight uptick in April as the spring season, typically real estate’s busiest time of the year, got
The 3-minute interview: Mitchell Wool
- Mitchell Wool owns the Bean Bag, an independent coffeehouse and deli in Bethesda. The store has been in his family for 30 years.
Retail sales rise, jobless claims fall for April
- Retail sales were up 3.6 percent in April for same-store sales, and weekly jobless claims dropped by 18,000 last week, both surpassing expectations.
New postal rates are good news
- On May 12, the U.S. Postal Service will update its shipping and mailing rates May 12. Some customers, including many businesses, will catch a break, while others will face some price increases as the Postal Service tries to compete with companies such as FedEx and UPS.
Mortgage delinquency rates double in Washington region
- The metro region is feeling the effects of nationwide mortgage troubles, as a new data reveals the number of borrowers with mortgage payments at least 60 days late doubled or almost doubled — and in some cases tripled — in all counties in the region from the fourth quarter of 2006 to the same period in 2007.
Office rents, incentives rise in D.C., N.Va.
- The cost of renting office space in downtown Washington and Northern Virginia rose last year, but incentives — usually in the form of free rent or other concessions — became more popular, a sign that the region is being hurt by the nation’s economic slowdown.
The 3-minute interview: Esther Johnson
- Esther Johnson is the first black woman to head the Department of Labor’s Job Corps. Initiated by President Lyndon Johnson in 1964, the program now has 122 centers throughout the country and educates and trains about 62,000 youths between the ages of 16 to 24 each year.
My Organic Market expands with organic pet store
- Local grocery chain My Organic Market has branched out to serve four-legged creatures with the addition of its new Mighty Healthy Pet store in College Park.
Quarterly foreclosure numbers rose in metro area
- Foreclosures have risen and fallen month to month across various parts of the region, but quarterly data released on Tuesday indicate a sharp uptick in foreclosures during the first quarter of 2008, compared with the fourth quarter of last year.
Metro-area public and private sectors commit to 20 percent energy reduction by end of ’09
- Energy use in 400 area buildings will be cut by 20 percent by the end of next year under a plan announced Wednesday by a recently begun partnership of local governments, the U.S. General Services Administration and the private sector.
National home sales and prices drop; metro area having mixed results
- Sales of existing homes dropped across the country last month after a slight comeback in February. Median sale prices also took a dive. Across the metro area, however, the picture is mixed, with some areas inside the Beltway doing better than the nation as a whole, other areas running about even, and neighborhoods outside the Beltway clearly underperforming.