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Business latest: Heartland battle

The battle in Kansas could tip control of the Senate
Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., greets guests before a debate with Greg Orman, at the convention center in Overland Park, Kan., October 8, 2014.
Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., greets guests before a debate with Greg Orman, at the convention center in Overland Park, Kan., October 8, 2014.

HEARTLAND BATTLE COULD TIP CONTROL OF SENATE: When it comes to politics, many American business executives hold two different impulses. They want Washington to act conservatively. But they also simply want Washington to act. The battle for control of the U.S. Senate may hinge on a test in Kansas of which of those impulses is stronger. Read more  

DRONES AND AGRICULTURE: WILL FARMERS GET THE OK?: The FAA is scheduled  in November to release new rules on the use of commercial drones in the U.S. It’s estimated that agriculture would account for more than $75 billion of the $82 billion drone industry. The technology exists for American farmers to use drones to scan fields and increase crop yields, but their use is currently illegal, while other countries like Germany and Japan have put them to use in the fields. Is the industry facing a ‘drone gap’ if farmers don’t get the okay? Read more 

EBOLA.COM: It’s not unusual for big pharmaceutical companies to hold major disease domains on the Internet. For example, the Cancer.com and Obesity.com domains are held by Johnson & Johnson, Diabetes.com is held by an affiliate of GlaxoSmithKline, and Arthritis.com by Pfizer Inc. But who would want to own the domain name Ebola.com? Read more 

STOCKS DERAILED; WORST POINT LOSS THIS YEAR FOR DOW: Read more