Thursday morning headlines

Sluggish stocks: Waiting for Fed's announcement. Dow is up 25 points.

What to expect from Fed?: Guesses as to extent of the central bank's bond-buying program are all over the map, though everyone agrees that it will do something. We'll know shortly. (AP)

Jump in jobless claims: Weekly filings for unemployment benefits rose 15,000, to 382,000 - higher than expected and another indication of a sluggish jobs picture. (Bloomberg)

Drop in August foreclosures: California filings were down 32 percent from a year earlier - the ninth consecutive month that foreclosures were down, according to RealtyTrac. Even so, the top seven metro areas for filings were in California. (press release)

Council backs changes in campaign law: The regulations raise contribution limits from $500 to $700 in City Council races and from $1,000 to $1,300 in citywide races. Starting next year, candidates are also eligible for increased matching funds. (LAT)

Big day for downtown stadium: The Planning Commission considers an environmental impact report on the proposed 76,000-seat facility. (KPCC)

Health Net sued over treatments: Two policyholders allege that the L.A.-based insurer wouldn't pay for procedures that their doctors deemed necessary. From the LAT:

This dispute touches on the role of managed care to hold down rising medical costs and to ensure that doctors and hospitals aren't performing unnecessary or overpriced tests and procedures. The Institute of Medicine issued a report last week that said $210 billion is wasted annually in the U.S. on excess medical services. Meanwhile, new advances in technology and surgical procedures often lead to disagreements among medical professionals over the proper course of treatment for some complex cases.

Dole may sell units: The Westlake Village company is in advanced talks with the Japanese trading house Itochu in a deal involving Dole's packaged foods and Asian fresh fruit businesses. Shares of Dole jumped on the news. (DealBook)