Additional Verizon cell sites add capacity

Verizon Wireless said it has added new cellular sites on Oahu, Maui and Kauai to enhance its wireless 3G network.

Three new cell sites on Oahu will improve 3G capacity: in Waikiki along Ala Wai Boulevard, Kalakaua Boulevard, Saratoga Road, Kalia Road and Hobron Lane; in the Kapahulu, Kaimuki and Date Street area; and in the McCully and Moiliili area along Metcalf, Date, Isenberg and Hauoli streets.

On Maui two new cell sites will improve coverage in the Haiku and Paia areas. Three new cell sites on Kauai will improve coverage in Koloa, Lihue and Paauilo.

Verizon has invested more than $254 million in Hawaii, including $40 million in 2010.

Euro surrounded by doubt after 10 years

PARIS » Just three years ago the euro was being praised as the can-do currency that had delivered unprecedented prosperity in Europe.

Now it’s widely derided as a hugely flawed experiment in the wake of a debt crisis that threatens its very existence — an uncomfortable backdrop as the currency’s notes and coins hit their first decade in circulation on Sunday.

The question is, Will it get to its 11th birthday, let alone 20th? In the euro’s tumultuous short history, it has already been heralded as the ultimate mark of a peaceful, united Europe; it’s been scoffed at as a giant act of hubris by a distant political elite; and it has been credited with giving Europe a more influential voice in the world.

These days, as it faces its biggest crisis yet, the euro is a daily reminder to more than 330 million people of the dismal state of the economy in the 17-nation eurozone. Many countries seem headed back into recession, and policymakers are grappling with a spiraling debt crisis.

Walgreen-Express Scripts compact ending

INDIANAPOLIS » Walgreen CEO Greg Wasson said Friday that chances were "slim to none" that the drugstore operator would reach an agreement with pharmacy benefits manager Express Scripts before their current contract ends today.

Walgreen Co. announced that it is taking several steps to help patients covered by an Express Scripts pharmacy network to continue to use Walgreen locations after the agreement ends. It expects to continue working with more than 120 Express Scripts clients, which include employers and health plans.

Express Scripts Inc. pays Walgreen and other drugstore operators to fill prescriptions. The companies have said since June that they were preparing to stop business once their three-year contract ends. Walgreen has said it would rather give up the revenue it gets from Express Scripts than continue filling unprofitable prescriptions.

FDA approves Pfizer pneumonia vaccine

WASHINGTON » Federal regulators have approved a vaccine for adults age 50 and older to prevent pneumococcal disease, including the most common type of pneumonia.

Friday’s announcement from the Food and Drug Administration that it has approved Pfizer Inc.’s best-selling Prevnar 13 vaccine for such use was widely anticipated. It comes a little more than a month after a panel of federal health experts voted overwhelmingly to recommend Prevnar 13 as a safe and effective vaccine to prevent the bacterial infections in adults.

Prevnar 13 protects against 13 strains of pneumococcal bacteria, which cause meningitis, pneumonia and ear infections.

Spanish austerity plan raises taxes

MADRID, Spain » Spain’s new government warned Friday that the country’s budget deficit will be much bigger than anticipated this year as it unveiled a first batch of austerity measures that include surprise income and property tax hikes.

Following the new conservative government’s second Cabinet meeting, the budget deficit for this year was revised up to 8 percent of national income from the previous government’s forecast of 6 percent.

Along with the upward revision, which comes amid predictions that the Spanish economy will soon be back in recession, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s government announced further measures to get a handle on Spain’s debts, including $11.5 billion in spending cuts.

Chinese central bank to remain ‘prudent’

The People’s Bank of China will maintain a "prudent" monetary stance and "ensure the continuity and stability" of policy in 2012, Gov. Zhou Xiaochuan said. The central bank will "deepen financial reform, accelerate the development of financial markets, and strengthen and improve foreign-exchange management," Zhou said in a New Year message on the PBOC’s website.

ON THE MOVE

Pacific Biodiesel has named Joel Martin its new marketing associate at the Sand Island Facility on Oahu. He will play a key role in executing the company’s marketing strategy as well as help to promote and expand community-based biodiesel in Hawaii through online and offline channels. Martin was a marketing consultant for a CBS affiliate in Washington and worked for JW Marriott at Ko Olina.

The Battleship Missouri Memorial has announced that Jeffrey D. Conners has been hired as vice president of facilities and engineering. He has more than 30 years of engineering and managerial experience, including as safety and environmental manager and program manager for BAE Systems. He was a commanding officer at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility from 1998 to 2001.

Hospice Hawaii has received more than $90,000 in grants from several foundations for its Pediatric Hospice Care Program, which is the first and only one of its kind in the state. The grants were awarded by the George Mason Fund of the Hawaii Community Foundation, Giving Inspiration for Tomorrow Foundation of Hawaii, Alexander & Baldwin Foundation, Beta Beta Gamma Foundation and Walk the Talk Fund of the Hawaii Community Foundation. Grants will provide family members the necessary spiritual, medical and emotional support to cope with life-threatening conditions or diseases.