Agricultural land on Kauai preserved

The state Land Use Commission has approved a Kauai landowner’s petition to preserve 21,000 acres of mainly cattle-grazing pastures for agriculture in perpetuity.

The commission’s board ruled on Friday to designate the land owned by Robinson Family Partners for protection against development under laws the Legislature created in 2005 and 2008 to preserve “important agricultural land,” or IAL.

An IAL designation makes the Robinson partnership eligible for benefits including tax credits, loan guarantees and placement of employee housing on farmland. It also prevents Kauai County from designating other Robinson property with the same protection that would prevent urban development.

Of the 21,000 acres, 18,700 acres are used by Makaweli Meat Co. to graze 3,500 to 4,000 head of cattle. Another 2,188 acres are leased to DuPont Pioneer and a subsidiary of Dow Chemical for seed production.

The decision is the ninth voluntary IAL petition granted by the commission in advance of counties deciding what private lands should be protected under IAL law.

Sales of new homes fell 7.6% in August

WASHINGTON >> Sales of new homes retreated in August, one month after surging to the highest level in nearly nine years.

New home sales dropped 7.6 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 609,000 units, the Commerce Department reported Monday. That followed a surge in sales in July when they jumped 13.8 percent to a rate of 659,000, the fastest pace since 2007.

Even with the August decline, sales of new homes are up a solid 20.1 percent from a year earlier.

Pfizer decides not to split business

TRENTON, N.J. >> Drug giant Pfizer says it won’t split into two publicly traded companies, despite pressure from investors.

The biggest U.S.-based drugmaker said Monday it is best positioned to maximize shareholder value in its current form, but it reserves the right to split in the future if the situation changes. For several years, the drugmaker has been under growing pressure from analysts and investors who argued that by splitting up, the two companies might grow faster than one.

Lands’ End CEO leaves company

DODGEVILLE, Wis. >> The CEO of Lands’ End, recruited from the high-fashion house Dolce & Gabbana in a bit of a culture clash, has stepped down after less than two years on the job.

Federica Marchionni joined the Dodgeville, Wis., firm in February 2015. The company said Monday that Marchionni’s departure was effective immediately.

Investors urge repeal of state LGBT bill

RALEIGH, N.C. >> About 60 investors representing $2.1 trillion in managed assets are joining the NCAA, entertainers and more than 200 businesses in calling for North Carolina to repeal its law limiting LGBT protections against discrimination.

Trillium Asset Management CEO Matt Patsky said at a news conference Monday that North Carolina appears headed for a “state-government-inflicted recession” while the economy of the rest of the country improves.

The investors are seeking a full repeal of the law, which excludes gender identity and sexual orientation from statewide anti-discrimination protections. It also requires transgender people to use public restrooms matching their birth certificates.

Ex-Verizon worker accused of selling files

ATLANTA >> A former Verizon Wireless technician is accused of using the company’s computers to obtain customers’ private call records — plus data showing where customers’ phones were — and then selling them to an unnamed private investigator, federal prosecutors said.

Daniel Eugene Traeger, who worked in Alabama, sold the confidential information from 2009 to 2014, authorities said. The court records don’t say how many customer records were sold, or how they may have been used.

On the Move

Architects Hawaii has announced the following:

>> Thomas J. Rudary has joined the company as a project architect. He was previously a project engineer at Triton Construction as well as a project architect at BKSK Architects, both in New York City.

>> Andre Weatherford is an information technology specialist. He was previously a PC technician at Castle Medical Center.

>> Carolyn Haley is the company’s new receptionist. She was the vice president and co-founder of an IT company in Honolulu and gained experience working with developers, architects and designers at the Hemmeter family of companies.