Miami commissioners' foreign travels yield big expenses, no contracts

Taxpayers have paid $217,000 since 2007 for commissioners' trips abroad, which were arranged by the International Trade Consortium, a county agency designed to open global markets for Miami-Dade businesses. The trips have not resulted in a single contract. | 11/17/09 12:14:55 By - Matthew Haggman and Jack Dolan

Federal stimulus plan's local impact isn't easy to measure

Kansas City residents are finding that it's darn tough to figure out who has any of the more than 200 jobs in the area that have been created or saved thanks to federal stimulus spending. Officially, at the end of Sept., 207.39 Kansas City-area jobs had been directly created or saved by stimulus spending, according to 72 employers' reports posted at Recovery.gov. The seemingly senseless total reflects the difficulty that government, or more precisely employers, have had identifying the impact of the $787 billion that Congress appropriated last year. | 11/17/09 07:21:35 By - Mark Davis

Hundreds line up for Thanksgiving bounty from food pantry

Hundreds of people waited hours in the cold outside the Bread of Life food pantry this morning in hopes of securing the makings of a Thanksgiving dinner. | 11/17/09 17:32:39 By - Suzanne Perez Tobias

'Value' - the watchword for this holiday season

This holiday shopping season, in the midst of the longest economic downturn since the Depression, is shaping up as an emphasis on "value" dollars. | 11/17/09 16:33:07 By - Joyce Smith

Retailers stress 'value' to holiday shoppers

In the midst of the longest economic downturn since the Great Depression, retailers this holiday shopping season plan to place added emphasis on "value" dollars. But don't expect the wild 75 percent off discounts of last year, when retailers got caught with an inventory backlog and were forced to take major markdowns to get the merchandise off the shelves. Retailers this year have planned better and slimmed down inventory in expectation of a sluggish holiday season. | 11/17/09 07:15:03 By - Joyce Smith

Recession causes more families to go without food

The number of U.S. households that are struggling to feed their members jumped by 4 million to 17 million last year, as recession-fueled job losses and increased poverty and unemployment fueled a surge in hunger, a government survey reported Monday. | 11/16/09 18:30:00 By - Tony Pugh

Should employers be required to offer health insurance?

Requiring employers to offer most workers health insurance has long been seen as a crucial piece of Democratic efforts to overhaul the nation's health care system, but legislation that the Senate's expected to consider soon is unlikely to include any such mandate. | 11/16/09 18:03:00 By - David Lightman

Retailers ring in the holidays earlier in hopes of having buyers

In past years in Bellingham, Wash., this is the season to stuff the shelves with products and hope there are no snow blizzards for the next six weeks to slow down shoppers. However, it's been a year since the financial meltdown and the subsequent crash on Wall Street. Consumers haven't indicated a willingness to start buying as in previous years, but it's possible they are waiting for the sales to start | 11/16/09 12:27:16 By - Dave Gallagher

Financial crisis investigators are taking Wall Street names

Leaders of a congressional commission investigating the causes of the recent financial crisis are threatening to publicly identify any company or government agency that stalls in voluntarily producing requested documents. | 11/13/09 18:28:00 By - Greg Gordon and Kevin G. Hall

Eastern Kentucky town shows what health legislation can't fix

Health experts say health care legislation moving through Congress will do little to change the circumstances of rural communities such as Hazard, Ky., which, despite having ample access to quality health care, is in the heart of a region with the worst life expectancy in America. | 11/13/09 15:01:00 By - Frank Browning

Latest casualty of job losses: plant that makes work boots

Here's a ripple effect from the recession: The loss of blue-collar jobs across the country has led to the closing of a Kentucky plant that makes work boots. Red Wing Shoe Co. announced Thursday that the plant, which employs 206 people, will close as part of a restructuring. | 11/12/09 19:20:56 By - Greg Kocher

Dodd consumer groups love isn't the Dodd from last year

Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., was winning praise from consumer this week for the legislation he unveiled to create an independent Consumer Financial Protection Agency. Contrast that to last year, when Dodd came under fire for refinancing two home mortgages on favorable terms through his ties to a now-defunct lender. | 11/12/09 18:10:00 By - David Lightman

Federal Reserve in crosshairs, but many experts say hold fire

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd's sweeping new financial overhaul legislation, which proposes to strip the Federal Reserve of its authority to regulate banks, threatens the central bank's time-honored independence and its premier international standing, experts warn. | 11/12/09 17:03:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

In Kansas, Cash for Clunkers netted 7,400 vehicles

In Kansas, 7,400 vehicles were traded in under the program, including 2,025 in Wichita, according to data The Eagle analyzed from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Statewide, the vehicles had an average 161,337 miles on them. | 11/12/09 17:21:51 By - Deb Gruver and Hurst Laviana

Medvedev calls for overhauling Russia's 'primitive economy'

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called Thursday for a bold overhaul of his nation's economy, saying that Russia must remedy its "primitive economy" and "humiliating dependence on raw materials." | 11/12/09 15:01:00 By - Tom Lasseter

Wanting to have it their way, franchisees sue Burger King

Burger King's franchisees are taking the company court over sandwich pricing. The motivation for the suit comes after Burger King forced all franchisees to sell its double cheeseburger for $1, starting in October. Franchisees had twice during the summer voted against the promotion. | 11/12/09 15:07:15 By - Elaine Walker

Radio Shack may unplug from longtime Fort Worth base

Fort Worth-based Radio-Shack, which has about two years left on a rent-free lease at the riverfront headquarters it built and sold downtown, has reportedly begun looking for a new home, including sites outside the area, which has been the company's home since 1963. | 11/12/09 14:55:06 By - Sandra Baker

Regulators seize California bank that received $298.7 million bailout

A California bank that received $298.7 million in federal bank bailout money last year has been seized and closed by state regulators, leaving U.S. taxpayers with a significant loss — the bailout program's first — and raising questions about why the lender received government help at all. | 11/12/09 06:56:56 By - Andrew McIntosh

When 'less bad' is as good as it gets for tourism business

If he could've shown one PowerPoint slide to encapsulate the tourism outlook for 2010, a marketing researcher from the U.S. Travel Association told business leaders in Myrtle Beach, S.C., that it would read, "less bad." | 11/11/09 19:01:33 By - Monique Newton

Temp agencies see pick up in Wichita area

In what may be a sign of good news to come, local temp agencies report slight increases in demand for their workers. | 11/11/09 16:31:05 By - Dan Voorhis

When shopping for food banks, think nutrition

Let's be clear up front: Food banks appreciate every bit and type of food that is donated. But since this is the time of year for food drives and donation pleas, it's a good time to consider making smart choices when you shop for the hungry. | 11/11/09 16:15:51 By - Megan Sexton

Obama urged to turn successful state job program national

As job losses continue to slow the nation's economic recovery, labor experts and economists are urging Congress and the Obama administration to boost funding for a little-known program that 17 states are using to avert layoffs and keep workers in their jobs. | 11/11/09 14:39:00 By - Tony Pugh

School lunch programs reveal rising poverty in suburban areas

The smiling faces of children at Bonjour Elementary seem much the same from year to year — bright and eager to learn. But beneath those innocent smiles, Principal Alejandro Schlagel understands there’s a deeper truth. More of his students are poorer in a suburban community considered by many to be economically affluent. | 11/11/09 14:46:01 By - Jim Sullinger and Dawn Bormann

Some small businesses say lending drought impacts growth

While the federal government pours billions of stimulus dollars into the economy and bails out some of the country's biggest banks, some Miami businesses say they are ready to grow — if only they could get a loan. The Small Business Administration, which encourages commercial lending by providing banks with hefty guarantees, said total loan volume was down 70 percent in Miami-Dade and 64 percent in Broward during fiscal year 2009, which ended in September. | 11/11/09 07:01:50 By - Jim Wyss

Need a job? McDonald's has an opening at Guantanamo

McDonald's is advertising for an assistant manager for its sole franchise in Cuba — serving up burgers and fries that sometimes feed detainees at the prison camps at Guantanamo Bay. It didn't specify the salary, but the incentives include half your rent paid and, potentially, tax-free status for year-round residents. | 11/10/09 20:15:34 By - Carol Rosenberg

Dodd upsets banks with plan for a single bank overseer

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., unveiled a sweeping 1,136-page bill Tuesday that, in enacted, would bring about the most comprehensive overhaul of financial regulation since the Great Depression. What upset bankers most was his call to strip the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. of their bank supervisory powers in favor of a new Financial Institutions Regulatory Administration. Dodd said that would stop banks for shopping for the regulator of least supervision. ; | 11/10/09 18:42:00 By - Kevin G. Hall and David Lightman

Letter to the editor from Goldman Sachs

Goldman Sachs' response to McClatchy's investigative series "Goldman Sachs: Low Road to High Profits." | 11/10/09 14:49:00 By -

Now Idahoans have the power to cut their power costs

Imagine you could log on to the Internet to find out how much power you used this week. If you have one of Idaho Power's new smart meters, you already can. | 11/10/09 14:42:52 By - Rocky Barker

Animal welfare standards provide problems for dairies in California

Fresno County dairy operator Jamie Bledsoe says he's proud of how he cares for his animals. But his word may no longer be enough to satisfy the buyers of his milk. | 11/10/09 14:38:40 By - Robert Rodriguez

Bank of America's departing CEO defends his actions

In one of his last speeches as chief executive of Bank of America Corp., Ken Lewis defended his time in the top office, saying history will show that his actions as CEO were profitable in the long run. | 11/10/09 13:25:40 By - Christina Rexrode

Bank of America tries to show its consumer-friendly side

Bank of America said Monday it has lent nearly $760 billion in the past year, or almost $17 for every dollar it has received in government loans. In its third-quarter Impact Report, the bank highlighted recent consumer-friendly changes, such as an effort to pull back on overdraft fees and a "clarity commitment" to mortgage and home-equity borrowers, giving them a one-page, plain-language summary of the terms of their loans. | 11/10/09 07:31:39 By - Christina Rexrode

