Business First has rated the academic performance of 211 public and private middle schools in the eight counties of Western New York, based on four years of test data from the New York State Education Department.

Two St. Louis-area men pleaded guilty Tuesday to a mortgage fraud scheme involving the sale of residential real estate in Sikeston.

One of Oregon’s U.S. senators wants the White House to examine the decision to close six Chrysler dealerships and at least one General Motors dealership in Oregon.

California Labor Commissioner Angela Bradstreet Tuesday filed suits to shut down nine car wash businesses around the state for failing to register with the state’s Labor Standards Enforcement division.

Blue Shield of California said Tuesday it appointed Meredith Mathews, M.D., senior vice president and chief medical officer, replacing Dr. Alan Sokolow, who accepted a position with United Healthcare in Southern California late last year, according to Blue Shield.

The U.S. Senate appropriations committee included funding Tuesday for eight Boeing C-17 cargo planes in the 2009 supplemental appropriations bill.