Area poll finds growth, high costs

Greater Cincinnati's economy continued growing in July, but more companies reported rising prices on commodities, services and equipment, according to a poll released Thursday by the National Association of Purchasing Management-Cincinnati. Less than a third of employers say they're adding to their work forces; and, compared to June, fewer say production is rising and more say their order backlogs are down.

Ky. may seize troubled insurer

Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher said Thursday he might decide next week whether to have the state take over AIK Comp, a worker's compensation underwriter on the brink of collapse. There is an "apparently impending insolvency," Fletcher said in a news conference. It was disclosed last month that AIK Comp, a creation of the industry group Associated Industries of Kentucky, made headlines last month with the disclosure that it was billing business owners for $49 million in retroactive premiums. Officials said the fund needed to offset projected losses and rebuild a modest reserve. About 300 companies have quit the fund.