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Business Today

By wire services
Published May 21, 2005

NEW TAMPA-RICHMOND FLIGHTS TO BEGIN: Delta Connection carriers will fly between Tampa International Airport and Richmond, Va., beginning July 15. Atlantic Southeast Airlines and Chautauqua Airlines will each make one roundtrip flight between the cities using 50-seat jets. Delta is offering $69 one-way fares, not including taxes and fees, through June 3.

FLORIDA'S JOBLESS RATE AT 4-YEAR LOW: Florida's unemployment rate hit a four-year low of 4.2 percent in April, 1 percentage point less than the national rate. A year earlier, Florida's rate was 4.8 percent. Job growth in the Tampa Bay area was third-fastest in the state, with 34,400 jobs added over the past 12 months.

TUCKER/HALL BUYS ORLANDO FIRM: Tucker/Hall, the Tampa Bay area's largest public relations firm, has acquired the IMK Group of Orlando. Tucker/Hall of Tampa said Friday the deal completes its three-year search for an Orlando partner. IMK co-founder Dori Madison was named a Tucker/Hall vice president; her company will assume Tucker/Hall's name.

GREENSPAN UPBEAT: The economy, which had hit a temporary soft patch from surging energy prices, probably will weather the situation well, Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan suggested Friday. Greenspan, in a largely upbeat assessment, noted that oil and gas prices have calmed down a bit recently. Private inventories of crude oil in the United States have climbed to their highest level in three years, helping to damp the recent "price frenzy," he said.

CHINA ANNOUNCES NEW TARIFFS: China on Friday announced new tariffs that it hopes will hold down surging textile exports, trying to avert a trade war with the United States and Europe after Washington imposed import quotas. Beijing took the step despite accusing Washington of treating China unfairly and saying earlier U.S. and European market barriers were to blame for the surge in Chinese textile imports after a worldwide quota system expired Jan. 1.

SCRUSHY JURORS QUERY ABOUT DEADLOCK: Jurors deliberating the fraud case against fired HealthSouth Corp. CEO Richard Scrushy asked about the possibility of a deadlock Friday in only their second day of talks. The question came in a handwritten note delivered to U.S. District Judge Karon Bowdre moments after the jury arrived to start the day. They adjourned 51/2 hours later without a verdict and will return Monday to resume work. Separately, a federal jury Friday acquitted two former HealthSouth Corp. executives accused in what the government described as a bribery scheme involving a $50-million deal to run a hospital linked to Saudi Arabia's royal family.

ASK JEEVES BUYS EXCITE ITALIA: Web search engine Ask Jeeves Inc., which has agreed to be acquired by Barry Diller's IAC/InterActivCorp, said Friday it bought Excite Italia BV, the operator of Excite Europe, from Tiscali SpA. Financial terms were not disclosed. Ask Jeeves acquired the U.S.-operated Excite.com Web portal in March 2004.

[Last modified May 21, 2005, 16:38:02]