California car wash owner sends 4 cent check to IRS

Midtown business owner Aaron Zeff has settled his beef with the IRS, sending a check for 4 cents — and additional checks to cover $202.31 in interest and penalties. Zeff, the owner of Harv's Metro Car Wash, was upset last week after two IRS agents visited his business to collect on the debt. | 03/16/10 17:38:56 By - Bob Shallit

Pepsi to pull drinks from schools worldwide

Anti-obesity campaigns scored a direct hit Tuesday when PepsiCo said it would pull its sugary drinks from schools around the world.PepsiCo, Coca-Cola and others in the industry have already swapped lower-calorie options into schools to replace sugary drinks, under voluntary guidelines adopted in 2006. Sales of full-calorie soft drinks fell 95 percent in U.S. schools between fall 2004 and fall 2009. | 03/16/10 17:21:24 By - Greg Hanks

South Carolina may have to lay off troopers it just hired

No new troopers will be trained starting July 1, when the state starts its new fiscal year. And this year's class of troopers — 46 men and women who have been training at the state's Criminal Justice Academy since January — may patrol state highways for only a few months. | 03/16/10 15:19:47 By - Gina Smith

Miami condo deal nets $200,000 profit in just 20 minutes

A bulk buyer purchased 19 units in a Miami condo development at 1:25 p.m. March 5, paying $1.25 million. At 1:45 p.m., the buyer sold the units to another corporation for $1.45 million. It may have been one of the quickest profits ever in Miami's condo market. | 03/16/10 13:27:02 By - Elaine Walker

California issues layoff warnings to educators

At least 964 educators in Modesto, Calif., have been notified they may lose their jobs in July. That's more than 17 percent of the teachers, counselors, librarians and administrators in the county's public schools. Statewide, the layoff total tops 23,255, which is about 13 percent of California's more than 300,000 educators. | 03/16/10 10:49:04 By - J.N. Sbranti

Wachovia, Justice Dept. discuss money-laundering investigation

Wachovia, now part of Wells Fargo & Co., is in discussions with the U.S. Justice Department to resolve an investigation into the bank's ties to Mexican money exchange houses and its compliance with money-laundering laws. San Francisco-based Wells, which bought Charlotte's Wachovia in 2008, disclosed the negotiations last month in its annual report. | 03/16/10 07:26:57 By - Rick Rothacker

Cruise industry sees rebound from recession

At least one corner of the Florida economy is showing some pizazz: the battered cruise industry. After the worst-ever downturn for the South Florida-based industry in 2009, cruise bookings are going up. Cruise lines are starting to raise prices from the deep-recession bargain basement. And a few companies are even feeling bullish enough to start ordering new ships after a dry spell of nearly two years. | 03/16/10 07:05:42 By - Martha Brannigan

AARP offers job fairs for struggling older workers

Unemployed workers 50 and older will get some much-needed help in their job searches beginning Tuesday, when the AARP kicks off a national series of free career fairs for mature job seekers. | 03/16/10 06:00:00 By - Tony Pugh

With Wachovia, Wells Fargo finds new hitching post in East

Wells Fargo's purchase of Wachovia in 2008 doubled the San Francisco bank's size and gave it a mirror image banking network in the East to match its muscle out West. It also transformed Wells Fargo overnight from a nobody in Florida banking to a dominant force, with the second-largest share of deposits behind Bank of America. Florida is now Wells Fargo's second-largest market behind California. | 03/15/10 22:23:39 By - Martha Branigan

New Toyota suit: Just give car owners their money back

A Seattle law firm thinks it has a better solution for Toyota's unintended acceleration problems: give Toyota owners their money back for their cars. That's the demand in a lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Seattle and in Arizona by the Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro law firm. | 03/15/10 19:56:51 By - John Gille

Remember the financial crisis? Senate unveils its fix

Eighteen months after Wall Street's brush with apocalypse, the Senate on Monday began to rewrite the nation's financial regulatory rules with the introduction of a sweeping bill designed to fix the causes of the deep economic crisis. | 03/15/10 19:14:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Think census doesn't matter? Undercount cost Texas big

An estimated 373,567 people in Texas were uncounted in the 2000 Census, second only to the 522,796 that were missed in California. The undercount cost Texas about $1 billion in lost federal funds, according to a PriceWaterhouseCooper report on the census. | 03/15/10 15:11:36 By - Steve Campbell

Community colleges get use of stimulus funds

At a time when many South Sound residents are laid off and need training for new careers, local community colleges are facing the stiffest cuts in years. That’s why several hundreds of thousands of federal stimulus dollars are being spent to fund college classes for the unemployed. | 03/15/10 14:38:26 By - Melissa Santos

Florida banks shift with new ownerships

Looking across a glistening Biscayne Bay on a recent chilly morning, Wells Fargo & Co. Chairman and Chief Executive John Stumpf pointed east and asked, ``What's that, over there?'' It was South Beach. ``Never been there,'' said Stumpf, a lean, silvery-haired man with leading-man good looks. | 03/15/10 13:22:28 By -

Emerging trend in central California: cheaters targeting lenders

Lenders are being warned there's a higher risk of mortgage fraud in Modesto, California's Stanislaus County than anywhere else in the United States, and it's almost as bad in Merced and San Joaquin counties. | 03/15/10 13:19:04 By - S. J. Sbranti

Goat meat in short supply as demand rises

On top of everything else, we are in the grip of a goat shortage. Good news for those who raise goats; not so good for the growing number of people eating them. | 03/15/10 12:30:40 By - Rick Montgomery

Job recovery lacking in Fresno

Some parts of the country are starting to see the first glimmers of a rebound in hiring -- but not Fresno. | 03/15/10 12:19:49 By - Bethany Clough

Fed gets ready to end first-time homebuyer tax credit

For more than a year, the Federal Reserve has been pumping $20 billion a week into the nation's mortgage market to make up for the lack of private investors willing to back home lending. But the Fed has vowed to stop its spree at the end of this month. And there's little chance its policymakers will change their minds when they meet on Tuesday. | 03/15/10 07:17:08 By - Mark Davis

Debt collectors come after homeowners years after default

Homeowners defaulting on mortgages today may be surprised to learn years from now that they still owe thousands of dollars — and a collection agency is coming after them to get it. | 03/14/10 15:14:29 By - Jim Wasserman

Parents don't get laid-off California teacher's stripper joke

When students asked an Enochs High School English teacher this week what she'd do if she lost her job to budget cuts, she said she'd have to become a stripper and sell her reproductive eggs to pay the bills. Some parents didn't see the humor, but the teacher was one of 40 at Enochs and 370 at all Modesto City Schools who received layoff notices this week. | 03/13/10 19:52:36 By - Michelle Hatfield

Economist predicts depression (but he's been wrong before)

Kansas economist Bill Helming has had dark visions of tomorrow before. For example, when the stock market crashed in October 1987, Helming feared the worst. "We're heading for a recession we haven't seen the likes of since the 1930s," he told The Star at the time. Pray that he's wrong — again. | 03/13/10 18:50:50 By - Mark Davis

Charlotte grows as energy hub, but not everyone sees green

Siemens Energy's 825-job announcement this week gave a big bounce to Charlotte's growing energy hub, which promises to help refocus the city's banker-intensive image. But some green-energy start-ups say state energy policy still favors big utilities over small firms, and nuclear plants over solar panels. | 03/13/10 18:14:13 By - Bruce Henderson

IRS agents storm California car wash — to collect 4 cents

Arriving at Harv's Metro Car Wash in midtown Sacramento Wednesday afternoon were two dark-suited IRS agents demanding payment of delinquent taxes. "They were deadly serious, very aggressive, very condescending," says Harv's owner, Aaron Zeff. The letter that was hand-delivered to Zeff's on-site manager showed the amount of money owed to the feds was . . . 4 cents, plus penalties of $202.31. | 03/13/10 14:37:41 By - Bob Shallit

Small firms would hire you, if only they could get loans

Capital is the oxygen that a small business needs to survive and thrive, yet across the country, the air's pretty thin, as business owners from coast to coast complain of huge hurdles to getting badly needed loans. Small businesses account for 65 percent of U.S. employment, so it's a serious matter that the credit is crunch squeezing these firms. | 03/12/10 17:29:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Small business chief pushes for more loans to little guy

Since taking the helm of the Small Business Administration last April, businesswoman Karen Mills has drawn praise for aggressive moves to try to boost lending to small firms amid a deep economic downturn. | 03/12/10 16:44:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

California pension funds get burned again on real estate

California's two big public pension funds took fresh hits to their troubled real estate portfolios this week, suggesting the fallout from the real estate bubble hasn't completely run its course. The state employees' fund lost $91 million on a Boston investment, and the teachers' fund stands to lose tens of millions from an anticipated default on a New York skyscraper. | 03/12/10 14:48:26 By - Dale Kasler

Time to graduate, California campuses tell students pushing 30

California State University authorities are nudging students — often called "super seniors" — to graduate and make room in the cash-strapped system. The 23-campus CSU has clamped down on admissions as it works to reduce enrollment by 40,000 students over two years. | 03/12/10 01:09:16 By - Cyndee Fontana

U.S. firms working to lower cost of solar energy

One piece of the American effort to find a way to make solar energy cheap enough that everyone will want it is unfolding in a modest redbrick building in this Midwestern city once known as one of the nation's top makers of glass. | 03/11/10 18:47:00 By - Renee Schoof

Obama outlines plan to spur U.S. exports and jobs

President Barack Obama on Thursday laid out plans to help U.S. businesses double their export sales and add what he said would be 2 million more jobs at home during the next 5 years. | 03/11/10 17:11:00 By - Steven Thomma

As recession runs its course, golf industry takes a hit

Even when the going gets tough, die-hard golfers will play. Passion for the game has kept even average duffers on the links in the deepest economic downturn in decades. The golf industry, however, has taken a hit. | 03/11/10 17:39:51 By - Beatrice E. Garcia

Kansas lawmakers think of the unthinkable: more taxes

In January, sales tax increases, eliminating sales tax exemptions and increasing sin taxes found only tepid support among lawmakers. That's changing. | 03/11/10 16:24:05 By - Jeannine Koranda

South Carolina contemplates sprinklers in all new homes

A new code that requires sprinkler systems in all new home construction starting next year could be delayed under a proposal by Sen. David Thomas, R-Greenville. | 03/11/10 15:43:20 By - Kristy Eppon Rupon

