As the Barrington Town Council discusses banning plastic bags, the local Shaw’s Supermarket announced that it will no longer provide plastic bags to customers at its Barrington store. more

Coffee, tea and botanical extracts supplier Autocrat LLC has opened a new state-of-the-art pilot plant and research and development lab. more

AAA Southern New England projects a 2.9 percent increase in Labor Day travel. The trade group estimates that 33 million U.S. residents will travel 50 miles or more from their home during the Labor Day holiday period between Thursday, Aug. 30, and Monday, Sept. 3. more

The R.I. State Council on the Arts has awarded 117 grants to artists, educational institutions and nonprofits - including the Trinity Repertory Company - around Rhode Island. more

The Ocean State Theatre Company Inc. will conclude its role as the production company for the Theatre By The Sea at the end of the current season, the Matunuck-based theater announced Friday. more

The Big East Conference hired CBS Sports executive vice president of programming Mike Aresco as its commissioner, while it prepares for television contract talks. more

Juvenile health, safety and wellness product maker Summer Infant Inc. posted a net loss of $424,000, or 2 cents per diluted share, for the three months ended June 30, compared to a $921,000, or 5 cents per diluted share, gain during the same period in 2011. more

Retail sales in the U.S. rose more than forecast in July as consumer spending rebounded at department stores, auto dealers and electronics outlets, easing some concern the biggest part of the economy was foundering. more

Growing up a distant cousin of Kurt Vonnegut and going to Harvard didn’t make him a novelist, but 15 years immersed in the cut-throat culture of Wall Street drove Norb Vonnegut to the pen. The stock broker turned writer, who worked at Kidder, Peabody in Providence 20 years ago, is now settled in Rhode Island and just released his third novel, “The Trust.” The thriller is about a network of financial criminals involved in adult entertainment who hide behind the Catholic Church and infiltrate a wealthy family. more

Fifteen Rhode Island companies and seven in neighboring Bristol County, Mass., made Inc. Magazine’s 2011 ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in America. more