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Digest

In brief

By TIMES WIRES
Published October 6, 2006

San Francisco has high hopes for mall

Visitors to an expanded mall in the city will have to walk as high as nine floors to shop.

Unemployment claims drop again last week

The number of newly laid off workers filing claims for unemployment benefits dropped last week to the lowest level in 10 weeks. The Labor Department reported Thursday that 302,000 persons filed claims last week. The level was down by 17,000 from the previous week and marked the second consecutive week that claims applications have fallen.

L.A. Times publisher fired after protest

Tribune Co. ousted Jeffrey M. Johnson, the publisher of its largest newspaper, the Los Angeles Times, on Thursday after Johnson refused to make what he considered potentially damaging staff cuts ordered by the media conglomerate. The parent company named David D. Hiller, who has been publisher of the Chicago Tribune, to succeed Johnson.

Delta, retirees agree on medical benefits

Delta Air Lines Inc., which is operating under bankruptcy protection, reached an agreement Thursday with thousands of retirees on changes to medical benefits that will save the nation's No. 3 carrier about $50-million annually. A court hearing to affirm the deal is scheduled for Oct. 19.

Millions more head to canker compensation

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will provide an additional $100-million to compensate Florida orange growers for losses from a now defunct citrus canker eradication program. The additional funding brings the total committed by the USDA to $636-million, Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said Thursday. The money will compensate growers for destroyed trees.

Boeing reaches landmark production

Boeing Co. said Thursday it delivered 100 commercial airplanes in the third quarter, the first time it has reached the century mark since 2002. The total, up from 62 in the same period a year ago, leaves the world's No. 2 maker of commercial planes behind Airbus needing a repeat performance of 100 deliveries in the fourth quarter to meet its full-year forecast of 395.

Mortgage rates drop by a tiny margin

Rates on 30-year mortgages edged down this week to a seven-month low. Mortgage-giant Freddie Mac reported Thursday that 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages fell to 6.30 percent, down from 6.31 percent last week. It put rates at the lowest level since they were at 6.24 percent the first week of March. Rates have been headed lower for more than two months as financial markets have become convinced that a slowing economy will help ease inflation pressures and that will keep the Federal Reserve from raising interest rates further.

[Last modified October 5, 2006, 22:58:33]