Florida's unemployment rate 11.9 percent in January

Florida's unemployment rate rose to 11.9 percent in January, tying the highest rate ever recorded in the state, and the number of out-of-work Floridians stood at 1.1 million, the state labor department announced Wednesday. | 03/11/10 14:48:02 By - Toluse Olorunnipa

Recession is fueling a boom in insurance fraud

The sour economy is producing a bumper crop of cash-strapped consumers, business owners and shady agents who're fueling a wave of insurance fraud that's keeping regulators and law enforcement officials busy from coast to coast. | 03/11/10 16:34:00 By - Tony Pugh

31 states added jobs in January, though jobless rates rose

California led all states in employment growth with 32,000 net new jobs. Illinois and New York state followed with respective net gains of 26,000 and 25,500, and the state of Washington followed with 18,900. Eighteen states saw employment decrease, and one state saw no change. The news was darker on state unemployment rates. Thirty states reported an uptick in their jobless rates. | 03/10/10 14:34:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Study says 'Cash for clunkers' impact was underestimated

Search online for "Cash for Clunkers," and here's one thing you'll find: stories about its negligible overall impact on the economy. Wrong, says Maritz Automotive Research Group, which recently surveyed participants in last summer's federal program designed to stimulate new-car sales. One key finding: 90 percent of those participating in Cash for Clunkers would not otherwise have bought a new car. | 03/10/10 07:32:24 By - Randolph Heaster

Gas emissions law once again a target in California

On Monday, the state's nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office concluded that the landmark 2006 law that mandates cuts in greenhouse gas emissions would cost the state jobs in the near term, and have uncertain effects in the long term. On Tuesday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has ardently championed the law, dismissed the LAO report as so much armchair analysis. | 03/10/10 06:50:55 By - Steve Wiegand

Bank of America will drop overdraft fees for debit cards

Bank of America is dropping one of the banking industry's most-criticized fees. No longer will customers be charged an overdraft fee when they use their debit card and don't have enough money in their accounts. The new debit card policy starts June 19 for new accounts and at the end of August for existing accounts. | 03/10/10 03:12:49 By - Rick Rothacker

FDIC chief hits banks for not making loans

Putting political pressure on the nation's banks, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairwoman Sheila Bair called Monday for borrowers to identify and report banks that aren't lending to consumers and small businesses. | 03/08/10 17:21:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Rebuilding Haiti attracts Florida firms

Wearing dark glasses and a baseball hat, Adam Finnieston hovered outside a field hospital in the Haitian capital with a prosthetic leg tucked beneath his arm. As groups of doctors rushed by, he handed out business cards and chatted with visitors about how the technology developed by his Miami company could help Haiti's amputees. | 03/08/10 14:49:15 By - Jim Wyss

After a few years of respite, bee colonies again are collapsing

A mysterious problem that causes bee colonies to decline is once again taking its toll on California's beekeepers. | 03/08/10 13:36:52 By - Robert Rodriguez

'Feed the Children' aim at newly-poor in Charlotte

In what may end up being one of the largest single afternoons of charity in Charlotte's history, the international relief group Feed the Children plans to give out $1.4 million in food and hygiene products. And it intends to do it in just three hours. | 03/08/10 13:26:45 By - Mark Price

MBA, law school grads receiving fewer job offers

For years, someone with a newly minted degree from a top-flight business or law school had the closest thing to a golden ticket for a high-paying job. But the ongoing recession has brought graduates — many staggering under mountains of student loan debt — face to face with a new economic reality. | 03/08/10 06:46:32 By - Darrell Smith

California prisoner rehab program hit by budget cuts

California prison officials began touting a new public safety reform in January that would encourage inmates to complete a rehabilitation course and earn six weeks per year off a sentence. Inside Folsom State Prison, though, inmates and instructors leading such courses are skeptical it will work. In reality, they say, budget cuts are devastating programs that are the basis for the new credit and for helping inmates stay straight once free. | 03/08/10 06:37:59 By - Susan Ferriss

Lowe's, hospital cut health care deal over heart surgeries

In a move to control rising health care costs, Mooresville-based Lowe's has cut an unusual deal with a nationally known hospital. | 03/05/10 13:05:19 By - Jen Aronoff

BLTs might miss tomatoes with Florida crops blasted by freeze

Some growers are relying on a sense of humor to cope this winter. "I've been telling people I'm gonna retire and move to Florida," jokes Bob Spencer, of Palmetto's West Coast Tomato. | 03/05/10 12:46:12 By - Richard Dymond

Employers shed jobs in February, but upward trend continues

A better-than-expected jobs report from the Labor Department on Friday added to a list of indicators that the U.S. economy is healing, but employment growth strong enough to reduce the jobless rate remains months away. | 03/05/10 09:00:03 By - Kevin G. Hall

Marketing to gays and lesbians is good business, say companies

Companies are seeing the economic advantage of aiming sales pitches to gay and lesbian customers. Despite the tepid economy, thousands of gay men and women are expected this week in Miami Beach for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's annual Winter Party Festival fundraiser. Many major U.S. businesses are continuing to court the market. Task Force/Winter Party sponsors now include American Airlines, Hewlett-Packard, Best Buy and Showtime Networks. | 03/05/10 07:16:55 By - Steve Rothaus

IRS requires more details from nonprofits at tax time

Nonprofit groups are paying a price for the corporate and accounting misdeeds of Enron, Tyco International and others nearly a decade ago. In simple terms, the federal government now requires nonprofit groups to provide more extensive information at tax time to make sure they are functioning correctly. | 03/05/10 06:48:52 By - Mark Glover

Few head to Charlotte as jobless rate surges

The influx of newcomers to the Charlotte region, long a beacon of the area's success, has slowed since the unemployment rate surged. An analysis of the latest Census data shows notable drop-offs in out-of-state transplants and 20-somethings. | 03/04/10 13:28:19 By - Kristin Valle and Ted Mellnik

No bonuses for Wells Fargo executives — just bigger salaries and stock grants

Wells Fargo & Co.'s top executives will get much bigger paydays for 2009, including $18.7 million for chief executive John Stumpf. Stumpf and three other top executives did not get bonuses and their perks were worth less compared to recent years. But they did get much bigger salaries and stock awards, and a few cashed in previously awarded stock options. | 03/04/10 07:22:45 By - Christina Rexrode amd Rick Rothacker

U.S. automakers offer incentives to cash in on Toyota's woes

It's a tried-and-true practice in the auto sales business: When a competitor is hurting, pump up incentives to lure its customers. While Toyota struggled to regain market share and consumer confidence amid multiple recalls, America's Big Three of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler combined for incentives averaging $3,374 on every new vehicle sold in the United States. | 03/03/10 06:54:24 By - Mark Glover

Recession leaving more over 50 homeless

Although people 50 and older are traditionally a small part of the homeless population, their numbers have grown as the economy has stagnated. A snapshot of the Sacramento area's graying homeless population shows a group that came to the streets as a result of midlife job loss and health problems, not chronic addiction and mental health issues. | 03/03/10 06:48:38 By - Anita Creamer

Wal-Mart will pay $11.7 million to settle discrimination suit

The country's largest private employer, retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc., will pay $11.7 million to settle a federal discrimination suit that claimed the company passed over women for a certain position a Kentucky warehouse. Federal officials said they think the settlement is the largest ever against Wal-Mart in a single discrimination lawsuit. | 03/02/10 19:19:00 By - Bill Estep and Dori Hijalmarson

South Carolina job fair cut for lack of jobs

The thousands in Horry County facing record unemployment will have one less opportunity to meet potential employers this year. | 03/02/10 15:00:55 By - Jake Spring

Political firestorm rages over health insurance rates in California

While intense scrutiny is being focused on Anthem Blue Cross for proposing rate increases of up to 39 percent on hundreds of thousands of Californians who buy insurance on their own, other insurers are delivering some equally jolting rate increases. | 03/02/10 14:54:34 By - Bobby Caina Calvan

Some companies drop health insurance, don't tell employees

As if having to pay higher health insurance premiums each year isn't bad enough, now workers have another worry: companies that drop their health insurance coverage and don't bother to tell employees. | 03/02/10 13:45:45 By - Mary Cornatzer

More layoffs at IBM

Workers at IBM got hit by another wave of layoffs Monday. The cuts affected IBM operations across the nation, according to a labor union trying to organize IBM's workers. The union reported that IBM had cut more than 1,200 jobs in the U.S. and Canada as of Monday afternoon. | 03/02/10 07:28:51 By - John Murawski

Obama: Give homeowners rebates for energy savings

President Barack Obama on Tuesday unveiled details of a proposal that would give rebates at the cash register to people who want to make their homes more energy-efficient. | 03/02/10 18:35:00 By - Renee Schoof

A very personal choice: customized caskets and urns

Nathan Smith wants to talk about his new store in Wichita but first he has a few questions. "Are you ready?" His business, 'Til We Meet Again, will sell custom caskets and urns. | 03/01/10 15:50:41 By - Carrie Rengers

Wind insurance returns for coastal Mississippi

Safeco Insurance plans to offer wind coverage again, Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney said Monday morning. | 03/01/10 14:18:15 By - Anita Lee

Florida faces mounting crisis of abandoned foreclosures

A mounting crisis created by the record number of foreclosures in Manatee County has hit Jeannette Traylor right where she lives: An abandoned foreclosed home has brought blight, crime and fear into her neighborhood. | 03/01/10 13:08:49 By - Robert Napper

In tough economy, employee theft becomes a bigger challenge

Retailers spend a lot of time and money to prevent shoplifting, but a bigger threat to the bottom line is the person behind the counter. No one knows exactly how much employees steal each year, but one national survey late last year showed that companies lost $18.7 billion in the 12 months ending in June because of worker theft — the largest single cause of retail "shrinkage." | 03/01/10 07:15:00 By - Joe Lambe

GOP's Kyl vows Senate will pass jobless benefits extension

Congress will pass legislation aimed at keeping certain jobless benefits, highway and transit money and other government programs funded, Sen. Jon Kyl, the Senate's number 2 Republican, said Sunday. But several programs still expired at midnight and action to reinstate them won't come before Tuesday. | 03/01/10 05:36:06 By - David Lightman

