Honolulu continues to have one of the lowest unemployment rates of 372 cities tracked by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The seasonally not-adjusted rate of 5.2 percent for Honolulu tied it with Billings, Mont., as the 14th lowest, according to figures released by the agency.

Bismark, N.D., had the distinction of having the lowest level of joblessness of the cities at 3.6 percent. El Centro, Calif., had a rate of 27.9 percent, the highest in the survey.

ISLES HAVE 2ND FEWEST TORT LOSSES IN U.S.

Hawai'i is No. 2 in the country with the fewest number of tort losses and risks based on cases, attorneys, damages and settlements, according the 2010 U.S. Tort Liability Index.

A tort is a civil lawsuit seeking redress for damage or injury to property or reputation.

Only Alaska ranked better in the study done for the Pacific Research Institute, a free-market think tank, and the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI, a public policy and economic research organization. The foreword to the study was written by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

New Jersey was the worst state in terms of losses.

CVS TO ACQUIRE 200 PHARMACIES A YEAR

CVS Caremark Corp., which owns more than 40 Longs Drug Stores in Hawai'i, said it plans to purchase about 200 independent pharmacies a year nationwide to increase market share.

Those outlets would be folded into CVS' existing store base rather than operated separately, CEO Tom Ryan said yesterday.

CVS, the second-biggest U.S. drugstore chain, has expanded through acquisition since at least 1993, including the 2008 purchase of Longs Drug Stores Corp., which added 521 outlets. CVS converted all the Longs stores to the CVS brand except for those in Hawai'i, which retained the Longs name.