Short Reports

Thu., Sept. 23, 1999

From Staff

The Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce will be closed from 1 to 5 p.m. today in honor of former Chamber president George Reitemeier. Reitemeier, who headed the chamber from 1970 to 1993, died Monday. Chamber employees and volunteers will pay tribute to Reitemeier at memorial services held at the Spokane Country Club.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, said it’s adding kiosks that sell auto, life and other kinds of insurance at its Sam’s Club discount warehouse chain. Closely held Insurance Holdings of America Inc. is franchising the kiosks to agents under the GROUPadvantage brand. Insurance Holdings already has Sam’s Club kiosks in seven U.S. states, from Arizona to New Hampshire, and said it plans to operate in all of the chain’s 454 stores by the end of next year. Franchisees use an Internet-based processing system to find the lowest-priced policies available in customers’ local areas.

Consumers in North America and Europe will likely pay steeper fuel bills this winter due to OPEC’s decision Wednesday to maintain deep cuts in oil output until at least next March. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries announced its widely expected move in a communique issued during a semiannual meeting of its 11 oil ministers. OPEC will stick to cuts of 4.3 million barrels per day.

Kohler Co. had a long-standing policy not to hire short people. Now that policy is costing the plumbing-fixture manufacturer almost $900,000 on grounds it discriminated against women. The U.S. Labor Department said Kohler will pay $886,500 in back pay to more than 2,000 women who were turned down for jobs in 1994 and 1995 under a company rule that required employees to be at least 5 feet, 4 inches tall.

United Technologies Corp., the world’s biggest maker of air conditioners and elevators, said it will expand an existing job-cut program to eliminate a total of 14,500 positions as part of a previously planned restructuring program.

Air fares to Europe and some domestic destinations were put on sale Wednesday, with flights to London as low as $198 for round-trip travel. The London sale launched by British Airways’ is good for tickets purchased only through Friday.

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Short Reports

Jesse Tinsley

Jim Meehan

Molly Quinn

Rob Curley

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