WASHINGTON -- NBC Universal and two private-equity funds have purchased the Weather Channel, the companies said Sunday.

Customers at The Pub in Kennewick haven't been able to smoke inside since the state instituted a ban 2 1/2 years ago.

North Korea has received 37,000 metric tons of Northwest soft white wheat that will be distributed in the nation by the United Nations.

CINCINNATI -- The Kroger Co. expanded its voluntary recall of some ground beef products beyond stores in Michigan and parts of Ohio to its stores in more than 20 states Wednesday, including such outlets as Fred Meyer and QFC in Oregon.

The corporate boardroom at the new Tri-Cities Business & Visitor Center has a new name.

The transition to the new contractor for Hanford's tank farms starts today.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Apple's Leopard operating system isn't even a year old, but its offspring, Snow Leopard, is already preparing to prowl.

Connecticut-based company is arriving in Kennewick with a message for local wineries: "Put a cork in it!"

Jeff Gordon and his brother, Bill, were successfully digging out a living as potato and vegetable farmers when they decided to diversify their crops 25 years ago.

Nearly 70 percent of visitors to Walla Walla said they would probably or definitely return to the city in the next year, according to survey results released this week.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia Oil dropped below $144 a barrel Monday in Asia on signs of easing tensions over Iran's nuclear program.

RUSUTSU, Japan Aid for Africa - and whether enough was coming from the world's major economic powers - was in the spotlight Monday as the Group of Eight nations planned to meet with seven African leaders at its annual summit.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. The buzz around Marshall University this week will be about the importance of honeybees.

WASHINGTON Things in the U.S. sure are tough. Brother, can you spare a euro?

WASHINGTON Things in the U.S. sure are tough. Brother, can you spare a euro?

NEW YORK NBC is using the Olympics as a "billion-dollar research lab" to get a sense of how people are using different media platforms to experience the Beijing Games that begin Aug. 8.

NEW YORK NBC Universal and two partners said Sunday they have reached a deal to buy The Weather Channel from Landmark Communications Inc., ending a drawn-out process that had attracted interest from several major media companies.

NEW YORK Rant all you want in a public park. A police officer generally won't eject you for your remarks alone, however unpopular or provocative.

MEXICO CITY Internet company Terra says it has been awarded Internet and mobile rights to transmit the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Latin America.

TORONTO BCE Inc, Canada's largest telecommunications company, said Friday it has agreed on terms of a $35 billion sale to a group led by the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan in the biggest leveraged buyout ever. The deal is expected to be completed by mid-December.