HEADLINERS

It was a happy week for Fifth Third Bancorp and its investors. The Cincinnati-based parent of Fifth Third Bank was released from a federal and state investigation of its accounting practices and signaled it's ready to grow again. The company's stock price also took a turn to the upside, closing the week at $56.31 a share.

The week also was a big one for the Walnut Hills-based company that operates Big Boy and other restaurants. Frisch's Restaurants Inc. reported record sales and earnings for its fiscal third quarter. Frisch's shares have risen about 60 percent in value during the past 12 months. The stock ended the week at $28.50 a share.

SPEAKING OF WINNERS

Casino gaming appears dead in this year session of the Kentucky legislature, but that doesn't mean betting has become passe in the Blue Grass State. Turfway Park in Florence reported that despite fewer races and a season marred by the tragic death of a jockey, wagering rose almost 20 percent from a year ago.

GOTTA FLY JETS

Boeing's selection of GE Transportation to supply jet engines for the new 7E7 liner means $20 billion in business for GE and the retention of more than 6,000 jobs for the economy of Greater Cincinnati.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"I think the law will reduce the crime rate. The perpetrators might have to think twice. There will be less crime when people have second thoughts."

John Brindle, owner of Cincinnati Motor Car, on why his company will not ban concealed guns in the workplace. Other companies scrambled to update their policies on weapons in the workplace to deal with Ohio's new concealed weapons law.

THE PINER PASSION

Amy Cook left her job with a major insurance company to rekindle her family's business, The Korner Market, in the Kentucky community of Piner. Her philosophy: Do something because you want to, not because you have to. So far, the hard work has paid off for Cook as sales are up. But it's also another illustration of the growing importance of the small business entrepreneur to the region's economy.