The Virginian-Pilot

THE LEDGER-STAR

• AREA DOING WELL THIS YEAR, BUT RISING RATES MAY STOP THAT
• BELL ATLANTIC EARNINGS RISE 14.5 PERCENT
• NVIEW HAS PROFITABLE QUARTER COST-CUTTING AT THE PROJECTION-EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURER HELPED BOOST ITS PROFITS.
• BELLSOUTH AND COX MAY SPOIL COMCAST'S BID FOR QVC
• EMPLOYEES TO BUY DANVILLE NEWSPAPER: THE 126 EMPLOYEES OF THE DANVILLE REGISTER & BEE WILL SOON OWN THEIR NEWSPAPER THROUGH A RARELY USED STOCK OPTION ARRANGED BY THE WILL OF ITS LATE OWNER AND PUBLISHER, E. STUART JAMES GRANT. AMERICAN NATIONAL BANK AND TRUST CO., EXECUTOR OF THE ESTATE, SAID IT REACHED AN AGREEMENT TO SELL 100 PERCENT OF THE COMPANY STOCK TO THE REGISTER PUBLISHING CO. EMPLOYEE STOCK OWNERSHIP PLAN. THE PAPER'S DAILY CIRCULATION IS 24,000. - ASSOCIATED PRESS
• ETHYL SAYS EARNINGS INCREASED: ETHYL CORP. REPORTED WEDNESDAY THAT NET INCOME FOR THE SECOND QUARTER OF 1994 WAS $30.4 MILLION, OR 26 CENTS A SHARE, ON SALES OF $276.1 MILLION. IN THE SECOND QUARTER LAST YEAR, BEFORE IT SPUN OFF FIRST COLONY CORP. ON JUNE 1, 1993, AND ALBEMARLE CORP. ON FEB. 28, THE RICHMOND-BASED CHEMICALS COMPANY MADE $75.8 MILLION, OR 64 CENTS A SHARE, ON SALES OF $495 MILLION. ON A PRO FORMA BASIS, REFLECTING SECOND-QUARTER 1993 RESULTS WITHOUT THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE SPUN-OFF COMPANIES, ETHYL'S SECOND-QUARTER 1993 EARNINGS WERE $26.8 MILLION, OR 22 CENTS A SHARE, ON SALES OF $268.4 MILLION. - STAFF
• IN JUNE, 1 EFFECT OF HIGHER RATES: HOUSING STARTS FELL