Shopping for college textbooks? Better bring your checkbook

When sophomore Curtis Maynard emerged from the Champlain College bookstore the other day, he had about half of the books he expected to buy for the spring semester. His tab for four books was $275. His projected textbook bill for the term: $500. Such costs are not unusual, as students at the University of Vermont, St. Michael's, and other colleges realize as they browse for their "required" readings in various courses. A 2006 study of college pricing by the College Board found that students at four-year colleges spent an average of about $940 a year on books and supplies. New college textbooks -- most notably the hardbound, encyclopedic tomes commonly used in survey courses -- commonly cost more than $100 in a college bookstore. Many new texts come "bundled" -- shrink-wrapped with CD-ROMS, study guides or Web access cards.

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Monroeville shopping for more diverse economy

Even if Westinghouse Electric Co. should decide to build a new nuclear engineering facility in Butler County rather than expand its headquarters in Monroeville, the onetime stagecoach stop east of Pittsburgh is making strides to diversify its retail-heavy economy. Long known for its shopping mall -- said to be the nation's biggest when it opened more than 35 years ago -- Monroeville is fighting hard to hang onto its 1,800 high-paying Westinghouse jobs and grab at least 1,000 more the firm says it intends to add in the next decade. Westinghouse is mulling over whether to expand on Northern Pike in Monroeville or to build a facility on Route 228 in Cranberry, Butler County, to keep up with growing domestic and international demand for nuclear power plants. Company spokesman Vaughn Gilbert said a decision will come no later than March 15, and perhaps before the end of January.

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Avoid costly motor insurance by shopping around, expert advises

An expert is advising drivers to ensure they get the best deals when renewing their motor insurance policies to avoid price rises.The suggestion follows predicted rises in motor insurance during 2007 by some providers, as forecast by Deloitte last year.Increases could be implemented after a two per cent drop in premiums for new business was recorded in 2006, the company stated."In response to this we have been speaking to a number of insurance companies about their plans for this year and a number of those that we have spoken to have said that they intend to keep their prices as they are," said Richard Mason, managing director of the insurance channel at moneysupermarket.com.Drivers whose motor insurance providers are expecting to lift their prices should shop around before renewing their policies, Mr Mason stated.

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