The summer months are always busy for the county's libraries, but circulation numbers spiked well before school let out. ...more

August 3, 2008

Everything costs more these days, right? Not really. Despite what you hear on the news about expensive fuel and food, the prices of some consumer items - from women's clothing to electronics - are dropping faster than you can say disinflation. And a week ago, the Consumer Price Index - the yardstick for what people pay for things - showed prices are moderating, as long you exclude the big two. ...more

June 29, 2008

When gas pushed past $3 a gallon, we all raised our eyebrows, sweated a little bit but went about our business. When it crossed $3.50 a gallon, we cursed the oil companies, blamed the Iraq War and waited for prices to drop. Now, at $4 a gallon and above, conserving gas has become serious business for most Americans. Adjusting to high gas prices is no longer an inconvenience; it's a reality that motorists now realize may never change, only get worse. Americans, it appears, are no longer waiting for gas prices to drop. This is well exemplified in some research studies, the Associated Press reports. ...more

June 15, 2008

America's two largest hot dog makers are waging a wiener war as grills fire up this summer, hoping to win customers and secure the No. 1 spot atop the stagnating frank market. ...more

June 12, 2008

SARASOTA - The Sweetbay Supermarket at Clark Road and Honore Avenue has started a pilot program that, if successful, could be implemented throughout the chain. ...more

June 10, 2008

Most afternoons, just before dinner, the residents of Weinberg Village do something often associated with people a fraction of their age. ...more

June 3, 2008

Retailers from Wal-Mart to RadioShack Corp. are offering special discounts to draw in consumers and persuade them to spend some or all of their economic stimulus checks, the first wave of which were deposited into bank accounts this week. ...more

May 3, 2008

Barbie's got problems. And the lead paint on her cat is the least of her worries. ...more

February 23, 2008

Apple cut the price of the least-expensive iPod, the Shuffle, to $49 after its media players sales slowed last quarter. Price for the 1-gigabyte model is 38 percent less than the previous $79. A new version with double the storage will be $69, Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple said Tuesday. ...more

February 20, 2008

To deal with frustration among holiday shoppers hunting for its Wii game console, Nintendo Co. and retailer GameStop Corp. are launching a rain-check program. ...more

December 15, 2007