STERLING, Va. (AP) -- NeuStar Inc., a provider of clearinghouse services for communications companies, said Wednesday it expects to earn at least $1.29 per share during 2008, short of analyst expectations.

HARTSVILLE, S.C. (AP) -- packaging products maker Sonoco Products Co. on Wednesday forecast first-quarter earnings below Wall Street expectations.

Bowden bond would upgrade buildings

Patrons of an independent school district in west Tulsa County will vote next month on a bond issue that would bring more classroom space, a new library and gym and other upgrades.

A vote for the $2.5 million issue is scheduled for March 4, said Allen-Bowden Superintendent Penny Haynes.

The school, 7049 Frankoma Road, is an independent district with about 400 students in prekindergarten through eighth grade.

Included in the bond issue are a new gymnasium and a new classroom building that would include a library, Haynes said.

The existing gym and library would be repurposed, she said.

The current gymnasium facility, Haynes said, is lacking in space and has no air-conditioning.

The new gymnasium, which would be about twice the size of the existing gym, would be more suitable for students and visitors alike, with a doubled seating capacity and nice stage, Haynes said.

Communication can stave off headaches on car repairs

When it comes to spending money, the expense that causes the most angst is cars. A review of the Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado files found car dealers and repair shops were the most popular complaints in 2007, similar to the level they did the year before. Each month last year, they were among the top 10 complaints received. And according to BBBSC executive director Carol Odell, those complaints will remain a fact of life. "That will always be because that’s not a science," she said of car repair. "It’s hard to determine what’s really going wrong." Because cars are used daily, what’s fixed one day may break the next and not always be related to the last repair, she said. "When a consumer brings their vehicle in for one thing, there could be other problems," said Blair Reeves, director of operations with the BBBSC.

Govt okays construction of library in I-8/3

ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) will establish a public library in Sector I-8/3 at a cost of Rs 59.86 million for which the government has now granted approval.

The go-ahead for the project, which is to be funded from the Public Sector Development Programme allocation of the HEC, was given during a recent meeting of the Central Development Working Party (CDWP). The construction of the library over an area of 19,478 square feet will take two years.

Islamabad has just a few libraries including the National Library and in this light the announcement of another facility is indeed welcome news for the people. I am glad to hear this, said schoolteacher Muhammad Aurangzeb who however pointed out that there was a need to have not one or two but several libraries across town.

Storms slice through Mid-South

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