Sprint Nextel to cut as many as 2,500 more jobs

Saying his Kansas City-based company can't cut costs fast enough to offset revenue declines, Sprint Nextel chief executive Dan Hesse announced plans to eliminate 2,000 to 2,500 jobs nationwide. | 11/09/09 20:22:42 By - Dianne Stafford

At $1,095 an ounce, Alaska's gold production soars

With record gold prices — $1,095 an ounce Friday — miners are digging gold out of the ground in Alaska at a faster clip than they have in almost a century. Last year's gold production tipped the scales at 800,000 ounces, an amount not seen in more than 90 years. | 11/09/09 19:01:44 By - Elizabeth Bluemink

Some California state workers live it up on furlough days

For many California state employees, the financial costs of furloughs on three Fridays each month are painful. For a subset of workers who aren't burdened by mortgages or school tuition, however, it means something completely different: More time to party. | 11/09/09 16:58:35 By - Anna Tong

A holiday wish: bargains under every tree

Industry experts say a compelling value message is going to be one of the main motivators to get consumers spending this holiday season. But don't expect the wild 75 percent off discounts of last year, when retailers got caught with an inventory backlog and were forced to take major markdowns to get the merchandise off the shelves. | 11/09/09 15:39:14 By - Elaine Walker

First cup cakes, now burgers are a hot trend

Americans have long craved the humble burger — turning it into a sizzling $100 billion dining category annually. But in these bleak economic times, it turns out consumers are shelling out more for higher quality, bulkier burgers that go beyond the traditional toppings. | 11/09/09 14:54:52 By - Joyce Smith

A growth market in Bradenton: colleges

President Barack Obama wants to invest some $12 billion in community colleges with the aim of seeing an additional 5 million students graduate by 2020. It is a familiar scenario for Manatee’s local community college and other local schools facing a tidal wave of new students. | 11/09/09 13:21:46 By - Sara Kennedy

Certain soy milk no longer labeled 'organic'

Organic-food shoppers are making a rude discovery at their grocers’ refrigerated display case. "White Wave Silk Vanilla Soymilk is no longer Organic," declares a hand-lettered sign at the two Sunflower Shoppes in Tarrant County. | 11/09/09 12:42:01 By - Barry Schlacter

Latinos have scant access to higher education, survey finds

Faced with few resources, cultural barriers and pressing family responsibilities, Latino youths find that access to higher education comes harder for them than it does for peers of other races, a survey by the Pew Hispanic Center found. | 11/09/09 06:00:00 By - Katie Rogers

Ski resort owners turn to steep discounts to draw customers

There's an adage in the ski industry that good snow conditions trump bad economic conditions, but the 2008-09 California ski season proved that even powder has its limits. Skier visits to Tahoe-area resorts dropped 7 percent last season, and resort operators had to cut ticket prices, slash room rates and offer incentives to keep the lifts loaded. They're being forced to use the same strategy this year. | 11/08/09 15:55:35 By - Jim Sloan

10 ways the House bill would change health care

These are some of the changes in the way health insurance would work in the United States if the House bill were to become law. | 11/07/09 16:57:00 By - David Lightman

Many jobs 'saved' by stimulus never in jeopardy in California

Up to one-fourth of the 110,000 jobs reported as saved by federal stimulus money in California probably never were in danger, a Bee review has found. | 11/06/09 17:22:45 By - Philip Reese

Foreclosed housing now a duel between cities and investors

After months of preparation, local governments have started buying foreclosed houses under the federal economic-stimulus program. But they are running into an unexpected snag -- stiff competition from investors. | 11/06/09 17:01:37 By - Sanford Nax

Californians losing jobs find state health safety net badly frayed

SANTA ANA, Calif. — Robin Willer slumps on the metal bench, her sweater drawn up over her swollen cheeks. "The cold hurts it," she says, pointing gingerly to three broken teeth. | 11/06/09 15:06:00 By - Janet Wilson

Recovery? The 10.2 percent without jobs might beg to differ

As bad as Friday's jobs report was, showing October's unemployment rate jumping sharply to 10.2 percent, the outlook is likely to worsen for American workers well into next year. Economists expect the jobless rate to keep climbing, perhaps above 11 percent, as employers produce more with fewer workers and shy away from hiring. | 11/06/09 10:33:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Doubt cast on stimulus' impact on California jobs

In a required state report to the federal government, the California State University system claimed last week that federal stimulus spending had saved more jobs than the number of jobs saved in Texas and 44 other states. Turns out many of those jobs were never at risk, state university officials said. | 11/06/09 09:35:49 By - Phillip Reece

Joblessness passes 10 percent; worst rate in a generation

The good news from the job numbers was that employers shed jobs in October at the slowest pace since near the beginning of the devastating recession that began in December 2007. The bad news offset it, however: the unemployment rate, now at 10.2 percent, is the worst it's been since 1983. | 11/06/09 09:18:35 By - Kevin G. Hall

Health care bill's supporters, opponents flock to Capitol

Gene Otto left his Olympia, Wash., bakery for a day, flew across the country to the nation's capital and told four members of Congress why it's important that they overhaul America's health care system. | 11/05/09 17:43:00 By - David Lightman

Actor Willie Aames makes comeback after bankruptcy, homelessness

In our last episode of “Willie Aames Confidential,” the onetime star of TV’s “Eight Is Enough” and “Charles in Charge” was holding a yard sale in front of his foreclosed home in Olathe. Eight months have passed since then, and the 49-year-old Aames has since begun an extreme makeover — not of his house, but of his life. | 11/05/09 15:27:46 By - Aaron Barnhart

California Senate clears path for schools to seek stimulus funds

California may be gaining ground in its race to the top. Senate Bill X5 1 would make the state more likely to get a piece of the $4.35 billion in Race to the Top federal stimulus funds offered to the nation's schools. | 11/05/09 07:00:15 By - Diana Lambert

CIT bankruptcy filing raises credit concerns for small businesses

New York-based CIT Group is a leading lender to the retail sector and to women-, minority- and veteran-owned small businesses. The firm, with liabilities listed at $64.9 billion, maintains business will continue as usual despite Sunday's Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection filing. But the timing is worrisome to small-business watchers, who see fewer credit avenues available to small companies. | 11/05/09 06:52:13 By - Darrell Smith

Airlines consider more extra fees: This one would be for your seat

Will airlines soon charge you extra for a premium seat in the coach section when you buy your ticket? Or stick you in a middle seat if you refuse to pay more? US Airways says technology will soon allow the industry to charge extra for select seats at the time of purchase. | 11/04/09 07:33:08 By - Tony Mecia

Why did blue-chip Goldman take a walk on subprime's wild side?

Goldman Sachs was one of the last Wall Street giants to enter the subprime lending world, but when it did, it quickly climbed into bed with profligate, highflying firms — companies such as New Century Financial Corp. | 11/04/09 00:00:01 By - Greg Gordon

Anti-development candidate wins big in Miami mayor's race

Tomas Regalado, 62, a constant basher of past city administrations who first swept to a city commission seat 13 years ago, parlayed a national anti-incumbent fervor and a sour economy to become Miami's 33rd mayor. | 11/04/09 18:07:38 By - Charles Rabin, Michael Vasquez and Luisa Yanez

Warren Buffett places big stake in railroads

Warren Buffett leads a simple life. But when the revered business legend buys a train set, it's a $34 billion mega-deal. Coming along just as the economy has begun to recover, Buffett's bid on Tuesday to buy the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. amounts to an "all-in wager on the economic future of the United States," the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. said in an announcement. | 11/04/09 07:24:56 By - Mark Davis and Randolph Heaster

Small banks didn't cause the mess, but no bailout for them

The collapse in home prices sunk many big banks last year, but this year smaller lenders and community banks are going bust at an alarming rate because of their exposure to souring commercial real estate loans. | 11/04/09 17:47:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

How House finance bills would fix big problems

The largest rewrite of financial regulation since the Great Depression will clear the House of Representatives during the first week of December, the influential lawmaker shepherding the legislation promised Tuesday. | 11/03/09 19:23:08 By - Kevin G. Hall

Warren Buffett makes big economic bet in railroad deal

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. said Tuesday it's making its biggest purchase ever by agreeing to pay $34 billion for the 78 percent of Fort Worth-based Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. that it doesn't already own. The move has broader significance because the health of the rail industry reflects the health of the overall economy. | 11/03/09 18:27:24 By - Staff

Underemployment also a problem

Rich Grogan of Murrells Inlet is working as a sales associate at Sears for about 22 to 24 hours a week on 100 percent commission to help make ends meet for his wife and 2-year-old son. His last job at the United States Bowling Congress was cut in one of the first waves of layoffs last year. He's now making about one-third of the income he brought in before, but he's happy to have a job. | 11/03/09 16:09:42 By - Monique Newton

California moves closer to pay-by-the-mile auto insurance

California moved a step closer last month to pay-as-you-drive policies that could allow motorists to buy insurance like they do gasoline — a little at a time. The goal is to use per-mile pricing to entice Californians not to drive so much, thus easing air pollution, relieving traffic congestion and lowering the number of traffic collisions. | 11/03/09 06:53:39 By - Jim Sanders

Goldman left foreign investors holding the subprime bag

When Goldman Sachs decided it was time to ditch the subprime mortgage business, it put together a sales pitch through a Cayman Islands subsidiary that may have seriously understated the riskiness of the securities it was selling. One bond analyst told his clients that the deal was "a not so cleverly disguised way for Goldman ... to unload its unwanted exposures ... onto foreign investors." But many investors bit — and lost. | 11/03/09 00:00:01 By - Greg Gordon

House Republicans roll out health insurance alternatives

Small businesses would have an easier time banding together to offer insurance to employees. Consumers could cross state lines to buy coverage. There'd be no big government expansion. | 11/02/09 17:57:00 By - David Lightman

Critics: Financial oversight council tough only on paper

A plan by congressional Democrats and the White House to curb future bad behavior on Wall Street would fail to resolve the bureaucratic infighting that helped bring about the global financial crisis, critics warn. | 11/02/09 17:31:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Supreme Court seeks White House views on hiring illegals

