CHESAPEAKE -- The Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce is hosting its 4th Friday Luncheon at noon Friday, Sept. 25, in the library of Chesapeake Middle School.

The guest speaker will be Charlene Farrell, director of Hospice of Huntington.

Those interested in attended are asked to RSVP by Wednesday, Sept. 23, by calling 740-377-4550.

W.Va. tourism spending nearly $4.4B in 2008

CHARLESTON -- Tourism officials say visitors to West Virginia spent nearly $4.4 billion in 2008.

A study released Monday by the West Virginia Division of Tourism found that all visitors spent about $12 million a day in the state. Visitors who stayed overnight in commercial lodging facilities spent $1.4 billion last year, and day travelers spent $2.1 billion, largely on gambling and entertainment.

Adjusted for inflation, travel spending has increased by 4.5 percent from 2000 to 2008.

According to the study, travel spending generated $591 million in state and local tax revenues and directly supported 44,000 jobs with earnings of $912 million.

Group asks FCC to nix Frontier-Verizon deal

CHARLESTON -- A consumer advocacy group is asking the Federal Communications Commission to reject Frontier Communications' plan to buy telephone lines from Verizon in West Virginia and 13 other states.

The National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates says the risks of the $8.6 billion deal outweigh potential benefits. The group says the move puts customers at risk of being served by a company that lacks the resources to make necessary improvements to local facilities and to expand broadband Internet access.

Study: Spending cuts reach across incomes

NEW YORK -- Across all income levels, the recession has led shoppers to reevaluate their spending and adopt cost-saving strategies -- and people say those new habits will last even after the economy recovers.

A new survey commissioned by IBM found that 72 percent of respondents have made "significant spending cuts" because of the economy. While the hardest hit are people who earn $45,000 a year or less, as might be expected, 59 percent of those earning $100,000 or more say they've cut back too.

The steps taken to save money most often involve shopping at more stores to get the best deal, by 49 percent of the people surveyed, and switching grocery stores, by 35 percent.

But while price is a major factor for 83 percent of respondents, 72 percent said that quality is also a top priority.

"It used to be much more about price and want. Now it's must more about value and need," said Guy Blissett, consumer products leader for IBM Institute for Business Value. "I think it's a much more sophisticated approach to shopping."

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