Employment gains aren't attracting believers yet

Employment statistics and the jobless rate have improved over the past several months. These usually point to a rebounding economy, but there's still considerable doubt over just what these numbers really mean. | 02/02/12 19:13:49 By - Kevin G. Hall

California clean tech firms report soaring revenue

Sacramento's clean tech companies more than doubled their revenue over the past three years while providing job growth in a region hard hit by the economic downturn. | 02/02/12 06:54:41 By - Rick Daysog

AMR to cut 13,000 workers nationwide in restructuring

American Airlines parent AMR Corp. plans to cut 13,000 workers across the country as part of a broad bankruptcy restructuring that aims to cut costs by $2 billion a year, the company said Wednesday. | 02/02/12 06:35:18 By - Andrea Ahles

American Airlines proposes to end all four pension plans

AMR Corp. wants to terminate all four of its pension plans as part of a broad bankruptcy restructuring that aims to cut costs by $2 billion a year, the company said today. | 02/01/12 14:16:05 By - Andrea Ahles

BofA to sell Hearst Tower, streamlines expenses

Bank of America Corp. plans to sell and lease back the Hearst Tower, a 46-story fixture on Charlotte's skyline, and other properties as it works to streamline expenses, spokeswoman Kelli Raulerson said today. | 02/01/12 13:53:07 By - Kristen Valle Pittman

Liens filed on American Airlines after pension payment comes up short

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. said Tuesday it has placed liens on some of American Airlines' assets in Texas and overseas since the carrier did not make its full pension payment due in January. | 02/01/12 06:33:06 By - Andrea Ahles

GM to place $200 million stamping facility at Texas plant

It took just four months for General Motors Co. executives to decide that the best place to put a new sheet metal stamping plant was alongside one of its best assembly plants. | 02/01/12 06:33:06 By - Bob Cox and Susan Schrock

Democrats in Congress step up tax-the-rich efforts

Little more than a year ago, Democrats in Congress were hesitant to raise taxes on the wealthy. In the Senate, they could not find enough support for boosting taxes on people making $1 million or more a year, much less on families making $250,000. The pre-2010 House, which had a Democratic majority, barely approved higher rates on investment income. | 01/31/12 19:39:06 By - Lisa Mascaro

Washington state considering changes to government pension plans

State lawmakers carved some $7 billion in long-term pension costs last year by putting a freeze on cost-of-living-adjustments in two older retirement plans. New ideas this year could further trim the state’s long-term liabilities. | 01/31/12 13:08:15 By - Brad Shannon

California community colleges prepare to ration their offerings

Now in his third year at Yuba College, a year he once hoped to spend in Chico or Davis, Robert Bond said every student he knows has struggled to get the classes they need. | 01/30/12 13:16:31 By - Kevin Yamamura

California company's high-quality goal: Nuts to you

In 1996 Joe Marchini of Le Grand, California brought together nine families. He had an idea. The families had been growing almonds throughout the county for decades. | 01/30/12 12:42:40 By - Mike Tharp

Bacardi company marks 150th anniversary

When Bacardi family members gather over the next week to celebrate the company's 150th anniversary, they will crack open limited-edition, $2,000 bottles of an aged rum blend made especially for the occasion. | 01/30/12 07:03:45 By - Elaine Walker

Charlotte company prepares to build nation's first nuclear plants in 3 decades

Shaw Power Group based in Charlotte, N.C., is building the first U.S. power plants in a generation. The plants are loaded with risks for their owners and builders. | 01/29/12 20:35:52 By - Bruce Henderson

Federal agency sounds alarm on American Airlines' pensions

Despite what American Airlines says, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. thinks the airline's workers should be worried about their pensions. | 01/27/12 12:37:32 By - Andrea Ahles

4th-quarter growth rate disappoints, but sentiment picks up

The lower-than-expected annualized growth rate of 2.8 percent reported Friday for the final three months of 2011 raises doubts about the strength of the U.S. recovery and concerns that 2012 may be another year of muddling along. | 01/27/12 08:56:44 By - Kevin G. Hall

Florida Senate panel says no junk food on food stamps

Floridians could not use food stamps to buy soft drinks, candy bars or other junk food under a bill that survived contentious debate among members of a Senate panel Wednesday. | 01/26/12 12:29:03 By - Brittany Alana Davis

Treasury Secretary Geithner visits Charlotte, N.C.

A few hundred yards from Charlotte's bank towers, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner defended the Obama administration's relations with the financial industry and the controversial package of new regulations still being written. | 01/26/12 07:16:19 By - Andrew Dunn

Public Citizen group calls for breakup of Bank of America

Advocacy group Public Citizen is filing a petition today urging the government to break Bank of America Corp. into smaller companies, saying the Charlotte bank poses a "grave threat" to the financial system. | 01/25/12 18:16:13 By - Andrew Dunn

New consumer bureau chief still under fire from GOP

In his first congressional testimony as the official director of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Richard Cordray faced tough questions on Tuesday from Republican lawmakers still seething over his controversial recess appointment. | 01/24/12 19:32:21 By - Tony Pugh

Will our plugged-in planet have a green or black future?

Chances are the Internet has changed something about your life. How you shop. How you stay in touch with school buddies or look for a job. But has it made you greener? And will using the Internet more change your wear and tear on the planet? | 01/24/12 12:14:46 By - Scott Canon

Costa Concordia wreck leaves hostile PR wake for Carnival Cruise Lines

Offering shipwreck survivors a discount on their next cruise does not appear to be the best marketing idea.

Carnival subsidiary Costa Cruises faced outrage Monday over a purported offer by the Italian cruise line to give survivors of the deadly Concordia capsizing 30 percent off their next voyage with the embattled company. | 01/24/12 07:06:05 By - Douglas Hanks

Don't have a job? California bill would keep employers from screening you out

The message in some job advertisements these days is pretty blunt: Don't bother sending a résumé if you're not bringing home a paycheck already. New Jersey has passed a law banning such advertisements, federal legislation is pending, and a newly proposed California bill, Assembly Bill 1450, would prohibit discriminating against the jobless in hiring. | 01/23/12 14:03:57 By - Jim Sanders

How will Pentagon cuts affect Idaho?

Idaho’s already sputtering economy could take a hit as military officials and Congress slash billions from the armed forces budget over the next decade. | 01/23/12 12:51:57 By - Kathleen Kreller

Costa Concordia wreck won't sink Carnival Corp's profits

On an average day, about 50,000 people around the world board cruise ships to start their vacations. Half of them set to sea on a vessel owned by Carnival Corp, the industry leader based in Doral. | 01/23/12 06:57:33 By - Douglas Hanks

Reaganomics guru Laffer praises Kansas Gov. Brownback's tax plan

Enjoying almost Republican rock star status, the man who designed supply-side economic policies for Ronald Reagan toured the capitol Thursday touting Gov. Sam Brownback’s plan to cut taxes. | 01/20/12 07:12:35 By - Brad Cooper

Bank of America posts $1.6 billion profit

Bank of America Corp. reported a $1.6 billion fourth-quarter profit for common shareholders, meeting analysts' expectations amid rising loan balances and continued steps to build capital and slash expenses. | 01/19/12 12:54:46 By - Kirsten Valle Pittman

In Miami, Romney's tenure with Bain Capital is debated

Off a gritty bend in the Miami River, a few miles from a warehouse where he recently touted his job-creation plans, there’s a complex of buildings that bear witness to a time when Mitt Romney’s private equity firm laid off hundreds of workers, shuttered a profitable factory and made out with hundreds of millions of dollars. | 01/19/12 07:14:11 By - Marc Caputo and Alex Leary

Homelessness drops, but advocates still worry

Despite the economic downturn, the rate of homelessness across the United States decreased 1 percent from 2009 to 2011, according to a report that the National Alliance to End Homelessness released earlier this week. | 01/18/12 17:35:36 By - Rachel Roubein

1st consumer bureau hearing will probe payday lending

When Richard Cordray convenes his first field hearing Thursday in Birmingham, Ala., as the director of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the site, setting and subject matter couldn't be more appropriate | 01/18/12 16:30:29 By - Tony Pugh

Google's plan to wire Kansas City, Kan., gets tangled up in wires

When Google Inc. announced last spring that Kansas City, Kan., had landed the tech company’s much-pursued super-speed Internet project, the company gushed about the local utility poles. Now it turns out that differences over where and how to hang wires on those poles, and what fees or installation costs may be required, have created a troublesome bump in plans to launch the project at “Google speed.” | 01/18/12 16:19:39 By - Scott Canon

Kentucky's horse industry faces crisis, legislators told

Kentucky lawmakers got a peak inside the checkbook of racehorse owners and small Thoroughbred breeders Wednesday. The numbers were bleak. | 01/18/12 13:06:11 By - Janet Patton

Biloxi begins demolition of Katrina-blighted buildings

The landscape of Biloxi, Mississippi, is changing as blighted buildings scarred by Hurricane Katrina are demolished. | 01/18/12 12:16:19 By - Mary Perez

Tax breaks lure big-name films to North Carolina

Thanks to new but controversial tax breaks, 2011 was a marquee year for North Carolina's film industry, which landed big-name projects "Iron Man 3," "Homeland" and "Hunger Games." | 01/17/12 12:21:42 By - Mark Washburn

Big banks have picked their candidate, and it's Romney

Employees at the five largest U.S. banks by assets, including Bank of America Corp. and Wells Fargo & Co., have given Romney about $600,000 through the first three quarters of 2011, according to the most recent filings available from the Federal Election Commission. No. 2? President Barack Obama, with $200,000. | 01/15/12 19:22:37 By - Andrew Dunn

Foundering of Italian cruise ship raises safety worries

The sinking of a major ship and the deaths of at least three passengers injects a new worry for those considering any vacation at sea. "Obviously there’s going to be that gut reaction, like after Sept. 11,’’ said Simon Duval, a South Florida-based agent with Expedia CruiseShipCenters. "I think there’s going to be a short-term hit to the industry…I pray it’s not long-term.’’ | 01/14/12 20:10:14 By - Douglas Hanks, Hannah Sampson and Jane Wooldridge

Contract to clean Miami Marlins' new stadium comes with $150,000 catch

When the Miami Marlins invited companies to bid on the multi-million-dollar task of cleaning the new Little Havana ballpark, the contract came with a catch: The winner had to lease a $150,000-a-year suite at the new stadium. | 01/14/12 10:33:57 By - Charles Rabin

Orange juice scare might promote business for Florida growers

Local orange growers say the federal government’s probe of tainted imported juice from Brazil could have one of two results. It could scare consumers to the point that they stay away from the breakfast staple entirely or they’ll turn to locally grown products instead. Most are banking on the latter. | 01/13/12 11:49:02 By - Josh Salman

Investors are looking at bankrupt American Airlines

It didn't take long for rivals and investment firms to begin circling bankrupt American Airlines.