The Obama administration will enter the politically tricky immigration arena, courtesy of the Supreme Court. On Monday, the court asked the administration for its views in a challenge to an Arizona law that punishes companies for hiring illegal aliens. Other states with large immigrant populations will watch the next steps closely, because their own laws and ballot measures could be on the line. | 11/02/09 15:50:00 By - Michael Doyle

Private dollars keep Modesto's parks trimmed, flowered

Modesto-funded league for disabled bowlers almost saw its season cut short because of the city budget crunch, but donors stepped in and saved the program a few weeks ago. | 11/02/09 15:28:10 By - Leslie Albrecht

In California, problem with state dental benefits leads to rotted teeth

Karlyn Echols' smile is not a pretty sight these days. Echols, 69, tried to get the dental work started in early June before the state cut off dental benefits for adult Medi-Cal patients in July. The X-rays were taken at Western Dental, a Medi-Cal provider, but because of a paperwork mix-up and the rush of patients, Medi-Cal never authorized her treatment. | 11/02/09 15:24:05 By - Ken Carlson

Florida real estate booming with global investors

In order to help his clients close on units at the luxury St. Tropez condominium in Sunny Isles Beach, developer Joe Milton recently put up $100 million of his company's cash to set up a mortgage company to fund loans. | 11/02/09 15:17:04 By - Monica Hatcher

Milk producers seek help in California

Dairy farmers hit by low milk prices and high feed costs sought help from the state government. Western United Dairymen and the Alliance of Western Milk Producers asked California Agriculture Secretary A.G. Kawamura to raise the minimum price paid to dairymen for the milk they produce. | 11/02/09 15:09:10 By - Carol Reiter

Shopping rebound in downtown Merced, Calif?

In a sign that downtown Merced may be regaining its place as the center of Merced, at least seven new store-front businesses have opened or are set to open in the coming months. | 11/02/09 15:05:11 By - Jonah Owen Lamb

Price of tires going up because of tariff

If you’re planning to buy new tires, bring a fatter wallet and be prepared for sticker shock. | 11/02/09 14:45:32 By - Randolph Heaster

Business rebounding in Fresno? Retail spots snapped up

Despite the recession, several new retailers are headed for Fresno shopping centers. | 11/02/09 14:36:45 By - Bethany Clough

ER visits amount to big health care bills for uninsured

Emergency rooms have become the U.S. health care system's safety net, where anyone can go for treatment and no one can be turned away because they can't pay in advance. But experts say using emergency care in place of checkups and doctor visits is the most expensive way to deal with chronic illness. The average emergency room bill is about $1,300; much more if the patient is admitted. A visit to a doctor's office starts around $75. | 11/02/09 07:30:49 By - Martha Quillin

Goldman takes on new role: taking away people's homes

When California wildfires ruined their jewelry business, Tony Becker and his wife fell months behind on their mortgage payments and experienced firsthand the perils of subprime mortgages. The couple wound up in a desperate, six-year fight to keep their modest, 1,500-square-foot San Jose home, a struggle that pushed them into bankruptcy. The lender with whom they sparred, however, wasn't the one that had written their loans. It was an obscure subsidiary of Wall Street colossus Goldman Sachs Group. | 11/02/09 00:00:01 By - Greg Gordon

Mortgage crisis shows why financial regulation is needed

Why didn't Wall Street firms tell potential investors that the bonds they were selling them were rotten? Why did their business partners, including subprime mortgage lenders, ignore glaring evidence that borrowers weren't qualified and give loans to virtually anyone with a heartbeat? The answer is simple: Because they could. At every turn where regulation was missing in action, the actors did the wrong thing, all along the long, interconnected trail of transactions that make up mortgage finance. | 11/01/09 00:00:01 By - Kevin G. Hall

Why did Goldman stop scrutinizing loans it bought?

Goldman Sachs Group got into the residential mortgage business in 1984, and for 17 years, it ran a staid operation that simply bought and sold loans. All that changed in 2001, when the elite investment bank leaped aggressively into the burgeoning subprime securities market that was becoming a fountain of money for its Wall Street rivals. | 11/01/09 00:00:01 By - Greg Gordon

How Goldman secretly bet on the U.S. housing crash

In 2006 and 2007, Goldman Sachs Group peddled more than $40 billion in securities backed by at least 200,000 risky home mortgages, but never told the buyers that it also was secretly betting that a sharp drop in U.S. housing prices would send the value of those securities plummeting. Now, a five-month McClatchy investigation has found that Goldman's failure to disclose those secret bets may have violated securities laws. | 11/01/09 00:00:01 By - Greg Gordon

EIA: a tiny agency with a big role in energy debate

As energy increasingly dominates the economy, a quiet little agency in Washington holds the responsibility for tracking the particles that conduct, fuse, blow, heat, combust and convert the earth, wind and water into the energy that makes our society run. | 11/01/09 06:00:00 By - Barbara Barrett

Coming Sunday: Goldman Sachs' low road to high profits

No Wall Street investment firm has emerged from the global financial crisis more intact than Goldman Sachs. Now a five-month McClatchy investigation shows that the firm's winning strategy may have violated U.S. securities laws. The first installment of this four-part series goes live at www.mcclatchydc.com at midnight Eastern time. | 10/30/09 19:35:20 By -

Thousands of jobs could follow Boeing to South Carolina

Thousands of jobs are expected in the vapor trail that follows the arrival of a new Boeing assembly plant South Carolina. Because the Chicago-based aircraft maker keeps a lean inventory, industry experts said suppliers will need to locate in the state for fast shipments. | 10/30/09 18:14:25 By - Andrew Shain

Views on Congress extending home credit mixed

The Senate's agreement to extend and expand the tax credit for homebuyers comes as a relief to many in the real estate industry. | 10/30/09 16:00:13 By - Beccy Tanner

Florida banking faces interlopers in their turf

The battle for Floridians' wallets is heating up. A series of bank takeovers, spurred by the recent financial upheaval, has brought several new banking giants to the state -- already one of the most competitive landscapes in the nation for banking. | 10/30/09 15:13:19 By - Martha Brannigan

Frightful retail climate works in favor of Halloween Express

With the bankruptcy and subsequent closure of big-box retailers like Circuit City and Linens 'n Things, the 170 or so Halloween Express stores nationwide have found themselves with a plethora of vacant retail space to occupy during their two- to three-month operation stint. | 10/30/09 14:58:15 By - Scott Sloan

Tricks, treats and swine flu? Parents spooked by Halloween

Worried about the spread of the H1N1 virus, which has infected more than a million Americans and killed more than 1,000, many parents and event organizers are changing the way they do things this Halloween | 10/30/09 14:33:29 By - Melody McDonald

California leads White House's stimulus job count

The $787 billion stimulus bill approved by Congress earlier this year has saved or created more than 640,000 jobs, including more than 110,000 in California, the White House said Friday. | 10/30/09 17:00:00 By - Rob Hotakainen

Recession may be over but for many it doesn't feel that way

It looks like the longest U.S. recession since the 1930s is over. So why doesn't it feel that way? After four quarters of shrinking, the nation's economy — as measured by its gross domestic product — grew 3.5 percent in the third quarter, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. The news did little to erase the gloom that has settled over Sacramento, California's economic landscape. | 10/30/09 06:39:43 By - Darrell Smith and Mark Glover

South Carolina officials celebrate Boeing's arrival

The landing was delayed, but Boeing has arrived in South Carolina and is bringing along 3,800 jobs to build its new 787 Dreamliner. State and local officials expect Boeing to break ground on the North Charleston plant within a month. | 10/29/09 21:59:15 By - John O'Connor

Will U.S. go empty-handed to world climate talks?

Without a new law requiring cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, the U.S. could end up going empty-handed to the international climate talks in December. | 10/29/09 18:36:00 By - Renee Schoof

Medical research makes impact on Wichita

Medical research makes a multimillion-dollar annual impact in Wichita, and even bigger payoffs may be coming down the line. While no one has an overall total, those involved say research contributes millions of dollars every year that otherwise wouldn't be in the community. | 10/29/09 18:26:04 By - Karen Shideler

In the heartland, food pantries see rise in need

Although economists say the recession is over, the recovery will take months, if not a few years. And the Olathe Salvation Army Food Pantry continues to see an increase in people needing help during these difficult times. The need, however, has changed in recent months. | 10/29/09 18:12:36 By - Kevin Wright

Senate bill's fine print: Premiums could rise in spite of caps

Proponents of the Senate Finance Committee's health care bill say the legislation will limit the amount that lower- and middle-income people must pay for health insurance to a maximum of 12 percent of their incomes. | 10/29/09 17:08:00 By - Julie Appleby

Farmers fight climate bill, but warming spells trouble for them

Farm state senators and others soon will get a taste of what their colleagues from Missouri already have piled high on their desks: thousands of letters from farmers urging them to vote against the climate and energy bill. | 10/29/09 14:45:00 By - Renee Schoof and David Goldstein

'Smart meters' drive energy questions in Bradenton

After basking Tuesday in the glow of a presidential visit, Florida Power & Light Co. officials Wednesday were addressing questions about the “smart meters” whose deployment will be accelerated with $200 million in federal stimulus money. | 10/29/09 14:39:18 By - Sara Kennedy

Illinois steelworkers brace for coming layoffs

Union leaders are still waiting to learn more about how many steelworkers will be affected by temporary layoffs that could begin as early as next week. | 10/29/09 13:22:12 By - Will Buss

Economy grew at 3.5 percent rate July through September

The U.S. economy grew at a better-than-expected 3.5 percent annual rate from July through September, the government reported on Thursday, the clearest sign yet that the deep recession that's gripped the nation is over. | 10/29/09 11:19:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

FDIC report says failed N.C. bank needed stronger regulation

Federal auditors say regulators should have taken stronger steps as much as three years ago to curb hazardous lending practices and other problems that led to the failure this spring of Cape Fear Bank in North Carolina. | 10/29/09 07:23:38 By - Stella M. Hopkins