How spring could bring S.C. an economic thaw

For Columbia, S.C., pawn shop operator Donovan Tenney, the economic cycle is written in saws. For more than two years, Tenney has had shelves of them -- miter saws, circular saws, jigsaws -- piled up by construction workers pawning them to pay the bills during The Great Recession. "But now, they're selling." | 02/28/10 14:00:48 By - Jeff Wilkinson and Kristy Eppley Rupon

Bank of America executive pay remains hot-button subject

Bank of America's current top executives are pulling down pay ranging from $6 million to nearly $30 million for 2009, amounts that critics say illustrate the disconnect between Main Street and bank executives. | 02/27/10 15:10:26 By - Christina Rexrode and Rick Rothacker

More Idaho employers shedding insurance

From 2002 to 2009, the percentage of Idaho employers offering health insurance to full-time workers has plunged to 56 percent, according to the state Department of Labor. | 02/27/10 14:51:18 By - Colleen LaMay

Bank of America's new chief got paid $6 million in 2009

New Bank of America chief executive Brian Moynihan received total compensation of about $6 million last year, up from about $3 million in 2008, according to a proxy filing Friday. In contrast, his predecessor, Ken Lewis, who stepped down on Dec. 31, was paid nothing in 2009. | 02/26/10 20:32:30 By - Rick Rothacker and Christina Rexrode

Hong Kong helps California winemakers beat recession

Hong Kong's imports of U.S wine — most of which come from California — soared 41% in 2009 over the previous year to $517 million. The boost helped makers of high-end California wine, whose overall sales have slipped during the recession. | 02/26/10 17:26:38 By - Robert Rodriguez

Goldman under scrutiny for its role in Greece's fiscal woes

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke Thursday said that the central bank is examining investment titan Goldman Sachs' use of exotic financial instruments to profit from the deepening debt problems of Greece and other European nations. | 02/25/10 20:20:39 By - Kevin G. Hall and Greg Gordon

Bank of America No. 1 in market value, but will customers notice?

Bank of America Corp. has climbed to No. 1 in total market capitalization among U.S. banks after a conversion of securities authorized by shareholders this week. The Charlotte bank can now claim the top spot among U.S. banks in assets, U.S. deposits and market value. | 02/25/10 18:36:52 By - Rick Rothacker

N.C. families stunned by rising Blue Cross rates

As the national debate over health insurance reform rages on, many consumers in North Carolina are reeling from hefty rate increases. | 02/25/10 17:11:21 By - Alan M. Wolf

After Capitol Hill grilling, Toyota president visits Kentucky plant

A day after Toyota took a pounding in Washington over safety problems and a massive recall, company President Akio Toyoda visited the car maker's largest North American plant, in Georgetown, Ky., to give and get a little moral support. | 02/25/10 15:54:15 By - Janet Patton

Still a punching bag, Treasury's Geithner takes credit, criticism

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner remains the go-to-guy for politicians who want to hold the Obama administration responsible for high unemployment and job losses. A year into the job, though, Geithner can cite some accomplishments: a stabilizing housing sector and a recovering economy. | 02/25/10 15:33:17 By - Kevin G. Hall

Massachusetts suit: Banks not helping modify mortgages

More frustrated homeowners turned to federal court this week for help with their mortgages, saying Bank of America and Wells Fargo failed to provide promised payment modifications. The two cases, filed Tuesday in Massachusetts, seek class action status. | 02/25/10 07:23:06 By - Stella M. Hopkins

Revenue from gas pipeline is no sure bet for Alaska

Many Alaskans think a natural gas pipeline to the Lower 48 would give the state new riches in the form of taxes and royalties. Don't bank on it, some state senators say. In fact, under some scenarios presented to the Senate Finance Committee Wednesday, if the big gas pipeline is built, and gas starts to flow, the state could make nothing off the gas and might even see a drop in oil revenue. | 02/25/10 06:38:39 By - Lisa Demer

Toyota's Kentucky presence puts lawmakers on defensive

Members of Congress from Kentucky, where Toyota employs thousands of workers, strongly defended the automaker as hearings into the company's safety problems continued Wednesday on Capitol Hill. | 02/24/10 22:08:54 By - Halimah Abdullah

Experts predicts $3 a gallon gasoline soon

If you haven't already noticed it at the gas pumps, you will. Your pocketbook is about to take another hit — gas prices are rising. | 02/24/10 16:57:25 By - Beccy Tanner

Toyota dealers on front line of fixing company's image

Toyota's top officials took questions from Congress this week, but around the country, the dealers are the face of the problem, working to repair the company's image with around-the-clock service, personal phone calls, even manicures in the showroom. | 02/24/10 15:28:37 By - Kristin Valle

Insurer handed out bonuses, planned huge rate increase

While Anthem Blue Cross proposed a 39 percent rate increase on thousands of its California customers, its parent company gave 39 of its executives more than $1 million each and spent more than $27 million on 103 lavish executive retreats, congressional investigators said Wednesday. | 02/24/10 13:19:00 By - Rob Hotakainen

Recalled Toyotas are 'not safe,' DOT's LaHood says

The president of Toyota apologized Wednesday for acceleration problems in his company's cars as Japan announced that it's launched an investigation into the issue. | 02/24/10 00:17:00 By - William Douglas and Marisa Taylor

With jobs at risk, state officials warn against Toyota 'witch hunt'

Four state governors and members of Congress with Toyota plants in their districts expressed concern Tuesday that the congressional hearings into Toyota's handing of safety issues could turn into a witch hunt, leading to layoffs that could damage what has been an economic pillar in much of the South. In a letter, four governors accused the federal government of a conflict of interest. | 02/23/10 19:20:13 By - Halimah Abdullah

Committee accuses mining industry of slowing safety sanction process

Pushback from mining companies in Kentucky and other states against tougher safety sanctions has created a backlog of cases, clogged the appeals process and — in some instances — allowed operators to delay paying hefty fines. | 02/23/10 19:15:05 By - Halimah Abdullah

Report: Payday lending fees damage urban, rural areas in Kentucky

A new report by a coalition pushing for caps on payday loans shows that Kentuckians are paying millions of dollars in fees to payday lenders in both urban and rural areas | 02/23/10 18:39:52 By - Beth Musgrave

Recall may not solve problem, Toyota executive tells Congress

Toyota's top U.S. executive insisted to lawmakers on Tuesday that electronic problems weren't the cause of sudden acceleration problems in some of its cars, but added that the company's recall of millions of vehicles may not "totally solve" the problem. | 02/23/10 17:51:55 By - William Douglas

With rough year behind them, auto suppliers more positive

According to a January survey, 84 percent of auto suppliers said they were "significantly" or "somewhat" more optimistic than they had been two months previously. And this was on top of expressing such optimism in the November survey. | 02/23/10 14:43:31 By - Randolph Heaster

Miss. governor Barbour says 'jobs, jobs, jobs' are top priority

Gov. Haley Barbour of Mississippi, not one to be a wallflower at any gathering, stood out at the White House on Monday as many of the nation’s governors, in Washington for their winter meeting, met with President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. | 02/23/10 13:25:40 By - Maria Recio

Car tax comes back in Belleville, Ill. to prevent layoffs

The City Council voted Monday to bring back the "wheel tax" to keep from having to lay off about 6 percent of its staff and cut public safety services. | 02/23/10 12:57:18 By - Laura Girresch

Cold snap puts a chill on tomato supply

It's not a mistake if your Whopper arrives without the usual two slices of tomatoes. Burger King restaurants across the country have been running out of tomatoes sporadically for the past week, and that's likely to continue in the aftermath of the freeze that devastated Florida's tomato crop last month. The freeze hit growers at a time when the state normally would be supplying tomatoes for the majority of the East Coast. | 02/23/10 07:00:03 By - Elaine Walker

California warns homeowners against foreclosure audit scam

California officials warned struggling homeowners Monday about a new variation on loan-modification scams: "forensic loan audits." Under the dubious service, homeowners are enticed to pay upfront fees for an audit of their mortgage loan, purportedly to determine their lender's compliance with state and federal laws. It's pitched as a way homeowners gain leverage in the loan-modification process. | 02/23/10 06:47:03 By - Claudia Buck

Recession hits older blacks in what should be their prime

America's economic recession has hit African Americans who are middle age and older much harder over the last year than it has the general public, according to a new survey released Tuesday by the AARP. | 02/23/10 00:01:00 By - Tony Pugh

Judge reluctantly allows Bank of America to settle with SEC

A New York judge has agreed to let Bank of America settle its lawsuit with the Securities and Exchange Commission, but he wrote that he had serious reservations about the settlement, which will let the company pay $150 million over accusations that it didn't properly disclose billions in bonuses at Merrill Lynch. | 02/22/10 19:20:54 By - Christina Rexrode

Obama may be key part of this health care plan

President Barack Obama on Monday launched a last-ditch effort to revive health care legislation that's unlikely to gain Republican support but may restore Democratic momentum for the bill by placing the president squarely at the center of the messy process of drafting legislation. | 02/22/10 18:34:00 By - David Lightman and Steven Thomma

Criminal probe launched into Toyota's safety problems

Federal prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into Toyota's safety troubles, the Japanese automaker confirmed Monday, as the company's leadership braces for tough questions in congressional hearings this week about its recent spate of recalls. | 02/22/10 18:17:18 By - William Douglas

In Kansas, bed bugs bite with impunity

Becky Andrews checked into the Super 8 hotel in Bonner Springs last fall as she prepared to watch her son act in a play at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. For Andrews, a retired high school chemistry teacher from Colorado, the night turned into an ordeal. | 02/22/10 16:23:46 By - Hurst Laviana

Doctor shortage fuels nurse practitioners' push for bigger role

There are no doctors in rural Tyrrell County, N.C. There's only Irene Cavall, a licensed nurse practitioner and the sole source of primary care for 4,000 residents spread out over 600 square miles. | 02/22/10 14:35:00 By - Andrew Villegas, Kaiser Health News

Sacramento area using federal stimulus funds to pay teachers

Nearly $300 million has poured into five Sacramento-area districts since President Barack Obama authorized $100 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds for the nation's schools last year. Federal officials knew that districts strapped for funds because of declining state aid would use some of the stimulus money to plug budget gaps. But they'd hoped the money also would be used to start new programs that are innovative and reform education. However, an analysis by the Sacramento Bee finds that most local districts used their federal stimulus money to pay for keeping teachers and basic programs. | 02/22/10 06:57:06 By - Diana Lambert

Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands face off over rum taxes

At issue is a deal that would bring a rum producer — and jobs and tax revenue — to the U.S. Virgin Islands. But Puerto Rico is crying foul, saying the deal represents a taxpayer handout to Diageo, the liquor giant that owns Captain Morgan, and could cost Puerto Rico as much as $6 billion in lost rum tax revenues over the next three decades. Puerto Rico has sought help from Florida's U.S. senators to block the deal. | 02/20/10 11:26:47 By - Lesley Clark

Rhode Island's jobless tell different story about 'recovery'

For the frustrated folks who troop into the unemployment office in the fading industrial city of Pawtucket, R.I., every day to peruse the same paltry job offerings or tweak their resumes for the hundredth time, the trickle of positive economic data coming out of Washington is cold comfort. | 02/19/10 00:01:00 By - Shashank Bengali

Crackdown on credit card provisions begins Monday

U.S. consumers will get long-awaited relief from some of the most costly and deceptive credit card tactics when the sweeping provisions of the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 finally kick in on Monday. | 02/18/10 17:12:00 By - Tony Pugh

Ok, we're fatter. But isn't it the airlines who should adjust?

