STERLING, Va. (AP) -- NeuStar Inc., a provider of clearinghouse services for communications companies, said Wednesday it expects to earn at least $1.29 per share during 2008, short of analyst expectations.

HARTSVILLE, S.C. (AP) -- packaging products maker Sonoco Products Co. on Wednesday forecast first-quarter earnings below Wall Street expectations.

Volcanic gas crimps Crater Rim Drive

HILO » Dangerously high levels of sulfur dioxide gas in a small but popular area of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park have officials warning visitors to stay in their cars with their air conditioner on re-circulation and to just drive through that area.

The main area affected is a 5-mile stretch of Crater Rim Drive on the downwind, south side of Kilauea caldera. That means no stopping at a popular parking area at the beginning of a short path to Halemaumau Crater overlook.

"Area closed due to dangerous volcanic gas. Stay in your car!" yellow-and-black warning signs say.

The greatest danger is to babies and children, pregnant women and people with asthma or heart conditions, said spokeswoman Mardie Lane.

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Ten Year Tax Abatements

If you own a home in Hamilton County, your property value is being re-assessed this year. And if you live in the City of Cincinnati and you've made big improvements to your home, it's important to make a move before the new value comes out.Local 12's Paula Toti show you how you might save a lot of tax dollars in this Money Alert. Property values are re-assessed every three years in Hamilton County. If you've made some improvements in the last three years to your home that are visible from the outside, you can expect the value to increase. If you live within Cincinnati city limits, in any neighborhood, if those improvements are new, you want to notify the city. You could get a ten year tax abatement on the value of those improvements and it's easy to do. "There's all new windows ... New siding ...

Cis' blog roundup - Friday

Gus has no business stirring things up any more over at P&Z. Fellow Commissioners Rick Currie and Katie Brodie should put a stop to it now. This whacky move reflects on them, too. If Gus wants to audition for a job for next January, I'm sure Kathryn Tacke at Job Service has a list of jobs for which he's more qualified.

Tomkins FY pretax 262.6 mln stg, up 7.3 pct; sees challenging year ...

(adds reaction, amends spelling of CEO James Nicol's name) LONDON, Feb. 21, 2008 (Thomson Financial delivered by Newstex) -- Engineering group Tomkins reported a 7.3 pct rise in pretax profits of 262.6 mln stg for the year to Dec 29, after new products and a focus on emerging markets helped offset economic weakness in US car and construction markets. Sales from continuing operations were 2.94 bln stg, down from 3.13 bln in 2006, it said, and the adjusted operating margin was 9.0 pct against 9.4 pct the year before. Adjusted operating profits, which exclude disposals, fell 11 pct to 264.7 mln. Net debt was 296.8 mln stg, against 403.0 mln in 2006, and the company said it is considering a share buyback of 5-10 pct. CEO James Nicol said the group, which makes components for cars and air conditioning systems and building products such as baths and windows, delivered a good performance after taking a number of 'self-help' measures to counter headwinds in its US automotive and construction end-markets.

Wreckage To Get Detailed Exam

Sunday, members of the Phoenix police dive team entered a murky pond at Steele Indian School Park to look for pieces from the wrecked helicopters.