On Thursday, Delta Air Lines, US Airways and private equity firm TPG Capital were all reported to be considering bids for the Fort Worth-based carrier. | 01/13/12 07:30:15 By - Andrea Ahles

Investors see climate opportunity to make money, create jobs

In the language of the 450 large institutional investors meeting at a conference here Thursday, climate change is a risk to avoid and also an opportunity to make a good return on investments. | 01/12/12 18:05:03 By - Renee Schoof

Chamber backs off attack on consumer protection panel

After doggedly opposing the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in 2010, then fighting all last year to change its composition, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce softened its stance Thursday. | 01/12/12 16:10:54 By - Kevin G. Hall

Chinese officials tour Illinois port for business deals

As another delegation of Chinese officials toured America's Central Port in Illinois on Wednesday for a possible business deal, the port director said any agreement will not develop quickly. | 01/12/12 11:58:07 By - Will Buss

South Carolina hailed for insourcing jobs to U.S.

President Obama praised companies that are bringing manufacturing jobs back to the United States from abroad at a White House conference Wednesday where he met with leaders of firms investing in South Carolina and other states. | 01/12/12 11:44:57 By - James Rosen

Foreclosures, bankruptcies fall, but problems remain

The two major markers of financial distress — bankruptcies and foreclosures — declined in 2011 from the previous year, but the good news is a bit deceiving. | 01/12/12 00:01:52 By - Tony Pugh

Internet piracy bill splits technology, entertainment industries

Legislation to thwart Internet piracy is dividing Capitol Hill lawmakers and has the entertainment industry facing off against the technology industry. At least one major social media website is planning a daylong blackout next week to protest the bill. | 01/11/12 19:22:07 By - Curtis Tate

North Carolina furniture maker to share his views on jobs with Obama

The Lincolnton, N.C., owner of a small specialty furniture maker will be President Obama's guest at the White House today. The president has asked Bruce Cochrane, owner of Lincolnton Furniture, and several other business owners to join him to discuss what can be done to encourage companies to keep jobs in the United States. | 01/11/12 07:09:32 By - Franco Ordoñez

Fed's bond-buying spree sends big profits to Treasury

The Federal Reserve's controversial "quantitative easing" program of buying government bonds to stimulate the economy generated huge profits last year, resulting in the Fed transferring $76.9 billion to the U.S. Treasury in 2011, the bank said Tuesday. | 01/10/12 16:11:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

N.C. workers shorted $4.6M in wages

Employers across the state of North Carolina shortchanged their workers out of about $4.6 million in wages over the 12-month period that ended in June, according to a new report by an advocacy group. | 01/10/12 07:14:15 By - David Ranii

Interior Dept. bans new uranium mining near Grand Canyon

In a controversial decision, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar on Monday made official a 20-year ban on uranium and other hard-rock mining claims on more than 1 million acres of federal land near the Grand Canyon. | 01/09/12 18:38:00 By - Emily Seagrave Kennedy

Great Recession still affects health care spending

U.S. health are spending in 2010 grew at the second-slowest rate in 51 years, as patients continued to postpone hospitalizations, fill fewer drug prescriptions and avoid doctor visits in the aftermath of the Great Recession, according to a government report released Monday. | 01/09/12 16:42:00 By - Tony Pugh

As Boeing leaves Air Capital, wind energy could provide lift

Wichita, Kan., prides itself as the Air Capital for the multitude of aircraft manufacturers that call it home, but after this week, it will have to contemplate a future without Boeing, the signature company of the city's signature industry. But another potential answer for Wichita is energy, a solution that both Charlotte and Fremont have embraced. And Kansas has one form of energy in abundance: wind. | 01/06/12 17:00:00 By - Curtis Tate

Idaho couple heads to Supreme Court to defend home from EPA

An Idaho couple's dream home will be the center of a legal storm Monday at the Supreme Court. For homebuilders, farmers and major corporations, the case called Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency resonates well beyond one person's ambitions or even the wetlands protections specifically at issue. Business groups reckon the case can help roll back federal regulations along a broader front. | 01/06/12 16:02:00 By - Michael Doyle

Boise pawnshops thrive amid downturn

People go to pawnshops for many reasons, but they have been using the shops more since the economy started souring four years ago. | 01/06/12 13:25:18 By - Bill Roberts

Will U.S. economic recovery keep accelerating?

Can it last? That was the question everyone was asking after the Labor Department reported Friday that employers added 200,000 jobs in December and the unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent. | 01/06/12 08:42:22 By - Kevin G. Hall

A Europe boycott of Iran oil would cap years of U.S. effort

The European Union appears on the verge of banning its member countries from buying Iranian oil, a move that would culminate a years-long behind-the-scenes campaign by two U.S. administrations to cripple that oil-rich nation's lifeblood industry. | 01/05/12 18:23:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

December jobs report Friday could be good news

When the government reports December jobs numbers Friday, there's a good chance that the news may be better than expected. A bevy of labor market indicators released Thursday point to a strong month of hiring. | 01/05/12 16:52:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Company accused of ripping off Medicare hospice benefits

national hospice company improperly cycled patients through nursing homes and hospices with a goal of making as much profit as possible from Medicare, according to a whistleblower lawsuit announced this week. | 01/05/12 15:59:00 By - Jordan Rau

Boeing to leave Wichita in 2013 after 85 years

A company that helped Wichita become known as the Air Capital of the World is leaving. Boeing, one of the city’s iconic manufacturers, said it will close its sprawling facilities in south Wichita by the end of 2013. | 01/05/12 13:11:05 By - Molly McMillan

Trans-Alaska oil pipeline could last 50 more years, judge says

Oil could flow through the trans-Alaska oil pipeline much longer than state policy leaders have assumed even under very low levels of production from North Slope fields, according to evidence presented in a court case over how to value the pipeline for property tax purposes. | 01/05/12 06:49:36 By - Lisa Demer

Duke, Progress Energy to re-submit merger bid

Duke Energy and Progress Energy expect to submit a new proposal for their corporate merger this month as the North Carolina power companies make a third attempt to appease federal monopoly concerns. | 01/04/12 07:19:46 By - John Murawski

Possible showdown with Iran sends oil prices soaring

The possibility of a confrontation between the United States and Iran appeared to grow Tuesday after the Obama administration dismissed an Iranian warning against moving a U.S. aircraft carrier into the Persian Gulf, saying the deployment was crucial to "the security and stability of the region." | 01/03/12 13:23:00 By - Jonathan S. Landay and Kevin G. Hall

Seniors coping with economic downturn

Bill Dupont has worked his entire life in a variety of jobs from sales to courier services. He’s even worked as an armored guard. Now at 58, the Bradenton man is just struggling to find a job to pay his bills. | 01/03/12 12:16:09 By - Josh Salman

Kansas City's 'boutique' gasoline no longer so special

A boutique blend of gasoline required in Kansas City didn't help clear smog from the air as much as promised. | 01/03/12 09:09:41 By - Steve Everly

New Year's traditions include grapes, black-eyed peas

When Teresa Callava heads to Walt Disney World for a New Year’s vacation with friends and family, she’ll be bringing plastic bags packed with 12 grapes, one bag per person. For Callava, the Cuban tradition has been a ritual since childhood. Eating 12 grapes, one for each chime of the clock at midnight on New Year’s Eve —or for each month of the year — is meant to bring good luck for the coming year. | 12/30/11 15:25:12 By - Elaine Walker

Malnourished horses neglected during bad economy in Fresno area

A herd of starving and dead horses has turned up on a farm near Riverdale, California, the second time last week in Fresno County that malnourished horses were seized, the sheriff's office reported. | 12/29/11 12:27:12 By - Marc Benjaminand Robert Rodriguez

Economists aren't very hopeful about 2012

The good news is that the U.S. economy in 2012 isn't likely to be much worse than this year's has been. The bad news is that it might not be much better. The most likely outcome for 2012, economists say, is another year of muddling along. | 12/27/11 14:23:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Lines of customers greet Kansas casino as it opens to public

Visitors to the casino, built and managed by Peninsula Gaming of Dubuque, Iowa, for the state, which owns the games and will collect 22 percent of the gambling revenue, seemed eager for a new way to spend their money after Christmas. | 12/27/11 07:39:15 By - Fred Mann

Plans to 'tax the rich' hold risks and rewards for California

Fueled by a backlash against the wealthy, Gov. Jerry Brown and left-leaning groups want voters to tax the rich next November. Californians have shown strong support for the idea in polls so far, despite the fact that they haven't passed a statewide tax hike since 2004. | 12/27/11 07:17:39 By - Kevin Yamamura