Some businesses have caught up with the nation's expanding girth. Car companies are positioning pedals farther apart for bigger and wider feet, toilet seats have gotten larger, and even trendy clothes come in super-big sizes. Only the airlines have kept seats the same size for five decades, even though the average woman's waist has grown seven inches larger and the average man's, four inches. | 02/18/10 17:01:49 By - Gina Kim and Anna Tong

$50 million in stimulus funds goes to Kansas City's 'Green Impact Zone'

The Kansas City area landed a hefty $50 million for bus and street projects Wednesday. There will be money to fix sidewalks and streets in U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver's so-called "Green Impact Zone," a 150-block area in Kansas City's urban core that's been marked by high rates of violence and poverty. | 02/18/10 07:22:47 By - Brad Cooper and Lynn Horsley

Making Home Affordable program shows signs of life in California

Mortgage lenders permanently modified 116,297 home loans nationally in January, according to the U.S. Treasury. That far exceeded December's 66,465 permanent modifications and November's 31,382, the report showed. Treasury Department officials called it a sign that the Obama administration's much-criticized Making Home Affordable program is gaining traction to help ease the foreclosure crisis in regions like Sacramento. | 02/18/10 06:52:17 By - Jim Wasserman

Obama panel won't rule out higher taxes to reduce deficit

The Democratic co-chairman of the bipartisan debt-reduction commission that President Barack Obama created on Thursday said that "everything is on the table" — including raising taxes and cutting Medicare and Social Security — but declined to discuss his preferences or predict what proposals will prevail. Obama also used the phrase "everything is on the table" as he signed the executive order establishing the panel. | 02/18/10 15:33:29 By - Margaret Talev and Barbara Barrett

Can Obama's debt commission overcome Congress' politics?

Experts think the chances are not good. Republicans won't consider tax hikes and Democrats won't cut programs, so the likelihood is that Congress will still be gridlocked, whatever the commission proposes. That's especially true with the GOP expecting big gains in November's elections. | 02/17/10 17:29:00 By - David Lightman and William Douglas

Job seekers will take jobs with unfavorable conditions

Unemployed seven months, Cheyrl Siedlik, like other job seekers, has redefined her compromises tied to work life issues. | 02/17/10 14:38:27 By - Cindy Krischer Goodman

Bank of America security guards protest loss of affordable benefits

New York security guards who contend they lost affordable health insurance after Bank of America Corp.'s purchase of Merrill Lynch & Co. brought their protest to the Charlotte bank's headquarters on Tuesday. In the merger transition, about 130 former Merrill Lynch security guards in December faced a steep increase in their health care benefits, leaving many unable to afford coverage, said Joe Eisman, organizing coordinator with a Service Employees International Union local. | 02/17/10 07:33:02 By - Rick Rothacker

Obama sidesteps Congress to create bipartisan debt panel

University of North Carolina President Erskine Bowles, a Democrat, and former Wyoming Sen. Alan Simpson, a Republican, will lead a bipartisan commission to recommend ways to rein in the nation's escalating federal debt under an executive order that President Barack Obama plans to sign on Thursday. | 02/16/10 19:23:00 By - Margaret Talev and David Lightman

Bank of America's troubles won't be ended by SEC deal

Bank of America shareholders probably won't get rich off any settlement the bank makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission, but they might get some ammunition for future lawsuits. New York judge Jed Rakoff is expected to rule this week on whether the Charlotte bank can settle with the SEC for $150 million or must go to trial. | 02/16/10 18:43:55 By - Christina Rexrode

Bank of America ranks low in customer satisfaction

In a year marred by controversy over its Merrill Lynch & Co. acquisition, Bank of America Corp.'s customer satisfaction slumped to the lowest level among big banks, according to an annual report from a national customer service tracker. | 02/16/10 15:19:19 By - Rick Rothacker and Christina Rexrode

What makes Miami the leading market for a $2 million car?

The Bugatti has a 1,001-horsepower engine, its doors are made of carbon fiber and if another sports car passes it at 100 miles an hour, it can rev up from a standstill and shut down the other car at 200 mph in 18 seconds flat. And nowhere is the $2 million car selling better than it is in foreclosure-ravaged South Florida. | 02/16/10 15:06:54 By - Tolouse Olurrupina

Will health savings go to reduce deficit rather than expand coverage?

In their effort to overhaul the health care system, President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats pressed hospitals, drug makers and other providers to accept billions of dollars in government payment cuts and new fees to help finance the legislation. | 02/16/10 14:30:00 By - Mary Agnes Carey

A labyrinth faces Social Security disability applicants

An aging baby boom population and high unemployment rates are combining to flood the Social Security Administration with applications for disability insurance benefits. The result: a backlogged system that can take years to pay out benefits. | 02/16/10 13:27:27 By - Diane Stafford

In Charlotte, frugality rules the supermarket choice

For the first time, the Charlotte market's leading grocer by sales isn't a grocery store at all - at least, not exclusively. It's Walmart. | 02/16/10 13:09:02 By - Jen Aronoff

Hefty Idaho unemployment tax squeezes businesses

Brandon Wright, owner of Ultra Clean Fire, Floods and Carpets in Meridian, expects to pay $10,000 more in unemployment taxes this year for 12 employees. | 02/15/10 14:45:14 By - Sandra Forester

New freeze worries Bradenton agriculture, food banks

January's protracted cold snap and the return of frigid temperatures this week have turned the Bradenton area's agricultural community into a grumpy group. | 02/15/10 14:19:53 By - Timothy R. Wolfrum

Could Wichita's aircraft industry suffer Detroit's fate?

Wichita's business jetmakers sometimes think about Detroit. Not that many years ago, U.S. automakers weren't too concerned about emerging foreign competitors. Productivity was poor, costs were out of control, and they became complacent, and lost their dominance. Wichita, as the Air Capital of the World, can't be in denial that what happened in Detroit could never happen again. | 02/15/10 07:19:58 By - Molly McMillin

California real estate investors are paying cash for homes

Investors paying cash for houses accounted for one in four home sales during the past year in Sacramento County and West Sacramento, becoming dominating players in a distressed market and squeezing out scores of first-time buyers, 2009 statistics now show. | 02/15/10 06:42:48 By - Jim Wasserman

Sacramentos's shuttered stores tell a thousand stories

An empty shell occupies 9,500 addresses across the Sacramento region — one closed business for every six still open, according to a Bee analysis of U.S. Postal Service data. | 02/14/10 11:46:59 By - Philip Reese

Poverty hits hard at children in Illinois

One in four children in St. Clair County are living below the poverty line, with about half of those in East St. Louis in the same desperate situation, according to a new statewide report. | 02/12/10 12:29:32 By - Jennifer A. Bowen

As Toyota makes repairs, its legal troubles have just begun

Legal troubles for Toyota continue to mushroom, with dozens of potential class-action lawsuits filed around the country. University of Kentucky law professor Mary Davis said the Toyota litigation, in the wake of the Japanese automaker's recall of more than 8.5 million vehicles worldwide, has the potential to be the biggest consumer-fraud case ever. | 02/12/10 01:33:23 By - Janet Patton and Bill Estep

Southern lawmakers fight to keep payments to cotton, peanut farmers

Southern lawmakers are pushing back against a proposal in President Barack Obama's budget that ends compensation to cotton and peanut farmers for storage costs when they hold back on selling crops until they can net better market rates. | 02/12/10 15:13:00 By - Halimah Abdullah

Senate unveils bill to boost jobs, but who does it help?

The Senate jobs-creation package that was unveiled Thursday and hailed by President Barack Obama may do more to help politicians who want to be seen trying to help the economy than it does to shrink the nation's unemployment rate. | 02/11/10 19:01:00 By - David Lightman and Kevin G. Hall

Good news - California grape harvest bountiful in 2009

Mother Nature brought a bountiful harvest to California grape growers in 2009, making last year only the second time in the past decade that the state's crush has exceeded 4 million tons. | 02/11/10 14:11:45 By - Julie Lymen

Columbus, Ga.'s foreclosures surge 29% in February

Home foreclosures headed for auction outside the courthouse in Columbus have jumped 29 percent this month, according to a review of required legal notices filed with the Ledger-Enquirer. | 02/11/10 13:48:54 By - Tony Adams

Californian officials grilled over $75 million in expenditures during fiscal crisis

California lawmakers grilled state officials Wednesday over $75 million spent for vehicles, furniture and conferences last year while the state was slashing school, health and social service programs. | 02/11/10 12:44:23 By - Jim Sanders

Social Security surplus hit by joblessness, early retirement

Led by aging baby boomers and older workers frustrated by the tough job market, record numbers of eligible Americans started receiving Social Security retirement benefits in 2009. That came at the same time that layoffs and downsizing cut payrolls — and payroll taxes. The result: Social Security payments are cutting into a surplus that will be needed to pay benefits after 2016. | 02/11/10 17:25:00 By - Tony Pugh

Scarce loans lead to lagging sales in Raleigh

There's a good chance last year will be remembered for what didn't occur. There's a good chance last year will be remembered for what didn't occur. The amount of commercial real estate sold in the Raleigh area in 2009 was $407.8 million, according to CB Richard Ellis' Raleigh office. That was 75 percent less than in 2008 and 85 percent off the market peak in 2007, when $2.8 billion in real estate changed hands.

