Prescriptions helped prop up Walgreen Co.'s sales last month, with the company reporting declines at the front end but brisk sales back in the pharmacy.

Walgreen's same-store sales — those at outlets open at least a year — rose 3.4 percent. But nonpharmacy sales fell 0.9 percent on a comparable basis, while pharmacy sales jumped 5.8 percent. Total sales rose 9 percent to $5.24 billion, with pharmacy accounting for just more than two-thirds of that.

Walgreen has four full-service stores in Hawai'i and has a long-term plan to open 25 to 30 stores.

AGE HARASSMENT SUIT TARGETS KMART

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed a suit against Kmart Corp., alleging the retailer violated federal law by subjecting a 73-year-old female employee in Honolulu to age harassment, retaliation and forcing her out of her job.

The EEOC alleged the pharmacy manager of a Kmart on Nimitz Highway subjected the woman to age-based insults, such as telling her she was "too old to work," that she "should retire," and other discriminatory conduct.

Although Kmart received notice of the alleged harassment, the company failed to take appropriate action to investigate and correct the hostile workplace, as the law requires, the EEOC said. The employee eventually was forced to resign, the EEOC said.

A spokeswoman for Kmart parent Sears Holding Corp. said the company does not comment on pending litigation.

MESA RULING AGAINST DELTA UPHELD

Mesa Air Group Inc. won a federal appeals court ruling upholding an order that bars Delta Air Lines Inc. from canceling a contract for regional flights.

The U.S. Court of Appeals in Atlanta said Wednesday that Delta had gone back on a promise not to count certain Mesa flight cancellations against the regional carrier's overall flight-completion rate.

Delta sought to end flights by Mesa's Freedom Airlines because its completion rate had fallen. Mesa won a federal court order in May blocking Delta's plan.

Mesa, which also operates interisland carrier go!, previously said it might be forced to file for bankruptcy protection if it lost its legal fight with Delta.

QUEEN'S GAINS NATIONAL DESIGNATION

The Queen's Medical Center said its Breast Center has been granted national accreditation by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers.

Queen's facility is the first program in Hawai'i to receive the designation, which is shared by 50 centers in 23 states.

Queen's said the accreditation is given to centers that undergo an evaluation and performance review and commit to provide the highest level of breast care.

Queen's Breast Center, contained within its Women's Health Center, features treatments with a multi-disciplinary team ranging from surgeons to radiologists and other healthcare specialists.

COFFEE COMPETITION SET ON MAUI

The Hawaii Coffee Association's 14th Annual Conference and Trade Show Thursday to July 12 will offer what sponsors say is the first statewide "cupping" competition at Maui Tropical Plantation in Waikapu, Maui.

Highlights include evening dinner receptions, workshops, trade show, silent auction and farm tours. Funded in part by the state Department of Agriculture, this is the inaugural year for a competition where coffees are evaluated and scored by professional judges based on characteristics that include flavor, aroma, mouth-feel, acidity, sweetness and aftertaste.

For more information on the Web, go to www.hawaiicoffeeassoc.org.