Honolulu No. 3 in U.S. for safety

Honolulu is the third-safest city in the country, according to a new Forbes Magazine study that looked at crime and fatal auto accidents in the metro areas with populations of 250,000 or more.

Ranked ahead of Honolulu were Plano, Texas, at No. 1 followed by Portland, Ore. California had five cities in the top 10.

Forbes said it ranked each city on the number of violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2009 using FBI data. For the auto fatalities, Forbes measured the number of deaths per 100,000 residents, using 2008 data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the most recent available.

Following Hawaii on the top 10 list were San Jose, Calif.; Omaha, Neb.; New York; Santa Ana, Calif.; Anaheim, Calif.; San Diego; and Glendale, Calif.

Foodland gives $1.9M to nonprofits

Foodland Super Market presented a nearly $1.9 million check to nonprofit organizations yesterday on behalf of customers, the company and Western Union.

The donation, which will benefit 665 Hawaii nonprofits, is part of the local supermarket chain’s annual Give Aloha campaign.

Customers donated $1.54 million at Foodland and Sack N Save stores during September. Foodland and the Western Union Foundation contributed an additional $329,000.

The total contribution was more than has been raised in any year since the program began in 1999, Foodland said. The program has raised about $15 million for Hawaii charities since 1999.

JPMorgan Chase’s profit jumps 23%

NEW YORK » JPMorgan Chase posted a 23 percent gain in net income for the third quarter yesterday, mostly because the banking giant set aside less money to cover losses from bad loans.

Revenue fell sharply in a sign that tighter regulations and a sluggish economy are taking a toll.

New York-based JPMorgan Chase & Co., the first major bank to report third-quarter results, earned $4.42 billion, or $1.01 a share, in the three months ending in September, beating analysts’ expectations. It earned $3.59 billion, or 82 cents, during the same period last year. Revenue fell 15 percent to $24.3 billion.

GM chair predicts $20-$25 IPO price

DETROIT » General Motors Chairman Ed Whitacre says that the company’s stock will debut at a price somewhere between $20 and $25 a share when its initial public offering takes place next month.

WOAI-TV and the San Antonio Express-News say that Whitacre spoke about the price at the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce in Texas.

GM has not officially announced a date or price for the initial stock sale. Regulators still need to accept the sale plan. Whitacre says it’s too early to state the exact price.

Apple shares top $300 for first time

NEW YORK » Apple’s shares exceeded $300 for the first time in the company’s history yesterday as stellar iPad sales and a planned expansion into China give investors all the assurance they need for the iPhone maker’s already healthy prospects.

Shares of Apple Inc. climbed $1.60 to close at $300.14 after peaking at a record $301.96 earlier. This gives Apple a market capitalization of about $273 billion. Apple had long surpassed the scale of tech heavyweights such as Microsoft Corp., Google Inc. and IBM, which also hit an all-time high yesterday.

In fact, Apple’s market cap now trails only Exxon Mobil Corp. as a U.S. publicly-traded company. Exxon’s market cap hovers around $330 billion. Big-name corporations such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and General Electric Co. don’t even come close.

ONE THE MOVE

Coldwell Banker Commercial Pacific Properties has hired Sandra Tsujimura as leasing and sales associate. She has 24 years of commercial real estate and business experience and was previously a Hawaii asset manager for a national REIT office.

Hau’oli Mau Loa Foundation has awarded a grant of $425,000 to Hale Kipa. The grant will be used to support continuing operations and capacity building at Hale Kipa.

Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties has hired Susan Buck as controller. She has 23 years of accounting experience and was previously a controller for WCIT Architecture.

East-West Center’s 50-year anniversary publication of "East-West Center: Fifty Years, Fifty Stories" has recognized AmCham Shanghai President Brenda Foster as one of the 50 most important East-West Center alumni. She was recognized for promoting U.S.-Chinese business ties.

GoDaddy.com, the world’s largest Web hosting provider and top domain-name registrar, has donated $10,000 to the Hospice of Hilo capital campaign. The contribution will help fund the first neighbor island in-patient Hospice facility and strengthen the overall health care system in East Hawaii.