The amount of commercial real estate sold in the Triangle in 2009 was $407.8 million, according to CB Richard Ellis' Raleigh office. That was 75 percent less than in 2008 and 85 percent off the market peak in 2007, when $2.8 billion in real estate changed hands. | 02/11/10 12:23:03 By - David Bracken

Valentine's gifts get practical during recession

If your sweetie buys you a sweater for Valentine's Day, just take it as a sign of his good sense in a tough economy that has left thousands out of work and underpaid. While candy, cards and flowers are still popular, a new study shows more people are likely to go the sensible route this year, according to a poll from the National Retail Federation. | 02/11/10 07:27:29 By - Kristy Eppley Rupon

Adult daycare center closures would leave Californians with tough choices

California's red ink has become personal for the Chavarria family of Knights Landing, whose patriarch, Santiago, could easily end up in a nursing home if Medi-Cal funding for his adult day health center gets chopped. By March 1, in an effort to cut $134 million from the budget, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed eliminating the Medi-Cal reimbursement to adult day health providers. Most of those programs would close as a result. | 02/11/10 06:50:47 By - Anita Creamer

White House predicts weak job growth for rest of year

President Barack Obama's top economic advisers offered a cautious forecast on Thursday that U.S. job gains for 2010 will average 95,000 a month, with analysts expecting hiring to expand by spring. | 02/11/10 06:00:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Job talks between Obama, black leaders focused on region, not race

President Barack Obama met with three prominent African-American leaders Wednesday on how to improve economic and employment opportunities for all Americans — not just minorities. | 02/10/10 17:32:00 By - William Douglas

Bernanke unveils plan to unwind Fed's massive asset purchases

The Fed's aggressive provision of credit helped prevent a cataclysmic economic meltdown. It purchased complex bonds backed by car loans, student loans, mortgages and commercial loans, and extended huge amounts of short-term credit to keep financial markets from freezing. On Wednesday, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke unveiled his strategy to end that massive credit stimulus. | 02/10/10 15:29:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Belt-tightening for Belleville may lay off city workers

Mayor Mark Eckert may soon be asking the City Council of Belleville to consider layoffs for city employees. | 02/10/10 10:36:11 By - Laura Girresch

Will Toyota recalls sour Californians on the Prius?

Since the Prius was launched in the United States in August 2000 as a 2001 model, about one in four Prius cars sold in the United States has been sold in California — one car analyst called the state the "largest market in the world for" Prius. But a recall has an impact, and California-based Kelley Blue Book estimates that the price for used Toyotas, including the Prius, has dipped in the last two weeks. | 02/10/10 07:49:15 By - Mark Glover

Life in the motel: Homelessness still rising among working class

It's not easy fixing a home-cooked meal in a motel bathroom. But Erica Davis tries. On a recent evening, Mexican rice simmered in an electric skillet on the sink next to the toothbrushes. The Davis family is among the ranks of the "new homeless" that officials say are growing fast among working-class Americans everywhere, but especially in first-tier suburban neighborhoods. | 02/10/10 07:24:51 By - Donald Bradley

N. Carolina Realtors want state to ease pay disclosure rule

The rule, imposed in 2008, requires real estate agents working for a buyer to disclose in writing to their clients if they are receiving compensation from the seller of a property. The Realtors say the requirement is burdensome. Consumer advocates say the rule protects buyers by making them aware when an agent might be getting paid by a seller. | 02/10/10 06:50:26 By - Peter St. Onge

The other side of bank bonuses: smaller donations, fewer sales

In Charlotte, the nation's No.2 bank town, the bonuses help drive the city, funding charitable giving, the real estate market, retail and other aspects of the economy. At the Charlotte Rescue Mission, executive director Tony Marciano said that one donor, the owner of a small business, used to donate $4,000 to $8,000 a year. This year, he walked up to Marciano and gave him $40 in cash and said that was all he could do. | 02/09/10 07:20:20 By - Christina Rexrode and Rick Rothacker

Obama's health summit faces long odds against success

Don't count on President Barack Obama's upcoming health care summit to thaw the bitter political climate that's stalled legislation for months, analysts said Monday, not least because Republicans remain wary of the plan. | 02/08/10 17:27:00 By - David Lightman

As U.S. stocks fall again, should Greek debts worry us?

Stock trading was volatile on Wall Street and across the globe Monday from fear that a debt crisis is gathering steam in parts of Europe and the Mediterranean. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed below 10000 for the first time since November, losing 103.84 points to end the day at 9908.39. Europe's debt problems are symptoms of a new wound in the global economy. | 02/08/10 15:58:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

National trend - getting your degree in three, not four, years

Mount Olive College has figured out a way to save its students a cool $22,000: get them a degree in three years. The small private college of 800 students in Wayne County is the first in North Carolina to latch onto a burgeoning national trend toward the three-year bachelor's degree. | 02/08/10 14:05:17 By - Eric Ferrari

Miami feels slighted by Super Bowl telecast's rare mentions

Hosting the Super Bowl cost South Florida taxpayers more than $6 million, an expense that has always been seen as a good investment for the exposure it brings a host city. Viewers of Sunday night's broadcast, however, might never have known where the game was being played. Announcers rarely mentioned "Miami'' and the first live shot CBS showed outside of the stadium wasn't of South Beach or a palm tree, but of Bourbon Street in New Orleans. | 02/08/10 13:42:03 By - Douglas Hanks

Welfare back as a campaign issue for GOP in California

Ronald Reagan singled out what he called a "welfare queen" for abusing government aid. Newt Gingrich pushed welfare reform as part of his Contract With America. Now, Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner, the top Republican candidates for California governor, are bringing back welfare as a key issue in their quest for primary votes. | 02/08/10 07:19:46 By - Jack Chang

Best Super Bowl ad? Letterman with Oprah and Jay Leno

Sunday's best Super Bowl commercial wasn't, in the strictest sense of the word, a commercial at all but a promo for CBS, which broadcast the game. The rest may not generate much water-cooler talk. The Tim Tebow anti-abortion spot that generated so much pre-game attention wasn't strident. | 02/08/10 07:10:35 By - Robert Philpot

Cattle vaccine offers hope for curbing risk of E. coli infections

Cargill is trying out the vaccine on 100,000 animals that will start heading to slaughter in May. For now, the company is bearing its cost even as the medicine undergoes more scientific trials under the gaze of a Kansas State University researcher. What’s unsettled is whether the cost — at between $3 and $10 per cow — will be paid by packers, feedyard operators, ranchers or none of the above. | 02/08/10 07:03:44 By - Scott Canon

For long-term jobless, fear

nis Shaver has been looking for a job for 17 months. His wife, Patty Edwards Shaver, has been out of work for a year. In eight weeks, the unemployment checks that have been helping to pay their mortgage will stop coming. | 02/07/10 12:48:20 By - Sue Stock

No one complains about bank bonuses in Greenwich, Conn.

In one of the leanest years in memory, life in this upper-crust enclave is slowly returning to normal. The Greenwich version of normal, anyway. When the financial industry tumbled, Greenwich's fortunes fell with it. Now, as the federal bailout has helped lift investment banks to surprisingly robust profits, the news that major financial firms will dole out billions of dollars in salaries and bonuses this year came as welcome relief here, even though the rest of the country is still grappling with 10 percent unemployment. | 02/07/10 00:01:00 By - Shashank Bengali

Senate's Cantwell takes tough approach to big banks

To hear Sen. Maria Cantwell talk, another economic bubble is building as Wall Street banks — backed by taxpayer bailouts — continue to play the high-risk derivatives markets rather than extend credit to struggling businesses on Main Street. | 02/07/10 00:01:00 By - Les Blumenthal

Goldman's chief gets bonus of $9 million in stock

Goldman Sachs' chairman and CEO Lloyd Blankfein was awarded a $9 million bonus for 2009, but in restricted stock that he must hold for five years under a new policy adopted to quiet a furor over the firm's soaring compensation, the company disclosed Friday. | 02/05/10 20:21:00 By - Greg Gordon

What are Toyota's idled U.S. workers doing? You might be surprised

At the company's largest North American plant in Georgetown, Ky., the workers who assemble two of Toyota's recalled models had the Workers affected by the idling had the option of taking paid vacation or unpaid leave. But the vast majority came to work, with many participating in the quality circles that have made Toyota a global model of manufacturing efficiency. | 02/05/10 20:05:06 By - Scott Sloan

Another GOP 'no': Boehner slams Obama's fiscal panel

John Boehner, the Republican leader in the House of Representatives, issued a stinging denunciation Friday of the Obama administration's plan to create a fiscal discipline commission, calling it a "partisan Washington exercise" that's "rigged" to promote Democrats' spending policies. | 02/05/10 17:41:00 By - David Lightman

Scams surge amid foreclosure problems

Another downside to swelling foreclosures: More scamsters, preying on people desperate to save their homes. | 02/05/10 17:35:35 By - Stella Hopkins

Super Bowl parties rock Florida while blizzard hits East Coast

This is what a pared-down Super Bowl looks like: An electric pink tent behind the Fontainebleau to shelter a guest list of 1,200. The Black Eyed Peas and Playboy bunnies entertaining media executives at the Sagamore. A yacht in Fort Lauderdale decked out in a giant Reebok banner for a weekend of private parties. | 02/05/10 15:06:36 By - Douglas Hanks

House likely to end health insurers' antitrust exemption

The House of Representatives plans next week to vote on — and probably approve — a measure to strip health insurers' antitrust protections, which will be Congress' first step this year to try to overhaul the nation's health care system. | 02/05/10 14:12:00 By - David Lightman

Global market turmoil hints that U.S. recovery may founder

Conflicting U.S. jobs data and mounting concerns about debt defaults abroad that threaten global economic growth triggered a worldwide wave of stock-market volatility Friday amid fears that the improving U.S. economy could unravel. | 02/05/10 09:29:47 By - Kevin G. Hall

To ease budget woes, California might sell ads on electronic freeway signs

In his latest effort to patch California's cash-strapped budget, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has resurrected an idea to convert overhead freeway displays into electronic advertising billboards. A legislative source close to budget talks said the administration estimated late last year that California could raise as much as $2 billion for 500 message boards over 20 years. | 02/05/10 06:52:13 By - Kevin Yamamura

