Biz bits

New urgent care site opens in Evans

MedNow Urgent Care opened on April 2 at 104 N. Belair Road in Evans.

The 4,300-square-foot medical facility is open daily and has three physicians with on-site digital X-ray, laboratory and pharmacy services.

MedNow serves patients of all ages and was located in Evans based on a community needs assessment performed by several local hospitals, said Dr. Mark Newton, MedNow's CEO.

MedNow participates with most insurance plans, Dr. Newton said.

MedNow will have a free health fair on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with blood pressure checks and cholesterol screenings.

Trolley study ready for authority's review

The Downtown Development Authority of Augusta will get recommendations next week from a streetcar feasibility study it initiated last summer.

On April 21, members of the authority will sit down with representatives of the planning firm, URS, and members of the city's transportation department. Authority Executive Director Margaret Woodard said the trolley study will likely be part of the city's larger look at downtown transportation and parking.

The authority spent $37,000 in special-purpose sales tax money to have a consultant study the feasibility of light rail transit in downtown Augusta.

UAW stalls GM talks to work on Chrysler

DETROIT --- The United Auto Workers union has placed concession talks with General Motors Corp. on the back burner as it tries to reach a deal with Chrysler LLC before an April 30 government deadline, two people briefed on the negotiations said Thursday.

The decision likely means that any deal with Chrysler will set the pattern for concessions granted to GM as both companies try to show the government they have cut costs enough to get more government loans.

The people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks are private, said the union is focusing on Chrysler because its government deadline to cut labor costs and swap debt for equity is just two weeks away.

Chrysler also has to ink an alliance deal with Fiat Group SpA by April 30 to get more government aid.

Without further help, Chrysler likely would be auctioned off in pieces under bankruptcy court supervision.

GM's government deadline is June 1, but the Obama administration said it will provide bankruptcy financing if the company can't successfully restructure outside of the courts.

In other news

JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.'S first-quarter profit was not as good as last year's, but it told investors what they wanted to hear: Banking is not dead. JPMorgan said Thursday it earned $2.14 billion for the January-March period, thanks to strong trading activity and banking to average consumers.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON INC. said Thursday it expects to cut up to 400 more jobs as it reported its first-quarter profit tumbled 37 percent. Harley earned $117.3 million, or 50 cents per share, in the three months ended March 29, down from 79 cents per share a year earlier.

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO . reported a surprisingly large loss in the first quarter, and the company said it is freezing hiring and offering buyouts to employees. Southwest said it lost $91 million in the first quarter, or 12 cents per share, including $71 million due to the falling value of its fuel hedges.