Business Highlights

The Associated Press

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Power outage time after Sandy not extraordinary

NEW YORK (AP) ⿿ As the number of nights without power stretched on for thousands left in the dark after Superstorm Sandy, patience understandably turned to anger and outrage.

But an Associated Press analysis of outage times from other big hurricanes and tropical storms suggests that, on the whole, the response to Sandy by utility companies, especially in hardest-hit New York and New Jersey, was typical ⿿ or even a little faster than elsewhere after other huge storms.

The AP, with the assistance of Ventyx, a software company that helps utilities manage their grids, used Energy Department data to determine how many days it took to restore 95 percent of the peak number of customers left without power after major hurricanes since 2004, including Ivan, Katrina, Rita, Wilma, Ike and Irene.

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Twinkie maker Hostess reaches the end of the line

NEW YORK (AP) ⿿ Twinkies may not last forever after all.

Hostess Brands Inc., the maker of the spongy snack with a mysterious cream filling, said Friday it would shutter is operations after years of struggling with management turmoil, rising labor costs, intensifying competition and America's move toward eating healthier snacks even as its pantry of sugary dessert cakes seemed suspended in time.

Some beloved Hostess brands like Ding Dongs and Ho Ho's likely will be snapped up by buyers and find a second life, but for now the company says its snack cakes should be on shelves for another week or so. The news stoked an outpouring of nostalgia around kitchen tables, water coolers and online, as people relived childhood memories of their favorite Hostess goodies.

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2 years after IPO, GM is piling up cash

DETROIT (AP) ⿿ Two years after a wounded General Motors returned to the stock market, the symbol of American industrial might is thriving again.

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