Alaska Native companies could still get no-bid contracts in SBA proposal

The federal Small Business Administration is proposing big changes to the controversial contracting program for minorities that spurred massive growth among Alaska Native corporations over the past decade. | 10/29/09 06:40:09 By - Elizabeth Bluemink

Boeing picks South Carolina for Dreamliner assembly line

The attraction of lower wages, a big state incentive and a non-union environment lured Boeing to announce Wednesday that it will build a second 787 Dreamliner production line in South Carolina, disappointing workers and lawmakers in Washington state. | 10/28/09 21:33:02 By - John Gille

Status: grounded? Eighth-grader leads Facebook revolt

Nearly a million and a half angry Facebook users are protesting recent changes to the Web site. The leader of the furious online mob? A smiling eighth-grader from Apex, N.C., who wears his baseball cap backwards and likes to play FarmVille. His parents were not aware of this. | 10/28/09 20:52:11 By - Jeff Elder

Health care bills would limit out-of-pocket costs

Consumers would be spared having to pay huge medical bills under Democratic health care legislation that's moving through Congress, as lawmakers agree on the need to put limits on how much people would pay out of their own pockets. | 10/28/09 17:07:00 By - David Lightman

Georgia Medical Center cutting services to the poor

The Medical Center of Central Georgia is cutting hours, clinics and pharmacy offerings at its W.T. Anderson Health Center, which provides primary and specialty care to the poor. | 10/28/09 16:02:02 By - S. Heather Duncan

California to start 'cash for appliances' program

California's plan to implement a "cash for appliances" program with federal stimulus funds focuses on three meat-and-potatoes appliances used by millions of residents. The state has been allocated $35.2 million in federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to participate in the State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program. California's program will be administered by the California Energy Commission. | 10/28/09 06:59:05 By - Mark Glover

Schwarzenegger backs mandatory health insurance, calls for more U.S. aid

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Tuesday called on Congress to pass a health care overhaul that would require all Americans to have insurance, but he said it would cost his state more than $1 billion a year to expand Medicaid if the federal government doesn't provide more money to the states. | 10/27/09 16:59:00 By - Rob Hotakainen

Unemployed hope Congress extends benefits once again

Wayne Ryan is sleeping on a futon on the floor of his empty mobile home. He hocked his DVDs and CDs for food money. The unemployed carpenter from Bonney Lake hasn't had a job in 14 months. His unemployment ran out weeks ago. He says he's just about hit rock bottom | 10/27/09 15:56:00 By - Les Blumenthal

Flurry of new books explain the financial crisis

If you're looking to bone up on the causes of and solutions for the global financial crisis, you're in luck. A bevy of new books on the crisis -- from fly-on-the-wall accounts to those that point a way forward -- will keep you busy through the long nights of winter. | 10/27/09 15:50:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Fall off in commercial lending in Wichita

Commercial deals are drying up in Wichita, falling at a faster rate than a national study indicates due to tight lending standards, experts say. | 10/27/09 15:13:04 By - Bill Wilson

Commission to rein in federal entitlement costs is proposed

Amid signs that health care overhaul legislation will do little to slow the growth in health care spending in the coming decade, lawmakers and Obama administration officials are considering tougher steps to rein in soaring budget deficits. | 10/27/09 14:28:00 By - Eric Pianin

Sweet tooth vampires delight in Halloween sales

In the week before Halloween, cash registers will ring up nearly $2.23 billion in candy sales, 600 million pounds of every confection imaginable for the nine out of 10 kids who will be ringing doorbells Saturday night. | 10/27/09 13:56:45 By - M.S. Enkoji

Want to fix Wall Street? If you're Pozen, write a book

The last time that America heard from Robert Pozen, he was proposing a novel fix for Social Security that attracted bipartisan support in Congress, though it eventually fell short of enactment. Now, he has a plan for setting the financial system right. | 10/27/09 15:51:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Economy reviving - lawyers get paid

Even with a recession, legal work kept flowing into Ricardo Gonzalez and Michael Wermuth's small Doral commercial law firm. Revenues were another story. | 10/27/09 13:30:26 By - Douglas Hanks

Big flat TV sales could lead to big stress on power grid

In a culture that resists carbon-emitting power plants but covets the latest gadgetry, televisions are stirring the most concern among energy conservationists. | 10/26/09 19:04:07 By - Rick Montgomery

Chairman Frank proposes ‘death panels’ for giant banks

The chairman of a key congressional panel Monday scaled back important parts of the Obama administration's plan to dismantle financial institutions that are deemed "too big to fail." | 10/26/09 18:10:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Mobile home market continues to crash

It's been a decade since the mobile home industry started crashing, and the tumble continues. Almost every year since 1998 has been worse than the previous one for the industry, as first one bubble burst, then another and now the economy is in the tank. | 10/26/09 15:27:25 By - Dan Voorhis

Bank deposit technology now comes to hand scanners, iPhones

First, we didn't need to visit the bank teller anymore. Then we were able to stick our checks right into the ATM without an envelope. Now we won't have to leave the house to make deposits. | 10/26/09 14:57:34 By - Darrell Smith

What does it mean if Macon's on Forbes 'impoverished' list?

This is a story about a number. Last week, Forbes magazine declared Macon was the seventh-most impoverished city in America. Forbes ranked Albany as fourth. | 10/26/09 13:11:58 By - Mike Stucka

Airlines explore social-media networks

While consumers have long viewed the Internet as a way to vent frustration and complain about air travel, airlines are now actively engaging their customers via the Web. Some airlines, like JetBlue and Southwest, jumped wholeheartedly into the world of social media, launching blogs and Twitter accounts a couple of years ago, but most are cautiously tiptoeing into this new form of customer relations. | 10/26/09 12:38:54 By - Andrea Ahles

Stimulus funds will build recycled-wastewater pipeline in Fort Worth

Construction will begin in February on a long-planned pipeline that will ship recycled wastewater to golf courses and other users thanks to a $22 million grant from the federal stimulus program. Fort Worth has been planning to build the system for several years but never had the funding. The line will run about nine miles, from the Village Creek Wastewater plant in east Fort Worth to Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. It should be operational by the end of 2010. | 10/26/09 07:34:19 By - Mike Lee

To give brands a lift, some airlines send tweets flying

Some airlines, like JetBlue and Southwest, jumped wholeheartedly into the world of social media, launching blogs and Twitter accounts a couple of years ago, but most are cautiously tiptoeing into this new form of customer relations. | 10/25/09 23:02:28 By - Andrea Ahles

Texas county's plight: Too much reliance on one industry

At 8.2 percent, Texas' unemployment rate is the highest in 22 years. But that sounds enviable in Morris County, in the northeast corner of the state, where the jobless rate has reached 15.6 percent, even higher than in Michigan. More so than most areas, all of the county's economic eggs are in one basket, and that stiffens the odds for jobless workers. | 10/25/09 16:49:06 By -

Why homeowners stop making payments they can afford

It's called strategic default -- when borrowers walk away from loans, even if they can afford the payments. As property values have plummeted by an average of 50 percent, such strategic defaults now make up a sizable chunk of South Florida's foreclosures. For some homeowners who face big losses on their properties, it's a rational choice. | 10/25/09 16:08:55 By - Monica Hatcher

To cut costs, sheriff abandons 'Shamu' scheme for cruisers

The Sedgwick County, Kan., Sheriff's Office no longer will spend $4,000 per patrol car for the award-winning "Shamu" paint scheme and decal package it's used for more than 17 years, switching to a new silver-on-blue design that will cost about $500 per vehicle. | 10/24/09 19:03:19 By - Stan Finger

Former Fed chief didn't care for Truman, but things change

As a college student, Paul Volcker didn't think much of President Harry Truman. But that was then. Now one of President Barack Obama's advisers, the former Fed chief, once pilloried himself, praised the man from Missouri as he accepted the Truman Medal for Economic Policy. | 10/24/09 17:17:53 By - Mark Davis

'Shadow' housing market clouds recovery in South Florida

The number of properties heading to the market may be much larger than anyone thought and appears likely to swamp South Florida with more deeply discounted homes, clouding the prospects for a housing recovery. | 10/24/09 16:32:27 By - Monica Hatcher

EPA to limit mercury emissions from power plants by 2011

The Environmental Protection Agency will put controls on the emissions of hazardous pollutants such as mercury from coal-fired power plants for the first time by November 2011, according to an agreement announced Friday to settle a lawsuit against the agency. | 10/23/09 18:27:00 By - Renee Schoof

South Carolina wins record dollar settlement with Eli Lilly

South Carolina reached a record $45 million settlement Friday with drug maker Eli Lilly over its marketing of an anti-psychotic drug, Zyprexa. | 10/23/09 18:05:37 By - Gina Smith

Some car factories adding third shift - but what are the consequences?

Last week, Ford Motor Co. went to a third shift at the Claycomo plant in Kansas City to crank out more of the strong-selling Ford Escape SUVs. In January, the General Motors Fairfax facility will add a third shift. Factories running around the clock, workers producing goods that are in high demand. Job security. | 10/23/09 13:04:11 By - Randolph Heaster

Pay czar nixes Bank of America's executive pay plan

The federal pay czar Thursday rejected Bank of America's proposed compensation plans for top executives, including an initial pitch for up to $12 million for chief executive Ken Lewis, calling the Charlotte bank's proposal too generous. | 10/23/09 12:43:47 By - Christina Rexrode

Gulf Coast business is picking up

Business leaders across the Coast see encouraging signs in the local economy, including the price of home sales beginning to rise, expansions at several businesses and a big jump in commercial building contracts in Hancock County. | 10/23/09 12:26:16 By - Mary Perez

Pay czar Feinberg rejects Bank of America's compensation plan

The federal pay czar Thursday rejected Bank of America's proposed compensation plans for top executives, including an initial pitch for up to $12 million for chief executive Ken Lewis, calling the Charlotte bank's proposal too generous. Even so, nearly all of the bank's top executives are still in line for $3 million to nearly $10 million in total compensation for 2009 if they meet performance goals. The exception is Lewis, who last week agreed to the government's demand that he give up his pay for the year. | 10/23/09 07:26:20 By - Christina Rexrode

Condo manager's shutdown leaves residents locked out

When Premier Resorts, a Utah company that managed some properties at a North Myrtle Beach, S.C., resort, closed last week, the company left property owners without a way to get into their units -- and one couple without a venue for their wedding just weeks away. | 10/22/09 20:35:42 By - Adva Saldinger

Are Fed, Treasury finally giving banks tough love?

