As defense agencies hire, other government workers get incentives to retire

Uncle Sam may be hiring, but he's also trimming staff in some corners of the government, as agencies suffer through a budget squeeze or shift their focus.

E. coli-tainted beef infects 21 people in 16 states

Twenty-one people in 16 states have been infected in recent days with a potentially lethal strain of E. coli bacteria, after consuming beef in restaurants supplied by the same Oklahoma meat company, federal officials said.

Credit card charge-off rate climbs again

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Virginia Politics

Gov.-elect Robert F. McDonnell (R) recently sent a letter to U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar asking him to allow for the exploration of oil and gas off Virginia's coast.

Failed attack on jet renews concerns over lack of TSA chief

The failed terrorist attack on a packed airliner on Christmas has renewed concerns about the lack of stable leadership at the Transportation Security Administration, the U.S. agency on the front lines in preventing exactly that kind of incident.

Local Business Digest: CapitalSource nets $119 million from HUD deal

BANKING Commercial lender CapitalSource on Tuesday said it received about $119 million in cash proceeds after closing mortgages backed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Airline stocks hurt after Detroit incident

NEW YORK -- Shares of U.S. air carriers dropped Monday on concern that international business fliers, critical to the industry's recovery, will curb travel after the attempted bombing of a transatlantic Northwest Airlines flight.

This holiday season, Web sales are retailers' biggest gift

Consumers spent a little more than anticipated during the holiday season, according to a report out on Monday, and a significant e-tail threshold may have been crossed on Christmas Day at Amazon, the online bookseller.

Fed proposes term deposits to drain reserves

The Federal Reserve on Monday proposed allowing banks to set up the equivalent of certificates of deposit at the central bank, a move that would help the Fed mop up money pumped into the economy and prevent inflation from taking off later.

Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac on track to buy delinquent mortgages, analysts say

The U.S. government's expanded capital backstops and portfolio limits for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac increase "the prospect of large-scale" purchases by the companies of delinquent mortgages out of the securities they guarantee, according to Credit Suisse Group analysts.

Maryland cancer-testing firm MarkPap lands first customer

Nenad and Olivera Markovic labored for years to design a low-cost kit that could be used for the early detection of cervical cancer in women in poor and underdeveloped regions. This month, the two Rockville doctors and their start-up firm landed a first customer.

Ritz Camera aims to remake itself by diversifying its inventory

David Ritz showed off his new toys -- flat-panel TVs, compact laptops and smartphones -- at his camera shop in Rockville.