Last-minute holiday shoppers unlikely to find big bargains

With only two days until Christmas and Hanukkah already in full swing, retailers are stretching shopping hours to the max in the hope of boosting sales. Toys “R” Us is staying open round the clock, and most retailers are open until 11 p.m. or midnight on Friday. Even Christmas Eve, Target will keep the lights on until 9 p.m. and Toys “R” Us until 10 p.m. But shoppers who waited — hoping to snare better bargains — may be disappointed. | 12/23/11 07:06:56 By - Elaine Walker

Despite interest from Congress, airline bag fees remain

One of the most loathed aspects of holiday air travel, baggage fees, is at the center of a growing debate that does not look to be resolved soon. The anger over increasing fees has reached new levels that have gained the attention of Washington, pitting members of Congress against the airline industry. | 12/22/11 19:22:09 By - Franco Ordonez

'Layaway angel' strikes at Kentucky Kmarts and Wal-Marts

The "layaway angel" has been in Central Kentucky. Kelsey Smith says she's the latest beneficiary of this Christmas' biggest gift trend — an anonymous layaway payoff — that has spread like a charitable wildfire among Kmarts and some Wal-Marts. | 12/22/11 07:20:02 By - Cheryl Truman

Californians seeking out of state jobs find it tough

Escape isn't easy. As California buckled under layoffs and hiring freezes last year, tens of thousands of residents saw lower unemployment rates in other states and decided to move. | 12/22/11 06:58:26 By - Phillip Reese

As shale fracking booms, environmental protection lags

America's race for cheap natural gas and energy independence has been outpacing the flow of state rules aimed at assuring people that gas production won't harm their health. The biggest environmental issue is what happens to the wastewater. | 12/21/11 17:13:00 By - Renee Schoof

Does shale oil boom mean U.S. energy independence near?

It may surprise Americans who've lived through many years of dependence on foreign fuels, but in less than a decade the United States could pass its 1970s peak as an oil and natural gas producer. If that happens — and many analysts think it's possible — the United States would edge past Saudi Arabia and Russia to become the world's top energy producer. | 12/21/11 16:23:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Missouri teacher sees benefits of USDA-sponsored free breakfast program

Mornings always start the same way in Denelle Hoff’s third-grade classroom at Williams Elementary School. | 12/21/11 13:37:50 By - Laura Bauer

U.S. auto industry shuts door on another strong year

After a near collapse at the height of the Great Recession, the streamlined U.S. auto industry defied the odds and outperformed the greater economy this year with solid sales increases, job growth and product innovations that signal that a full industry recovery no longer is just possible, but probable. | 12/20/11 18:49:00 By - Tony Pugh

Congress passes spending package but bigger money issues still loom

The House of Representatives on Friday approved a $915 billion spending package that will keep the government running through Sept. 30, but a separate agreement aimed at avoiding a Social Security payroll tax increase Jan. 1 remained elusive. | 12/16/11 17:31:00 By - David Lightman and William Douglas

SEC sues former Fannie and Freddie execs for fraud

The Securities and Exchange Commission announced a dramatic lawsuit on Friday alleging that six former top executives of mortgage finance titans Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac committed fraud by authorizing misleading statements about their balance sheets. | 12/16/11 14:43:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

$915 billion spending bill passes House

The House of Representatives Friday approved by a 296 to 121 vote a $915 billion spending package that will keep the government running through Sept. 30—but a separate agreement aimed at avoiding a Social Security payroll tax increase Jan. 1 remained elusive. The Senate is expected to approve the spending plan as soon as Saturday. | 12/16/11 14:00:25 By - David Lightman and William Douglas

Fitch Ratings downgrades Bank of America, Goldman Sachs

Fitch Ratings downgraded Bank of America and seven other major banks on Thursday, citing the uncertain economy and a tough regulatory environment. | 12/16/11 07:27:47 By - Andrew Dunn

Brazil's economy starts to slow down

Brazil still might be the darling of foreign investors and Miami real-estate agents but as the year draws to a close, its once booming economy is slowing. | 12/16/11 07:05:45 By - Mimi Whitefield

Merger of Duke, Progress Energy is denied again

Federal regulators have again rejected the proposed merger between Duke Energy and Progress Energy, assuring the $26 billion deal won't get done this year and raising questions whether it can get done at all. | 12/15/11 07:31:57 By - John Murawski

Nuclear commission chief 'abusive,' fellow members testify

The chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission blows up in abusive anger, intimidates staff members and withholds information from the rest of the commission, all four of his fellow commissioners testified to Congress on Wednesday. | 12/14/11 18:33:00 By - Renee Schoof

Democrats think Obama's playing tax-cut extension fight well

A year ago, the holiday showdown between President Barack Obama and Congress ended with a White House compromise and a deal to extend Bush-era tax cuts, a move that left many Democrats infuriated. | 12/14/11 17:38:00 By - David Lightman and Lesley Clark

Stores face buying season but consumers wary

The bottom line is that “consumers will buy what is cheap but do not have deep pockets for the impulse sales that drive the holiday,” Steven Ricchiuto, chief economist at Mizuho Securities in New York, said | 12/14/11 13:07:47 By - Diane Stafford, Mark Davis and Steve Everly

Congress is stymied, as usual, on year-end must-do list

President Barack Obama and a bitterly divided Congress have 18 days to figure out whether to continue a Social Security payroll tax cut, avoid a huge drop in Medicare payments to doctors and maintain many unemployment benefits. But Tuesday no one knew where the two warring political parties could find common ground. | 12/13/11 18:52:00 By - David Lightman

With U.S. awash in dollar coins, Obama to cut production

The federal government has too much money on its hands. That may be surprising, especially since the government is flat broke, with a $15 trillion national debt. But it's also awash in shiny one-dollar coins, with more than a billion of them going unused by the public and piling up at bank vaults across the country. | 12/13/11 16:42:37 By - Rob Hotakainen

Buyers can build homes for less in 2011

New homes cost less to build this year than in 2009, according to a national survey, and local builders say that some lower construction costs and smaller profit margins are making homes more affordable for buyers, who are slowly starting to make the decision to build. | 12/13/11 13:15:51 By - Adva Saldinger

Malaysian company says Miami casino won't be largest in the world

The Malaysian company pushing for a massive resort on the Miami waterfront said Monday it does not want to put the world’s largest casino there, calling that idea a “myth.” | 12/13/11 12:49:21 By - Douglas Hanks

Texas projects a $1.6 billion surplus in recovery

After a long run of tough times brought on by a sour economy, Texas lawmakers got some good news Monday as the state's chief fiscal officer projected a $1.6 billion surplus that could provide a much-needed financial cushion for the next session of the Legislature. | 12/13/11 12:07:42 By - Dave Montgomery

Southwest buys 150 new Boeing 737s

Southwest Airlines announced Monday morning that it will buy 150 Boeing 737 MAX and that it will be the first customer to receive the new re-engined aircraft in 2017. | 12/13/11 12:05:10 By - Andrea Ahles

Tom Brokaw: 'Greed and excess' led to Great Recession

Retired NBC “Nightly News” anchor Tom Brokaw congratulated the nearly 2,700 students who picked up their degrees from the University of South Carolina Monday by challenging them to rely more on their humanity and less on emerging technology to meet today’s challenges. | 12/13/11 07:23:16 By - Wayne Washington

Cuba shows U.S. its response plans in case of oil spill

As Cuba prepares to embark on a new round of exploratory offshore drilling, U.S. officials are slightly more enlightened about the island nation's plans in the event of a catastrophic oil spill on the scale of last year's Deepwater Horizon explosion. | 12/12/11 18:30:00 By - Erika Bolstad

Competition for pet medicines may drive up vet bills

It has been years since the entry of mail-order veterinary pharmacies, which have since morphed into online merchants like Wisconsin-based Foster & Smith. But in 2010, Target launched its PetRX pilot program in more than 100 stores in Georgia, North Carolina, Georgia and Minnesota, and other retailers are getting into the business. | 12/12/11 16:14:03 By - Barry Schlacter

Body scanners finding plenty of creative uses in U.S.

If Doug McMakin's latest experiment is successful, it's going to save travelers some time and hassle at the airport someday soon. | 12/11/11 00:01:00 By - Rob Hotakainen

Europe takes a big step on debt, EU integration

European leaders closed a pivotal week Friday with an agreement in principle to join a new treaty that would force all but one European Union nation into common budget discipline and would empower EU courts to enforce the new rules. | 12/09/11 17:55:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Jobs bill would encourage new business startups, senators say

Debate over how to create jobs has, unsurprisingly, become mired in the politics of 2012. But two lawmakers on Thursday offered what they say is a bipartisan solution. | 12/08/11 16:57:00 By - David Goldstein

Senate Republicans block Obama nominee to head consumer finance agency

As expected, Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked a confirmation vote on President Barack Obama's choice to lead the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. | 12/08/11 16:21:00 By - Tony Pugh

South Carolina economy looking good for 2012

More workers will find jobs, employees will get raises and modest homes could increase slightly in value in South Carolina next year, according to economists at USC | 12/08/11 13:41:25 By - Jeff Wilkinson

Former Sen. Corzine testifies about collapse of investment bank MF Global

The disgraced former CEO of failed investment bank MF Global told Congress on Thursday in testimony compelled under subpoena that he has no idea where a missing $1.2 billion went and insisted that he never instructed anyone to misuse customer funds. | 12/08/11 12:12:04 By - Kevin G. Hall

KFC, Taco Bell parent company Yum avoided state taxes for three years

The Louisville-based parent of such companies as Kentucky Fried Chicken and Taco Bell paid no net corporate income taxes to states over the past three years, even as it generated more than a billion dollars in profits for shareholders, according to a new report. | 12/08/11 08:38:38 By - Linda B. Blackford

Study: Glass ceiling for women in business remains intact

A new UC Davis study suggests that the glass ceiling remains firmly in place for female executives in California … and likely will stay there for a long time. | 12/08/11 06:52:04 By - Mark Glover

