ONE OF TWO REMAINING HOJOS WILL CLOSE IN SEPT.

The upcoming closure of one of the last two Howard Johnson restaurants will leave the onceproud restaurant chain teetering on the brink of extinction.

The slice of roadside Americana will no longer be served up in Bangor, Maine, after Sept. 6. The closing will leave only one Howard Johnson restaurant, in Lake George, N.Y.

Before falling on hard times, Howard Johnson took restaurant franchises to a new level. The orange-roofed eateries once numbered more than 800.

Tesla unveils battery with 315-mile range.

Tesla Motors Inc. said it is offering its electric vehicles with a battery capable of going up to 315 miles on a charge, the first time a major automaker has provided that much electric range in a vehicle.

The range sets a new benchmark for automotive engineers looking to lessen fears about socalled range anxiety, which drivers encounter when traveling longer distances in an electric car. Because electric cars must be plugged into charging ports that aren’t as readily available as gas stations, many car buyers have refused to even consider one.

Circle K buying competitor.

The parent company of the Circle K convenience store and gas station chain has agreed to buy San Antonio-based CST Brands in a $4.4 billion deal.

CST is one of the largest independent retailers of motor fuel and convenience merchandise in North America. The company has more than 14,000 employees at over 2,000 locations in the U.S. and Canada.

NLRB: Grad students can unionize. The National

Labor Relations Board ruled Tuesday that student teaching and research assistants at private universities are employees and have a right to be represented by unions.

The 3-1 ruling overturns a 2004 NLRB decision that said graduate students were not covered by the National Labor Relations Act.

Tuesday’s decision, involving graduate students at Columbia University, potentially affects graduate students at hundreds of U.S. private colleges and universities. Graduate students at many public universities, which are covered by state labor laws, are already unionized.

New-home sales at best level since 2007.

Americans stepped up their purchases of new homes in July to the fastest pace in nearly nine years, the latest sign that low mortgage rates and a solid job market are helping support the residential real estate market.

New-home sales jumped 12.4 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted rate of 654,000 annual units, the strongest level since October 2007, the Commerce Department said Tuesday.

The demand has eclipsed the pace of construction. Just 4.3 months’ supply of new homes is available on the market, down from 5.2 months a year ago.