Cuomo charges BofA, ex-CEO Lewis with securities fraud

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday that his office is filing civil charges against former Bank of America Corp. chief executive Ken Lewis, former chief financial officer Joe Price and the Charlotte bank. The charges are the latest legal fallout from a long-running investigation of the bank's Jan. 1, 2009, acquisition of Merrill Lynch & Co. | 02/04/10 21:53:29 By - Rick Rothacker

Congress raises debt limit, then votes to curb spending

The House of Representatives voted 233-187 Thursday to approve tough new restrictions on future spending and tax cuts, but the changes are highly unlikely to reduce record federal budget deficits anytime soon. | 02/04/10 17:39:00 By - David Lightman

Despite millions in tax credits, wind energy firms aren't hiring

Despite the Obama administration's efforts to create jobs making wind turbines in America, some companies say that sluggish demand for wind energy is holding them back. | 02/04/10 17:53:00 By - Renee Schoof

Global markets plunge on fears of U.S. jobs report

Worries about Friday's U.S. jobs report and fears of a wave of bond defaults in European countries rattled stock markets worldwide Thursday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling briefly below 10000 before closing down 268 points at 10002. Early Friday, stock markets in Asia opened sharply lower, anticipating more bad employment news in the U.S. | 02/04/10 17:44:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Administration, California lawmakers battle over water projects

San Joaquin Valley lawmakers and the Obama administration's top irrigation official clashed Thursday over proposals to speed up Valley water projects. | 02/04/10 15:44:00 By - Michael Doyle

Obama boosts funds for historically black colleges

The leaders of the nation's historically black colleges and universities breathed a sigh of relief this week when they learned that President Barack Obama's fiscal 2011 budget includes a $30 million funding increase for their financially struggling schools. | 02/04/10 14:55:00 By - William Douglas

Prep school in Florida bounces pay checks

Teachers at Bradenton Preparatory Academy say they have been getting paychecks only sporadically for months and are owed thousands of dollars in back pay. | 02/04/10 14:27:12 By - Natalie Neysa Alund and Duane Marsteller

Obama, governors announce plan to capture global warming pollution from coal

President Barack Obama and high-ranking administration officials met Wednesday with Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear and the governors of other coal-producing states and announced a series of sweeping coal proposals in the hopes of shoring up support for the White House's beleaguered energy policy. | 02/03/10 18:06:00 By - Halimah Abdullah

Sports recruiting takes hit as economy keeps prospects home

Despite the lagging economy, college football staffs are spending millions of dollars nationwide to seek out the best high school football players for their schools. But many of the players who are being recruited are cutting back on their own spending. | 02/03/10 15:26:35 By - Tim Stevens

Democrats in Congress balk at Obama's debt outlook

President Barack Obama's 2011 budget got a cool — at times frosty — reception Tuesday from the lawmakers he needs most, as congressional Democrats offered a host of reasons they're skeptical of the White House plan. | 02/02/10 18:00:00 By - David Lightman

Geithner: Regulators, Congress to blame for banks not lending

Overzealous bank regulators and an attempt by Congress to punish greedy bank executives are combining to restrict the ability of the nation's 8,000 community banks to lend to small businesses, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Tuesday. | 02/02/10 17:11:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

'Twitches' suggested for Kansas $25 tax filing fee legislation

Kansas Revenue Secretary Joan Wagnon suggested tweaking a proposed $25 fee to file income taxes on paper so that it would not harm the poor and elderly. Her office has been getting a lot of calls from people upset about her proposal to charge a $25 fee to file taxes by paper and a $10 fee to receive the tax rebate in a paper check form. | 02/02/10 17:13:57 By -

Jobs funding is set to expire before it has chance to work

After a slow start, states struggling with record unemployment are scrambling to create and expand subsidized jobs programs that could employ thousands of poor adults, teens and even disabled people. They're running out of time, however, because nearly $4 billion in unspent stimulus money that would finance the efforts is set to expire on Sept. 30. | 02/02/10 16:23:00 By - Tony Pugh

Kentucky food pantry reports 33% rise in demand over last four years

Getting enough to eat is a growing challenge for many Kentuckians, according to a just-released survey from God's Pantry Food Bank. | 02/02/10 15:18:32 By - Mary Meehan

Obama's budget would boost funds for health research

The Obama administration, in an effort to forge ahead with its controversial effort to compare various medical treatments, is proposing a big boost in funding for the agency that oversees the research. | 02/02/10 14:35:00 By - Mary Agnes Carey and Julie Appleby

School districts feel the economic pinch

Eliminating district office positions, reducing landscaping costs and returning to an every-other-day kindergarten program are all potential cost-saving measures that families in the Bellingham, Wash., school district and elsewhere could see next school year. | 02/02/10 12:56:01 By - Kira M. Cox

Obama's budget sober on jobs, optimistic on growth

The Obama administration projects rosier economic-growth prospects than most mainstream economists do but a sobering jobless recovery, according to documents released Monday about underlying assumptions in the government's $3.83 trillion federal budget for 2011. | 02/01/10 18:50:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Democrats conflicted between spending curbs, economic help

President Barack Obama's budget proposal faces a difficult road in Congress, as Democrats struggle to balance Obama's call for quick help for the economy, which liberals champion, along with moderates' demands for immediate steps to curb long-term spending. | 02/01/10 17:20:00 By - David Lightman

Obama's budget deficits to rise from wars, recession

Fighting wars and lingering effects from a deep recession, President Barack Obama will run up a record $1.56 trillion budget deficit this year and is proposing a 2011 federal budget that would spend $1.27 trillion more than the government takes in next year. | 02/01/10 17:05:00 By - Steven Thomma

Proposed budget increases Washington military construction spending

Funding for military construction at Joint Base Lewis McChord would increase by nearly $20 million in the next fiscal year under a mostly status quo budget proposal submitted Monday to Congress by the White House. | 02/01/10 16:58:00 By - Les Blumenthal

Kentucky lawmakers blast budget's proposed coal subsidy cuts

President Barack Obama's fiscal 2011 budget would cut roughly $2.3 billion in coal subsidies over the next decade, a move Kentucky lawmakers worry will mean heavy job losses in economically poor but coal-rich regions of Appalachia. | 02/01/10 16:49:00 By - Halimah Abdullah

Anticipation builds for 2010 Super Bowl ads

Will the Clydesdales make it to the Super Bowl XLIV commercials on Sunday for the 100 million people expected to watch the football championship on television? And there's that controversial anti-abortion ad featuring Heisman trophy winner Tim Tebow and his mom. | 02/01/10 16:25:53 By - Paul Firmin

FAA asks American Eagle to pay baggage fee: $2.475 million

The Federal Aviation Administration has proposed a civil penalty of $2.475 million on American Eagle for operating flights where it did not "adequately" ensure that baggage weight was correct. | 02/01/10 15:01:55 By - Andrea Ahles

Is gas guzzling over in the U.S.?

The United States used more gasoline than ever in 2007 and far more than any other country. It seemed as if America's growing appetite for gas would go on forever. Well, it won't, and things may never be the same. | 02/01/10 13:19:58 By - Steve Everly

Two headquarters? Bank of America says no

Bank of America Corp. denied a report in the Wall Street Journal Monday that said the bank could establish dual headquarters in New York and Charlotte. | 02/01/10 12:15:26 By - Christina Rexrode and Kirsten Valle

Movie theaters still shine during recession

In a downturned economy, going to the movies is an enduring entertainment option. Still one of the cheapest out-of-home entertainment venues, movie theaters are ringing up profits with the proliferation of premium technology, such as IMAX and 3-D, and because movie-going — even during the the Great Depression — has always been driven by product: movies that people want to see. | 02/01/10 06:43:40 By - M.S. Enkoji

Obama budget foresees deficits for a decade

President Obama's proposed 2011 budget, which will be officially unveiled today, calls for spending $1.3 trillion more than the government takes in — then continue with deficits of more than $700 billion a year for at least a decade. The proposal would keep in place Bush-era tax breaks for those earning under $250,000, but let them expire for those making more. | 02/01/10 06:00:00 By - Steven Thomma

Obama budget aims at solidifying women's support

With women's advocacy groups voicing growing unease with administration policy, President Barack Obama will propose a $3.8 trillion budget on Monday that would exempt programs for women and girls from spending restrictions he's proposed for other programs. | 01/31/10 19:44:00 By - James Rosen

China responds angrily to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan

China curtailed military exchanges with the United States on Saturday and threatened to sanction U.S. firms in retaliation for proposed American weapon sales to Taiwan. China has cut off U.S. military exchanges before, but threatening sanctions on U.S. companies is new and may signal China's willing to use its growing economic power in diplomatic disputes. | 01/30/10 16:13:00 By - Warren P. Strobel

Rival auto dealers try to make the best of Toyota's problems

Toyota dealers are circling the wagons as the automaker recalls millions of vehicles worldwide — but other dealers hope to capitalize on the damage to Toyota's reputation for reliability. General Motors and Ford both announced discounts and special financing offers this week in hopes of knocking the Japanese automaker off its perch as the top-selling make in the U.S. | 01/29/10 21:42:23 By - Tim Sheehan

Obama outlines plan to boost small business hiring

Two days after he announced that job creation is his administration's top priority, President Barack Obama detailed a proposal, which he unveiled Friday in Baltimore, to encourage small businesses to start hiring. | 01/29/10 18:33:00 By - Allison Stice

Extending tax cuts or letting them expire could cost Obama

With the clock ticking toward a massive, automatic tax increase at the end of this year, President Barack Obama on Monday will launch a political battle over who will pay higher taxes and who won't. | 01/29/10 17:51:00 By - Steven Thomma and David Lightman

U.S. economy grew 5.7% in 4th quarter, capping dismal year

The U.S. economy grew by a better-than-expected 5.7 percent annual rate during the final quarter of 2009, the Commerce Department reported Friday. However, economists think that pace is unlikely to continue. The surprisingly strong number followed a 2.2 percent annualized growth rate in the third quarter of 2009. The combined half-year record strongly suggests that the deep U.S. recession is over, though the economy remains hobbled. | 01/29/10 09:04:16 By - Kevin G. Hall

House 'flipping' back in vogue in Sacramento

House flipping, the timeless buy-low, sell-high strategy, is back. Thousands engaged in it during the real estate boom. Hundreds are trying it in the bust. | 01/29/10 17:09:02 By - Jim Wasserman

Did Obama give high-speed rail projects enough funds?