Merrill Lynch fined for violating cotton-speculation limits

A key financial regulator said Wednesday that it had fined Wall Street powerhouse Merrill Lynch $350,000 for violating rules that limit how many speculative contracts it can hold in markets where bets are made on the price of cotton for future delivery. | 12/07/11 17:35:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Post-eviction, Occupy Wall Street movement stays engaged

Since police evicted Occupy Wall Street activists from Zuccotti Park on Nov. 15, one new place has become increasingly important to organizing their daily operations: an office 12 floors above the sidewalks of Manhattan's financial district a short walk from the New York Stock Exchange. | 12/07/11 15:13:00 By - Gianna Palmer

In lofty speech, Obama appeals for a new commitment to a fair America

President Barack Obama cast the national debate and developing 2012 presidential campaign Tuesday as a battle between two visions of the economy, government and society. “The free market is the greatest force for economic progress in human history. It’s led to a prosperity and standard of living unmatched by the rest of the world,” Obama told an audience of about 1,200 in a high school gym in Osawatome, Kansas. | 12/06/11 19:43:56 By - Steven Thomma

Jobless take their grievances directly to Congress

America's unemployed workers brought their message of frustration and despair directly to the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday as they filled the congressional offices of dozens of lawmakers and refused to leave until they met with their elected representatives. | 12/06/11 19:18:00 By - Tony Pugh

Pa. revenue from Marcellus Shale less than expected

A re-evaluation of state personal income tax returns has shown Pennsylvania received much less tax money than it expected from natural gas royalties. | 12/06/11 11:33:52 By - Cliff White

Shell oil to unveil massive icebreaker ship in Alaska

A longtime Shell contractor has nearly completed a massive, customized icebreaking ship for the company's drilling projects in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska. | 12/06/11 11:05:20 By - Lisa Demer

Obama to echo Theodore Roosevelt in a big thematic speech on Tuesday

Franklin Roosevelt had the New Deal. Harry Truman had the Fair Deal. John Kennedy had the New Frontier. Now President Barack Obama takes his stab at wrapping his presidency under one great mantle. | 12/05/11 19:12:00 By - Steven Thomma

Europe confronts its debt crisis in key meetings this week

After months of dithering and false starts, Europe faces a pivotal week as investors await a credible last-ditch solution to its debt crisis. The outlines of a potential solution emerged Monday, and how the rest of the week plays out will have significant bearing on ordinary Americans as well as Europeans. | 12/05/11 17:43:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

When a thief steals your ID, and IRS refund

Without a hitch, Miami natives Ed and Kelley Brill had filed their joint income-tax returns from the same home address for 14 years. But this year, after obtaining an extension, the Miami Shores couple were shocked to learn that the Internal Revenue Service had rejected their electronically filed return. It turned out that a thief had stolen Kelley’s identity, Social Security number and employer’s name, then filed a falsified refund claim — beating the Brills to the punch | 12/05/11 14:14:10 By - Jay Weaver

Nightmare: squatters claim more than $8 million in Fort Worth properties

While county officials were asleep at the wheel, Tarrant County, Texas, became a magnet this year for an odd assortment of squatters claiming other people's houses all over the area. | 12/05/11 13:35:25 By - Yamil Berard

Shell Oil bets billions on Arctic Alaska plan

Standing in front of a brightly colored, 3-D image of the geology far below the floor of the Chukchi Sea, Steve Phelps pointed to the "giant opportunity" that has prompted Shell Oil to pour billions of dollars into the Alaska Arctic. | 12/05/11 06:46:35 By - Lisa Demer

Unemployed and liberal groups to hold protests in D.C.

Roughly 3,000 unemployed workers from around the country are expected in the nation's capitol next week for four days of protests with labor, religious and social justice groups that say Congress cares more about America's wealthiest 1 percent than it does the masses of struggling middle-class families. | 12/02/11 17:53:00 By - Tony Pugh

Battered Europe looks to Brazil, which has its own problems

The prospect of Brazilian aid to Europe offers the latest indication that the financial world as Americans have known it has been turned on its head. Developed nations are producing financial crisis and political paralysis while emerging markets are widely seen as sources of uplift and stability. | 12/02/11 17:19:00 By - Vinod Sreeharsha

Despite partisan divide, Congress likely to extend payroll tax cut

Sometime just before Christmas, Congress is expected to approve extending this year's 2 percentage point Social Security payroll tax cut and to stave off a huge cut in Medicare payments to doctors. It also may extend expiring federal unemployment benefits. But first, lawmakers have to figure out how to pay for all this. | 12/02/11 15:55:00 By - David Lightman

Jobless rate drops sharply to 8.6 percent in November

The surprising drop in November's unemployment rate to 8.6 percent overshadowed what may be a more significant positive trend, a sharp upturn in hiring by the nation's small businesses. Overall, U.S. employers added 120,000 jobs in November, according to a Labor Department report. | 12/02/11 08:51:25 By - Kevin G. Hall

Railroads, unions reach deal to avoid pre-Christmas strike

The nation's freight railroads and two labor unions representing 26,500 railroad employees reached a tentative agreement Thursday to avoid a strike that threatened to halt shipments of consumer goods three weeks before Christmas. | 12/01/11 23:17:00 By - Curtis Tate

Tax hike awaits if Congress doesn't act

If Congress doesn't vote to extend a payroll tax cut by Dec. 31, Democrat Patty Murray warned Thursday, a Washington state family with a yearly median income of $56,000 will pay an additional $1,130 in taxes next year. | 12/01/11 19:35:07 By - Rob Hotakainen

Did banks illegally foreclose on active-duty troops?

The U.S. Treasury Department is investigating whether Bank of America, Wells Fargo and eight other major banks may have illegally foreclosed on about 4,500 active-duty servicemen and women. | 11/30/11 18:36:50 By - Franco Ordonez

Amazon, eBay face off over state sales taxes

Capitol Hill clash between Amazon.com and eBay complicates California's hopes for an online sales-tax fix. The fight flared Wednesday, underscoring how big differences between the Internet sales giants stand in the way of congressional efforts to help California and other states collect hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes. | 11/30/11 18:19:00 By - Michael Doyle

Sudan says it will seize South Sudanese oil as talks fail

Sudan vowed Wednesday to confiscate a portion of South Sudan's oil as it passes through a pipeline in Sudan as talks between the countries failed to produce any agreement on how to split oil revenues. | 11/30/11 18:05:00 By - Alan Boswell

Video: Speculators driving up the price of cotton

Texas cotton grower Brad Heffington's been sidelined from the cotton futures market, thanks to a surge of financial speculators into the market, which originally was designed to protect farmers like him against price shifts. | 11/30/11 17:02:33 By -

Speculators drive cotton price volatility, hurting farmers and consumers

Texas cotton grower Brad Heffington speaks Wall Street's language of hedges, correlation charts and the like as easily as he discusses weevils and pesticides. Yet today his financial knowledge is of limited use. | 11/30/11 15:16:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Coordinated central bank moves prompt monster stock rally

A surprise coordinated move Wednesday by the Federal Reserve and five other central banks to keep credit flowing amid the worsening debt crisis in Europe sparked a huge rally on Wall Street, but experts doubted the momentum would hold. | 11/30/11 13:14:51 By - Kevin G. Hall

Obama hits the road to tout a tax-cut plan Republicans seem to like

President Barack Obama jets to Scranton, Pa., on Wednesday to ramp up pressure on Congress to extend and perhaps expand a payroll tax cut for another year — a move that Senate Republicans suggested Tuesday could happen, at least the extension. | 11/29/11 19:12:00 By - Lesley Clark and David Lightman

Can coal plants afford EPA's new air-toxics rule?

America has never had a nationwide limit on mercury and other toxic emissions from coal-fired power plants. That's about to change, though, and it will cost companies such as American Electric Power, which runs the Tanners Creek power station here on the Ohio River, billions of dollars. | 11/29/11 14:43:00 By - Renee Schoof

Peanut butter prices going up

Peanut butter is disappearing from some food bank shelves, particularly in the Midwest, as peanut butter manufacturers raise their wholesale prices by 20 percent to 40 percent. | 11/29/11 13:54:57 By - John Gillie

In Modesto, Calif., latinos hit hardest by foreclosures

Latinos in Stanislaus County are nearly four times more likely to have lost their homes to foreclosure than homeowners nationwide. And black and Asian-American homeowners in the county haven't fared much better, a study on foreclosures shows | 11/29/11 13:38:51 By - J.N. Sbranti

Huge solar plant proposed in Fresno County, California

A subsidiary of the multinational Sharp Corp. is looking to build what would be one of the state's largest solar energy plants in western Fresno County. | 11/29/11 13:02:24 By - Kurtis Alexander

Chiquita relocating headquarters to Charlotte, N.C.

Chiquita Brands International will move its global headquarters to Charlotte, lured by $22.7 million in state and local incentives. The company is set to bring 417 jobs to the city. It | 11/29/11 12:51:10 By - Ely Portillo

American Airlines files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

American Airlines' parent company, AMR Corp., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Tuesday morning and its chief executive, Gerard Arpey, has retired. The Fort Worth-based carrier said it will continue to operate a normal flight schedule for American Airlines and its regional subsidiary, America Eagle, while it is reorganizing in bankruptcy. | 11/29/11 08:26:16 By - Andrea Ahles

Shepherd of financial regulation law Barney Frank to retire at crucial time

The surprise announcement Monday by long-serving Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., that he won't seek re-election to the House of Representatives will give opponents of new financial regulation more room to seek a rollback of important curbs on big banks and powerful financial firms. | 11/28/11 18:20:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Alaska's film industry subsidy program draws questions

In the winter woods of Kincaid Park, an Anchorage police detective played by Jon Voight tells a greasy kidnapper to let the child go. Voight's breath steams in the cold. Crack! One gunshot. Then another. | 11/28/11 06:33:13 By - Kyle Hopkins

Insurance customers in North Carolina irked by policy linking

This year, two of the most popular underwriters of homeowners insurance policies in North Carolina - Allstate and N.C. Farm Bureau - have adopted underwriting guidelines that link homeowners policies with auto policies across the state. | 11/25/11 07:20:53 By - David Ranii

Salvation Army’s Season Passes alert bell ringers that you’ve donated

You’ve been there before. You drop a buck or two in the Salvation Army kettle outside the hardware store. You dig into your pocket again as you walk by the gal ringing the bell at the mall. Then when you pass by the guy collecting donations outside the grocery store, you want to tell him you gave twice already in the last hour.

