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Summer may be cooling down, but deals are still on fire Steals & Deals Andrew M. Seder

THE END OF summer is near but there are still some hot deals to be had. And some cool ones, too.

‘Work ethic’ not getting the job done Ron Bartizek Business LOCAL

There isn’t a lot of good news this Labor Day on the employment front, either locally, across the nation or around the globe. Unemployment rates remain stubbornly high and are again on the rise. Long-term joblessness is at a modern record level. Most people who find a new job accept lower salaries than they had in the past.

Small-business lending is down

Pick a reason, but that won’t change the fact that lots of small firms would like to borrow money to expand or buy some new equipment right now.

Revealing company politics on your own

NEW YORK — Let’s say you find out the company that makes your favorite jeans supports a candidate you oppose. Do you still buy the jeans?

Solar power land idle

ROACH DRY LAKE, Nev. — Not a light bulb’s worth of solar electricity has been produced on the millions of acres of public desert set aside for it. Not one project to build glimmering solar farms has even broken ground. Instead, five years after federal land managers opened up stretches of the Southwest to developers, vast tracts still sit idle.

Aim to educate, not punish, anti-HR workers

Q.: A few months ago, I became the first human resources director at a private club. Most of the members are men, and I am the only woman on the management team. Given some of the things that have occurred here in the past, it’s amazing that no lawsuits have been filed.

Samsung unveils iPad competitor Galaxy

BERLIN — Samsung Electronics Co. has unveiled a new tablet PC named Galaxy Tab as the latest device meant to rival Apple Inc.’s popular iPad.

Employee health costs on the rise

WASHINGTON — Strained by rising health care costs and the sour economy, U.S. employers are pressing workers to shoulder the added burden alone as employees pay higher insurance premiums and more out-of-pocket expenses for their medical care.

BUSINESS AGENDA

WALL STREET REFORM AND HOW IT WILL AFFECT YOU: Wednesday, 7:30 a.m., Best Western East Mountain Inn, Rt. 115, Plains Township. Speaker, U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski. $15 per person, reservations required. Call 570-823-2101, ext. 113 or e-mail jeankile@wilkes-barre.org.

CORPORATE LADDER

Maureen Polster was recently appointed residential mortgage manager. A Fidelity employee for 18 years, she holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from King’s College and an MBA in finance and investment from Marywood University.

In brief

Two Times Leader managers add duties

Times Leader managers Jeff Tinner and Brian Dudick are taking on additional responsibilities with the publisher of Luzerne County’s largest-circulation daily newspaper and affiliated publications.

Tasty touchdowns

CINCINNATI — Fantasy football means real business for restaurants, and some big chains have launched promotional drives to score with dedicated players of the growing pastime.

Experts see more woes on horizon

CERNOBBIO, Italy — Is the global economy out of the woods? Two years after near-meltdown, with the U.S. looking sluggish, equity markets groggy and Europeans fighting a debt crisis, experts gathered in Italy offered a generally gloomy outlook — especially for the United States and much of the industrialized world.

Stocks get off to a strong start for September

NEW YORK — The stock market had its first winning week in a month after news on the economy started getting better.

New ruler for Burger King Inc.

CHICAGO — Burger King’s new ruler could help...

In brief

Stocks keep gaining after jobs, housing reports

NEW YORK — Stocks rose Thursday, extending their gains from the day before, after reports on housing, manufacturing and jobs all indicated that the economy continues to grow.

Area medical group, W-B General in talks

WILKES-BARRE – The head of one of the area’s largest group medical practices said talks are under way with Wilkes-Barre General Hospital and its owner about “the potential of possible affiliation.”

La-Z-Boy reopens

WILKES-BARRE TWP. – More than three months and $1 million later, the La-Z-Boy furniture showroom on Mundy Street will reopen today.