Wyo. jobless rate holds relatively steady in Nov.
9:44
The Wyoming Department of Employment reports that the state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stayed about the same from October to November. The rate dropped 0.2 percentage points to 7.2 percent in November. ...
NJ Gov.-elect to review public pension laws
9:41
Gov.-elect Chris Christie is vowing to scrutinize New Jersey's pension laws in the wake of a report that questions how a private lawyer could have held 12 part-time public jobs giving him pension benefits totaling more...
Reaction to Senate passage of health care bill
9:34
Remarks on the Senate's passage of health care legislation Thursday: "We are now finally poised to deliver on the promise of real, meaningful health insurance reform that will bring additional security and stability...
Texas AG outraged by Senate health care provision
9:28
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is vowing to fight what he called an "outrageous" decision to give Nebraska multimillion-dollar tax breaks as part of a deal to get enough votes for the health care overhaul working...
Maryland renews and expands 3 enterprise zones
9:24
Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley's administration has approved the expansion and renewal of business enterprise zones in Baltimore city and Allegany and Prince George's counties. The Department of Business and Economic...
Wash. governor wants to lessen carbon footprint
9:23
Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire wants state government to be carbon-neutral by 2020, and announced the Department of Ecology would be the first agency to start enacting measures to lessen its carbon footprint. Gregoire...
Fla. PSC staff backs smaller utility rate hike
9:19
Public Service Commission staffers recommended the panel approve only about a third of a $1 billion annual rate increase being sought by Florida Power & Light Co. The staff's base rate recommendation on Wednesday...
Oshkosh Corp. receives $54M order from military
9:18
The defense arm of Oshkosh Corp. has received another military contract, this one calling for the vehicle manufacturer to provide protective armor for nearly 1,000 trucks. Oshkosh Defense said Thursday the deal is...
Text of Obama's statement on health care bill
9:17
Text of President Barack Obama speaking Thursday about the Senate passing a health care reform bill, as transcribed by CQ Transcriptions. ___ Obama: Good morning, everybody. In a historic vote that took place this...
WesBanco completes pullout from US Treasury's TARP
9:13
WesBanco Inc. says it's completely out of the U.S. Treasury's bank bailout program. The Wheeling-based company says in a regulatory filing Wednesday that it bought back a warrant for more than 439,000 shares of stock...
Aide: Emergency help for farmers not likely in '09
9:08
U.S. farmers hit hard by drought, drenching rains or other disasters in 2009 shouldn't expect emergency aid from Congress this year. Chris Gallegos, a spokesman for U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, said the House didn't act on...
GOP Ga. lawmaker: No tax hikes to balance budget
9:05
The lawmaker who is all but certain to be Georgia's next House speaker said he won't raise taxes to balance the recession-wracked state budget. State Rep. David Ralston called tax hikes "a totally counterproductive...
Ariz. governor signs budget bill passed last week
9:02
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer on Wednesday signed a budget-reduction bill containing $193 million of funding cuts and other changes that set the stage for agencies to reduce services and cut employees' pay. The bill approved...
NH, Maine test transparency with health cost tools
8:52
When Laura Davie's doctor suggested she go to the hospital next door for her first mammogram last year, she went online instead. Though she ultimately chose the facility her physician recommended, Davie used New...
Durable goods posts small November gain
8:47
Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket durable goods posted a smaller-than-expected increase in November as declines in demand for aircraft and autos offset strength in a number of other areas. The gains outside of...
Wyoming AP members rank top stories of 2009
8:41
Wyoming members of The Associated Press voted this month on the state's top news stories of 2009. Here are the results: 1. The economic recession hits Wyoming. Energy companies curtail operations in the state as some...
Recession, gray wolves top Wyoming stories of 2009
8:41
Wyoming's souring economy and the enduring saga over gray wolves in the state were the top Wyoming news stories of 2009, according to an annual ranking by Wyoming Associated Press members. The economic recession ranked...