Such is the reason for the Season Pass button being sold by the Kansas and Western Missouri Division of the Salvation Army. Give $20, pin the button to your coat, and smile without shame the next time you pass a red kettle. It’s an idea borrowed from the Salvation Army in western Wisconsin, where it was dubbed a guilt-free button.

“So many people aren’t carrying cash anymore,” said Amanda Waters, the Salvation Army’s community relations director. “You feel kind of bad if you don’t have money. … This is kind of a pass.”

The buttons can be bought at Hy-Vee supermarkets, Roger’s Sporting Goods in Liberty and DealBug.com.

Elsewhere around the country this year, the Salvation Army is taking credit-card payments at test sites in Dallas, San Francisco, Chicago and New York. The organization has teamed up with Square, a mobile payments startup that has a little card-reader that plugs into smartphones and other mobile devices. | 11/25/11 07:08:15 By - Scott Canon

Despite public disgust, lawmakers are likely to stay gridlocked

Why don't Washington lawmakers understand that the public hates Congress? Don't they worry that debacles like this week's supercommittee failure are likely to mean political peril for incumbents? No. | 11/23/11 16:04:00 By - David Lightman

Supercommittee failure creates new headwinds limiting economic growth

This week's failure by Congress to reach a deficit-reduction deal is likely to have negative short-term and longer-term economic consequences. The failure puts more headwinds in front of the sluggish U.S. economic recovery, whereas a successful deal would have created a significant tailwind to give it a boost. | 11/23/11 14:49:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Little guys pass on Black Thursday in San Luis Obispo, Calif.

Black Thursday is replacing Black Friday among national retailers hoping to get a jump on holiday shopping, but local merchants say it doesn’t make sense for them to open early on Thanksgiving Day and try to compete with the big-box stores. | 11/23/11 13:49:31 By - Stacy Daniel

Occupy Boise plans wandering 'consumer zombies' for Black Friday

Members of the 75-person Occupy encampment on the grounds of the Old Ada County Courthouse in Boise plan to send "consumer zombies" out to wander among Boise shoppers on Friday in silent protest of what they consider unnecessary consumerism. | 11/23/11 13:12:20 By -

Kansas Gov. Brownback says he'll fight to keep Boeing in Wichita

Gov. Sam Brownback said he and the state’s congressional delegation "will fight and fight hard" to keep Boeing in Wichita, and he said he would remind Boeing officials of the promises they made while he and others fought to secure a massive aerial refueling tanker contract. | 11/23/11 07:05:47 By - Brent D. Wistrom

Feds consider new labels on wine

Read the label on that Thanksgiving bottle of wine now chilling in the fridge. It might get edited, if federal regulators step in. One proposal that worries major U.S. winemakers in the vineyard-rich state of California could impose stricter definitions on label terms such as "estate," "reserve" and "vineyard." | 11/22/11 16:49:00 By - Michael Doyle

Thanksgiving myth: It's the worst travel day

Thanksgiving myth: The November holiday is consistently the worst time of the year for travel. Thanksgiving truth: It’s reputation is worse than the reality. | 11/22/11 14:17:04 By - John Gillie

How to survive the Thanksgiving trip home to Miami

Travelers this holiday week won’t have much to be thankful for — at least not where their trip is concerned. The AAA holiday forecast predicts a 4 percent increase in travel compared to 2010 over the long Thanksgiving weekend, which starts Wednesday. | 11/22/11 13:44:06 By - Hannah Sampson

Congress starts blame game; N.C lawmakers react

North Carolina's congressional delegation expressed frustration and shame Monday after a special bipartisan supercommittee failed to reach agreement on cutting at least $1.2 trillion from federal deficits. | 11/22/11 11:06:04 By - Franco Ordoñez

U.S., Britain tighten financial screws on Iran

The United States and its allies on Monday increased financial pressure on Iran with targeted sanctions on that nation's energy sector and central bank as further punishment for pursuing nuclear weapons technology. | 11/21/11 19:18:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Congress' supercommittee collapses in failure, stock markets plunge

The failure Monday of Congress' supercommittee — the bipartisan panel that was supposed to cut at least $1.2 trillion from looming federal deficits — will trigger a fresh series of partisan clashes over taxes, spending, Social Security and a host of other fiscal matters, clashes likely to be begin immediately. | 11/21/11 18:34:00 By - David Lightman and William Douglas

Poll: Glimmer of hope on economy, Obama's handling of it

A nearly 2-1 majority of voters think that President Barack Obama inherited, rather than caused, today's slumping economy, and more Americans trust him to create jobs than they do the Republicans in Congress, according to a new McClatchy-Marist poll. | 11/21/11 18:03:00 By - Lesley Clark

Highest income-inequality tract in America is gentrifying

The nation's newfound concern for income inequality and economic justice is old hat on the streets of Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. For the last 40 years, crime, resident flight, unemployment and inadequate housing have made this poverty-stricken area the city's most downtrodden and feared neighborhood. | 11/21/11 15:17:00 By - Tony Pugh

Texas might cut Medicaid reimbursements

Therapy and physician groups in Texas are alarmed about proposed cuts in government healthcare reimbursement rates that they say would hurt the sickest and poorest Texas patients, most of them children. | 11/21/11 07:40:03 By - Darren Barbee

Is sex expo being unfairly targeted in Illinois?

Organizers of a sex convention say they are being unfairly targeted after aldermen said the city will check if event vendors have permits. STL3 Inc. has organized a "Spanksgiving" conference from today to Sunday at the Four Points by Sheraton hotel in Fairview Heights, Ill. for about 250 people who will explore bondage, discipline, sadism and masochism in sexual relationships. | 11/18/11 13:00:17 By - Jaqueline Lee

Unions join Occupy activists in mass protest marches across America

The Occupy Wall Street movement — looking to show staying power after losing prime real estate in various cities — got a boost of support across the country Thursday from labor and progressive organizations in what union organizers said is the most visible sign that they're working with the activists to press for change. | 11/17/11 19:30:00 By - Lesley Clark and Gianna Palmer

Poll: Public expects congressional supercommittee to fail

People have little confidence that Congress' supercommittee can reach agreement on how to cut at least $1.2 trillion from the federal deficit, according to a new McClatchy-Marist poll. | 11/17/11 18:11:00 By - David Lightman

House to vote Friday on a balanced-budget amendment to Constitution

The House of Representatives plans to vote Friday on a constitutional amendment mandating a balanced federal budget — an effort expected ultimately to fail, but one that could have lingering political impact. | 11/17/11 16:57:00 By - David Lightman

Report: Housing crisis has a long way to go

At least 2.7 million homes nationwide have been lost to foreclosure during the past five years, and more than 3 million more are at serious risk of being lost as well, according to a report released Thursday by the Center for Responsible Lending and Center for Community Capital at UNC Chapel Hill. | 11/17/11 14:00:26 By - Kerry Singe

Erskine Bowles, Alan Simpson aren't optimistic Congress can bite the bullet on debt

Though more optimistic than before, the co-chairmen of the president's deficit reduction panel said Wednesday night that there's a slim chance a congressional committee will "go big" and agree on a long-term solution to America's debt crisis. Erskine Bowles, along with fellow co-chair Alan Simpson, warned of dire consequences if the committee fails to agree on a deficit plan. | 11/17/11 07:18:41 By - Jim Morrill

In Charlotte, hunger rises as food donations dwindle

With just a week left until Thanksgiving, North Carolina's Mecklenburg County's network of food pantries is facing a crisis of too many hungry people and not enough food. | 11/16/11 18:29:05 By - Mark Price

Police interventions fire up Occupy protesters

As they prepare for a "national day of action" on Thursday, protesters from Seattle to New York are feeling energized, preparing to turn out perhaps the biggest crowds yet of the 2-month-old Occupy Wall Street movement. Unions and liberal groups are teaming up with Occupy groups across the country in an attempt to boost the turnouts. With thousands expected to participate, all eyes will be on the police, who have cracked down on protesters from coast to coast in recent days. | 11/16/11 17:56:00 By - Rob Hotakainen and Gianna Palmer

Bank of America starts layoffs

Layoff notices are going out to Bank of America employees this week, a sign the significant staff cuts announced as part of a company-wide initiative have begun. | 11/16/11 12:55:07 By - Andrew Dunn

Bank of America CEO Moynihan promises transparency on fees

Bank of America Corp.'s recent foray into debit-card fees - and the pullback that followed - illustrates the difficulties in today's financial sector, chief executive Brian Moynihan said Tuesday, adding: "We learned from the experience." | 11/16/11 07:21:55 By - Kirsten Valle Pittman

Green probe has guitar maker, Gibson, playing the blues

A fight between the Obama administration and iconic guitar manufacturer Gibson has reignited debate about just how much a U.S. company must know about its foreign trade partners and how much control it must exert over those from whom it buys. | 11/15/11 16:13:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

