Feds OKs comb to help the bald

Drawing this special comb over a balding pate could restore some real hair – according to a Florida company.

The company said Thursday that it has won federal approval to sell a handheld laser device to promote hair growth.

Called the Hairmax Lasercomb, it increases the numbers of thick hairs on the scalp, according to 26-week clinical trials conducted by its manufacturer, Lexington International LLC.

As the device’s name suggests, it combines a low-level laser with a comb. When drawn through the hair, the laser strikes the scalp to promote hair growth, according to the company.

The device, sold on the Web for $545, is the only drug-free product meant for home use in combating hair loss that’s won the endorsement of the Food and Drug Administration, the company said.

Boise

Idaho travelers spending more

Direct spending by travelers in Idaho grew 6.1 percent to $3.82 billion in 2005, up from $3.6 billion in 2004.

Spending by leisure travelers, who tend to travel in larger parties and stay longer, reached $2.9 billion. Business travelers spent nearly $848 million.

The data is based on a national model and travel tracking system created by D.K. Shifflet and Associates. Idaho Commerce & Labor’s Division of Tourism paid $36,000 for the information.

Direct spending includes what travelers pay for transportation, lodging, dining, entertainment, shopping and other miscellaneous expenses.

In 2005, travel and tourism represented about 5 percent of Idaho’s gross state product.

New York

Delphi fees hit $145 million

A federal bankruptcy judge on Thursday approved $145 million in fees to lawyers and financial advisers for the first year of the restructuring of auto parts supplier Delphi.

Troy, Mich.-based Delphi Corp., a former subsidiary of General Motors Corp. until 1999, has incurred nearly $135 million in professional fees and $10 million in expenses for the period from its voluntary bankruptcy protection filing on Oct. 8, 2005, through the end of September 2006.