Tronox cancels asset sale to Huntsman
8:40
Tronox Inc. canceled a deal to sell its titanium dioxide and electrolytics businesses to chemical company Huntsman Corp. and instead will pursue a bondholder-sponsored transaction. The deal, announced last month, would...
EnergySolutions defends foreign nuclear waste plan
8:38
EnergySolutions Inc. has started airing commercials critical of a U.S. congressman who wants to prevent the company from importing Italian nuclear waste for disposal in Utah's west desert. The company is fighting a...
Pa. gov to pursue shale tax, school-funding hike
8:34
Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said he will press for another increase in public school funding and a tax on natural gas production when he presents his last state budget in February. But the Democrat would not reveal...
Judge dismisses suit over Alabama state contract
8:31
A judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by Alabama legislators trying to block a $13 million unbid computer contract signed by Republican Gov. Bob Riley. Jefferson County Circuit Judge Tom King on Wednesday threw out the...
Lawsuit over New York carbon auction settled
8:28
New York officials have settled a lawsuit with power plant owners that challenged their legal authority to auction allowances required for carbon dioxide emissions. Under the settlement with Indeck Corinth, the...
List of top 15 cable programs for Dec. 14-20
8:08
Rankings for the top 15 programs on cable networks as compiled by the Nielsen Co. for the week of Dec. 14-20. Day and start time (EST) are in parentheses: 1. NFL Football: Arizona vs. San Francisco (Monday, 8:30 p.m.),...
Ecuador revokes Shuar radio broadcast license
8:02
Ecuador has revoked the broadcast license for an indigenous radio station in the Amazon region over accusations it incited violence during protests in October. Station director Pepe Acacho said Wednesday that radio...
A comparison of House, Senate health care bills
7:51
A comparison of the health care bills passed by the Senate and House: ___ The Senate Democratic bill (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act): WHO'S COVERED: About 94 percent of legal residents under age 65 _...
Lawyer charged in fraud gave $6M to nonprofits
7:50
A defunct South Florida law firm run by an attorney now charged with operating a huge Ponzi scheme gave more than $6 million in the past year to charities and nonprofit groups. A federal bankruptcy court filing details...
Ahead of the Bell: Fall in gas reserves expected
6:42
The Energy Department on Thursday is expected to report a draw of 171 billion to 175 billion cubic feet of natural gas storage inventories for the week ended Dec. 18., according to a survey of analysts by Platts, the...
Been away from the airport? A lot has changed
6:37
Haven't flown since last Christmas? Be prepared. Things have changed. Airlines continued to adjust to the tough economy. There are even fewer planes in service, and that can make rebooking after a cancellation tougher....
Greece passes austerity budget amid debt crisis
6:34
Greece's Socialist-led parliament approved a 2010 budget aimed at reducing the country's high deficit by boosting tax revenues while slashing spending and restricting salaries and new appointments in the public sector. ...
Asian markets rise as China affirms loose policy
6:32
European stock markets moved sideways Thursday as trading at some of the continent's major bourses was subdued before the Christmas holiday. In Europe, the FTSE-100 index of leading British shares was up 11.27 points...
Ahead of the Bell: Durable Goods
6:25
Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket manufactured goods are expected to have rebounded in November, signaling that manufacturing is participating in the recovery from the nation's deepest recession since the 1930s. ...
HI company, president plead guilty to tax charges
11:26
Hawaii Development Consultants Inc. and company President Stanforde K. Sagum have pleaded guilty to failing to file annual general excise tax returns for three years. The state Tax Department made the announcement...
Mortgage execs' hefty salaries to be disclosed
10:19
Federal regulators plan to disclose Thursday that the top executives of government-controlled mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac each earned between $4 million and $6 million this year, two people...