In a frontal assault on the U.S. banking system, the Federal Reserve proposed Thursday to review the pay practices of America's largest banks, while the Treasury Department outlined why it slashed executive pay at financial institutions that are receiving substantial taxpayer bailouts. | 10/22/09 19:14:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Congress may cushion some cuts in private Medicare plans

Nearly 3 million of the 10.5 million seniors in private Medicare health plans would be shielded at least partly from the cuts planned in the program under the Senate Finance Committee's health overhaul bill, according to a Kaiser Health News analysis. | 10/22/09 16:14:00 By - Phil Galewitz

For new grads, job hunting is hard

After five years and three majors, Luke Goddard graduated from Macon State College cum laude in July with an English degree. Since graduating a few months ago, he’s mostly used online job search Web sites to look for jobs and post his resume. | 10/22/09 12:45:05 By - Andrea Castillo

First-time homebuyers rush to find the right house in time

For Katie and Drew Long and thousands of other buyers across the country, finding a house is becoming more urgent. With an $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers set to expire Nov. 30, the window to find a home is shutting. | 10/22/09 12:13:54 By - Kirstin Valle

Wells Fargo says Wachovia purchase has been good for business

A year after announcing it would buy Charlotte's Wachovia, Wells Fargo reported a third consecutive quarter of strong earnings. The San Francisco bank announced Wednesday that it made $2.6 billion from July through September, helped by strong mortgage revenue and better-than-expected savings from Wachovia. But analysts also cautioned that Wells' troubled loans were on the rise. | 10/22/09 07:23:22 By - Christina Rexrode

Proposed federal watchdog for consumer finance advances

Consumer advocates cheered and the financial sector jeered Thursday as a controversial plan to create a federal agency to regulate mortgages, credit cards and other forms of consumer credit cleared a key House of Representatives committee on its way to an uncertain future. | 10/22/09 17:57:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Boeing chief says company outsourced too much

Boeing chief executive Jim McNerney said the company went too far in attempting to develop the revolutionary 787 Dreamliner while also installing a new design and production scheme that relied heavily on outside suppliers. The company announced a $1.6 billion third quarter loss Wednesday. | 10/21/09 20:56:51 By - John Gille

SEC frowns on trading systems that keep investors in the dark

The Securities and Exchange Commission proposed on Wednesday new steps that could soon bring more oversight over private trading systems that go by the ominous sounding name of "dark pools." | 10/21/09 17:08:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Thrift shops may be way to unique Halloween costumes

Where can you find the coolest costumes at scary low prices? You don't need a magic spell to protect your wallet. Instead, check out area thrift stores for all your ghoulish needs. | 10/21/09 16:31:32 By - Bethany Woo

Schools shift in Raleigh could reshape neighborhoods

A new majority on the Wake County, N.C., school board that opposes busing for socioeconomic diversity could change more than just the schools. Neighborhoods near high-ranking schools could eventually see rising housing prices, while neighborhoods near public schools with poor ratings may see the opposite. | 10/21/09 15:31:11 By - Sarah Ovaska

American Airlines' parent posts third quarter loss

Fort Worth-based AMR Corp., the parent company of American Airlines, reported a third quarter loss of $359 million. Even though the carrier cut capacity throughout its flight schedule and cut fares, passenger traffic dropped 6 percent as business travel continued to be weak. | 10/21/09 15:18:10 By - Andrea Ahles

Cuts biting into local Pennsylvania library's budgets

Schlow Centre Region Library in Pennsylvania had figured on a 12 percent reduction in state funding in the new budget but learned last week that its state subsidy will instead be cut by 20.1 percent. | 10/21/09 14:32:57 By -

Seasonal jobs on many's holiday list

’Tis the season, once again, for fewer holiday jobs. Lindsey England is among a select few who will have a job this holiday season in Bradenton. The Lakewood Ranch High senior landed a cashier position at Crowder’s Gifts and Gadgets despite projections that seasonal work will be tough to find again this year. | 10/21/09 14:27:23 By - Grace Gagliano

Wage stagnation is another side effect of recession

Millions of American workers have seen their take-home pay flattened by the double whammy of recession and its 9.8 percent-and-still-rising unemployment rate. Compensation so far in 2009 has been cut by the largest amount in nearly two decades, with a government index of real average weekly earnings down 1.9 percent since its high point last December. | 10/21/09 07:20:00 By - Diane Stafford

Bill to tighten rules on ratings agencies has big loopholes

A key House of Representatives committee is set to vote soon on legislation that would overhaul financial regulation and produce greater transparency for investors, but as it's now written it fails to address many of the credit-rating agency missteps that helped fuel the global financial crisis. | 10/20/09 19:01:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Report looks at hidden health costs of energy production

Generating electricity by burning coal is responsible for about half of an estimated $120 billion in yearly costs from early deaths and health damages to thousands of Americans from the use of fossil fuels, a federal advisory group said Monday. | 10/19/09 18:43:00 By - Renee Schoof

Recession has hit Reno's city ranking hard

Four years ago, Reno's economy glittered as brightly as its casinos. "The Biggest Little City in the World" created jobs faster than anyone, often at California's expense, luring companies across the state line. A national magazine anointed Reno, with its low taxes and low-regulation climate, America's hottest spot for business. Now the lights are dimming on the casinos and most everything else. | 10/19/09 06:48:25 By - Dale Kasler

Program aims to encourage weatherization of homes

The White House Monday will release a plan to remove some of the obstacles that prevent middle-class Americans from getting energy audits and making their homes more energy-efficient. | 10/19/09 06:00:00 By - Renee Schoof

Washington state project could charge electric car corridors

A year from now, roughly 1,000 all-electric vehicles will be whispering around Washington state's Puget Sound as part of a federally funded project that eventually may lead to an electronic corridor stretching from Eugene, Ore., to Vancouver, B.C., where drivers could swipe a credit card and receive a 15-minute charge to speed them on their way. | 10/18/09 06:00:00 By - Les Blumenthal

Is Schwarzenegger's California giving millions to Hollywood?

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger hadn't delivered his old industry significant help until a February budget deal negotiated behind closed doors gave film and television companies hundreds of millions in tax credits and rule changes. | 10/18/09 16:39:38 By - Kevin Yamamura

How Moody's sold its ratings - and sold out investors

As the housing market collapsed in late 2007, Moody's Investors Service, whose investment ratings were widely trusted, responded by purging analysts and executives who warned of trouble and promoting those who helped Wall Street plunge the country into its worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. | 10/18/09 06:00:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Bank of America loses $2.2 billion in third quarter

The bad news wasn't a huge surprise, as analysts had predicted the bank would lose money in the third quarter. But it's probably not what chief executive Ken Lewis wanted for his last earnings report at the bank. The $2.2 billion figure includes the payments the bank must make on its government loans. | 10/17/09 00:28:19 By - Christina Rexrode

Insurers' ad claims seniors would lose under health bill

Upset that the Senate Finance Committee health legislation would allow millions of people to continue going without health coverage, the insurance industry launched an ad campaign to convince seniors they'd be losers under the legislation. | 10/16/09 20:55:00 By - Jordan Rau

Afghan economy stumbles amid election uncertainty

For Afghanistan's business community, the troubled election has been one more economic hit in a difficult year that's included rising threats from kidnappers and the Taliban-led insurgency. As security costs soar and consumer sales soften, some Afghan business people have abandoned homes in Kabul for safer places such as Dubai. Others have pulled back on investments. | 10/16/09 18:24:00 By - Hal Bernton and Hashim Shukoor

Second wave of housing foreclosures has not hit Sacramento, Calif.

People who watch housing prices have predicted for months that another deluge of foreclosed homes would soon hit the market -- once again crushing Sacramento-area property values. But the flood of bank repos hasn't materialized. And now, a leading California foreclosure analyst says it probably won't. | 10/16/09 06:41:10 By - Jim Wasserman

Bankruptcy filings creep up Florida's socioeconomic ladder

From January through September, Florida saw 70,799 bankruptcies, making it second only to California in terms of volume. The trend isn't just limited to lower-income individuals: More middle and upper-class people are in financial straits, too. | 10/16/09 00:00:10 By - Jim Wyss

Outgoing BofA chief Lewis won't get paid this year

Outgoing Bank of America Corp. chief executive Ken Lewis will receive no compensation in 2009 after a review by the Obama administration's pay czar. Lewis received $1.5 million in salary in 2008 but no bonus. He will pay back the salary he has already received this year. | 10/15/09 20:15:45 By - Rick Rothacker and Christina Rexrode

Americans still in pain despite Dow's gains

The Dow Jones industrial average, in a feel-good milestone, closed above the 10,000 mark for the first time in more than a year on Wednesday. Good earnings reports from J.P. Morgan Chase and Intel helped to send the key index of 30 major companies up 144.80 points to close at 10,015.86. | 10/15/09 15:40:45 By - Martha Brannigan

Home builders snap up vacant lots in Fresno

In another sign that the local housing market is improving, homebuilders are scrambling to snap up vacant lots. | 10/15/09 14:35:42 By - Sanford Nax

Dow may have topped 10,000 but advisers aren't bullish yet

The Dow Jones industrial average broke the 10,000 mark Wednesday for the first time since October 2008, a key milestone in a giddy rally that has boosted the indicator by more than 50 percent since its March low. Even though the bull has been back lately, some investment advisers warn that it may be a brief visit. Their customers, too, remain cautious, as broad economic indicators signal a rugged road to recovery. | 10/15/09 06:46:24 By - Darrell Smith and Mark Glover