More than a dozen locales across the country got word Thursday that Washington had decided to help finance a new age in transportation as President Barack Obama unveiled $8 billion in federal money to begin the construction of high-speed rail lines. While the funds were substantial, most local officials note that completing the projects will cost far more than the initial federal contribution. | 01/28/10 21:32:00 By - McClatchy Newspapers

Senators slam Bernanke, then confirm him to second term

The U.S. Senate confirmed Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke to a second four-year term on Thursday, but not before lawmakers from both parties skewered him for his performance as a steward of the economy and the banking system. | 01/28/10 18:27:00 By - David Lightman and Kevin G. Hall

Administration shifts gears on mortgage modifications

Conceding that its initial mortgage relief program has been less than successful, the Treasury Department Thursday announced new rules to simplify and speed the decision-making process for struggling borrowers trying to modify the terms of their distressed mortgages. | 01/28/10 17:15:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Senate approves tough new spending curbs without GOP

The Senate bill would require that new spending in key parts of the budget be paid for with either budget cuts elsewhere or tax increases. But while that sounds like a Republican position, not one GOP senator voted for it. Republicans said pay-as-you-go would make it harder to cut taxes. | 01/28/10 12:50:39 By - David Lightman

Texas Gov. Perry's job figures are exaggerated, says watchdog group

A Texas watchdog group issued a scathing analysis Wednesday of Gov. Rick Perry's much-ballyhooed jobs program, saying the governor exaggerated its success and noting that a third of the 54,000 jobs he said have been created since 2003 are actually unfulfilled employment pledges. | 01/28/10 07:38:14 By - Barry Shlachter

Poll: Alaskans feel more confident about local economy

A new survey of 213 business and organizational leaders in Anchorage shows they feel somewhat more confident about the local economy and their own operations, compared with last year's findings. | 01/28/10 06:47:56 By - Elizabeth Bluemink

Obama: 'I will not give up,' and neither should lawmakers

Acknowledging Americans' frustration with the slow pace of the nation's economic recovery, President Barack Obama dedicated more than half of his first State of the Union address Wednesday night to pocketbook themes, from jobs to tax breaks to taming the national debt. He revived his campaign theme that Republicans and Democrats must work together for the nation's good — as he said previous generations did for centuries, to do "what's best for the next generation." | 01/27/10 19:59:00 By - Margaret Talev

Obama to distribute billions for high-speed rail lines

President Barack Obama's State of the Union shout-out for high-speed rail will pump more than $8 billion into dozens of states that include California, Washington, North Carolina and Florida. Smaller awards also will be made for improvements to existing rail lines. Overall, 31 states will receive funding. | 01/27/10 18:20:00 By - Michael Doyle

Florida lawyer pleads guilty in $1.2 billion Ponzi scheme

Scott Rothstein, the jailed lawyer who just months ago was a swaggering success story, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale federal court to running South Florida's largest investment scam, totaling $1.2 billion. | 01/27/10 17:10:13 By - Jay Weaver and Amy Sherman

Farmworkers hit hard by cold snap ask for federal help

Standing atop a ruined tomato patch in Homestead, Fla., advocates for farmworkers on Wednesday called for federal relief to help thousands of farmworkers, who are out of work, money and food in the aftermath of this month's cold snap. | 01/27/10 17:01:19 By - Tania Valdemoro

California consumers could get more back on gift cards

Consumers could get more cash back from unused gift cards under a bill unveiled Tuesday at the state Capitol in California. | 01/27/10 15:25:23 By - Claudia Buck

Geithner, predecessor and Fed defend AIG payments

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, his predecessor Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke denied Wednesday any wrongdoing in secretive decisions surrounding the September 2008 bailout of failing insurance giant American International Group. | 01/27/10 11:46:00 By - Kevin G. Hall and Greg Gordon

Olympic fever spills over border into Washington state

With a little more than two weeks until the opening ceremonies begin, Whatcom County seems to be catching Olympic fever. | 01/27/10 11:48:27 By - Dave Gallagher

Proposed 'tan tax' has salon owners concerned about health care overhaul

Tanning salon owners are keeping an eye on Washington, wondering whether health care reform will include a tax increase for them. The Senate-passed bill includes a 10 percent tax on indoor tanning to help pay for extending health care coverage to those without it. | 01/27/10 07:22:40 By - Karen Shideler

Allowing golf carts to roam: Green solution or road hazard?

A pair of Washington state legislators is looking to move golf carts from fairways to roadways. But law enforcement agencies worry about whether it's safe to allow golf carts to drive alongside multi-ton sedans and SUVs — especially since the carts wouldn't need to have standard safety features such as seat belts. | 01/26/10 22:23:27 By - Melissa Santos

Geithner to defend bank bailout — and maybe his job, too

Facing a rising tempest and new investigations, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Wednesday will defend before Congress his 2008 decision to use taxpayer bailout money to pay major banks the full $62 billion face value of bets made on risky offshore securities. | 01/26/10 19:38:00 By - Greg Gordon

California farmers get millions for overseas promotions

California farm groups on Tuesday received millions of dollars to promote overseas sales, from a program whose own future remains uncertain. | 01/26/10 16:05:00 By - Michael Doyle

Is health overhaul possible without requiring coverage?

With a major health overhaul in deep trouble, some lawmakers want a scaled-back approach that targets the indisputably unpopular insurance industry, by enacting such popular ideas as requiring insurers to accept people with medical problems and barring them from canceling policies or charging more for customers with health problems. | 01/26/10 16:51:00 By - Julie Appleby and Jenny Gold

New sight in credit union parking lots: repossessed autos

There's a rise in the number of cars and trucks for sale in the parking lots of credit unions. It's a sign, credit union executives say, of a growing number of people unable to make their monthly payments as savings accounts deplete and unemployment benefits run out. | 01/26/10 15:51:19 By - Jerry Siebenmark

Food stamp use in Idaho hits new high

A record number of Idahoans are receiving food stamps, a sign that the state's economy still struggles. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is processing 9,000 new food stamp applications each month, said Tom Shanahan, a department spokesman. More than 176,600 people are enrolled in the program - more than double the 2007 level. | 01/26/10 15:04:13 By - Brian Murphy

California pension fund loses big on New York real estate deal

CalPERS was among the high profile investors that went in on the 2006 deal to buy the Peter Cooper Village and Stuyvesant Town apartment complex for $5.4 billion, the costliest residential real estate deal in U.S. history. On Monday, the Manhattan complex was turned over to creditors, wiping out the pension fund's $500 million investment. | 01/26/10 14:26:48 By - Dale Kasler

In Florida, one of first markets to fall, home sales are up

A December sales surge helped the local housing market buck the national trend and close last year on a high note, according to data released Monday. | 01/26/10 13:28:53 By - Duane Marsteller

Officials: Obama will propose three-year spending freeze

Looking to signal at least one step toward reining in huge federal budget deficits, President Barack Obama will propose a three-year freeze in non-security discretionary spending, senior administration officials said Monday. If approved by Congress, the move would save $250 billion over a decade, the officials said. | 01/25/10 19:54:42 By - Steven Thomma

Existing-home sales took nose dive in December

After increasing for three straight months, existing-home sales took a steeper-than-expected dive in December, as spooked first-time homebuyers put the brakes on purchases, fearing that a generous government tax credit would expire at the end of November. It was the greatest monthly decline in 40 years, yet still 15 percent higher than sales in December 2008. | 01/25/10 18:30:00 By - Tony Pugh

Obama proposes new policies to help the middle class

Declaring that the middle class remains "under assault," President Barack Obama proposed new federal help on Monday for child care, elder care, student loans and retirement. The proposals are part of Obama's campaign to convince the country that he's doing all he can to ease the economic anxiety he thinks is fueling a political backlash against his party. | 01/25/10 17:26:36 By - Steven Thomma

Heavy patients multiply costs for hospitals, clinics

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention puts the medical cost of obesity in the United States at $147 billion annually. That doesn't include the money hospitals and doctors spend each year on the tools needed to care for increasingly heavy patients. | 01/25/10 15:41:31 By - Karen Shideler

Haiti relief donations now tax-deductible for 2009

Cash donations to Haiti relief efforts are now officially deductible on 2009 tax filings. Contributions made by text message, check, credit card or debit card are acceptable, and only monetary donations made specifically for Haiti relief made between Jan. 11 and March 1 qualify. | 01/25/10 15:03:33 By - Nirvi Shah

Congress looks to create jobs, but will it be enough?

Democrats in Congress are furiously crafting legislation to spur job creation, but experts warn that the benefits could be too small to make much difference. Senate Democrats plan to meet Tuesday to discuss a package that could provide billions in help for strapped state and local governments, as well as infrastructure projects. | 01/25/10 17:26:00 By - David Lightman

Schwarzenegger's budget cuts threaten adult day care

As the dominoes fall in California's social services system, the DMC Foundation of Modesto is determined to keep its programs alive. The future of its Alzheimer's day service was threatened in October when Gov. Schwarzenegger blue-penciled its funding in the state budget. | 01/25/10 14:57:33 By - Ken Carlson

It only gets worse this year for commercial real estate

Commercial real estate is expected to remain a drag on the U.S. economy through 2010 and beyond. "You do see stress in the market. We've seen delinquency rates increasing; we've seen by a whole variety of measures increased stress in the commercial real estate market," said Jamie Woodwell, the vice president of commercial real estate research for the Mortgage Bankers Association. | 01/25/10 14:45:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

A fix for frugal times - repairing old appliances

Because of the economy, Ike Essuman has changed his business just a bit. He has been in Merced for 15 years, selling all types of appliances at his business. But now, a lot of people can't afford to buy new appliances, so he decided to get into the repair and used appliance business, along with selling new appliances. | 01/25/10 14:43:07 By - Carol Reiter

Textbook rental saves money at Fresno State

Most college students get their first hard lesson before setting foot in class: a crash course in economics delivered by the campus bookstore, where textbooks cost hundreds of dollars. | 01/25/10 13:34:34 By -