New book warns how to avoid Ponzi schemes

A book to be published Tuesday and written by a somewhat obscure federal regulator uses real-world examples of recent financial fraud to help investors protect themselves from those who'd prey upon them. | 11/14/11 19:00:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Deficit cutters target upper-income Medicare beneficiaries

In the scramble to come up with a deficit-reduction deal by Thanksgiving, members of Capitol Hill's supercommittee appear to have one group squarely in their crosshairs: high-income Medicare beneficiaries. | 11/14/11 15:55:00 By - Mary Agnes Carey and Marilyn Werber Serafini

Latin America better prepared to weather a slowdown in global economy

With jitters about the euro zone crisis spreading, fears that a Greek default may still be in the cards and the possibility of a slowdown in the Chinese economy, questions loom for Latin America and the Caribbean. | 11/14/11 15:10:39 By - Mimi Whitefield

Occupy Wall Street is many things, but one thing it's not is partisan

The Occupy Wall Street protest may be a movement, a momentary phenomenon or something in between, but one thing its most fervent activists insist that it's not is a team of shock troops for any partisan political campaign. | 11/13/11 13:14:00 By - Gianna Palmer

Clyburn at odds with fellow Democrats over Medicare cuts

House Assistant Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn has emerged as the defender of the poor and elderly on the deficit-reduction panel weighing deep spending cuts against a ticking clock, balking at a plan by other Democrats on the "supercommittee" because, he says, it trims Medicare too much. | 11/11/11 17:53:00 By - James Rosen

Pennsylvania farmers warn North Carolina farmers of shale gas drilling

Two Pennsylvania farmers who leased land to shale gas drillers in their state and dreamed of a big payoff painted a bleak picture of the gas industry Thursday. | 11/11/11 15:03:51 By - John Murawski

Obama administration delays decision on Keystone XL oil pipeline

A decision on whether to build a pipeline from Canada's oil sands to Texas will be delayed, probably until 2013, to allow time to consider rerouting a section in Nebraska, the State Department announced Thursday. | 11/10/11 18:52:00 By - Renee Schoof

U.S. economy remains at risk from European financial mess

Stocks around the globe returned to positive territory Thursday, a day after European worries sparked steep losses. Europe's woes, however, remain a clear and present danger to the fragile U.S. economic recovery. | 11/10/11 17:59:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Thanksgiving meal will cost 13% more with commodities run-up

It's going to cost a bit more to put a traditional Thanksgiving dinner on the table this year. It's a result of soaring costs for commodities that are raising prices for food makers, grocers and consumers. The costs for nearly everything from cranberries to pumpkin pie are up. But the biggest price hike is for the main course: a 16-pound turkey costs 4 percent more this year at $21.57. | 11/10/11 13:20:26 By -

NLRB documents shed light on Boeing fight in South Carolina

Lawyers for the federal labor agency fighting Boeing’s new factory in North Charleston, N.C., repeatedly joked among themselves about the dispute and exchanged a political cartoon portraying S.C. Sen. Glenn McConnell as a crass-speaking confederate soldier, according to internal documents released Wednesday. | 11/10/11 12:49:32 By - James Rosen

Hurricane Irene costs N.C. tobacco farmers $114 million

As their crops come in and they count their gains and losses, Eastern North Carolina farmers are finding that much of their profit this year was dried up by drought or blown away by Hurricane Irene. Even before the storm left North Carolina, growers and agricultural extension agents knew that Irene would hurt tobacco and cotton the worst, but they couldn't quantify the damage until the harvest. | 11/10/11 07:12:01 By - Martha Quillin

After GOP criticism, Christmas tree program farmers sought is suspended

Republican heat led the Obama administration Wednesday to suspend plans for a Christmas tree-promotion program that growers long had sought. | 11/09/11 19:30:00 By - Michael Doyle

Romney's plan would change Medicare fundamentally

Mitt Romney's plan to overhaul Medicare follows a familiar Republican prescription: Use the power of the marketplace to bring down costs and improve care. Yet such a move would change the nature of the popular program fundamentally, and it treads close to a House of Representatives Republican proposal that sparked controversy earlier this year. | 11/09/11 15:01:00 By - Mary Agnes Carey and Marilyn Werber Serafini

Supreme Court skeptical of California's slaughterhouse rule

Supreme Court justices carved into California's ban on the commercial slaughter of lame livestock Wednesday, leaving the state law's future in doubt. | 11/09/11 15:46:00 By - Michael Doyle

Christmas tree farmers hope ads will stem growth of artificial trees

The Christmas tree ad wars are about to heat up, albeit in a rather jolly way. Following an extended debate that pit one region against another, the Agriculture Department on Tuesday gave the green light to a new industry-funded Christmas tree promotion program. | 11/08/11 16:26:23 By - Michael Doyle

Peanut industry, allergy sufferers search for common ground

Farmers, scientists, politicians and lobbyists in Georgia, where roughly half the nation's peanuts are produced, are scrambling to do an image makeover of sorts on the politically embattled legume. | 11/08/11 12:38:00 By - Halimah Abdullah

82 year old parade will be held after all in Fresno, Calif.

The Fresno Christmas parade is back on. Last month, city officials pulled the plug on the parade, citing budget constraints. The parade costs $15,000 to $20,000.

A downtown fixture for decades, the annual parade draws hundreds every year. And downtown supporters did not want to let it die. | 11/08/11 12:11:49 By - Robert Rodriguez

Supreme Court to hear case on downed livestock

California's ban on the commercial slaughter of downed livestock will come before the Supreme Court on Wednesday, in a case that pits state vs. federal power. | 11/07/11 17:58:00 By - Michael Doyle

California dairies find going 'green' expensive

California's new greenhouse rules offer dairies two reasons to be thankful -- an exemption from the limits and a chance to make money by voluntarily cutting back climate-warming methane. But industry officials say it's unlikely that many dairies will get involved because it's too expensive to build a methane-capturing system. | 11/07/11 16:12:41 By - Mark Grossi

Poverty stalks a Fresno, Calif. neighborhood

Maria Cuevas and her 1 1/2-year-old son, Ethan, are regulars at her parents' home just north of downtown Fresno. The small but tidy bungalow near Belmont Avenue is where she lived until a year ago. How much longer these visits will continue, however, remains to be seen. | 11/07/11 16:07:05 By - Kurtis Alexander

Credit unions report uptick in accounts on Bank Transfer day

Credit unions in Charlotte and across the state reported a surge in new accounts this weekend tied to Bank Transfer Day. The social media-driven movement encouraged big-bank customers to close their accounts and join credit unions by Saturday. | 11/07/11 16:01:54 By - Kristin Valle Pittman

For GOP, Arizona mine a job-creating model on U.S. land

In 1955, Republican President Dwight Eisenhower signed an executive order that put a huge swath of rugged Arizona plateau off-limits to all future mining, a bow to recreationists and to American Indians who regard the site as sacred. Fifty-six years later, Republicans in the House of Representatives have another idea in mind. | 11/07/11 15:04:00 By - Rob Hotakainen

Thousands surround White House in protest of Keystone oil pipeline

On a sunny, cloudless day, thousands of protesters encircled the White House Sunday in a show of numbers intended to persuade President Barack Obama to stop a proposed oil pipeline from being built. Organizers estimated that the crowd exceeded 10,000 people. | 11/06/11 18:34:00 By - Daniel Lippman

In Washington state's capital, Occupy protesters coexist with businesses

As Occupy Olympia settles into its fourth week at downtown’s Heritage Park, public agencies and nearby businesses are settling into a routine, too – checking daily or weekly to see how things are progressing at the site or serving hot beverages to those trying to get out of the cold. | 11/06/11 10:36:53 By - Rolf Boone

G-20 summit ends with Europe bailout plan unfinished

Leaders of the world’s most-industrialized nations ended two days of turbulence here, unable to finalize a bailout plan for struggling European Union economies but inching forward on steps designed to prevent a financial crisis from spreading. | 11/04/11 13:48:18 By - Lesley Clark and Kevin G. Hall

South Carolina state retirees take a big hit

The South Carolina State Budget and Control Board voted Thursday to cut retirement benefits for the state’s 137,500 retired teachers, police officers and state employees – the first shot in what is sure to be an emotional battle over the state’s debt-ridden retirement system. | 11/04/11 13:04:44 By - Adam Beam

Scrutiny of founder imperils shoe charity out of North Carolina

Stop in a fitness club, shoe store or church around the Triangle and you're likely to see the purple-and-white "SOS" boxes that collect used shoes for the needy. Jennifer Pierce of Raleigh saw her nonprofit take off when a devastating earthquake hit Haiti in January 2010. But media attention now has brought something else - a spotlight on Pierce. | 11/04/11 12:57:02 By - Dan Kane

Macon's holiday cheer filched by copper thieves

Macon’s traditional downtown Christmas decorations testify through their tatters that the Grinch never sleeps. | 11/04/11 12:26:09 By - Jim Gaines

Some Californians switching from banks to local credit unions

Fed up with rising fees, frustrated customers of national banks are closing their accounts. In particular, credit unions – which are nonprofit organizations – are benefiting from the consumer frustration, with an estimated 650,000 people joining credit unions nationwide since Sept. 29 and shifting $4.5 billion into new savings accounts, according to the California Credit Union League. | 11/04/11 11:56:43 By - Bethany Clough

Recession fears ease as jobless rate drops to 9 percent

Employers added 80,000 jobs in October and the unemployment rate fell one-tenth of a percentage point to 9 percent, the government said Friday in a monthly jobs report that was again dragged down by more government job losses. | 11/04/11 08:58:11 By - Kevin G. Hall

IMF may take role in Europe crisis as G-20 leaders resume talks

George Osborne, Britian's Chancellor of the Exchequer, told BBC Radio that negotiations on boosting contributions to the IMF were ongoing, though whether individual countries would be asked to increase their contributions had not been determined. The U.S. has suggested that the IMF should use its existing resources, saying that it's been bolstered since the U.S. financial collapse. | 11/04/11 08:05:22 By - Lesley Clark

