• A riveting
When Levi Strauss & Co. wanted to convince women that denim can be fashionable, it took center stage on Bravo TV's popular reality show "Project Runway."

• Hillsboro seeks more enterprise zones
HILLSBORO -- The city is seeking to attract more solar and bioscience companies by adding about 1,000 acres as enterprise zones.

• Starbucks back to daily grind
SEATTLE -- Starbucks is introducing a new automated espresso machine and getting back to grinding beans in its stores as the coffee retailer seeks to re-energize its business.

• Foreign sales, currency rates boost Nike profit
Nike Inc.'s third-quarter profit jumped more than 30 percent because of strong sales overseas and beneficial currency exchanges, the athletic shoe and apparel giant said Wednesday.

• Investors jump to get Visa shares
Catapulted by the biggest initial public offering in U.S. history, Visa Inc. shares soared 28 percent in their stock market debut Wednesday as investors bet an accelerating shift to electronic payments will enrich the world's largest processor of credit and debit cards.

• It's old, it's new and it's salvaged for brew
Christian Ettinger's new beard is growing in nicely, but he'll be happy to shave Tuesday, when Hopworks Urban Brewery is scheduled to open after a 21-month gestation.

• News highlights
NEWS UPDATE: CREDIT CRISIS

• Small talk
Notes and advice on running small businesses

• U.S. pulls economy's strings
By making it easier for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to raise funds and back nearly $2 trillion in home loans this year, the government is making its role in steadying the economy decidedly more hands on.