'Peanuts' gang sells for $175M

NEW YORK » Publisher E.W. Scripps Co. is selling licensing rights for Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the rest of the “;Peanuts”; gang to Iconix Brand Group Inc., the licensing company that owns Joe Boxer and London Fog.

The family of the late “;Peanuts”; creator Charles Schulz also will own part of the business, giving it more control.

Scripps will sell its licensing unit, which also represents characters such as Dilbert and Raggedy Ann and Andy, for $175 million.

Bulletin's Watanabe to be honored

Honolulu Star-Bulletin consumer columnist June Watanabe will be honored with a BBB Ka Mea o Kako'o award today at Hawaii's Better Business Bureau's Torch Awards luncheon at Hilton Hawaiian Village's Coral Ballroom.

Receiving a similar award will be Honolulu Advertiser business writer Robbie Dingeman. The award honors individuals who have significantly advanced marketplace trust by their commitment to consumer advocacy, protection or education.

The winners of the BBB Torch Awards in four categories also will be announced today. Finalists are:

» Small business category: Business Consulting Resources, Fun Hogs Sportfishing, Loomis-ISC and The Audio Visual Co.

» Medium-size business category: Island Naturals Market; Lex Brodie's Tire, Brake & Wheel Co.; Mastercare; and Retina Institute of Hawaii.

» Large business category: Aloha Air Cargo, Kahala Nui Senior Living Community, Kaiser Permanente and Servco Pacific.

» Public charity category: Hospice Hawaii, Kauai Food Bank and Lanakila Pacific.

Djuan Rivers, Disney Vacation Club and Resort Hawaii vice president, will deliver the keynote address at the event, which is from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

European debt crisis grips Portugal

ATHENS » Greece was pushed to the brink of a financial abyss and started dragging another euro zone country—Portugal—down with it yesterday, fueling fears of a continentwide debt meltdown.

Stocks around the world tanked when ratings agency Standard & Poor's downgraded Greek bonds to junk status and downgraded Portuguese bonds two notches, showing investors that Greece's financial contagion is spreading. Greece is struggling with massive debt, and with prospects for economic growth weak, it could end up in default.

Ford turns another profit

DEARBORN, Mich. » Ford Motor Co. earned $2.1 billion in the first quarter as the economic clouds parted and consumers grew confident enough to buy cars again.

The profit of 50 cents per share was Ford's fourth straight positive quarter. It's an about-face from the same period last year, when Ford lost $1.4 billion, or 60 cents a share, at the height of the recession.

ON THE MOVE

Caliber Funding, a mortgage company, has named the following:

» Sharon Robinson as branch manager for its office on Maui. She has been in the business for more than 30 years, including working for Central Pacific Home Loans.

» Earl Casil as branch manager for the Oahu office. He has 14 years of lending experience, including as Honolulu branch manager at Charter Funding and team manager for Central Pacific Home Loans.

» Shirley De Rego as branch manager of the Hawaii island office. She has 12 years' experience in the mortgage industry and is an expert in FHA financing as well as first-time homebuyer programs.

Lions Clubs to hold convention in Hawaii

The Lions Clubs International has chosen Hawaii for its international convention in June 2015.

The meeting is expected to draw more than 25,000 people to the state, which could translate to more than $50 million in revenue. The last time Lions Clubs met in Hawaii was in June 2000, with about 20,000 attendees.

The event will be held at the Hawai'i Convention Center. The center's hotel partners expect about 120,000 room nights for their properties. Lions Clubs International is the world's largest service club organization, with more than 1.3 million members worldwide.