Retailers report solid sales gains for July

Despite a flow of bad economic news that kept consumer confidence shaky, a number of retailers reported July revenue on Thursday that beat Wall Street estimates, including discounter Target, department store Macy's, and luxury chain Saks. The International Council of Shopping Centers' preliminary tally of retailers' revenue at stores open at least a year - a key indicator of a merchant's health - was up 4.6 percent, a slower pace than June's 6.9 percent gain but in line with forecasts.

"Early going, July looks like it's shaping up to be a solid month despite all the economic headwinds," said Ken Perkins, president of RetailMetrics LLC., a research firm. "But the concern is whether shoppers will buy back-to-school items at full price."

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BMW unveils next wave of electric cars

Car manufacturer BMW today unveiled its next wave of electric cars — the i8 sporty hybrid-electric coupe and a smaller i3 electric mini, both of which use a range-extending hybrid electric model.


The i3 is designed as a pure electric car, while the i8 is a high-end electric hybrid sports car similar to the Fisker Karma. BMW is also selling a range-extended version of the i3 that uses gasoline to recharge the battery and extend the range of the car called the REx. Both cars are examples of how the range-extension model is becoming an increasingly popular option for electric car manufacturers.

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Stimulus: Dam Removal Brings Discovery of Native Brook Trout

Native brook trout have been rediscovered in a tributary located in the New Hampshire Seacoast region -- a sign that the ecosystem altered by man for centuries is restoring itself following the removal of pre-Industrial Age dam.

Removal of the deteriorated and outmoded head-of-tide dam is allowing the return of many sea-run species to the Winnicut River, improving upstream and downstream migration for river herring, American eel, and rainbow smelt and other species.

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