Target

The National Rifle Association is the target of a major audit by the Internal Revenue Service, which is expected to review whether the nonprofit organization has improperly deducted income from sales of health insurance and bank credit cards, according to current and former NRA officials.The audit, at a time when the group has been aggressively criticizing federal law enforcement agents, will also examine reports that the NRA used tax-deductible donations to a charitable affiliates to make contributions to political candidates.

Target Stores, the nation's third largest discount chain, is stepping up plans to enter the Baltimore-Washington market, aiming to open 12 stores by July and another seven by the end of 1996, sources say.Almost overnight, Minneapolis-based Target would become one of the dominant retailers in the region, offering discounted merchandise rivaling those of other major chains and creating as many as 4,275 jobs next year alone and up to 9,000 jobs by the end...

I thought Target Corp. was such a great company. Why haven't my shares done better this year? - K.L., via the Internet The nation's second-largest discount retailer is a fine company, renowned for offering merchandise with style and low price. Nonetheless, it can never relax in its competition with industry leader Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Target has more than 1,400 stores; about 140 of them are SuperTarget stores with bigger grocery departments. It intends to add about 100 stores this year but has no plans to go overseas anytime soon.

I READ that Target Corp. is going to sell Marshall Field's and Mervyn's. What is your opinion of its stock? - R.F., via the Internet This popular retailer is streamlining to better battle the mighty discount giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Since its Target discount merchandise division of about 1,225 stores provides 85 percent of total revenue, the company decided to put its less profitable Field's and Mervyn's divisions up for sale. Both chains have been a drag on overall company earnings for years, and numerous Wall Street analysts say they should have been sold long ago. It also stands to reason that new owners should be able to devote more time and attention to the 62-store Field's and 267-store Mervyn's than Target has. Their sale would make it easier for Target to build on its image as a trendier version of Wal-Mart and draw closer to its rival's profitability.

WESTMINSTER -- Edith Zink's life tells the story: 60 years old and developmentally disabled, she found herself unskilled and alone when her mother died. Today, she's completing a training program at the Winchester Country Inn and eager to begin work at a hotel or restaurant.She's one of many successful sojourners at Westminster's oldest house, built in the mid-1700s and renovated as a bed-and-breakfast with a difference. It is the centerpiece of training program for the developmentally disabled and others adrift in society that has won state and national accolades for its founder, TARGET Inc."

iTunes users, beware. Someone's phishing for your personal data online. Technology news source Computerworld Inc. says phishers have targeted users of Apple Inc.'s music store by sending people spam e-mails that tell users that they must correct a problem with their iTunes account. The e-mail includes a link that leads users to a site posing as an iTunes billing update page. The phony page then asks for information, including your credit card number and security code, Social Security number and mother's maiden name.

He's conquered the runways. Now he's set to conquer the living rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens. Fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi has just created an entire line of affordable and stylish home products for Target. The Isaac Mizrahi for Target home collection offers more than 200 items, including furniture, decorative accessories, lighting fixtures, bedding, rugs, bath accessories, dinnerware, stationery, pet items and more. The collection features Mizrahi's bold style, with signature bright colors juxtaposed with black and white, as well as flower accents.

WASHINGTON -- A trade confrontation that had been looming for years was unexpectedly defused yesterday when American officials announced that Japan had met a target for imports of computer chips.Imports accounted for 20.2 percent of the Japanese semiconductor market in the fourth quarter of last year, exceeding the 20 percent target set in a 1991 trade agreement, said Donald H. Phillips, the assistant U.S. trade representative for industry.The U.S. semiconductor industry, which accounts for 85 percent of Japan's computer chip imports, has fought for seven years for the 20 percent overall foreign share, enlisting the aid of the Reagan, Bush and Clinton administrations.

ISABEL SEGUNDA, Puerto Rico -- Vieques is an island with a dual personality. It is a tourist destination and a target.Vacationers frolic on its stunning tropical beaches. The U.S. Navy makes large craters with explosive shells or sends in the Marines.Even before Hurricane Hugo hovered over Vieques for 12 devastating hours, some portions looked like a war zone.Many residents have feuded with the Navy for more than a decade. They complain that live fire, even if confined to remote sites, is deadly to the island's economic future.

Don't call 'em "Generation X." Members of that much-maligned group do not deserve the cliche, but they do deserve their own magazine, contends the editor of a new Baltimore publication."