Home crisis going deeper

WASHINGTON -- The foreclosure crisis likely will persist well into next year as high unemployment pushes more people out of homes, pulls down housing prices and raises concerns about the broader economic recovery.The latest evidence was a report Thur ... full story

Tech glitch cited in flight delays

A glitch at one of the two centers that handle flight plans for the nation's air travel system set off delays and cancellations around the country Thursday.The snarl was traced to something as simple as a single circuit board.Hundreds of flights were ... full story

Senate girds for health debate

WASHINGTON -- Congressional budget crunchers said Thursday that the Democrats' latest health care plan would hold down federal red ink for at least 20 years, an assessment that gave supporters hope as the Senate moved gingerly toward a historic deba ... full story

Senate to vote

The Senate will hold its first vote on health care legislation on Saturday night and Democrats will need 60 votes to prevail.Majority Leader Harry Reid announced the schedule on the Senate floor, one day after unveiling a nearly $1 trillion bill to e ... full story

3 businesses join the B-CS community

The Bryan-College Station area welcomes three new businesses this week with ribbon cuttings. * Texas A&M Physicians, 1301 Memorial Drive, Suite 100, in Bryan, will hold its celebration at 4 p.m. Thursday. * AT&T, 1505A Texas Ave. S. in College ... full story

$849B health bill sets up historic debate

WASHINGTON -- Setting up a historic year-end health care debate, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid unveiled long-awaited legislation Wednesday night to extend coverage to all but 6 percent of eligible Americans and bar private industry from denying i ... full story

J.C. Penney plans to terminate Big Book

DALLAS -- The J.C. Penney Co. Big Book is dead -- a victim of shoppers' growing reliance on the Internet.Plano-based Penney confirmed that its fall/winter 2009 catalog would be its last semiannual, telephone-book-size volume.The Internet has made the ... full story

Nintendo's Mario maintains his mojo

NEW YORK -- Mario, the potbellied Italian plumber with a penchant for rescuing princesses, collecting golden coins and gobbling magic mushrooms, has been around for nearly three decades. And though he hasn't changed much, the latest game he stars in, ... full story

Senate, House Democratic health bills compared

A comparison of the health care bills before Congress:The Senate Democratic bill (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act):WHO'S COVERED: About 94 percent of legal residents under age 65 -- compared with 83 percent now. Government subsidies to he ... full story

St. Joseph unveils operating rooms

St. Joseph Regional Health Center spent more than $8 million in renovating two brain and spine operating rooms complete with what they described as the latest surgical technology and digital screening, officials said.The rooms were unveiled Nov. 11 a ... full story

Holiday networking event on Thursday

The Children's Museum of the Brazos Valley and the city of Bryan are hosting Holiday After Hours on Thursday The free program will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at 111 East 27th St. in downtown Bryan. Food, drinks and networking will be offered a ... full story

BV Bank holds vote on charity recipients

Brazos Valley Bank is allowing Bryan-College Station residents to vote on which nonprofit organizations will receive donations. The bank has allocated 10 percent of its 2009 projected net income for charitable contributions in 2010. Voting is u ... full story

Bombers' ballpark free for boot camps

The Brazos Valley Bombers have announced that Brazos Valley Bank Ballpark would open its gates for personal trainers to hold fitness boot camps free of charge. The ballpark includes grass and concrete areas, exercise stairs and open space. Braz ... full story

Messina Hof offers free wine tastings

Messina Hof Winery and Resort will be on the road hosting free wine-tasting demonstrations in several Texas cities, including College Station. H-E-B and Kroger Stores will host the company Friday through Monday to offer wines for the Thanksgiving ... full story

Brenham groups' Web site honored

The Economic Development Foundation of Brenham, Brenham Community Development Corp. and the city of Brenham were recognized for their Web site on economic development. BrenhamProspector.com was awarded by the Washington, D.C.-based International E ... full story

Camp Cooley seeks Ch. 11 protection

Camp Cooley Ltd. and its subsidiaries have filed for protection and reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. In an e-mail to business associates, Camp Cooley principal Klaus Birkel said: "The filing was the result of unrelated ... full story

Ranchers fighting fever ticks

There's a battle being fought in South Texas. On one side of the front-line is the cattle fever tick. On the other side are local, state and national agencies, associations and landowners working to eradicate the costly pest.The Natural Resources Con ... full story

Gandy to join board of women's group

Tina Gandy has been elected vice president of the American Business Women's Association for District VI.Gandy, co-owner of Twinz Co. Marketing in Bryan, was sworn in Sept. 25 after having been a member of the association for 10 years. During that tim ... full story

Poll: Tax rich to finance overhaul

poll, and it could be a boost for House Democrats, who have proposed taxing upper-income people to fund their remake of the U.S. medical system. The poll, conducted by Stanford University with the nonpartisan Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, found su ... full story

Obama prods China on free speech, Web controls

BEIJING -- President Barack Obama declared Monday the world is urgently watching for a "meeting of the minds" between the U.S. and China as he meets with President Hu Jintao on the globe's biggest issues -- climate change, economic recession, nuclear ... full story

Housing prices and sales are looking up

SAN DIEGO -- Home prices are expected to grow modestly next year and sales will keep rising as the housing market continues to recover from the worst downturn since the Great Depression, the National Association of Realtors said last week.Home resal ... full story

Dell to offer smart phone in China

SEATTLE -- Dell Inc. is officially jumping into the "smart" phone market this month in a deal with China's biggest wireless carrier, China Mobile Ltd.The Dell Mini 3, a keyboardless touch-screen phone that runs Google Inc.'s Android operating system, ... full story

Study: Bill to raise health costs

WASHINGTON -- Overall spending on health care would rise as a result of legislation approved a week ago by the House, and billions of dollars in projected savings contained in the measure will be difficult to maintain, according to a report by a top ... full story

Report probes Medicare payouts

WASHINGTON -- The government paid more than $47 billion in questionable Medicare claims including medical treatment showing little relation to a patient's condition, wasting taxpayer dollars at a rate nearly three times the previous year.Excerpts of ... full story

Crabbers resist Va. buyout

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- To ease pressures on the Chesapeake Bay's blue crab population, Virginia is paying watermen to stay out of the water, using $6.7 million in federal disaster aid to buy back crabbing licenses.Many longtime crabbers won't take th ... full story