Mililani resident’s photo earns $100 in gas from Toyota Hawaii
Sharla Jaye Furuya of Mililani won a $100 gas card for winning the Nov. 16 #WinWithToyotaHI photo contest.
Her picture of husband Keith suited the selected UH Logo theme of the week and "the colorful and former ‘Fighting Rainbows’ UH logo caught our eye," said Servco Automotive Senior Vice President Glenn Inouye. "Since it was retro night, it was fitting that this picture went with that theme and ours."
The photo contest coincides with each University of Hawaii football home game. Toyota Hawaii announces the theme before each game and any picture taken on game day and uploaded to Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook with the hashtag #WinWithToyotaHI is eligible to win. Eligible photos also are posted at WinWithToyotaHI.com.
One winner is chosen at random and announced the following Monday.
The theme for this Saturday’s game against Army is "Military Salute."
Corvettes and L.A. Auto Show star in monthly auto luncheon
Two Corvettes — old and new — will highlight the Kars at the Kurb display at the monthly Auto Lunch Bunch gathering Tuesday at noon.
A 100-point sunrise-yellow 1961 Corvette Roadster owned by Ed Tavares and a 2014 Corvette Stingray from Cutter Auto Group will be on display.
The speaker will be Keith Yoshida of Mid Pac Petroleum/Union 76. He will discuss the gas business in Hawaii.
The video to be shown is from the 2013 L.A. Auto Show and will feature 100 new cars.
The price to attend the monthly lunch gathering at 1599 Ala Moana Blvd. is $14.25, which includes the meal, drink and tip.
Reservations are required and can be made by email, billmaloney15@aol.com, or by calling Ed Kemper at 225-2965
30-year mortgage rate rises to 4.29 percent
WASHINGTON >> Average U.S. mortgage rates rose modestly this week, a move that makes homebuying a bit less affordable. Still, rates remain near historically low levels.
Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Wednesday that the average rate on the 30-year loan increased to 4.29 percent from 4.22 percent last week. The average on the 15-year fixed ticked up to 3.3 percent from 3.27 percent.
Rates have risen nearly a full percentage point since May after the Federal Reserve signaled it might slow its bond purchases by the end of the year. Rates peaked at nearly 4.6 percent in August. But the Fed held off in September and most analysts expect it won’t move until next year. The increase in mortgage rates has contributed to a slowdown in home sales over the past two months.
U.S. jobless claims at pre-recession level
WASHINGTON » The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits dropped 10,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 316,000, a sign that workers are in less danger of being laid off.
The less volatile four-week average fell 7,500 to 331,750, the Labor Department said Wednesday. Both the first-time weekly jobless claims and the average have returned to pre-recession levels.
Unemployment benefit applications are a proxy for layoffs. They have fallen in six of the past seven weeks.
A government spokesman said no special factors drove claims lower but cautioned that it can be difficult to seasonally adjust in late November because the Thanksgiving holiday occurs at different times each year. This year Thanksgiving is a week later than last year.
Still, the broader trend has been encouraging.
As layoffs have dwindled, hiring has picked up. Employers added 204,000 jobs last month, indicating that companies were undeterred by the 16-day government shutdown. Private businesses added 212,000 new positions, the most since February.
CVS to buy firm that provides tube feeding
NEW YORK » Drugstore chain operator CVS Caremark Corp. said Wednesday that it has agreed to buy the drug infusion business Coram LLC, a unit of Apria Healthcare Group Inc., for $2.1 billion.
CVS, the owner of Longs Drugs, says the deal will make it more competitive and enable it to provide more services to its customers. CVS runs the second-largest U.S. drugstore chain behind Walgreen Co., and its Caremark unit is one of the nation’s largest pharmacy benefits managers.
Coram provides medication and food administered through a vein or tube. Among those using such services are patients being treated for conditions such as immune deficiencies, rheumatoid arthritis and nutritional deficiencies.
The Denver-based company says it serves more than 20,000 patients a month through home infusion and a national network of more than 85 locations, including more than 65 ambulatory infusion suites. The deal is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2014.
CVS, based in Woonsocket, R.I., expects Coram to generate revenue of about $1.4 billion in the first year after the deal closes and add earnings of between 3 cents per share and 5 cents per share in 2015.
Durable-goods orders fell 2% in October
WASHINGTON » Businesses spent less last month on machinery, computers and most other items, lowering orders for U.S. long-lasting factory goods. The decline suggests companies may have been reluctant to invest during the 16-day partial government shutdown.
The Commerce Department said Wednesday that orders for durable goods dropped 2 percent in October from September. That follows a 4.1 percent increase in September from August.
Durable goods are meant to last at least three years.
Gauge of economic health rises 0.2%
WASHINGTON » A measure of the U.S. economy’s health improved in October.
The Conference Board said Wednesday that its index of leading indicators rose 0.2 percent in October to a reading of 97.5. It was the sixth gain in seven months and followed large gains in the previous two months.
The index is designed to signal economic conditions over the next three to six months.
Barneys to monitor NYC store security room
NEW YORK » Barneys New York says it will start monitoring the police as they monitor shoppers in its flagship Manhattan store.
An internal Barneys memo sent to store security staff Tuesday said Barneys would start keeping a log of which police officers use its security room.
The memo obtained by the Associated Press said Barneys would maintain video and audio surveillance of the room where security staff and police watch monitors set up around the store.
The memo also said that any officer using the room shall provide "a reasonable description of the individual or individuals that they wish to place under surveillance and the reason the police wish to place such individuals under surveillance."
It comes after two black shoppers said they were racially profiled at Barneys earlier this year.
On the Move
Cindy Sue Clark has been appointed state director and board member of Maggie’s List. Her responsibilities include identifying and vetting fiscally conservative women seeking federal office positions or who would like to run for U.S. Congress.
Enterprise Holdings has promoted Theresa Freund to branch manager of its Wahiawa and Schofield locations. She was previously assistant manager at the Enterprise Honolulu International Airport branch and has been with the company since February 2011.
The Howard Hughes Corporation has awarded Ward Village with the LEED Neighborhood Development Platinum certification. The award marks Ward Village as the largest LEED-ND Platinum certified project in the U.S. as well as the only project with the certification in the state. The LEED certification by the U.S. Green Building Council recognizes construction projects designed with improved environmental and human health performance.
