TRONOX SHARES DIVE 21.19 PERCENT ON EARNINGS REPORT
Shares of Tronox Inc. plummeted 21.19 percent on the New York Stock Exchange Wednesday after the Oklahoma City-based chemical company reported a preliminary loss of $56.7 million for the fourth quarter of last year and a loss of $106.4 million for the full year.

INVESTOR PAYS $3.7M FOR SAND SPRINGS COMPLEX SITE
Pittsburgh real estate investor Daniel G. Kamin paid $3.7 million for the Wal-Mart Supercenter structure, parking lot and two side buildings in Sand Springs. - Kirby Lee Davis

CHESAPEAKE TO ADD 1,701 JOBS THROUGH STATE PROGRAM
Chesapeake Operating Inc. will add 1,701 jobs through Oklahoma Commerce's Quality Jobs Program, Commerce officials said Wednesday. - Jerry Shottenkirk

BRICKTOWN COULD GET HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS
A hotel developer hopes to raze an unoccupied industrial building in Oklahoma City's Bricktown district to make way for a 95-room Holiday Inn Express. - Kelley Chambers

HEART CARE FACILITY HALFWAY COMPLETE
Construction for the $64.4 million Hillcrest Heart Pavilion in Tulsa is halfway done, and officials are anticipating a January 2009 opening. Originally scheduled to open in late 2008, the 160,000-square-foot cardiac care facility has seen construction delays. - Heather Caliendo

TEXAS SENIOR CARE OPERATOR ENTERS SOONER STATE WITH $6.6M PURCHASE
StoneGate Senior Care of Lewisville, Texas, paid $6.66 million for the Tulsa Nursing Center Inc., marking StoneGate's entry into Oklahoma. - Kirby Lee Davis

JEWELRY SALES STRONG DESPITE GOLD PRICES
Today, her heart might go pitter-patter. His might have done the same at the cash register. But even with gold at an all-time high of more than $900 per ounce, Oklahoma jewelers are reporting strong Valentine's Day sales. - Kelley Chambers and Heather Caliendo

BILL WOULD EXPAND PREMIUM ASSISTANCE PROGRAM FOR NONPROFITS
Nonprofit organizations with as many as 500 employees would be eligible to participate in the state's premium assistance program by Senate Bill 1404. - Janice Francis-Smith

HOUSE COMMITTEE APPROVES PHARMACY AUDIT BILL
The big managed-care companies are able to treat small, independent pharmacists any way they want, said state Rep. Wes Hilliard, explaining his reasoning for filing House Bill 2490 to members of the House Public Health Committee on Wednesday. - Janice Francis-Smith