HECO sued for allegedly denying man a job due to disability

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit Thursday against Hawaiian Electric Co., claiming the utility discriminated against an employee with an eye condition.

Mail machine operator Patrick Obado, who is partially blind in one eye but has full vision in the other, was denied a position as a meter reader last year because of his disability, according to the complaint filed in federal court in Honolulu.

Obado was fully capable of performing the job duties of a meter reader, the complaint said, because the position "does not require frequent use of depth perception and full field of vision." He could not be reached for comment Thursday.

The company is committed to being a fair and equal-opportunity employer, Hawaiian Electric spokesman Peter Rosegg said.

Mortgage rates hit historic lows again

WASHINGTON » Fixed mortgage rates have fallen to historic new lows for a fourth straight week and are likely to fall further.

The average on a 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 4.01 percent from 4.09 percent this week, Freddie Mac said Thursday. That’s the lowest rate since the mortgage buyer began keeping records in 1971. The last time long-term rates were lower was in 1951, when most long-term home loans lasted just 20 or 25 years.

The average on a 15-year fixed mortgage, a popular refinancing option, ticked down to 3.28 percent. Economists say that’s the lowest rate ever for the loan.

Economy at 1.3% growth rate in spring

WASHINGTON » The economy grew slightly faster in the spring than previously estimated but remained dangerously weak in the face of high unemployment and higher gas prices. Many economists foresee slightly better growth in the current July-September quarter.

The annual growth rate was 1.3 percent in April through June, up from an estimate of 1 percent made a month ago, the Commerce Department said Thursday. The improvement reflected modestly more consumer spending and a bigger boost from trade.

Even with the upward revision, the economy grew at an annual rate of just 0.9 percent in the first six months of the year. That’s the weakest six-month performance since the recession ended more than two years ago.

Fewer people apply for jobless benefits

WASHINGTON » The number of people seeking unemployment benefits fell sharply last week, an encouraging sign that layoffs are easing.

Weekly applications dropped 37,000 to a seasonally adjusted 391,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. That’s the lowest level since April 2 and the first time applications have fallen below 400,000 since Aug. 6.

Some of the improvement was due to technical factors related to the seasonal adjustment of the data, a Labor Department spokesman said. The spokesman also said some states reported higher applications in previous weeks due to Hurricane Irene.

CEOs foresee decline in hiring workers

WASHINGTON » Only about one-third of chief executives of the nation’s largest companies expect to hire or spend more in the next six months, down sharply from about half who said they did three months ago.

The Business Roundtable said Thursday that rising oil prices earlier this year, fears surrounding Europe’s debt crisis and political wrangling over the U.S. borrowing limit have made the business and economic environment more uncertain.

Only 32 percent of the CEOs surveyed said they expect to spend more on long-lasting equipment, such as machinery and computers. That’s down from 61 percent who said so three months earlier.

Jim McNerney, CEO of Boeing Co. and chairman of the Business Roundtable, said the results are generally consistent with slow growth, rather than a recession. The group’s economic outlook index fell to 77.6, down from 109.9 in the second quarter. A reading below 50 would signal contraction.

Germany keeps alive hopes for euro’s future

BERLIN » Germany kept alive hopes that the 17-nation euro currency can survive the sprawling debt crisis when lawmakers in Europe’s largest economy voted overwhelmingly on Thursday in favor of expanding the powers of the eurozone’s bailout fund.

The vote strengthened Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right coalition, which had struggled to win support from a bloc of rebellious members, and could bolster her ability to negotiate new European crisis measures.

While many investors and experts believe new steps will be required in Europe, such as letting Greece write off more of its debt pile, Germany’s approval of the fund’s new powers and scope was necessary to avoid a new bout of massive market turmoil.

ON THE MOVE

Hawaii Pacific University has appointed Esther S. Yoo to assistant professor of music and director of choral activities. Her experience includes faculty positions at Hollins University in Virginia and University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Simply Organized has appointed Debra Aliviado as store manager. She will oversee the retail store operations of the Kapolei store. She was previously working at Apple Inc. as well as serving as a business accounts manager and store manager at several AT&T retail stores.

Certified Hawaii, an Associa company, has announced that Alan Takumi has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Hawaii Chapter of Community Association Institute. He is a U.S. Air Force veteran who served as a superintendent of the 60th Aircraft Generation Squadron.

Edmund C. Olson, chairman of A-American Storage Management Co., has donated $500,000 to the Nature Conservancy for forest conservation on the island of Hawaii. The funds will be used to protect the native forests of South Kona and Kau.