New GM CFO to be paid $750,000, plus stock later
9:15
The new chief financial officer at General Motors Co. will receive a salary of $750,000 next year, but he'll get up to another $5.45 million worth of stock starting in 2012 if GM successfully sells shares to the public....
Chinese company gains control of Hoku Scientific
8:45
A Chinese company is now the majority owner of a Hawaii-based supplier of silicon for solar panels. Hoku Scientific Inc. of Honolulu said Wednesday it has issued more than 33 million shares to Tianwei New Energy...
Disney CEO's 2009 pay drops 58 percent to $21.6M
8:31
Robert Iger, Walt Disney Co.'s chief executive, absorbed a 58 percent compensation cut in 2009, brought on by the entertainment company's struggles during the worst recession in more than 70 years. The Associated Press...
Chevron agrees to $45 million settlement
7:54
Chevron Corp. will pay $45.5 million to resolve claims that it underpaid natural gas royalties to the government and Native Americans, the Justice Department announced Wednesday. Most of the settlement money will be...
Citigroup's return of TARP money removes pay caps
7:53
Citigroup Inc. on Wednesday repaid $20 billion in bailout money and received a government ruling that it's no longer covered by the pay restrictions imposed on companies receiving the most rescue money. Kenneth...
Panic _ but no deaths _ in jet accident in Jamaica
7:41
Passengers on American Airlines Flight 331 had endured the crowded airports and delays of holiday travel, and were moments from their Caribbean destination. Suddenly, everything seemed to spin out of control. Touching...
NYC says Catskill gas drilling risks are too great
7:31
New York City's Department of Environmental Protection called on state officials Wednesday to ban natural gas drilling in the Catskills watershed, saying it would pose too great a risk to the city's upstate drinking...
OM Group to buy EaglePicher Technologies
7:05
An Ohio-based company says it has signed a deal to buy EaglePicher Technologies LLC in Joplin for nearly $172 million. EaglePicher Technologies is a major manufacturer of batteries, battery management systems and...
Northeast train problems strand holiday travelers
6:48
An electrical malfunction outside New York City brought train service to a standstill Wednesday and spotlighted problems on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor that persist despite a long-term effort to upgrade its aging power...
Bristol-Myers spent $953K lobbying gov't in 3Q
6:35
Pharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. spent $953,000 lobbying on drug pricing and access, health care and patent reform in the third quarter, according to a quarterly disclosure form. That was up almost 15...
Pfizer spent $5.4M lobbying government in 3Q
6:18
Pfizer Inc., the world's biggest drugmaker, spent $5.4 million lobbying the government in the third quarter on topics including the health care overhaul, government spending on medication, and patent and trade issues,...
Calif. company refuses to recall ozone generators
6:11
A California company is refusing to recall its ozone generators that federal health authorities believe are unapproved medical devices that could lead to health problems or death. The Food and Drug Administration said...
Stocks finish slightly higher despite housing data
5:59
Stocks ended an erratic session with a slender gain Wednesday as rising commodities prices offset disappointment over an unexpected drop in home sales. Gains in commodities drove the shares of energy and...
J&J spent nearly $1.7M lobbying government in 3Q
5:59
Johnson & Johnson, which makes health products from Band-Aids to biologic drugs, spent nearly $1.7 million in the third quarter lobbying on the health care overhaul and multiple bills that could boost its sales or...
How the major stock indexes fared on Wednesday
5:57
Stocks ended an erratic session with a slender gain Wednesday as rising commodities prices offset disappointment over an unexpected drop in home sales. Gains in commodities drove the shares of energy and...
Business Highlights
5:53
Americans increase spending, but not on new homes WASHINGTON (AP) _ Americans are starting to spend a bit more money, but not enough to power a strong economic recovery. Consumer spending posted its second straight...
Dollar drops as home sales, spending data weak
5:50
The dollar was mixed against major currencies Wednesday as new data on home sales and consumer spending reinforced the view that the U.S. economy's recovery will be bumpy and slow. In late New York trading, the...