Parry named Outstanding Citizen by chamber
By the Tribune’s staff
Local magazine publisher and radio personality Fred Parry last night was named the 2006 Outstanding Citizen at the annual Columbia Chamber of Commerce meeting and awards banquet held in Lela Raney Woods Hall at Stephens College.

Upscale restaurant showcases farmers’ goods
WASHINGTON (AP) - When several North Dakota farmers asked a consulting firm to help them figure out how to make more money on their products, they got a simple answer: Open an upscale restaurant.

Bodman shrugs off Iran threat
WASHINGTON (AP) - Consumers wouldn’t suffer undue hardships in the event Iran disrupts Persian Gulf oil supplies because the Bush administration has a plan "if push were to come to shove," a Cabinet officer said yesterday.

Oil prices starting to hurt, Greenspan says
WASHINGTON (AP) - Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said today that while the country has been able to absorb sharp increases in oil prices, the high energy costs are beginning to stunt economic growth.

AT&T-BellSouth deal challenged by Sprint, ACLU
NEW YORK (Dow Jones/AP) - The American Civil Liberties Union, a group of small telecommunications companies and Sprint Nextel Corp. have joined to oppose AT&T Inc.’s bid to acquire BellSouth Corp.

Investors try to decipher new Fed chief
WASHINGTON (AP) - Wall Street had looked to the Federal Reserve’s new plain-speaking chairman to cut through the Greenspeak of his predecessor. But investors think they’re getting contradictory signals from Ben Bernanke, too, with his latest sending stocks into a nose dive.

Stocks continue fall after Bernanke remarks
NEW YORK (AP) - Stocks dropped for the second straight session yesterday, with the Dow Jones industrial average falling to its worst close since March 9. Global markets also sold off as inflation fears worsened.

Cadillac Escalade tops stolen-vehicle list
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Cadillac Escalade, the bold and shiny luxury sport utility vehicle popular with Hollywood’s A-List, rappers and star athletes, apparently also attracts an ill-intentioned constituency: car thieves.

Northwest flight attendants reject wage cuts
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Northwest Airlines Corp. flight attendants rejected a pay cut package yesterday, setting up a possible showdown with the nation’s fifth-largest carrier.