Bank of America considers issuing new common shares

Bank of America is considering issuing up to 400 million new common shares as part of an exchange for preferred stock, a move the bank says is a way to reduce dividend expenditures while increasing capital on favorable terms. | 11/04/11 07:30:44 By - Andrew Dunn

Occupy protesters declare Goldman Sachs guilty, get arrested

In the latest round of demonstrations calling for corporate accountability, 16 Occupy Wall Street protesters were arrested in front of the global headquarters of Goldman Sachs in lower Manhattan. | 11/03/11 20:26:00 By - Gianna Palmer

Europe debt action back on course after Greeks abandon vote

Leaders of the world's most industrialized nations, gathered here for the annual G-20 summit, scrambled Thursday to rescue a European Union deal to restructure Greek debt and prevent a regional financial crisis from spreading and creating further global economic disruption. | 11/03/11 18:40:00 By - Lesley Clark and Kevin G. Hall

Despite label as do-nothing Congress, Boehner boasts of changing debate

House Speaker John Boehner, looking confident and even relaxed, sounded very much like someone ready to compromise on the biggest fiscal issues of the day | 11/03/11 17:44:00 By - David Lightman

As Greece woes ebb, other Eurozone problems surface

While storm clouds in Greece appeared to lift Thursday with political compromise, the broader European Union still faces numerous threats as other struggling economies such as Italy's remain in danger. | 11/03/11 16:04:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

'Bank Transfer Day' garners attention

Bank Transfer Day, a social media-driven exhortation to leave big banks and join credit unions, is scheduled for Saturday and is gaining national attention. Created by an art gallery owner in California, the movement has recruited nearly 75,000 people who have RSVP'd to the group's event on Facebook. | 11/03/11 13:49:55 By - Andrew Dunn

Europe debt action back on course after Greeks abandon austerity vote

Leaders of the world’s most industrialized nations scrambled Thursday to rescue a European Union deal to restructure Greek debts and prevent a regional financial crisis from spreading and creating further global economic disruption. | 11/03/11 13:13:28 By - Lesley Clark and Kevin G. Hall

Obama meets with Sarkozy, Merkel as G-20 tries to solve Greek debt crisis

Warning that the "most important" task for world leaders gathered here is to find a way to resolve Europe's financial crisis, U.S. President Barack Obama huddled privately Thursday with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Prime Minister Angela Merkel on his arrival at the G-20. | 11/03/11 08:10:02 By - Lesley Clark

Bowles to debt panel: Don't 'fail the country'

Former University of North Carolina system president Erskine Bowles warned members of a congressional supercommittee Tuesday of an imminent economic disaster unless lawmakers act quickly to reduce the federal debt. And Bowles openly questioned whether the committee has the ability to do the job. | 11/02/11 17:29:08 By - Franco Ordoñez and David Lightman

Greek debt crisis overshadows G20 summit as Obama arrives

President Barack Obama and world leaders begin two days of pivotal meetings here Thursday, their gathering overshadowed by an unfolding Greek drama. | 11/02/11 19:15:00 By - Lesley Clark and Kevin G. Hall

There's many a gray head in Occupy Wall Street crowd

Vince Taylor doesn't fit the stereotype of unkempt twentysomething protesters at the Occupy Wall Street site in Manhattan, which was clear from the homemade canvas sign he held there. It read: "75 AND DISGUSTED." | 11/02/11 18:57:00 By - Gianna Palmer and Kate Howard

Bernanke: Growth outlook slows, jobless rate frustrating

For the third time this year, the Federal Reserve on Wednesday scaled back its economic growth forecasts for the next two years, projecting a slower economy and higher unemployment than it did back in June. | 11/02/11 17:56:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Washington state Gov. Gregoire: Prisoners needed to pick apples

Even after deploying 105 prison inmates this week to help pick apples in eastern Washington state, Gov. Chris Gregoire says growers still need from 3,000 to 4,000 workers to help harvest before the season's first major freeze. | 11/02/11 17:40:47 By - Rob Hotakainen

Obama demands passage of jobs bill but, again, it's not likely

President Barack Obama stood Wednesday before an aging Washington bridge and urged a bitterly divided Congress to approve his plan to boost infrastructure spending, but the effort is likely to be blocked Thursday in the Senate. | 11/02/11 17:16:00 By - David Lightman

Debit fees spark 'anti-big-bank' sentiments

Amid a consumer backlash that went as high as the White House, Bank of America on Tuesday became the latest bank to scrap plans to charge customers a monthly fee to use their debit cards. Consumer resentment against the fees is so great, in fact, that it triggered a viral, grassroots movement that calls for bank customers to shift their money to credit unions and community banks on Saturday, which has been dubbed "Bank Transfer Day." | 11/02/11 13:21:54 By - David Ranii

Harvest time in California's rice bowl

Virtually every piece of sushi made in America uses California rice. Its starchy grains offer just the right consistency. More than 95 percent of California's rice crop grows within 100 miles of Sacramento, with rice covering more than 580,000 acres. | 11/02/11 13:06:35 By - Debbie Arrington

G-20 leaders arrive in Cannes aiming to quell global economic turmoil

President Barack Obama and world leaders open two days of pivotal meetings in Cannes on Thursday, hoping to salvage a package to stabilize the European economy and prevent its woes from sparking a global recession and further weakening a shaky U.S. economy. | 11/02/11 10:41:07 By - Lesley Clark

Some Calif. water customers face 18% rate hike for using less

It doesn't seem fair — and to some it doesn't make sense. If you're worried about water bills and you use less water, you should get a lower bill, right? But that's not happening in the Carmichael Water District. | 11/02/11 06:48:18 By - Loretta Kalb

Congressional debt panel told to be bold or risk economic disaster

Experts from recent bipartisan debt-reduction commissions gave Congress' debt supercommittee stark, sobering warnings Tuesday about imminent economic disaster unless lawmakers act quickly and boldly to cut federal debt sharply. | 11/01/11 18:13:00 By - David Lightman

Global financial turmoil follows call for Greek debt referendum

Global stocks skidded Tuesday after a stunning about-face by Greece on a deal agreed to last week to quell the European Union's debt crisis, as investors and analysts scrambled to understand the impact on the U.S. and global economies | 11/01/11 18:08:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Wells Fargo tailors service to super-rich

Wells Fargo is launching a boutique business to serve families with at least $50 million in assets, an example of the banking industry's increasing focus on high-net-worth customers. | 11/01/11 12:40:38 By - Andrew Dunn

Bank of America cancels planned debit card fee

Facing continued pressure from consumers and big-bank competitors, Bank of America Corp. has eliminated its planned $5 debit card fee, the bank said today. | 11/01/11 12:37:26 By - Kirsten Valle Pittman

Wells Fargo creates servies for super-wealthy

Wells Fargo is launching a boutique business to serve families with at least $50 million in assets, an example of the banking industry's increasing focus on high-net-worth customers. | 11/01/11 07:17:15 By - Andrew Dunn

Coal is king on the rails now, but maybe not forever

A big part of what saved the freight rail industry from disaster lies not far beneath the rolling grasslands of eastern Wyoming. Coal still generates half the country's electricity, but railroads can make money hauling other goods, too, and they aren't spending hundreds of millions of dollars on new facilities to run more coal trains. | 10/31/11 15:39:00 By - Curtis Tate

How railroads came back from the brink and got ahead

More than three decades after the federal government deregulated freight railroads, the industry is enjoying "a new golden age," said Frank Wilner, the author of several books on railroad economics. After being left for dead in the 1970s, railroads reinvested nearly $10 billion in themselves last year, according to industry figures, and they haven't received taxpayer bailouts. | 10/31/11 15:33:00 By - Curtis Tate

What's what you're eating? Mobile app can tell you

Gatorade drinkers wondering about the calcium pantothenate in their favorite sports drink won't have to guess much longer. INRFOOD, a mobile application and website created by a group of Durham startups, will allow users to scan the bar codes of food products and see the ingredients. | 10/31/11 13:57:34 By - Tori Stilwell

Demand for truckers in Modesto, Calif. to last for the long haul

In an area with high unemployment and few opportunities, one profession has continued to have jobs for those willing and able to take the wheel. Trucking, which nationally saw an increase from 1.26 million employees to 1.3 million from July 2010 to July 2011, continues to have high demand for drivers, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor. | 10/31/11 13:42:16 By - Marijke Rowland

Packs of abandoned dogs roam farming areas of South Miami

Starving and with bugs in their fur, six dogs scarf down plates of food on a weedy South Miami-Dade roadside. They stick together at a nursery in Homestead, malnourished and skittish, while neighborhood resident Mirta Maltes drives around and feeds as many as she can. These are only a few of perhaps a hundred in the area. | 10/31/11 13:31:26 By - Margaux Herrera

Report: Watermelons good for heart and health

Watermelon: It's not just for summer picnics any more. University of Kentucky researchers have been studying the fruit's juice and results show that it may be good for keeping your weight down and your heart strong. | 10/31/11 13:19:43 By - Cheryl Truman

Can talking too much about the economy bring it down?

