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Nearly free Wi-Fi at Borders Books

Borders Books & Music stores across the islands have installed T-Mobile HotSpot service, offering wireless Internet access to customers as part of a nationwide company roll out.

The service, which comes free with the purchase of a cup of coffee, allows customers with a wireless laptop or a personal digital assistant to access the Internet at high speeds. Borders stores in Hawaii are in Waikele, Honolulu, Lihue on Kauai, Kahului on Maui, and Hilo and Kona on the Big Island.

Ag department offers product grants

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is accepting applications for value-added agricultural product development grants for fiscal year 2003.

A total of $27.7 million has been designated to help farmers with value-added products.

Grants can be used for developing feasibility studies or business plans. They also may be used as working capital to operate a value-added business venture or an alliance that will allow the producers to better compete in the marketplace. The maximum award of $500,000 has a matching funds requirement.

Applicants can be independent producers or agricultural cooperatives. For more information contact Tim O'Connell, USDA cooperative development specialist in Hilo, at (808) 933-8313 or via e-mail at tim.oconnell@hi.usda.gov.

Hawaii credit union access broadens

Eight Hawaii credit unions, which partnered in 1999 to form HICUSO, the Hawaii shared branching network for credit unions, have joined the Financial Service Centers Cooperative Inc. shared branching network.

The alliance will provide HICUSO members access to FSCC's network of 750 credit unions and 803 locations in 37 states and four foreign countries. Additionally, FSCC credit union members who live, work or visit Hawaii will be able to use any of the eight Hawaii credit unions' 29 branches on Oahu and the Big Island.

HICUSO members are Hawaii Community FCU, Hawaii State FCU, HawaiiUSA FCU, Hawaiian Tel FCU, Honolulu City & County EFCU, Honolulu Federal EFCU, Pearl Harbor FCU and University of Hawaii FCU.

FSCC, which is owned and operated by credit unions, was founded in 1990.

Pacific Century Fellows taps future isle leaders

The Pacific Century Fellows Program has selected 31 men and women to participate in its program designed to identify, encourage and develop future island leaders.

Modeled after the White House Fellows Program, applicants were chosen on the basis of a written application and personal interview by a panel of judges. The program provides participants with direct contact with senior community, social and government leaders.

Those selected include three from Maui County and two from the Big Island.

Those selected are: Melodie Williams Aduya, Hawaii State Senate; Danny Agsalog, County of Maui; Lynn Araki-Regan, County of Maui; Keith G. Bukoski, Hawaii State Legislature; Donovan Dela Cruz, Honolulu City Council; Sandra Ching-Harvey, First Hawaiian Bank; Scott Higashi, Colliers Monroe Friedlander; Christopher Hughes, Marine Forces Pacific; Sylvia Hussey, Kamehameha Schools; Bryan Kam, HHNL/KFVE TV; Glen Kaneshige, Nordic Construction Ltd.; William Kenoi, County of Hawaii; Christine Kondo, Hawaii Dental Group Inc.; Peter Kubota, Big Island attorney; Nobleza Magsanoc, The Pacific Resource Partnership; Kevin Matsuda, American Savings Bank; John Matsumoto, Thomas Rulon Estate Planning; Bettina Mehnert, Architects Hawaii Ltd.; Francis Morley, U.S. Pacific Command; Michele Namahoe, Aha Punana Leo Inc.; Mark Nishiyama, Kamaina Kids; Lisa Ontai, Ontai-LaGrange and Associates; Bryan Ossolinski, U.S. Air Force; Kaulana Park, Department of Hawaiian Homelands; Katherine Spaulding-Perkuchin, U.S. Army Pacific Command; William Ruotola, Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.; R. Scott Simon, Watanabe Ing Kawashima & Komeiji; Ryan Takaki, Direct Support Resources Inc.; James Takatsuka, Microsoft Corp.; Robin Tjioe, Cyberlink Pacific LLC; Jacy Youn, Hawaii Business magazine.

Barr wins FDA approval of birth-control pill

POMONA, N.Y. >> Barr Laboratories Inc., the third-biggest U.S. maker of oral contraceptives, said it won U.S. approval to sell its birth-control pill that reduces a woman's menstrual periods to four a year from 13.

More than 16 million women in the United States take oral contraceptives, according to Barr, which also makes generic medicines. The Food and Drug Administration clearance of the pill, called Seasonale, may help the drug bring in sales of $16.2 million in Barr's 2004 fiscal year, which began in June, according to research from Wachovia Securities.

Manufactured home maker cuts 1,000 jobs

DETROIT >> Champion Enterprises Inc. announced yesterday it is cutting 1,000 jobs and is closing four home-building plants and 35 retail sales centers because of a continuing slump in the demand for manufactured homes.

The job cuts amount to 13 percent of Auburn Hills-based Champion's work force, company spokeswoman Colleen Bauman said. Employees found out about the layoffs yesterday.

Champion is one of the nation's largest producers of manufactured housing.

The four homebuilding facilities being closed are in Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina and Texas.

Home Depot to acquire roof firm

ATLANTA >> Home Depot said yesterday it has agreed to buy IPUSA, a national roofing installation company that has served as a contractor to Home Depot for the past six years.

Privately held IPUSA, which is comprised of Tampa-based Installed Products USA and Installed Products of California, is one of the country's largest installers of residential replacement roofing.

The transaction is expected to close within 30 days. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Home Depot, the largest retailer of roofing materials, said the acquisition will provide it with a stronger platform for the company's expansion into roofing installation and other installation services.

Home Depot is working to increase its share of the $32 billion installation services market.

Installation services are becoming more popular, even among the do-it-yourself set, according to Home Depot and Lowe's. The industry has blossomed as more customers decide they'd rather pay someone to do installation work for them.