One industry that's booming: debt collection

In the often murky waters of the debt collection industry, United Recovery Systems in Houston is considered a "whale hunter." In its search for clients, United isn't looking for mom-and-pop businesses with a few hundred deadbeat customers. It wants bigger fish. | 10/15/09 17:41:00 By - Tony Pugh

Women tell Congress about health insurance disparities

When Amanda Buchanan and her schoolteacher husband talked about having a second baby, it felt as though there were three people at the table, she told a Senate committee Thursday. "Myself, my husband and our insurance policy," Buchanan said | 10/15/09 18:07:00 By - Erika Bolstad

House panel ready to pass sweeping reform of exotic finance

A key congressional panel is poised to approve Thursday a sweeping overhaul of laws governing the trading of complex and often exotic financial instruments that helped trigger a near meltdown of global finance. | 10/14/09 18:09:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Nurses wanting to unionize face unlikely foe: Feinstein

The nation's nurses have an idea for how to improve health care: Allow more of them to unionize. As they press Congress to approve a bill that would make it easier to organize, however, nurses and other unions have identified a big obstacle in California Sen. Dianne Feinstein. | 10/14/09 17:00:00 By - Rob Hotakainen

New study shows differing definitions of 'work' between generations

Central Kentucky employers take note: A new business study by Midway College found big differences between workplace attitudes of older workers and those of younger workers. | 10/14/09 15:02:07 By - Janet Patton

Will Charlotte lose Bank of America headquarters?

As Bank of America's directors search for a chief to replace Ken Lewis, local leaders wonder if the new CEO will have any ties to the Carolinas - and what it will mean for Charlotte if not. | 10/14/09 13:10:24 By - Christina Rexrode and Kirsten Valle

In Florida's Manatee county, poverty reaches 15-year high

The ranks of Manatee County's poverty-stricken swelled last year, with the economic recession hitting minorities, the less-educated and the young the hardest, according to government estimates set for release today. | 10/14/09 12:49:10 By - Duane Marsteller

Health bills would mandate children's dental coverage

Pediatric dental care, which has long been a concern of children's health advocates, would get a major boost from each of the pending national health overhaul proposals, as all call for expanding coverage. | 10/13/09 15:52:00 By - Jessica Marcy

Some Kansas City companies finding success in China

Mention you're from Kansas City in Hong Kong, a bustling business city of 7 million people, and you're likely to get a shrug or maybe a "Wizard of Oz" reference, but Kansas City-area companies play an increasingly significant, if unheralded, role in transforming the world's largest economy -- from supplying plane deicing equipment to building sports stadiums and infrastructure. | 10/13/09 07:24:45 By - David Klepper

Sex trade is thriving in Costa Rica

The slumping global economy is having a stimulus effect on Costa Rica's famous sex-tourism industry, as a growing number of unemployed women -- from Colombia to the Dominican Republic -- flock to San Jose to seek a living in the world's oldest profession. | 10/13/09 06:59:42 By - Tim Rogers

Choice of Rio for 2016 Olympics pleases Miami cruise company

When cities around the globe were vying to host the 2016 Summer Olympics, Joyce Landry and Josephine Kling were rooting for Rio de Janeiro to win the nod from the International Olympic Committee. | 10/12/09 16:10:22 By - Martha Brannigan

Surviving recession Idaho-style

You couldn't sell a house. No one wanted to buy a car. If you had a job, you counted yourself lucky. The worst economic downturn in three generations slammed into Idaho's Treasure Valley a year ago as the stock market plunged, banks collapsed and 401(k)s dried up. | 10/12/09 15:22:40 By - Bill Roberts

Health bills in Congress won't fix doctor shortage

Even as Congress moves to expand health insurance coverage to millions of Americans, it's doing little to ensure there will be enough primary care doctors to meet the expected surge in demand for treatment, experts say. | 10/12/09 14:40:00 By - Phil Galewitz

Halloween sales booming in Biloxi

Coast businesses are seeing customers going batty for costumes, pumpkins, candy and fall decorations, although nationally the economy is expected to cut into Halloween sales this year. | 10/12/09 12:42:41 By - Mary Perez

Is recession creating another 'baby bust?'

Chalk up another casualty of the worrisome economy: baby-making. A "baby bust" strikes when times are bad -- the Great Depression and the oil recession of the mid-’70s saw record lows in U.S. birth rates. It's still early to have a full view of the current recession's birth rates, but demographers are seeing signs that Americans are holding back again as unemployment nears 10 percent and legions more are worried about providing for a family. | 10/12/09 07:21:25 By - Grace Hobson

Watchdog: Obama's mortgage relief efforts aren't good enough

The Obama administration's efforts to force the modifications of distressed mortgages, while laudable, is likely to fall far short because the foreclosure crisis has grown and threatens to dwarf government efforts to relieve it, a special congressional watchdog panel warned in a report released Friday. | 10/09/09 00:01:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Bankruptcy filings drop, giving hope of recovering economy

In another promising sign of economic recovery, the torrid pace of personal and business bankruptcies slowed during the third quarter. Business bankruptcy filings fell 4.5 percent in the third quarter, the first quarterly declince since bankruptcy laws were overhauled in 2005. | 10/09/09 15:18:00 By - Tony Pugh

Should you pay a penalty if you don't buy health insurance?

Should people pay penalties if they refuse to buy health insurance? The answer had seemed simple to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., whose panel has spent months drafting legislation to overhaul health insurance: Refuse to participate in the new health care system that President Barack Obama wants to create and you'd pay a penalty of as much as $3,800 per family. | 10/09/09 15:22:00 By - David Lightman

Report: Airline passengers can expect more, longer delays

Airline passengers can expect more delayed flights and longer delays as the U.S. economy recovers and airports get busier during coming months, the Brookings Institution warns in a report released Thursday. The report says the Obama administration's planned high-speed rail network has the potential to cut heavy traffic on air corridors of less than 500 miles. | 10/08/09 21:41:20 By - Bruce Siceloff

AutoNation chief blames housing bust for industry woes

The head of the nation's largest car retailer said Thursday that the auto industry's problems began in the same place as everyone else's: the housing market. AutoNation Chairman Mike Jackson also said that things would've been even worse if the government hadn't stepped in. | 10/08/09 20:28:13 By - Scott Andron

Georgia's Isakson pushes homebuyer tax credit extension

In many ways, Sen. Johnny Isakson's push to expand and extend the popular $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers is about helping sell what real estate agents and developers call "PVC farms" -- acres of unfinished, unsold and unsightly subdivision lots where PVC sewer pipes poke up through weedy plots. | 10/08/09 18:56:00 By - Halimah Abdullah

Jobless find comfort, support in online social networks

The basement of Gioia Albi's house smells like mold. It flooded in February, and the unemployed mother of five can't afford the thousands of dollars it would take to fix the water damage. So now she worries that the mold could make her children sick; her youngest is already ill. | 10/08/09 17:20:00 By - Leila Fadel

Facing massive layoffs, Russia's 'Detroit' feels the chill

Vasily Kurikov worked for 28 years at AvtoVAZ, Russia's biggest carmaker, but the factory has him on half-shifts and, like everyone else in town, he's heard that there are 27,600 job cuts coming. Looking at the people in front of him, many of them AvtoVAZ workers left to wander this city on the banks of the Volga River, Kurikov said that things could turn bad. | 10/08/09 16:51:00 By - Tom Lasseter

Advertising slump hurts Sacramento's National Public Radio

Far from being immune to the downturn hitting commercial broadcasters and other media, National Public Radio has imposed layoffs and canceled two news programs in the past year. NPR's Sacramento affiliate, Capital Public Radio, has also had layoffs. | 10/08/09 16:12:57 By - Dale Kasler

Chinese drywall threatens home owners policies in Florida

Homeowners living in houses with suspect Chinese drywall are already in a bind: Their air conditioners stop working, a rotten-egg smell permeates their homes, they suffer a litany of health problems including troubled breathing, nosebleeds and headaches. Now, some of them could lose their property insurance coverage. | 10/08/09 15:38:46 By - Beatrice E. Garcia and Nirvi Shah

Credit card shock - miminum payments may rise abruptly

Paul Baker was smacked with a rude surprise when he opened a notice from his bank informing him that his minimum monthly payment had skyrocketed from $560 to more than $1,300. Chase didn’t alter the 4.9 percent interest rate. Instead, it ratcheted up his minimum payment from 2 percent of principal to 5 percent. | 10/08/09 14:39:07 By - Barry Schlecter

Dell closes N.C. plant it opened four years ago

Almost four years to the day after Dell opened its highly touted desktop computer production plant in Winston-Salem, the company said Wednesday it will close the factory and lay off its 905 workers. | 10/08/09 14:24:07 By - Sue Stock

Dell to close N.C. plant, lay off 905 employees

Almost four years to the day after Dell opened its highly touted desktop computer production plant in Winston-Salem, N.C., the company said Wednesday it will close the factory and lay off its 905 workers. In doing so, the computer maker is forgoing most of the nearly $280 million in state and local incentives that were offered to lure the project to the Tar Heel state. | 10/08/09 07:25:43 By - Sue Stock

Homeowners might lose insurance over defective drywall

Homeowners living in houses with suspect Chinese drywall are already in a bind: Their air conditioners stop working, a rotten-egg smell permeates their homes, they suffer a litany of health problems including troubled breathing, nosebleeds and headaches. Now, some of them could lose their property insurance coverage. | 10/08/09 07:04:42 By - Beatrice E. Garcia and Nirvi Shah

NPR is feeling recession's pinch

The advertising slump is afflicting the dignified end of the radio dial, too. Far from being immune to the downturn hitting commercial broadcasters and other media, National Public Radio has imposed layoffs and canceled two news programs in the past year. | 10/08/09 06:48:50 By - Dale Kasler

Senate health care bill would reduce deficit, analysis finds

The Senate Finance Committee's health care overhaul effort got a boost Wednesday when the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that it would cost $829 billion and reduce the federal deficit by $81 billion over the next 10 years. | 10/07/09 19:09:00 By - David Lightman

