The Springfield News-Leader from Springfield, Missouri • Page 11

ITl) i si aq News-Leader Market Watch Dow Jones 10,179.16 39.45 NYSE 6,426.40 23.25 1,106.62 4.90 Nasdaq 1,892.09 4.73 Russell 2000 551.93 A 0.64 0.39 0.36 0.44 0.25 0.12 Tuesday August 3, 2004 Gas Price Index Midwest business index declines Manufacturing slips in the regioa but grows nationally for 14th month in row. On the Web Mid-America Business Conditions Index: port orders were down to 54.5 from June's 58.4. Despite a weak dollar, the import index was up slightly to 60.8. Goss said rising commodity prices, especially for oil, are pushing the import index to record levels as companies spend more on the same or fewer units of inputs. For the region, and for most states, new orders for durable goods at 78.6 were much stronger than new orders for nondurable goods at 65.8.

"Over the past several months, we have recorded much stronger growth for durable or heavy manufacturing," Goss said. between 0 and 100. An index greater than 50 indicates an expanding economy over the course of the next three to six months. States included in the survey are Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota. The employment index for the region was weaker in July at 61.5, compared with June's 65.4.

Hiring in the region has been very strong for the first half of the year, with annualized job growth exceeding 2 percent, Goss said. "Between 1995 and the beginning of the recession in 2001, regional employment expanded at a pace slightly less than 2 percent per year," Goss said. "What we're seeing in July is consistent with that same solid pace for the second half of 2004." Delivery speed of raw materials and supplies to businesses in the region continues to slow, Goss said. "Supply managers reported significant bottlenecks, with an index of 63, indicating both supply bottlenecks and longer times to fill orders," Goss said. Supply managers also reported difficulty in obtaining adequate supplies In the Mid-America Business Conditions Index, conducted across a nine-state region by Creighton University's Economic Forecasting Group, the overall index declined to 64.2 from June's 68.2.

The prices-paid index declined for a third straight month. But at 83.4, inflationary pressures at wholesale level remained above desired levels, Creighton economics professor Ernie Goss said. The overall index ranges of many commodities, especially steel and cement, Goss said. "Oil prices, at a record $43 per barrel in nominal terms, continue to cut into business profitability and slow growth," said Goss, who is director of Creighton's Economic Forecasting Group. The new orders index declined in July to 64.7 from 71.6 in June.

New ex THE ASSOCIATED PRESS OMAHA, Neb. An index tracking Midwest manufacturing declined in July while inflationary pressures remained strong, according to a monthly survey of supply managers and business leaders released Monday. U.S. manufacturing, meanwhile, expanded for the 14th consecutive month, boosted by new orders and higher production, the Institute of Supply Management said Monday. Sales of new the Strike hits auto dealers' shops Teamsters, Machinists walkout affects dozens of St.

horns dealerships' service departments. a III HIIMiilli iLrlMitltIM By Stephanie V. Siek THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ST. LOUIS Mechanics, technicians and other union-backed workers in auto shops of five dozen new-car dealerships around St. Louis walked the picket lines Monday after rejecting contract proposals over the weekend.

Teamsters Local 618, which represents about 580 parts-and-service department workers at 60 area dealerships, rejected a contract proposal by a vote of 333-85 on Sunday morning. That came a day after the International Association of Machinists rejected a proposed three-year deal by a vote of more than 2-to-l. The machinists voted to strike by a margin of more than 3-to-l. The unions' existing contracts, affecting about 1,800 workers, both expired Saturday night. Car sales at the dealerships are unaffected by the strikes.

No new bargaining was immediately planned. "I would hope for an early resolution," said Rod Joggerst, president of Teamsters Local 618. "But we're ready for the long haul." Joggerst said the union's sticking points include low wage increases for second- and third-year employees and vacation takebacks that would cut new hires' vacation and sick leave. Among the Machinists' con Marty Stratton of id Software Inc. sets out to battle one of many assorted monsters while playing the new "Doom 3" video game at the company's headquarters in Mesquite, Texas.

Gamers await their 'Doom' Ho change Five area gas stations compose the News- $1.72 Leader's Springfield Gas Price Index. The index is an average of the daily prices of five local stores across the region. Hammons sells South Dakota hotel John Q. Hammons has sold the Holiday Inn Rush-more Plaza Hotel and Conference Center in Rapid City, S.D., which Hammons owned privately. Steven C.

