The other day the White House boasted it has created 650,000 jobs by spending $150 billion in “stimulus” money. That comes out to $230,000 per job.

Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Todd Haymore is urging Virginians to support the state’s peanut industry. Haymore said yesterday that the industry has been hurt by a decline in consumption caused by the recall of peanut products in a nationwide salmonella outbreak. The recall affected products made by Lynchburg-based Peanut Corp. of America in plants outside of Virginia.

Danville and Pittsylvania County officials plan to build a $13 million industrial park. The project announced this week is a joint effort between the city and county through their Regional Industrial Facilities Authority. It would be the state’s first so-called megapark, occupying about 3,000 acres west of Danville in the Berry Hill community.

One-hundred production workers at Stanley Furniture Co.‘s factory in Henry County will be laid off March 27. The Stanleytown-based company announced the layoffs yesterday. It cited the national recession and its effect on sales. In January, the company reported that 2008 sales were about 20 percent below the previous year’s, falling from $283 million to $226.5 million.

Estes Express Lines is expanding its Mexican truck-freight service to and from virtually any point in Mexico through a new subsidiary, Estes Logstica. The Richmond-based company will now provide door-to-door freight consolidation and transportation service throughout Mexico, as well as across the border into the United States and Canada.

On Ash Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 6 p.m., First Congregational Christian United Church of Christ, 4310 Courthouse Road in Chesterfield will have a liturgy of prayers, songs and Scripture reflections. Imposition of ashes will be made optional for those who want to receive them. A Lenten Sundays series, “Living the Questions,“ will begin March 1 at 9:30 a.m. Participants will interact with one another in exploring the best of today’s theological thought and will explore what’s next for Christianity. Twenty-minute video segments will include conversations with leading voices of faith, sermons and lecture clips, digital stories illustrating an evolving faith and concrete spiritual practices.

Young Broadcasting Inc., owner of 10 television stations including WRIC in Chesterfield County, filed for bankruptcy protection in New York yesterday. The company said the stations would continue to operate as it restructures. Five of its stations, including WRIC, are affiliated with the ABC network. The New York-based company listed assets of $575.6 million and debt of $980.4 million.

Norfolk is losing 475 jobs as part of a broader consolidation by USAA, an insurance and financial-services company that serves military members and their families. USAA employs nearly 900 workers in Norfolk. The San Antonio-based company said yesterday that the moves are designed to reduce excess real estate capacity. Employees in good standing will be offered relocation to San Antonio; Phoenix; Colorado Springs, Colo.; or Tampa, Fla. Those who do not accept transfers will be eligible for severance packages.

Advance Auto Parts Inc. says it will outsource the shipment of merchandise from distribution hubs to stores, eliminating about 270 driver and support jobs. Forty-five of those lost jobs will be in Roanoke, where the company is based. The cuts will leave the company with about 1,500 Roanoke-area workers. DANVILLE—Goodyear executives and union leaders are meeting this week to discuss the future of the company’s Danville plant.

A Tennessee court yesterday dismissed the class-action allegations in a lawsuit brought against Altria Group and Philip Morris USA for using the terms “Lights” and “Lowered Tar and Nicotine” on packages of Marlboro Lights cigarettes. The Circuit Court of Davidson County dismissed the class-action allegations as being barred by Tennessee consumer-protection law.

Henrico County-based Altria Group Inc. said it will increase the price of Marlboro, the top-selling U.S. cigarette, and 17 other brands as a possible increase in tobacco taxes threatens profit margins. Altria’s Philip Morris USA will charge distributors an additional 9 cents a pack for Marlboro, Parliament, Virginia Slims and six other varieties, Altria spokesman Greg Mathe said. A list-price increase of 18 cents covers Benson & Hedges, Chesterfield and seven other brands, he said. The changes take effect Monday.

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors has approved a two-year marketing deal with the Washington Redskins, branding the county as the team’s “corporate home.“ The deal calls for the county to spend $250,000 over two years from funds devoted to promoting tourism. The money would come from restricted hotel tax funds. Board members voted 5 to 3 on Tuesday, with one abstention, for the two-year deal. Supervisor Jim Burton questioned what the return would be on the county’s investment.

The Daughters of Zelophehad Inc., in partnership with Faithful Assistants Inc., will offer four, 3-hour credit, debtand money-management workshops scheduled Feb. 7 and 21, and March 7 and 21. Participants will gain an understanding of how to improve credit scores, how to manage debt and the financial principles necessary to experience financial success. The financial workshops will be based on the Commonsense Way To Wealth coaching curriculum. The goal is to bring awareness to the importance of building a solid financial foundation by providing the tools and resources needed to improve financial literacy.

Genworth Financial Inc., one of the largest employers in the Richmond area, plans to sell a division in Mexico to HDI-Gerling International Holding AG, a German insurance company. The sale is of Genworth Seguros Mexico, which provides automobile, property and casualty, life and personal accident insurance. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Virginia’s private colleges will hold “WRAP Sessions” Jan. 24 to let prospective students know that even during a recession the schools can be an affordable option. The sessions will be held at 10 a.m. at 25 colleges, including the University of Richmond, Virginia Union University and Randolph-Macon College. Sponsored by the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia, the sessions are designed to let students know they don’t necessarily have to pay the school’s sticker price. Funding such as the state’s $3,200 Tuition Assistance Grant also lowers the costs.