Finding jobs not easy for diabled in Fort Worth

The questions of how well they can perform and what accommodations employers might have to make are big elephants in the room for disabled job-seekers, but they aren’t the only issues. While the downturn might be easing, it’s worse for job-seekers with disabilities than just about any other segment of the work force. An estimated 13.8 percent of disabled job-seekers were unemployed in December, nearly 4 points higher than the work force overall, federal data showed | 01/25/10 13:25:23 By - Scott Nishimura

Many states closing rest areas, but Texas building new ones

Long-distance truckers Jan and Jim McCarter drive all over the continental United States, and when they need a break from the grind of the road, they aim for Texas. Even as other states are shutting down highway rest areas to cut expenses, Texas is pressing ahead with a $262 million program to build or overhaul several dozen roadside stops. | 01/25/10 13:21:35 By - Gordon Dickson

Small businesses struggle to get financing from banks

The struggles with getting financing for commercial projects is not new; businesses across the country have been struggling to get access to credit since the financial meltdown in the fall of 2008. As banks, particularly community financial institutions, continue to struggling with loan portfolios, the expectation is this economic climate will remain in place throughout much of 2010. | 01/25/10 12:54:19 By - Dave Gallagher

Recession drives more California lawyers to cheat, steal

The recession has driven an increasing number of California lawyers to cheat and steal, say State Bar officials, who expect to discipline or expel hundreds of them in coming months. Amid the real estate free-fall and shady loan-modification programs that sprang from it, some lawyers saw an easy way to make money. | 01/24/10 20:47:03 By - Barbara Anderson

Consumer groups question insurers' use of credit scores

Consumer advocates question the accuracy of studies that find a correlation between credit and risk. They argue that the insurance industry should stick with more relevant risk indicators, such as claims history and the condition of property being insured, in determining premiums. | 01/24/10 20:33:41 By - Anita Lee

Women wield power, literally, in California's electricity grid

The ISO power grid, which meets the energy needs of 30 million Californians and draws electricity from resources throughout western North America, is the exception. Half the executive-level ISO staff is female, and its top officer is a woman, putting the ISO in the minority of employers with women in their top ranks. | 01/24/10 17:50:59 By - Mark Glover

Recession could make permanent mark on a generation

Research into past periods of bust, no matter how shallow or short, suggests many of today's young adults will be more cautious, cost-conscious and wary of the fast track — perhaps for a lifetime. Just as each generation played a different role in the run-up to our downturn — many accuse Baby Boomers of creating it — each is expected to make different adjustments in the post-recession years. | 01/24/10 15:21:26 By - Rick Montgomery

Nuclear power licensing requests flood federal offices

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is bursting out of its headquarters in the box-store, strip-mall northwestern suburbs of Washington. | 01/24/10 00:02:00 By - Judy Pasternak

Nuclear power regained favor in Bush-Cheney years

The "nuclear renaissance," hailed in many headlines and speeches over the last few years, started under President George W. Bush. | 01/24/10 00:02:00 By - Judy Pasternak

Lobbying, global warming portend nuclear comeback

The Obama administration soon may guarantee as much as $18.5 billion in loans to build new nuclear reactors to generate electricity, and Congress is considering whether to add billions more to support an expansion of nuclear power. Nuclear power generates about 20 percent of America's electricity, but many existing reactors are aging and no new plant has been authorized in decades. | 01/24/10 00:02:00 By - Judy Pasternak

Senate Democrats ready to send more stimulus funds to states

Stung by a Republican win in a special Senate election in Massachusetts and the loss of their critical 60-seat majority, Democrats are putting a new stimulus and jobs bill on the legislative front burner, temporarily bumping health care reform aside. Senate Democrats are expected to unveil their $170 billion or so package this week. | 01/24/10 06:00:00 By - Les Blumenthal

For Haiti's survivors, getting back to normal requires cash

Long lines of Haitians anxiously formed around Port-au-Prince Friday, not in a bid for food, but for something just as valuable: cash from abroad. Cash is still in short supply, but getting it and jump-starting Haiti's battered banking system are crucial to restoring normal life to the earthquake-ravaged country. | 01/23/10 16:40:10 By - Jacqueline Charles and Martha Branigan

Burger King adds beer to its menu

Burger King announced plans Friday to open its first South Florida Whopper Bar — a boutique version of the Miami-based fast food chain that hawks exotic recipes of its signature sandwich. The second of its kind in the country, and the first to serve up ice-cold beer, the 24-hour Whopper Bar South Beach has been in the works for several months and is set to open in February. | 01/23/10 14:52:22 By - David Smiley

Goldman under investigation for its securities dealings

One of Congress' premier watchdog panels is investigating Goldman Sachs' role in the subprime mortgage meltdown, including how the firm sold securities backed by risky home loans while it simultaneously bet that those bonds would lose value, people familiar with the inquiry said Friday. | 01/22/10 19:44:00 By - Greg Gordon

Bank of America increased lobbying toward end of 2009

With $45 billion in taxpayer money finally repaid and a wave of new regulations building, Bank of America slowly intensified its influence peddling in Congress toward the end of 2009. | 01/22/10 19:06:16 By - Barbara Barrett

Fresno mayor works to line up support for high-speed rail facility

The San Joaquin Valley's competition for a new high-speed rail maintenance facility came east this week, with Fresno potentially laying some tracks. | 01/22/10 16:17:00 By - Michael Doyle

Facing frustrated voters, more senators oppose Bernanke

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke's prospects for a second term became shakier Friday as two Senate Democrats, furious at his stewardship during the nation's economic crisis, said they'd oppose him. The White House said it continued to back Bernanke, but the mood in Washington has changed since the Senate Banking Committee approved the nomination 16-7. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped nearly 217 points. | 01/22/10 15:53:00 By - David Lightman

Economy cuts into bottom line at Sacramento fitness clubs

The local health coach sees it among her clients. The fitness club owner reads it in the bottom line. In a rugged economy, club members are taking a hard look at how they spend their money. | 01/22/10 11:56:35 By - Darrell Smith

Schwarzenegger determined to deliver federal money

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday wrapped up two days of meetings in Washington, determined and optimistic that he'll get $7 billion from the federal government to help balance California's faltering budget. | 01/21/10 17:11:00 By - Rob Hotakainen

Tough economy expected to spark surge in tax refund loans

Liberty Tax Service, the nation's fastest-growing tax preparation chain, reports that sales of refund loans already are running 10 percent ahead of last season. But are the loans a good deal? They're very profitable for the companies that make them, but consumers may be better served to avoid the fees and wait the 10 days for their refund from the government. | 01/21/10 16:45:00 By - Tony Pugh

Needy in Alaska get donation of fashionable Uggs

Cook Inlet Tribal Council Inc. is sorting through nearly 3,000 pairs of donated Ugg brand boots, slippers and shoes to distribute to partner agencies that will hand them out to families in need around Alaska. | 01/21/10 15:51:34 By - Lisa Demer

Obama moves to restrict banks, takes on Wall Street

Obama's proposal is designed to limit the size of the nation's largest commercial banks and reduce the risks they take in complex and exotic investments. It stopped short of a return to the days when commercial banks just lent money and were completely locked out of investment activities, but the shares of the largest banks declined in trading. | 01/21/10 13:07:00 By - Kevin G. Hall and Steven Thomma

Mississippi coast casinos face hot competition from other states

It's been a tough week for the Coast casino industry, hit with news that 2009 gross casino revenue fell to 2000 levels and construction cranes are coming down at the Margaritaville Casino site, while a blimp flew over Biloxi advertising an Alabama casino. | 01/21/10 12:52:17 By - Mary Perez

Governor, legislative leaders press Congress for billions

In a long-shot bid to ease California's fiscal troubles, Gov Arnold Schwarzenegger came to Washington on Wednesday, hoping to shake loose $7 billion from Congress to help plug more than a third of the state's deficit. | 01/20/10 18:39:00 By - Rob Hotakainen

Bank of America posts $5.2 billion loss

Bank of America Corp. executives today said massive loan losses that have mauled profits over the past two years appear to have peaked, but they remained cautious about the pace of the nation's economic recovery. | 01/20/10 17:13:03 By - Rick Rothacker

Why public support for health care overhaul faltered

As a candidate, Barack Obama promised to pass a health care plan with important benefits for average Americans For the typical family, costs would go down by as much as $2,500 annually. Adults wouldn't be required to buy insurance. No one but the wealthy would face higher taxes. | 01/20/10 15:57:00 By - Jordan Rau and Mary Agnes Carey

In Kansas, college graduates settle for less

The recession is recalibrating the economics of higher education. College costs are rising fast, as are student debt loads | 01/20/10 13:22:09 By - Mara Rose Williams

Chevron cutting jobs at Biloxi refinery

Chevron Corp. said Tuesday it plans to shrink its refining business in Pascagoula, Miss., in a move that will cut jobs. | 01/20/10 12:40:05 By - Staff

Organic food for children company, Babynut.com, to close in Bellingham

Bellingham-based online company Babynut.com, which provides natural and organic products and support for pregnant and adopting families, babies and toddlers, will shut down at the end of March. | 01/20/10 12:35:43 By - Dave Gallagher

Poverty rates across the Carolinas continue to grow

More than one of every four Columbia, S.C., residents is now living in poverty. Columbia has been hit harder than other cities in the Carolinas, but Charleston, Charlotte and Raleigh are also home to a growing number of poor people. The new study by the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank, looked at Census Bureau data for the country's 95 largest urban areas, which are called Metropolitan Statistical Areas by the U.S. government. | 01/20/10 07:28:10 By - James Rosen

Duke Energy offers buyouts to some employees

Duke Energy said Monday it will offer buyouts to employees and consolidate corporate functions between Charlotte and its Midwest operations. | 01/19/10 13:17:42 By - Bruce Henderson

Washington state transport companies looking forward to Vancouver Olympics

Opportunities may be difficult to spot, but local transportation companies are figuring out ways to provide services for the expected influx of visitors for next month's Winter Olympics. | 01/19/10 12:59:36 By - Dave Gallagher

If you buy guacamole at the store, this guy probably made it

At 65, an age when many enter retirement and strive to perfect that chip shot, Don Bowden decided to ramp up his tiny food processing venture by finding ways to keep pulped avocado fresher longer. Twelve years and a hip replacement later, Bowden is king of store-bought guacamole with his Fresherized Foods, the Saginaw, Texas, company where he still goes to work every day. | 01/18/10 15:47:04 By - Barry Shlachter