P Morgan HealthcareConference SAN DIEGO Jan

23 on the DNR 25.Hint:It's another fat guy. This article is also featured on http:// Pepsi Bottling Ventures Signs Letter of Intent to Acquire Bottling Businessesin Boise and Twin Falls, IdahoRALEIGH, N.C., Jan. 6 /PRNewswire/ PepsiBottling Ventures, LLC (PBV)todayannounced that it has signed a Letter of Intent to purchase the NagelBeverage Company of Boise and the Pepsi-ColaBottling Company of Twin Falls,both Pepsi-Cola independent franchise bottlers based in Idaho.The terms ofthe LOI provide for a closing by the end of February 2009.The Companies' franchise territory includes 18 southern Idaho counties knownfor their seasonal climate, breathtaking scenery, and unique blend of vibrantcities and agricultural communities.The territory also includes the resortarea of Sun Valley, one of the top five ski destinations in the country.TheBoise region is consistently recognized nationally as one of the best placesto live and work in the US.Nagel Beverage was established in 1895 by JohnNagel Sr., Pepsi-Cola Bottling of Twin Falls was established in 1935 as a Nagel-Levander familypartnership. Nagel family-owned businesses have a state-of-the-artmanufacturing and sales distribution facility in Nampa, Idaho and salesdistribution centers in Twin Falls, McCall, and Sun Valley, Idaho.

PBVPresident and Chief Executive Officer Keith Reimer said, "We have greatadmiration forthestrongPepsifranchisetheNagel family has built in Idaho.We believe our two companies share a common heritage of valuingtradition, a commitment to the communities we serve, and building our businesson the foundation of relationships and customer service.We welcome NagelBeverage and Twin Falls Pepsi to the PBV family."Pepsi Bottling Ventures, LLC () is the nation'sthird largest anchor bottler for Pepsi-Cola, operating 23 manufacturing,distribution, and sales facilities servingover8millionconsumersin NorthCarolina,NewYork,Delaware,Maryland, Virginia and Vermont.PBVis headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina.SOURCEPepsi Bottling VenturesClaire B. Gen-Probe to Webcast Presentation at the 27th Annual J.P Morgan HealthcareConference SAN DIEGO, Jan. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ Gen-Probe Incorporated (Nasdaq:GPRO) announced today that the Company will present at the 27th Annual J.P.Morgan Healthcare Conference on Wednesday, January 14, 2009 at 3 p.m Pacifictime (6 p.m Eastern time). The presentation is scheduled to be webcast liveand may be accessed through a link on the investors section of Gen-Probe'swebsite at The webcast will be available for 30 daysfollowing the event.About Gen-Probe Gen-Probe Incorporated is a global leader in the development, manufacture andmarketing of rapid, accurate and cost-effective nucleic acid tests (NATs) thatare used primarily to diagnose human diseases and screen donated human blood.Gen-Probe has more than 25 years of NAT expertise, and received the 2004National Medal of Technology, America's highest honor for technologicalinnovation, for developing NAT assays for blood screening. Gen-Probe isheadquartered in San Diego and employs approximately 1,000 people.

For moreinformation, go to Regarding Forward-Looking StatementsAny statements in this press release about our expectations, beliefs, plans,objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not historicalfacts and are forward-looking statements.Forward-looking statements are notguarantees of performance. CHICAGO(Business Wire)Fitch Ratings has taken the following rating actions on the Issuer DefaultRatings (IDRs) and outstanding debt ratings of Altria Group, Inc (Altria)(NYSE: MO), Philip Morris Capital Corp (PMCC; a wholly-owned subsidiary ofAltria), and UST Inc. Philip Morris Capital Corp IDR affirmed at 'BBB'; Senior unsecured debt affirmed at 'BBB'; Short-term IDR affirmed at 'F2'; CP affirmed at 'F2'. UST IDR of 'A' withdrawn; Bank credit facility of 'A' withdrawn; Short-term IDR of 'F1' withdrawn; CP of 'F1' withdrawn; Senior unsecured debt downgraded to 'BBB' from 'A' The Rating Outlook is Stable. Today Altria announced it completed the acquisition of UST, valued at $11.7billion including the assumption of approximately $1.3 billion of UST debt.Altria will fund the acquisition with $6.8 billion of senior unsecured notesissued since the announcement of the acquisition on Sept.

30, 2008, Altria's credit statistics on a pro-forma basiswere in line with Fitch's expectations. While debt levels will increase significantly as a result of the transaction,Fitch expects leverage to improve to approximately 2.0x within the near term asthe company tempers share repurchases and utilizes discretionary cash flow toreduce debt. Furthermore, Philip Morris USA, Inc., a wholly-owned operatingsubsidiary of Altria, has guaranteed Altria's credit agreements and seniorunsecured notes. In addition to the moderation in share buybacks, Altria has anumber of options to improve its credit metrics.