Pier 1 reports 1.7% same-store sales decline. Pier 1 Imports said its same-store sales in its fiscal second quarter were down 1.7% from the same period a year ago, as better traffic and closing ratios were offset by a lower average ticket.

When an Appraisal Just Doesn't Add Up. Q: I applied to refinance my mortgage and was told that I would have to have a current appraisal. The lender contacted an appraiser to schedule a time. I paid the lender $349 upfront, which was charged to my credit card.

USANA Unveils Million Dollar Club Walk of Fame. USANA Health Sciences, Inc. today unveiled its Million Dollar Club Walk of Fame at the entrance of its Salt Lake City headquarters.

Southern US coast nervously watches Hanna. SAVANNAH, Ga. Nervous residents rushed to buy plywood and generators while emergency officials in Georgia, Florida and the Carolinas weighed possible evacuations Tuesday as Tropical Storm Hanna shifted toward..

Mortgage Crisis Reaches Resorts. PARK CITY, Utah -- With the developer forced into bankruptcy court, Hugh Smith worries about the $1 million he and a partner sunk into bare lots at Promontory, a half-built, sprawling residence club in a town saturated with second homes for the wealthy.

Tax Break on Capital Gains Narrows. Deep in the nearly 700 pages of the new housing bill is a complicated change in the tax code that could affect substantial numbers of people who purchase second homes or investment real estate in the coming decade with an eye to occupying those homes as their main residence later.

Foreclosure Crisis Catching Renters Off Guard. James Austin was stunned when a real estate agent showed up to snap photos of the house he was renting last year and casually informed him the place was in foreclosure.

Room to Roam, and Float, in Anne Arundel. It did not take Dan Hurston long to get involved in his new neighborhood. Hurston moved about two years ago to Annapolis Landing in Riva and is already vice president of the homeowners association.

Supervisors get new KGHS budget update. The King George Board of Supervisors last week got some financial details on the budget for the new high school under construction on Route 3.     On August 19, Jim Staley, of URS Corporation, told the Board that even with several change orders the new high school project is still in the $40M range.The School Board approved a construction contract for a new King George High School with Howard Shockey & Sons, Inc., for a cost of $36,929,000 two years ago in August 2006.  .

HOM buys upper-end Gabberts. HOM Furniture is buying Gabberts Design Studio & Fine Furnishings. HOM President and chief executive Rod Johansen said this morning that the company will operate Gabberts in Edina's Galleria and has plans to..

URS wins Texas contract worth up to $80 million. San Francisco engineering giant URS Corp. won a contract in Texas worth up to $80 million over three years.

Architectural firm splits in 2. One of the nation's biggest architectural firms is splitting into two companies.

SEC Filing Reveals P&G Antitrust Probe. Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble says in a federal filing that United Kingdom authorities are investigating potential antitrust violations involving an unnamed P&G subsidiary.

USANA Unveils Rev3 energy at International Convention. USANA Health Sciences, Inc. today unveiled two new energy products, Rev3 energy and Rev3 energy surge pack, at its 16 th annual International Convention.

They're Townhouses, But 'This Isn't a Townhouse Feeling'. In 1974, when the King Charles Commons townhouse development opened in Columbia, a sales brochure described the Colonial-inspired community as recapturing "a bright page in American history" when "the easy and gracious living style afforded leisure time for politics and the arts.".

For First-Time Buyers, Tempting Prices but Tougher Rules. If you're a first-time home buyer, you'll find it a little harder to qualify for a mortgage than your counterpart did two years ago.

Don't Overlook the Kitchen Exhaust. Q: DEAR TIM: The plans for my new kitchen call for a range hood exhaust fan. Is one fan more effective than another? Years ago, the downdraft exhaust fans were popular. What kind of fan is in your kitchen? How do I make sure the one I select will adequately ventilate my kitchen?.

Engineering giant acquires Anchorage firm. URS Corp. said today it has acquired most of the assets of Tryck Nyman Hayes Inc., an Anchorage engineering firm.

A Throwback To the McLean Before the Bustle. Before Tysons Corner boomed and the CIA's Langley headquarters was built, an ad for Broyhill McLean Estates urged folks to get in on a locale that was sure to escalate in value because of the coming "Chantilly airport" and "Circumferential Highway".

P&G purchases scalp care products maker Nioxin. Procter & Gamble Co. has acquired Nioxin Research Laboratories Inc., a manufacturer of professional scalp care products for thinning hair.