BRUCE K. HUFF / Union-Tribune Kyocera Wireless employee Anna Mau tried on one of the headsets the company gave workers yesterday in advance of Tuesday's change in state law requiring all drivers to use hands-free technology while on the phone.

Kyocera Wireless greeted employees with free bagels and headsets yesterday, a gentle reminder that as of Tuesday it's no longer legal to talk on the phone while driving in California without hands-free technology.

WASHINGTON – All those speculators getting the blame for driving up the price of oil these days – just who are they? For part of the answer, look in the mirror. The retirement savings of workers across the country, entrusted to pension fund managers, are being plowed into one of the few investments that has delivered phenomenal returns in recent years.

NEW YORK – Oil futures climbed to a new record near $143 a barrel yesterday as the dollar weakened against the euro, confirming expectations that the falling greenback, a major factor in crude's stratospheric rise, will extend its decline and add to oil's appeal.

San Diego scientists were awarded $5 million in grants yesterday from a pool of $24 million approved by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The money coming to San Diego includes $48,950 to the first commercial entity to receive institute funding: Novocell, the small company that is developing a method for turning human embryonic stem cells into insulin-producing cells that can be transplanted into diabetics.

ST. LOUIS – Promising “a new Anheuser-Busch,” top executives at the St. Louis brewer yesterday laid out a plan to cut costs by $1 billion and boost international sales as they try to fend off the $65-a-share takeover bid by Belgian brewing giant InBev.