Are all these media sirens, eager-for-airtime pundits and doom-saying Washington partisans rightly reacting to the real hardships that grip and depress us? Or are their columns, cable shows and blame sessions stirring such fear and anger, such hopelessness, that they only further the economic slump? | 10/31/11 13:09:17 By - Rick Montgomery

Kansas home weatherization funds diverted to bio-fuels industry

Kansas lost more than a thousand jobs and the chance to weatherize thousands of homes, thanks to a state-run loan program that rolled out too slowly. When it looked as if the state couldn’t meet a federal deadline, more than $20 million meant for weatherization loans went to a company and a nonprofit in the biofuels industry. | 10/31/11 07:17:22 By - Karen Dillon

Koch Industries is target of weekend protests

About 100 protesters marched on Koch Industries' headquarters near 37th North and Oliver in Wichita over the weekend. They chanted "Main Street, not Wall Street" and "Pay your share" as they marched. They also carried signs that explained why they were marching: "I Can't Afford to Buy My Own Politician. I'm part of the 99 percent," one sign said. | 10/31/11 07:09:57 By - Fred Mann

Alaska Gov. Parnell's natural gas-to-Asia plan has lawmakers intrigued

Alaska politicians are interested in Gov. Sean Parnell's push to try to export the state's natural gas to Asia rather than the Lower 48, with influential lawmakers saying the state should consider paying to help to make it happen. | 10/31/11 06:50:28 By - Sean Cockerham

Bank of America may pull back on debit-card fee

The bank may make it easier for debit-card users to avoid having to pay $5 a month. | 10/29/11 15:53:52 By - Kirsten Valle Pittman

Clyburn most active fundraiser on debt panel

Rep. Jim Clyburn is the most aggressive fundraiser on the special panel set up by Congress to slash the federal deficit, defying calls by government-watchdog groups to stop raising money while weighing huge spending cuts that will impact every economic sector. | 10/28/11 19:46:36 By - James Rosen

U.S. will lack muscle at eurozone crisis meeting

When President Barack Obama arrives in Europe for meetings next Thursday and Friday with leaders of the 20 most-industrialized nations, he'll have limited influence over deliberations on how Europe should proceed in fleshing out its new but incomplete debt-crisis plan. | 10/28/11 17:23:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Partisan divisions prevent Congress from passing jobs bills

After weeks of relentless presidential pressure and congressional votes and debate, the stalemate in Congress between Democrats and Republicans over jobs legislation shows no signs of easing. Partisan politics and deep philosophical differences just can't be bridged | 10/28/11 14:45:00 By - David Lightman

Bank of America derivatives transfer is criticized by Democrats in Congress

Lawmakers are criticizing Bank of America Corp. again, this time over the reported transfer of financial instruments from Merrill Lynch into the bank's deposit-taking arm. It's a move the lawmakers say could put taxpayers on the hook for big losses - three years after the bank received billions in bailouts from the federal government. | 10/28/11 07:15:03 By - Kirsten Valle Pittman

EPA chief meets with college clean-energy activists

College environmental activists met Thursday with Environmental Protection Agency chief Lisa Jackson to tell her what they're doing at their schools to try to shut down campus coal-fired heating plants. | 10/27/11 18:33:00 By - Renee Schoof

Europe averts financial disaster, but much remains to be done

The wee-hour compromise reached by European leaders Thursday was not as complete as it first appeared, and analysts say some of its key terms remain undefined, tenuous and could prove difficult to implement. | 10/27/11 18:27:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

U.S. economic growth gained traction in 3rd quarter

The threat of a double-dip recession eased Thursday with new government data that showed the U.S. economy grew at a 2.5 percent annual rate from June through September. While that's welcome news, the growth was still too weak to knock down the 9.1 percent unemployment rate. | 10/27/11 17:09:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Oil spill fund chief says he welcomes oversight

The administrator of a $20 billion fund to compensate victims of last year's Gulf of Mexico oil spill said he welcomes an independent audit of how much money has been paid out and what calculations were made to arrive at those payouts. | 10/27/11 16:34:00 By - Erika Bolstad

Billion-dollar LNG terminal in full production in Mississippi

In front of tanks already filled with liquefied natural gas, executives will cut the ribbon at the Gulf LNG Energy terminal at the Port of Pascagoula today to mark the completion of the $1.1 billion project. | 10/27/11 11:57:41 By - Donna Harris

GOP presidential candidates' tax plans would benefit the rich

The Republican Party is catching flat-tax fever — and setting up an epic election-year fight with Democrats over whether wealthier Americans should pay higher taxes or get tax cuts. | 10/26/11 19:13:00 By - Steven Thomma

European debt talks grind on as details remain unsettled

A compromise euro-debt plan partially hammered out Wednesday by European leaders amounts to an incomplete step forward, experts said, and thus is unlikely to end soon the region's widening debt crisis, which menaces U.S. and global financial markets. | 10/26/11 19:01:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Obama to block new uranium-mine claims near Grand Canyon

New uranium mining claims on 1 million acres around the Grand Canyon will be blocked for 20 years under a decision the Bureau of Land Management announced Wednesday. | 10/26/11 17:46:00 By - Renee Schoof

S.C. businesses soon to use E-Verify for their workers

Small businesses in South Carolina will soon have to verify all their workers are legal through an electronic verification system, and state authorities are ramping up efforts to make sure they know how | 10/26/11 11:52:37 By - Grant Martin

Debt panel to meet in public, but few signs of progress yet

The "supercommittee" of Congress charged with finding at least $1.2 trillion in federal deficit savings over the next decade will give the public a rare peek into its thinking Wednesday. | 10/25/11 18:08:00 By - David Lightman

Answers to questions about Europe's debt-deal scramble

European finance ministers on Tuesday scuttled a summit planned for Wednesday as they continued torturous negotiations in search of elusive consensus to address mounting debt woes. The longer they take to find a solution, experts said, the greater the risks grow for the U.S. and global economies. | 10/25/11 17:33:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Halloween meet the Internet: Angry Birds a costume hit

For Halloween this year, some adults are choosing to make the transformation to a video game bird or a sitcom star gone bad. Angry Birds and Charlie Sheen costumes are popular this year, said Alicia Simonton, store manager for Spirit Halloween in Warner Robins. | 10/25/11 13:24:51 By - Angela Woolen

Obscure local gauges can suggest big economic trends

If you don’t need a weatherman to know it stopped raining, will you need an economist to know when these hard times finally soften? Maybe not. Evidence about the health of the economy surrounds us daily, if we just bother to look. | 10/25/11 13:02:02 By - Mark Davis

Stores are doing 'Christmas creep'

Santa? In October? Yep, the "Christmas creep" has retailers displaying holiday merchandise earlier and earlier as they battle to win a share of deal-seeking customers' dollars. | 10/25/11 12:53:21 By - Bethany Clough

After 82 years,California Christmas parade canceled

For decades, a Christmas parade of floats, bands and marchers has been a downtown Fresno tradition, heralding the holiday season. But the parade has been canceled for this Christmas season, in what would have been its 82nd year. | 10/25/11 12:43:49 By - Paula Lloyd

Seeking a shale tax in Pennsylvania

As a statewide citizens’ group called for tighter environmental regulations to be imposed on drilling in the Marcellus Shale, a local protest demanded a gas severance tax to mitigate the imposition of higher income and real estate taxes. | 10/25/11 12:38:39 By - Cliff White

Tax breaks, incentives for companies in Florida haven't produced promised jobs

Florida has given tax breaks and other cash incentives to some of the world’s biggest companies in return for creating jobs. But, new data shows Florida has signed contracts worth $1.7 billion since 1995 in return for promises of 225,000 new jobs. But only about one-third of those jobs have been filled while the state has paid out 43 percent of the contracts. | 10/25/11 06:49:05 By - Michael C. Bender

Congress spars over tightening boiler-pollution rules

Congress is feuding over how quickly the federal government should move in trying to reduce deadly air pollution that comes from industrial boilers and incinerators. | 10/24/11 18:36:00 By - Rob Hotakainen

Administration revises program to boost mortgage refinancing

The Obama administration on Monday rebooted a failing effort to help some homeowners refinance their homes, making it easier for some who owe more than their house is worth to get a new loan. The new effort, however, stops far short of tackling broader problems weighing down the housing sector. | 10/24/11 17:08:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

How much should you spend on a Halloween costume?

It used to be that an inexpensive Halloween costume was one that came out of your parents' closets. Times have changed, and today buying a costume from a store or online is common. But how much should you spend? | 10/24/11 15:28:09 By - Kerry McCray

Stimulus money to prevent homelessness is dwindling in Fort Worth, Texas

More than 4,000 people were helped by area homeless prevention programs in Fort Worth, Texas, paid for by federal stimulus money that are now winding down, federal and state officials say. | 10/24/11 14:13:42 By - Alex Branch

Keep Your Home California program growing too slowly, critics say

A small but growing number of distressed homeowners in California are keeping their houses because of a state program funded with $2 billion in federal stimulus money. | 10/24/11 06:40:19 By - Rick Daysog

Global economic fate hinges on European finance talks

The fate of the global economy, European unity — and the 401(k) savings of ordinary Americans — all hang in the balance as Europe's leaders meet over the weekend to try to resolve a burgeoning debt crisis that threatens to spread globally. | 10/21/11 17:21:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

California birthrate lowest since Great Depression, state data show

California's birthrate tumbled last year to its lowest point since the Great Depression, new state figures show, yet another indication that the difficult economy is reshaping everyday life. | 10/20/11 15:28:34 By - Philip Reese

Jobs increasingly hard to find for disabled Americans

Disabled Americans who want to work face the dimmest job prospects in recent memory. More competition from non-disabled workers, employment discrimination and a sheer lack of jobs have pushed the jobless rate for disabled Americans to more than 16 percent. And the portion who are working has fallen to 21 percent from about 35 percent in the early 1980s, said Richard Burkhauser, a professor of policy analysis and management at Cornell University. | 10/20/11 14:45:00 By - Tony Pugh

Disability benefits program on unsustainable financial path

The leading safety-net program for America's disabled workers is in a financial death spiral in the aftermath of the Great Recession. The sour economy, weak eligibility standards and a wave of aging baby boomers are driving an explosive increase in the number of injured workers who get disability benefits through the Social Security Disability Insurance program. | 10/20/11 14:56:00 By - Tony Pugh