Business briefs: Two North Idaho weekly newspapers sold
The longtime owners of the Newport Miner and the Gem State Miner have sold the publications to a Wyoming publisher, according to a news release.
Fred and Susan Willenbrock had owned the 127-year-old Newport, Washington, weekly for nearly 30 years. The Gem State Miner, serving western Bonner County, Idaho, was founded in 1972, the news release said. Also included in the sale are the Newport Miner’s building, a free-distribution shopper called Miner Extra, the Miner Online website, and the company’s commercial printing, Web hosting and affiliated special publications. The purchase price was not disclosed.
The buyer is J. Louis Mullen, 30, who publishes two weekly newspapers in Wyoming, the Green River Star and the Thermopolis Independent Record. He lives in Buffalo, Wyoming, with his wife, a family doctor, and his daughter. Louis Mullen’s father owns community newspapers in Montana and Washington, including the Shelton-Mason County Journal in Shelton, Washington, the release said.
The Willenbrocks, both 62, said they plan to continue living on Diamond Lake near Newport.
Consumers tighten pace of borrowing
WASHINGTON – Consumers increased their borrowing in January at the slowest pace in more than a year, with borrowing on credit cards actually declining for the second time in the last three months.
The Federal Reserve reported that consumer borrowing expanded $11.6 billion in January following a $17.9 billion gain in December. It was the smallest monthly increase since borrowing rose by $8.3 billion in November 2013.
Borrowing in the category that includes credit cards actually declined by $1.16 billion in January following a $6.2 billion increase in December and a decrease of $537 million in November. Borrowing in the category that covers auto loans and student loans rose $12.7 billion in January after a gain of $11.7 billion in December.
Nissan adds to recalls for bum hood latches
DETROIT – Nissan is recalling 640,000 more cars in the U.S. and Canada to fix a growing problem with faulty latches that can allow hoods to fly open while cars are being driven.
The latest recall covers Altima midsize sedans from the 2013 through 2015 model years, bringing the total number of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles recalled for the problem to nearly 1.1 million worldwide.
Friday’s recall covers Altimas built from March 1, 2013, to Dec. 31, 2014. In October of last year, Nissan recalled 238,000 Altimas from the 2013 model year for the same problem. Those were built from March 6, 2012, to Feb. 28, 2013. Also, in January, the company recalled 216,000 Nissan Pathfinder SUVs from 2013 and 2014, Infiniti JX35s from 2013 and QX60s from 2014 for the same problem.
Nissan has received no reports of crashes or injuries caused by the problem, spokesman Steve Yaeger said Friday.
Hyundai offers fix for flaw in Genesis
DETROIT – Hyundai is recalling more than 26,000 Genesis luxury cars in the U.S. and Canada to fix a water leak that can cause the transmission gear shifter to malfunction.
The recall covers cars from the 2015 model year. Water can leak into the rear light assembly. In rare cases that can cause delays in gear shifting or display the wrong gear on the instrument panel. The gear selector is connected electrically to the rear lights.