BY Thomas Vaughn Memorial Day is tomorrow. Pausing to honor its true meaning is a tradition worth preserving for posterity. Traditionally, Memorial Day has served to honor those brave men and women in uniform who died in the service of our nation. Sadly, time and circumstance have taken a heavy toll on this tradition. Lately,…

MARTIN WASHINGTON (AP) ‘ The head of the Federal Communications Commission said Friday he wants to regulate fees charged to cellphone users who cancel their wireless contracts early. At a news conference, FCC chief Kevin Martin would not say whether he endorses an industry plan to help consumers avoid “early termination fees” as detailed by…

DETROIT (AP) ‘ Ford Motor Co. is cutting North American production of pickups and SUVs as car buyers eyeing record gas prices turn toward more fuel-efficient models. The automaker says it no longer expects to return to profitability by 2009 and didn’t rule out layoffs and plant closures. Dearborn-based Ford also on Thursday cut back…

By Ric Edelman Slick salespeople love to tout past performance data as an inducement to get you to invest. They sound authoritative and knowledgeable when they say, ‘Let me tell you about the Widget Fund ‘ it made 12 percent per year for the past five years!’ And consumers happily follow along. Everybody loves past…

NEW YORK (AP) ‘ Wall Street ended a week of big losses with more selling Friday as rising oil prices again raised worries that strained consumers will cut back spending and hurt the overall economy. The Dow Jones industrials fell nearly 150 points in the final session before the three-day holiday weekend. Investors are uneasy…

(AP) ‘ So how exactly are gas prices set? What determines the hair-pulling figure you see displayed in large electronic or plastic numbers? Why is a gallon of gas, say, $4.11 ‘ not $4.10 or $4.12? Why is the price different across the street? It all starts with oil. The biggest factor in the skyrocketing…

Consumer Reports A homeowner in New Jersey thought she was one of the lucky ones. After a freak flood struck hundreds of nearby homes and businesses, her house, on higher ground, went untouched. Then, when a local creek overflowed, her house was spared once more. But as she was organizing flood relief for other local…

Here’s a little message I’ve had for several months that I’ve been meaning to get in the paper: I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cellphone? What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets? What if we flipped through it several times a day? What…

By JAMES CLARK It’s not a good time to work at a store that sells gasoline. One gas station employee called the newspaper office Friday asking me to do a story about the treatment they’ve been receiving. I talked to another employee Friday night who verified that working behind the register at a gas station…

By JAMES CLARK For 14 years, China Wok had been open in Cumberland Plaza. But those days are over. China Wok has relocated to Northgate Shopping Center and opened its doors at its new spot Monday afternoon. Jin Zheng, whose family owns the business, says the move is a win-win situation. ‘It’s still the same…