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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 27, 2009

Zale Jewelry Closing 115 Stores

Zale Corp., the Dallas-based jeweler, will close 115 underperforming stores across the country in the next 18 months, but it wasn't clear how many will close in the Tampa Bay area. A spokeswoman for Zale said the company will reveal that information shortly before each store closes.

According to its Web site, Zale operates eight Zales Jewelers, seven Piercing Pagoda and four Gordon's Jewelers locations in Bay area malls.

Jobless Claims Exceed 5.1 Million

New jobless claims topped 5.1 million, and the Labor Department said Thursday that first-time requests for unemployment benefits jumped to 667,000 from the previous week's figure of 631,000.

Banks Lose $26.2 Billion In Quarter

The nation's banks lost $26.2 billion in the last three months of 2008, the first quarterly deficit in 18 years, as the housing and credit crises escalated. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said Thursday there were 252 banks in trouble at the end of 2008, up from 171 in the third quarter.

Today's Last Day For Rocky Mountain News
The Rocky Mountain News will publish its last edition today, just two months short of its 150th anniversary. Owner E.W. Scripps Co. announced Thursday on the newspaper's Web site that its search for a buyer for the paper was unsuccessful.

Scripps said the paper lost $16 million last year. The company said the Rocky Mountain News' 230 editorial employees would be paid through April 28.

Largo Man Charged With Fraud

Peter E. Wozniak of Largo was arrested Wednesday, accused of saddling seven homeowners with second mortgages for roof repairs, according to Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson.

Wozniak, 69, was charged with seven counts of false or fraudulent acknowledgements by a notary public. He was booked into the Pinellas County Jail on $14,000 bail.

A staff and wire report

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