Northwest replaces Bud Light on flights

ST. LOUIS -- Taking a marketing feud between the nation's two largest brewers to new heights, Northwest Airlines has tapped Miller Lite to replace top-selling Bud Light on all of its flights worldwide. Eagan, Minn.-based Northwest, the fourth-largest airline, said Miller Lite will be phased in aboard Northwest and Northwest Airlink-operated flights over the next several weeks. Milwaukee-based Miller Brewing Co. cast Northwest's switch to Miller Lite a boon in its duels with Anheuser-Busch -- maker of Bud Light -- for U.S. market share. Northwest also switched due to passenger demand for "increasingly popular" Miller Lite in Milwaukee and Minneapolis, two of its biggest markets, officials said.

Former prosecutor accuses Tribune of libel

CHICAGO -- Former DuPage County assistant state's attorney Thomas Knight said Thursday in Cook County Circuit Court that the Chicago Tribune libeled him in a 1999 story on official misconduct. He argued that the newspaper knowingly published a factual error as part of a "veritable witch hunt" against him. Tribune attorneys countered that Knight's case hinges on a single, innocent mistake in a sweeping series and that the error in no way damaged his reputation. He sued the Tribune and staff writers Maurice Possley and Ken Armstrong, now a reporter with the Seattle Times, for defamation in 2000.

Retailers report mixed sales results for April

NEW YORK -- Consumers overcame some of their reluctance to shop in April, giving the nation's retailers sales that modestly beat expectations. Results again varied widely among merchants, reflecting shoppers' uncertainty about the economy and their struggles with higher gasoline prices. As stores released their monthly sales figures Thursday, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, and rival discounter Target Corp. turned in disappointing performances. But teen retailers, luxury stores and wholesale clubs had substantial sales gains. The April results, while uneven, did raise hopes that consumers might spend a little more freely in the months ahead.

--From wire reports