Local & State

Midlands

Motorists can earn cash in Great Fall Battery Roundup

South Carolina motorists can receive $5 for every auto or marine battery they take to a AAA Car Care Center or approved auto shop through Oct. 31 as part of the travel club’s annual Great Fall Battery Roundup. The used battery collection and recycling program is open to the general public and is a way to fight pollution, discourage illegal dumping and raise awareness about battery recycling. For locations: carolinas.aaa.com

Upstate

Abbeville County company expands

ABBEVILLE A company that does screen printing and embroidery for promotional products is adding 50 new jobs at its Abbeville County facility. Pro Towels said Monday that it was investing $2.5 million in the effort. Company president Kevin Nord says the company needs to expand to meet increasing customer demand. Pro Towels is moving to a new 300,000-square-foot Abbeville County location that will house offices, a warehouse and production facilities. The expansion is expected to be complete by the first quarter of next year. Company officials say the expansion will triple the facility’s current square footage.

Nation & World

Japanese company will buy

70 percent of Sprint

TOKYO Japan’s Softbank has agreed to buy 70 percent of Sprint for $20.1 billion, giving the struggling U.S. cellphone company an infusion of cash and confidence. The deal, announced Monday in Tokyo, positions Overland Park, Kan.-based Sprint Nextel Corp. as a stronger competitor to market leaders Verizon Wireless and AT&T. Softbank Corp. is the No. 3 cellphone company in Japan, but has a better track record. Originally a holding company with investments in Internet and telecom businesses, it bought Vodafone Japan in 2005 and turned it around. Softbank President Masayoshi Son said he is confident he can help improve Sprint’s profits. Sprint has lost money for five years straight.

Pizza Hut changes contest

NEW YORK Pizza Hut is rethinking its contest daring people to ask “Sausage or Pepperoni?” at the presidential debate tonight. After the stunt triggered backlash last week, the company says it’s moving the promotion online, where a contestant will be randomly selected to win free pizza for life. The pizza delivery chain had offered the prize – a pie a week for 30 years or a check for $15,600 – to anyone who posed the question to either President Barack Obama or Republican candidate Mitt Romney during the live Town Hall-style debate. But blogs and media outlets immediately took the pizza delivery chain to task for trying to capitalize on the election buzz. Pizza Hut spokesman Doug Terfehr said the majority of the feedback the company has seen has been very positive. He said that moving the contest online was a “natural progression of the campaign” after people got excited about the idea and “wished they could get in on it.”

The Associated Press contributed.