Lester LLC of Rapid City purchased the eight-story, 250-room hotel and conference center. The property provides 14,200 square feet of meeting space and opened in 1990. NYSE wants more electronic trading New York The New York Stock Exchange will revamp its structure to allow for greater electronic trading in a hybrid market, one that also includes the specialists who have executed trades since the NYSE's inception. In a filing made Monday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the NYSE said it wants to give stock traders the option to have their trades executed electronically, no matter the price or number of shares involved, while still providing the option for a floor-based auction run by specialists that the exchange says often results in price improvement for both parties.

Apple, Pixar may suffer without Jobs SAN JOSE, Calif. Steve Jobs says he expects a full recovery from his cancer surgery, but news of his illness raised the question of how his companies, Apple Computer Inc. and Pixar Animation Studios, would fare without the executive. "What makes him very hard to replace is his charisma," said industry analyst Rob Enderle. Jobs sent an e-mail message from his hospital bed Sunday to Apple and Pixar employees announcing that he underwent successful surgery to treat a form of pancreatic cancer an islet cell neuroendocrine tumor.

The cancer is extremely rare and easily cured if diagnosed early, as Jobs says it was in his case. AWMDS Achievers Michelle Bekemeier has been named to the 2003 President's Council for the U.S. Affiliate for Eli Lilly and based in Indianapolis. Bekemeier represents the company 'XL Bekemeier in the Springfield area. This award is given to the top 2 percent of sales representatives.

Nancy Simpson, with Journal Broadcast Group, Springfield Operations, has been promoted to assistant news director for the Springfield property, licensees for KTTS-FM 94.7 and KSGF-AMFM 1260104.1 radio stations. Simpson is a graduate of Southwest School of Broadcasting. FOR THE RECORD Read listings of bankruptcies, business licenses and building permits at hit 4 million LEIGH T. JIMMIE THE ASSOCIATED PRESS New 'Doom' is more complex USA TODAY "Doom 3," the newest entry in game developer id Software's horror hall of fame, is a departure of sorts. You still have hordes of demons after you.

And that familiar click-click of the reloading shotgun remains. But over time, things have changed. With previous id games, from 1993's original "Doom" through 1994's "Doom II" and 1996's "Quake," you were rewarded for shooting first and worrying about the consequences later. Now though you again play a Marine on Mars, facing a horde of demons you have to be careful not to eradicate a character who might hold a valuable clue to the secret to preventing a demonic assault on Earth. "The first game didn't have much depth," says technical director John Carmack, who co-founded id in 1991 and was made wealthy by "Doom." "Doom" also popularized the "first-person shooter" concept: Players view the 3-D world through the eyes of the character on screen, wielding weaponry as if it were in their own hands.

i PC game expected to slumping industry; PC game sales last year dropped to $1.2 billion from $1.4 billion in 2001 and 2002. Computer makers and graphics card companies also stand to benefit as gamers trade up or upgrade systems so the game looks better. More long-awaited videogame titles are coming this fall: "Halo 2" (MicrosoftBungie, Nov. 9). A sequel to the space combat best seller for the Xbox video game system.

"Half-Life 2" (VivendiValve Software, no final date announced). Expected to rival "Doom 3" for top PC title of 2004. The 1998 original sold more than 8 million worldwide. "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" (Take TwoRockstar Games, October). This installment in the free-form drive-by gangster series is for Sony PlayStation 2.

"Doom 3" is a far cry from the original, in which gamers traveled through corridors stocked with monsters that, when dispatched with various weapons, exploded in chunks of cartoon-ish blood. The new game is more realistic and intense. Says id Software technical director John Carmack: "We can rely on more subtle levels of light and create moods, film-director-style." cerns: a clause that would have allowed less-skilled workers to do work normally done by mechanics and technicians what apprentice mechanic Paul Dolenz called "gravy work" brake jobs, front-end alignments that are part of his job description. "You're going to have the helpers doing a lot of easy stuff and there's nothing for the journeyman mechanics to do," he said. "It's one way to start cutting journeymen out of the loop." The strike took effect immediately.

But because most dealers' service departments were routinely closed Sunday, the effects were more visible Monday. At Don Brown Chevrolet in St. Louis, the service bays Monday were empty as Dolenz and a half-dozen other picketers walked the line outside. Inside, receptionists were busy fielding calls from customers. Patrick M.