Americans cutting back on health care to save money

Many Americans have been putting off doctors' visits, forgoing medical tests and taking expired medications to save money over the past year, according to a new poll by Consumers Union. | 10/07/09 16:36:00 By - David Lightman

Realtors: Jobs more important than housing tax credit

Home sales could plummet again if Congress allows the first-time homebuyer tax credit to expire, according to a national survey. But in Wichita, local agents think there's enough market activity to weather a downturn if the credit expires -- if unemployment doesn't increase | 10/07/09 16:25:50 By - Bill Wilson

Tourist tax in Miami takes tumble

An apparent bottom in the Miami-Dade hotel market gave way in August, when tourist taxes plunged 20 percent -- making it the third worst month for the industry since the financial crisis began a year ago. | 10/07/09 15:24:16 By - Douglas Hanks

Study: Bank revenue from overdraft fees rose 35 percent in 2008

Bank and credit union revenue from overdraft fees reached $24 billion last year, up 35 percent from two years earlier, according to a study by the Center for Responsible Lending. Using figures gathered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., the consumer advocacy group reported Tuesday that revenue from overdraft fees was up $6.2 billion from 2006. | 10/07/09 07:19:42 By - Steve Rosen

Reverse mortgages ripe for abuse, consumer group says

Consumer advocates say a growing number of older homeowners and a new crop of eager lenders could steer the reverse mortgage industry down the same financial course that toppled the subprime mortgage market and left taxpayers footing the bill. | 10/06/09 17:52:00 By - Tony Pugh

Newest airline fare gimmick: Surcharges for holiday travel

Airlines initiated the $10 "peak travel surcharge" last month for travel on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and for Jan. 2 and 3. Now they've extended it to 10 other days. Not much, until you also add in $20 for a checked bag and an aisle seat selection fee. | 10/06/09 16:30:57 By - Andrea Ahles

Northwest wheat farmers make it simple, selling at home

The complexity and cost of farming have exploded in recent decades, making it impossible for many farmers to keep up. In response, Fred Fleming's farm and 32 other Northwest farms have banded together, calling themselves Shepherd’s Grain, to capitalize on the growing interest in locally produced food. | 10/06/09 16:01:30 By - Melissa Allison

Malpractice not to blame for rising health costs, panel says

Curbing medical malpractice litigation isn't the "silver bullet" that's needed to slay the werewolf of rising health care costs, a panel of academics said Tuesday. "Health policy myths become convenient truths," said Gregg Bloche, a graduate of the medical and law schools at Yale and a former visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution. | 10/06/09 15:47:00 By - Markham Heid

McClatchy faces off with Olympic Committee over trademark

The U.S. Olympic Committee is protesting an effort by The McClatchy Co. to trademark the name of its newspaper in Olympia, Wash., The Olympian. The USOC argues that the similarity of its trademarks to The Olympian "tends to cause confusion or mistake, to deceive, and to falsely suggest a connection." | 10/06/09 15:34:06 By - Christian Hill

Idaho company has unexpected draw: erasing old hard drives

Increasingly stringent laws on data disposal and electronic-waste recycling are causing a surge in demand for computer sanitization and recycling across the U.S. | 10/06/09 14:59:22 By - Ed Lane

Financially 'underwater' properties swamp Bradenton, Fla.

Most Bradenton and Manatee County homeowners who fell into foreclosure last month were financially "underwater," property and court records show. | 10/06/09 13:38:59 By - Duane Marsteller

'Pay Czar' to scrutinize Lewis' Bank of America holdings

Kenneth Feinberg, the federal pay czar charged with curbing pay at banks that received federal aid, is reviewing Bank of America chief executive Ken Lewis' accumulated benefits, including retirement and stock holdings. | 10/06/09 07:30:08 By - Stella M. Hopkins

Kansas City seeing effects of foreclosure crisis

Fueled by the foreclosure crisis, the number of vacant buildings in Kansas City has spread like the real estate version of a pandemic flu. In just one year, city officials say, the number has exploded by 2,000 to more than 7,500 empty or abandoned structures. That figure doesn't include thousands of empty lots. | 10/06/09 07:21:42 By - Michael Mansur

California Board of Equalization drops layoff plans

After laying the groundwork to terminate more than a thousand staff members to help plug a gaping budget hole, the State Board of Equalization has pulled back from the plan because it has found other ways to save the money. The BOE processes state business tax returns and employs about 4,000 workers, but it has defied Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's order to furlough them. | 10/06/09 06:48:57 By - Jon Ortiz

Alaskans tell Enstar 'no bailout' for its billing mistake

Should everyone pay more to heat their homes because natural gas provider Enstar made a multimillion-dollar billing mistake? That Alaskans already do was the topic of public testimony in downtown Anchorage on Monday evening at the Regulatory Commission of Alaska. And the crowd's answer was a resounding no. | 10/06/09 06:33:08 By - James Halpin

Horse market sales continue to contract in Kentucky

In a sign of the Thoroughbred breeding market contraction, Keeneland will offer 4,702 horses in its November Breeding Stock Sale catalog, a drop of more than 1,000 horses from last year. | 10/05/09 15:05:02 By - Janet Patton

Merrill Lynch to rise through a new Bank of America campaign

Bank of America Corp. announced a new advertising campaign for the Merrill Lynch wealth management brand, a part of the business that bank CEO Ken Lewis once called the "crown jewel." | 10/05/09 13:48:32 By - Christina Rexrode

OSHA cracks down on firms hiding workplace injuries

Federal safety regulators are launching a national program aimed at catching companies that hide workplace injuries | 10/05/09 12:32:06 By - Kerry Hall Singe and Ames Alexander

Software company SAS says employee health care investment is good business

There is standard employer-sponsored health insurance — and then there are SAS-provided benefits. The Cary, North Carolina-based software company built an on-site health clinic, staffed with doctors and nurse practitioners. SAS has a simple reason for investing so much in the health of its employees, spokeswoman Allison Lane said: "It makes good business sense." | 10/05/09 07:29:14 By - Matt Ehlers

Central Washington's abundant hops harvest is bittersweet

An overabundant crop and poor economy causing beer drinkers to go on a budget have produced a bittersweet hop harvest. | 10/04/09 10:37:10 By - Drew Foster

Several mortgage firms getting federal funds have spotty records

Several firms now participating in the Treasury's program to modify troubled mortgages have run into problems with federal or state regulators for their treatment of their customers over the years. | 10/04/09 06:00:00 By - Chris Adams

Firms are getting billions, but homeowners still in trouble

The federal government is engaged in a massive mortgage modification program that's on track to send billions in tax dollars to many of the very companies that judges or regulators have cited in recent years for abusive mortgage practices. | 10/04/09 06:00:00 By - Chris Adams

For Brazil, Olympics mean the future finally has arrived

For the longest time, a joke about Brazil made the rounds in the halls of international financial organizations: Latin America's largest and most populous nation had a great future -- and always would. | 10/02/09 18:52:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Study: Recession still hurting Modesto, Fresno

San Joaquin Valley cities remain mired in the great economic meltdown, though a new study shows how some are suffering more than others. | 10/02/09 17:55:00 By - Michael Doyle

Anti-usury campaign kicks off in Raleigh

N.C. United Power is part of an international campaign to cap interest rates at 10 percent in deference to historic usury laws that grew out of Christian, Jewish and Muslim scriptures. The campaign comes at a time when credit card companies are being scrutinized by Congress and the Federal Reserve. | 10/02/09 16:21:32 By - Jesse James Deconto

Grocery stores in Kansas City increase sports teams promotions

It's game time — in the grocery aisles. Hy-Vee, which earlier this year wrested the Chiefs sponsorship title away from Price Chopper, is pouring it on this fall — with dancing to DJs, immense store displays, and Chiefs-related products and promotional events. Plus, all those billboards. | 10/02/09 15:35:19 By - Joyce Smith

Health-care bill or no, Medicare Advantage premiums will rise

On average, beneficiaries currently enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans can expect to pay average premiums of about $39 a month next year, a $7 increase from this year. About 660,000 seniors will have to change plans or enroll in traditional Medicare because some insurers are dropping coverage. | 10/02/09 00:45:00 By - Phil Galewitz

N.C. woman has two jobs but still can't afford health care

There's a Moon Pie giveaway at noon today in front of Sen. Kay Hagan's office in Raleigh. Behind the treat is a less-than-sweet story about a woman in need and a health care system she says has failed her.

