Business briefs: Geraldson farm dinner to focus on local produce

Dinner to focus on local produce

BRADENTON -- Geraldson Community Farm wants to show diners just how enjoyable local produce can be.

The farm is hosting a Seeds for Life dinner from 6 to 9 p.m. on Nov. 7. Geraldson is pairing with the Healthy Start Coalition of Manatee County to cook a nutritious dinner from fruits and vegetables harvested locally. Darwing Brewing Co. beer will be served with dinner.

Geraldson members can purchase tickets by Friday at 5 p.m. for a reduced price of $50. Regular member tickets are $60 and non-members can attend for $70.

RSVP to info@fwcrcd.org to buy tickets.

Carnival announces more ships, brands in China

MIAMI -- Carnival Corp. will continue its eastward expansion, basing six ships in China in the 2016 season, the Miami-based company announced Tuesday at a trade show in Shanghai.

The move increases Carnival's capacity in China by 58 percent, to a total of 4 million passenger cruise days, accounting for nearly half the Chinese market share, the company said.

Currently, Carnival's Chinese-based ships are in the Costa and Princess brands. In 2017, it will add two more ships, from Carnival and its German AIDA brand. In addition, Carnival has signed an agreement with Chinese enterprises to form potential joint ventures for shipbuilding and port development, and is exploring launching the first domestic Chinese cruise brand, the company said. It has appointed Michael Ungerer, formerly president if AIDA Cruises, to the newly created role of chief operations officer for Carnival Asia.

Some colleges still receive U.S. funds

The Education Department, despite a crackdown against what it calls "bad actors," continues to hand over tens of millions of dollars to for-profit schools that have been accused of predatory behavior, substandard practices or illegal activity by its own officials or state attorneys general across the country.

Hundreds of schools that have failed regulatory standards or been accused of violating legal statutes are still hauling in billions of dollars of government funds. They include tiny beauty schools with staggering loan default rates and online law schools with dismal graduation records and no bar association accreditation.

CSX delivers flat 3Q profit despite volume dip

OMAHA, Neb. -- Tight cost controls helped CSX Corp. deliver relatively flat third-quarter profit even though the railroad hauled 3 percent less freight and continued facing weak coal demand. The company said Tuesday it earned $507 million, or 52 cents per share. That's roughly in line with last year's $509 million, or 51 cents per share. The railroad's $2.94 billion revenue fell short of the $3.04 billion revenue Wall Street expected.

-- Herald staff and wire reports

This story was originally published October 13, 2015 at 11:50 PM with the headline "Business briefs: Geraldson farm dinner to focus on local produce ."