Sanders, a lawyer representing 61 dealerships of the St. Louis Auto Dealers Association Signatory Group, said sales were unaffected by the strike, but "service is a slightly different story." Sanders said service managers were making alternate arrangements for affected customers, including shifting the work to unaffected dealerships or to independent repair shops. Sanders said the association was "surprised and disappointed" by the decision to strike. the beginning of the year. Cox Enterprises, which owns 62 percent of the cable provider's shares, is seeking to take control of the remaining 38 percent.

Taking the cable company private would allow it to focus more on long-term returns rather than the quarterly tallies that shareholders covet, Cox Enterprises spokesman Bob Jimenez said. The offer price represented a 16 percent premium over Cox closing price Friday of $27.58. The shares finished at $33.16, up $5.58 on the New York Stock Exchange. delicious Schwartz said the prices of beef, pork and cheese have skyrocketed in the past few se months, but so far he hasn had to raise his prices. "I am just treading water waiting for prices to go down and they have some," he said.

"More often than not, a business owner puts off raising prices until it's too late." Host rewarding: Schwartz said it's the customer's compliments that make him happy. Claudia Beasley Cox Enterprises wants to buy up its cable TV provider's shares By Mike Snider USA TODAY There aren't a lot of people who get excited about impending doom unless it's "Doom," the top-selling computer game. The long-awaited Version 3 arrived Monday night, and its arrival, along with a few other top games this fall, is expected to juice up the gaming industry. Best Buy stores in Piano, Texas; Richfield, New York; Los Angeles; Sterling, and White Marsh, were to host exclusive midnight sales events Monday, and other retailers follow throughout the week. Initial shipments rated mature, for ages 17 and older) of the PC game could approach 1 million; total sales of at least 4 million are expected.

That's way beyond sales for a typical PC game but short of all-time best seller "The Sims" (more than 8 million). A version for the Microsoft Xbox is due later this year. It took nearly four years for the second follow-up to the 1993 first-person shooting classic to reach stores. "'Doom 3' is a sure-fire hit," says analyst David Cole of research firm DFC Intelligence. That's good news for a THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ATLANTA Cox Enterprises Inc.

announced a $7.9 billion proposal Monday to buy the shares of Cox Communications Inc. it does not already own and take the nation's fourth-largest cable television provider private. Shares of Cox Communications surged more than 20 percent. The jump in the stock price, to $33.16 a share, suggested investors would hold out for a higher bid than the $32 being offered, analysts said, noting that Cox Communications shares traded at about $34.49 a share at an entire of pizza recipes are the Fresh, quality ingredients make daVinci's pizza are used to eating recipes, pizza recipes and SMALL Old World-style stone oven. Patrons can dine in, take out or pick up one of the freshly made pizzas and bake it themselves.

Schwartz caters but doesn't de Owner Bill Schwartz When business started: March 2002 Location: 2934 E. Sunshine St. in Southern Hills Shopping Center. Number of employ Schwartz ees: Four part-time. About business: Schwartz describes his business as a "traditional.

Old World pizzeria." He said his family has been making pizza for more than 50 years, and he uses the same dough 'Don't by cret to Schwartz success. "We haven't lost sight of the fact that the customers rule here, not the bottom line," he said. Schwartz enjoys talking and joking with customers. He spent a portion of his youth as a stand-up comedian but said he is serious about pizza. Toughest part of business: "Multitasking beyond rea-sonability," said Schwartz, "and maintaining sanity while all else is crazy." pizza.

They try my pizza and get full on two slices." How business started: Schwartz said he has been working as a chef for many years in various parts of the country. He is from New York City but had lived for 30 years in Iowa. After a visit to the Ozarks, seeing how lovely it is and tasting pizza offered here, he knew this was the place for his pizzeria. Roots of success: Ouality, freshness and the variety BUSINESSES daVinci's Pizzeria the amount of food or the quality of ingredients." Schwartz also offers soy mozzarella and a low-carb crust for pizza lovers with diet restrictions. Difference from competitors: "Taste," said Schwartz, "and we separate ourselves by putting a meal in front of the customer instead of a snack.

People tell me they liver. "We use 100 percent whole-milk mozzarella cheese and the best ingredients," said Schwartz. "My grandmother used to say, skimpa on the and what she meant that is don't skimp on i e'w a'r'e pp. ope RTifs at ww murney. ISpringfield 823.2300 882.6222 Nixa 724.2300 Ozark 58KUlighl wmmmm.