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Today’s headlines
Navigating for a pay raise
TAMPA -- The highly skilled, and highly paid, pilots who guide ships through Tampa Bay have riled maritime businesses by requesting a hefty fee increase.

Business Digest
INVENTORIES CONTINUE TO SLIDE: U.S. inventories fell in February for a 13th straight month, reflecting declines at wholesalers and manufacturers, the Commerce Department said. The 0.1 percent decrease to $1.13-trillion matched January's revised decline. The level of inventories in February was the lowest since $1.129-trillion in November 1999, Commerce Department officials said.

Eckerd's newest frontier: Arizona
The Largo drugstore chain plans to build 60 stores there by 2004 in its first expansion west of Texas.

Mortgages boost Bank of America's profits
Boosted by high mortgage income and increasing consumer deposits, Bank of America Corp. on Monday said its earnings increased nearly 17 percent in the first quarter.

Justice backs states' attempt to curb Microsoft's practices
WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department, a partner to Microsoft Corp. in settling their antitrust dispute, hesitantly provided some support Monday for nine states seeking additional, stricter curbs on the company's business activities.