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Briefs

'Good' citrus from Florida can be shipped

By Times staff and wires
Published November 17, 2007

LAKELAND - Under a new federal rule adopted Friday, good citrus that's not infected with canker will no longer be tainted as unshippable just because some citrus in the grove has the disease. The new rule will allow good fruit to be shipped to noncitrus-producing states even if other fruit from the same grove is infected. Florida citrus still won't be shipped to other citrus-producing states, though, under the final U.S. Department of Agriculture rule adopted Friday. Under an interim rule adopted in June 2006, fresh fruit shipped from Florida had to come from groves certified as canker-free.

CNL Bancshares adds Bush to board
ORLANDO - Former Gov. Jeb Bush added to his duties as a corporate director by joining the board of CNL Bancshares Inc. of Orlando. Bush already serves as a director for Tenet Health Care in Dallas. And he also serves on the private equity advisory board of the Wall Street firm Lehman Brothers. Before serving as governor, Bush had been a director of several companies, including a bank in Miami.

Here's your office, and a $15M bonus
NEW YORK - Merrill Lynch & Co. said Friday it will award John Thain, its incoming chairman and chief executive, a cash bonus of $15-million for fiscal year 2007, after he joins the brokerage on Dec. 1. Thain will also receive an annual salary of $750,000, a sign-on equity award of 1.8-million Merrill Lynch stock options and 500,000 restricted stock units.

Industrial output fell last month
WASHINGTON - Industrial production plunged in October by the largest amount in nine months, reflecting a drop in utility output and continued troubles in autos and housing-related industries. The Federal Reserve said that output at the nation's factories, mines and utilities fell by 0.5 percent last month.

Groups complete $24.7B Alltel deal
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Alltel Corp., the nation's fifth-largest wireless carrier, was taken private Friday to complete a $24.7-billion buyout by two private equity groups. TPG Capital, formerly Texas Pacific Group, and GS Capital Partners, a subsidiary of Goldman Sachs, are paying Alltel shareholders $71.50 per share in cash, according to the terms.

Two cruise lines add fuel surcharge
MIAMI - Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and Ambassadors International Inc. said they would charge passengers an extra daily fee because of the rising cost of fuel. Royal Caribbean will add $5 per traveler on voyages after Feb. 1. Ambassadors, the owner of Windstar Cruises and Majestic America Line, will charge an extra $8.50.

Southwest flier shows more skin
DALLAS- Kyla Ebbert, a 23-year-old college student who was told by a Southwest Airlines employee that her outfit was too revealing to fly, is wearing even less on Playboy's Web site. She appears in a series of pictures - some in lingerie, some nude. Playboy contacted Ebbert's attorney about her client's posing.

[Last modified November 16, 2007, 23:27:55]