Ike wreaks havoc on Internet usage

The power blackouts that followed Hurricane Ike have caused the widest outage for U.S. Internet service since 2003, according to a firm that tracks Internet connectivity. Internet connections in Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania were the hardest hit, according to Renesys Corp., but the storm also caused outages in Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois and Indiana. Surrounding states had scattered outages as well. It was the largest area to lose its connections to the Internet since the Northeast blackout of 2003, according to Renesys.

Liquidation sales begin at Steve & Barry's stores

Final liquidation sales have begun at 103 Steve & Barry's stores being closed as part of a plan to turn around the struggling retailer. In the Pittsburgh region, locations being closed include stores in Lower Burrell, Greensburg, Johnstown, Steubenville and St. Clairsville, Ohio, and Morgantown, W.Va. No closing date has been set for those sites. The discount clothing retailer was bought out of bankruptcy last month by private investment firms. They plan to keep about 170 stores open, including sites in West Mifflin, Irwin and Monaca.

Lanxess to pass on costs, vows to meet profit goals

German chemicals maker Lanxess AG said it would meet full-year profit goals as it continues to pass on higher raw-material costs to its customers and growth in Asia compensates for a slowing U.S. market. Operating profit before special items will rise to more than $989 million this year, said CEO Axel Heitmann. Lanxess' U.S. operations are based in Findlay.

Mylan shares get lift from ban on competitor

Shares of Mylan Inc. jumped yesterday after the Food and Drug Administration moved to ban imports from India-based Ranbaxy Laboratories, Mylan's generic competitor. On Tuesday, the FDA barred the import of more than 30 generic drugs by Ranbaxy. The agency cited poor quality at two of Ranbaxy's factories in India. Ranbaxy's exit from the market for Accutane could mean a doubling of Mylan's generic Accutane revenue, which is currently about $25 million to $30 million annually, a Cowen & Co. analyst said in a note to investors. Mylan shares climbed 7.6 percent to $11.68 before settling up 1.5 percent, at $11.01.

Also in business ...

The average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline at area pumps rose 8 cents this week to $3.67, AAA East Central reported ... The grand opening for a new Kohl's department store in Richland, which will employ about 150 part-time and full-time workers, is scheduled for Oct. 1. The store has received silver-level pre-certification for energy and environmental design from the U.S. Green Building Council ... General Nutrition Centers Inc. has named Michael M. Nuzzo, an executive at retail chain Abercrombie & Fitch, to serve as executive vice president and chief financial officer ... Three Rivers Pharmaceuticals, of Cranberry, said it signed a licensing agreement with Amgen Inc. to expand its marketing rights for the hepatitis C drug Infergen to all markets except Japan.