"We are not asking for the moon," says Kim Yaman, who organized the snack attack to press Hagan and other lawmakers in Washington to quit bickering and craft a new national health care policy. "We just want affordable, accessible health care." | 10/02/09 12:00:30 By - Sarah Avery

Unemployment rate is highest in 26 years

The September unemployment numbers announced Friday were a reality check for anyone who was thinking that strong economic growth was just around the corner. | 10/02/09 10:38:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Cash for Clunkers-style trade-in deals turning up in other businesses

It sounds surreal, but it's true: Private industry is rushing to adopt the marketing strategy of the federal government. Companies of all stripes nationwide are now putting their own spin on the government's Cash for Clunkers program, offering trade-in deals on furniture, computers, appliances, hearing aids and just about every other item that can be sold. | 10/02/09 06:55:12 By - Mark Glover

Lack of funds force Anchorage's methadone clinic to stop admissions

Anchorage Alaska's only methadone clinic, facing an influx of patients and not enough funding to treat them, has stopped accepting into treatment all new patients, including pregnant women. | 10/02/09 06:36:08 By - James Halpin

Donations propel Home Economics courses in Modesto

Students in home economics classes will get cooking with ingredients donated by several processors. About 900 pounds of ground beef, eggs, almonds and canned goods were donated to help teachers deal with budget cuts at 14 schools in Stanislaus County. | 10/01/09 15:46:23 By - John Holland

New stadium helps raise Texan Jerry Jones' net worth

It’s been open only since June, but the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington has already added to Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ net worth, or so says Forbes magazine in its latest list of the 400 richest Americans. | 10/01/09 14:59:07 By - Andrea Ahles

Embattled Bank of America CEO Lewis to retire, 2 years early

Ken Lewis has been at the center of a storm of controversy over his handling of B of A's acquisition of Merrill Lynch. The allegations include that he and the bank's board did not tell stockholders all they knew about Merrill Lynch's losses in the fourth quarter or bonuses owed Merrill employees. | 09/30/09 17:57:29 By - Rick Rothacker

How Canada runs its own consumer finance protection agency

Doom and gloom warnings from U.S. banks that a proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency would raise borrowing costs for consumers and restrict access to credit for small businesses haven't played out in Canada, which has had a similar agency since 2001. | 09/30/09 16:32:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Florida economy, confidence rise

Two key economic markers in Florida -- consumer confidence and a much-watched home price index -- showed a second consecutive month of improvement, offering further evidence the recession is easing, though a long recovery likely awaits. | 09/30/09 15:48:25 By - Monica Hatcher

GM, eBay Motors to end online sales experiment

General Motors and eBay Motors today will end their trial program that enabled consumers to bid for new GM cars from some 225 California dealerships. Now, auto industry analysts wonder if the California-exclusive program will someday return as a national effort. | 09/30/09 06:46:49 By - Mark Glover

Washington state tries to steer Boeing away from South Carolina

Washington state's residents are smarter, its aerospace taxes are lower, its unemployment fund more stable, its aircraft industry infrastructure is more extensive, its work force more experienced and its quality of life superior, Gov. Chris Gregoire proclaims in a pitch to Boeing to choose the state over South Carolina for a second 787 Dreamliner assembly line. | 09/29/09 20:59:06 By - John Gillie

Regulators: It's hard to keep tabs on dietary supplements

The market for dietary supplements is so vast that federal regulators have trouble determining which ones are laced with steroids and should be off limits to consumers, they told a Senate panel Tuesday. | 09/29/09 19:06:00 By - Erika Bolstad

Economy a la the salty-snack indicator

Believe it or not, there's a connection between the economy and the amount of potato chips and other salty snacks we consume. | 09/29/09 14:31:38 By - Steve Rosen

Wind plant work has Kansas firms bidding

Construction of the $50 million Siemens wind turbine plant in Hutchinson, Kansas, has the potential to bolster the local economy over the next year. Just how much remains a question. | 09/29/09 17:06:57 By - Dan Voorhis

Bradenton area poverty rate highest in 15 years

The ranks of Manatee County’s poverty-stricken swelled last year, with the economic recession hitting minorities, the less-educated and the young the hardest, according to government estimates set for release today. | 09/29/09 12:53:01 By - Duane Marsteller

Census numbers paint bleak picture for California's Valley

New economic estimates released Monday by the U.S. Census Bureau show what most of California's Valley residents already knew: Things were worse in 2008 than they were in 2007. And experts suggest they're even bleaker now. People earned less money last year, and more of them lived in poverty, according to the Census Bureau's 2008 American Community Survey. | 09/29/09 11:38:36 By - Tim Sheehan

Authors: U.S. economic crisis was long time in the making

Americans have always assumed that financial crises happen in basket-case countries, not here. So how then did the U.S. follow the lead of Argentina, Mexico and Thailand by plunging into this one? | 09/29/09 17:08:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Stimulus funds give boost to job training programs

Where did the stimulus money go? The nearly $800 billion that Congress approved in February in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has been funneled through various channels, from tax cuts to extended jobless benefits to infrastructure improvements. But if there's one place the stimulus money's impact is seen, it's in the job-training sector. | 09/29/09 07:40:24 By - Randolph Heaster

Utilities quit group over its opposition to climate change bill

Exelon, the nation's biggest operator of nuclear power plants, said Monday that it's quitting the U.S. Chamber of Commerce because of the business group's lobbying against climate and energy legislation. Last week, two other large energy companies, Pacific Gas and Electric and PNM Resources, also quit the Chamber over objections to its stance on climate change. | 09/28/09 18:49:00 By - Renee Schoof

Do-it-yourself becomes the hot trend

The ``do-it-myself'' refrain is reverberating around the country during a protracted recession that has more homeowners discovering the gratification -- and the misery -- of manual labor. | 09/28/09 18:28:22 By - Robin Benedick

Owners, pets, get reprieve with donated food

Free bags of cat and dog food saved Gayla Pritchett from having to hand over Kiki, Mia, Spencer and Ladybug to an animal shelter. | 09/28/09 13:36:17 By - Grace Hobson

Economy provides more readers but library needs more space

It isn't just the physical space at issue -- it's programming as well. There is an increased demand and higher use of the library as the economy has worsened -- a trend that is seen everywhere. | 09/28/09 11:48:28 By - Elizabeth Donald

Economies in Latin America are starting to rebound

A year after the global financial crisis exploded, most Latin American countries are putting the tough times in the rearview mirror during the final three months of 2009. Brazil, the region's giant and the world's ninth largest economy, is leading the way, along with such other market-friendly countries as Peru, Chile, Colombia, Uruguay and Panama. | 09/28/09 07:11:23 By - Tyler Bridges

Sacramento hospitals seeing spike in ER visits by uninsured patients

Local emergency rooms are seeing a big spike in patients without health insurance, increasing waiting times and costs for everyone, according to a Sacramento Bee analysis of state and national health data. | 09/28/09 06:48:06 By - Phillip Reese and Bobbi Caina Calvan

Electricity prices lower in Texas' deregulated market

Retail electric providers in Texas’ deregulated market are offering residential rates that in many instances are lower than those of some municipal power companies, electric cooperatives and investor-owned utilities that are still under rate regulation, a Star-Telegram survey shows. | 09/27/09 20:19:51 By - Jack Z. Smith

Even million-dollar ocean views are a tough sell these days

When the housing bubble burst and recession hit, the upper end of the real estate market slowed too as personal wealth declined, home equity dried up and credit tightened. That made it difficult for potential upper-end buyers to trade up or purchase coveted vacation homes, say those who track the real estate industry. | 09/27/09 14:59:49 By - Julie Lynem

Amid global crisis, Jamaica rethinks its business plan

The global financial crisis, which has battered Caribbean economies, is forcing Jamaica and other countries in the region to rethink how they do business. Although most Caribbean nations continue to wrestle with how to avert financial meltdown, Jamaica is mounting an aggressive campaign to help diversify its economy. | 09/27/09 14:35:29 By - Jacqueline Charles

In reversal, none of California's parks to close completely

The bathrooms might be dirtier, and trash may pile up more, but none of California's state parks will be completely closed. That was the word from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday after he directed his finance officials to help trim the Parks Department budget without closing as many as 100 parks, which had been the plan to help balance the state's troubled budget. | 09/26/09 18:24:27 By - Matt Weiser

Electric, hybrid cars run quiet: That's bad for blind people

The auto industry for decades worked to make cars as quiet as possible. With electric cars the near ultimate has been achieved — virtually no noise at all. But we may have a problem. To be more specific, pedestrians may have a problem. And if you're a blind pedestrian used to hearing cars coming, there may really be a problem. | 09/26/09 14:58:27 By - Steve Everly

Global summit sets new direction, but misses chance for climate fix

Leaders of the world's most developed economies agreed late Friday to restrict runaway financial-sector executive pay, give emerging powers a bigger role in global institutions and create a new structure to promote global economic growth. | 09/25/09 19:21:00 By - Margaret Talev and Kevin G. Hall

Wichita's economy grew in 2008

While most of the nation's economy was slowing or shrinking in 2008, Wichita was reaching new heights. | 09/25/09 17:27:46 By - Dan Voorhis

High schools face cuts in extracurricular activities like band

It's another football night at Traz Powell Stadium in North Miami-Dade, and two of the top teams in the county are in a spirited struggle. | 09/25/09 16:03:33 By - Andre C. Fernandez, Manny Navarro and Evan Drexler

China's Shanghai is New York on steroids

Stephen Wong said he was certain that someday the Porsche would be his. Never mind that he's an office clerk with a monthly salary that wouldn't pay for a set of tires for a Porsche 911. Never mind that the world is battling the worst recession in more than half a century. Forget all of that: This is Shanghai, New York with more bustle, an appetite for hyperbole that rivals Dubai's and a strut that would make Wall Street blush. | 09/25/09 14:54:00 By - Tom Lasseter

Tariffs on Chinese tires force dealers to look elsewhere

The owner of Factory Tire Outlet in Bradenton, Fla., can't afford to increase prices in this economy, but if he continues to order tires from China he says he’ll have no other choice. | 09/25/09 14:52:44 By - Grace Gagliano

Protests sweep California campuses over budget cuts

Professors, students and workers at all 10 University of California campuses on Friday staged protests and rallies and set up picket lines to draw attention to the effect of state budget cuts on the university. Originally planned by professors angry that they've been forbidden from taking their unpaid furlough days on days they're scheduled to teach, the rallies have snowballed. | 09/25/09 11:09:47 By - Laurel Rosenhall and Julie Johnson

What's a global economic summit without protests?

As leaders of the world's most developed nations met in Pittsburgh and inched closer to consensus on how best to restrict compensation packages for financial executives, masked protesters and police in armored vehicles clashed Thursday in what's become a familiar ritual at such meetings. | 09/24/09 20:07:00 By - Margaret Talev and Kevin G. Hall

Answer to U.S. search for clean coal may lie in China

As the United States begins spending $3.4 billion in stimulus money to seek a commercially viable way to capture carbon dioxide from coal burning and bury it underground, some energy experts say that doing some of the work as a joint project in China would cut costs and time. | 09/24/09 16:39:00 By - Renee Schoof

Banks fight to kill proposed consumer protection agency

If you doubt that U.S. banks long to return to the days of impotent regulation, you need only look at one of the financial sector's top legislative priorities: killing a proposed new agency that would be dedicated solely to protecting consumers' financial interests. | 09/24/09 15:08:00 By - Kevin G. Hall