Rehab center forced Mexicans into slave labor
10:43
More than 100 kidnapping victims freed from a rehab center said Friday they were snatched from the streets and held in slave-like conditions _ beaten, robbed and forced to work 18 hours a day making clothespins and...
Alpena refinery gets $18 million grant
8:19
The federal government has awarded nearly $18 million to build a refinery in Alpena that will produce biofuels. The U.S. Energy Department on Friday announced the grant to American Process Inc. It's among newly chosen...
Jobless insurance rates rise for some ND employers
8:16
North Dakota's unemployment insurance rate will stay the same for a majority of businesses in 2010, even though benefit payments more than doubled this year, a Job Service North Dakota administrator said. About 14,000...
Stocks climb as employers cut fewer jobs
7:42
Investors grew more confident about the economy but also worried that a brighter employment picture will mean rising interest rates. Stocks closed higher Friday but only after giving up much of their earlier gains....
Wiggans to stay in governor's race despite lawsuit
7:27
Prominent Kansas Democrats rallied Friday behind their presumed nominee for governor despite his recent settling of a lawsuit that led a top aide for the leading Republican hopeful to label him "a fraud." An adviser to...
Judge hears arguments on Six Flags reorganization
7:22
Attorneys for theme park operator Six Flags Inc. and a group of its noteholders squared off in Delaware bankruptcy court Friday over the company's proposed Chapter 11 reorganization plan. After listening to a full day...
Jobs plan will 'jump-start' hiring, Obama says
7:14
Even as he heralded the first unemployment drop in months, President Barack Obama began putting the finishing touches Friday on a fresh job creation proposal he's planning to send to Congress next week. "I still...
Arizona accuses payday loan company of deception
7:10
Arizona authorities are accusing a major payday loan company of engaging in deceptive practices by filing collections lawsuits in courts far from where debtors live or took out the loans. Quik Cash and its parent...
With ski lifts idle, Tamarack owners are worried
7:09
For Dallas retiree Richard Snyder, the thrill of his central Idaho getaway is gone. Snyder built his 3,500-square-foot vacation retreat at Tamarack Resort four years ago, in an era marked by frenetic construction and...
Kan. utility reaches settlement on electric rates
7:00
A proposed regulatory settlement would allow Kansas' largest electric company to raise its rates $17.1 million a year. Households served by Topeka-based Westar Energy Inc. would see their monthly bills rise an average...
Feds give clean coal projects $979 million
6:59
Multibillion-dollar clean coal projects in West Virginia, Texas and Alabama are getting $979 million in federal stimulus funding, Energy Secretary Steven Chu said Friday. The money will go toward retrofitting existing...
Korean Air orders 5 of Boeing's 747-8 jets
6:57
South Korea's biggest airline, is ordering five of Boeing's new 747-8 jumbo passenger jets. Korean Air announced the order on Friday. The airline has also ordered five of the freighter version of the plane, which is...
Advisory issued against cider from Minn. orchard
6:56
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is advising consumers to avoid drinking any remaining Minnesota Harvest brand apple cider from an orchard in Jordan, Minn. Lab tests found the cider was contaminated with a type...
Coal industry responds to Sen. Byrd diplomatically
6:56
The coal industry is responding with diplomacy to Sen. Robert C. Byrd's attack on mountaintop removal mining. The National Mining Association said Friday it agrees with most of the West Virginia Democrat's comments,...
Decision soon on closing lock to stop Asian carp
6:56
A decision could come within days on whether to temporarily close a vital Chicago area shipping waterway in an increasingly desperate bid to stop the invasive Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes, an Obama...
Dassault Falcon to lay off more than 200 in Ark.
6:55
Aircraft manufacturer Dassault Falcon says it will lay off 150 employees and 55 contract workers at its Little Rock facility, along with nine workers at its New Jersey headquarters. Company CEO John Rosanvallon says...
Gold, commodities tumble as dollar jumps
6:55
Gold tumbled Friday as employers shed far fewer jobs than expected last month, hurting demand for safe haven investments. Most other commodities also fell following a gain in the dollar. The greenback rose as...
Riso replaces Kellman as Care CEO
6:53
Care Investment Trust Inc., a real estate investment trust that invests in healthcare-related real estate and commercial mortgage debt, said Friday that Salvatore Riso Jr. had become chief executive officer. Riso...
Deere CEO Allen gets $4.28M in fiscal 2009 pay
6:48
Heavy equipment maker Deere & Co.'s president and chief executive Samuel R. Allen, who held those offices only the last two months of the company's fiscal 2009 after his promotion within the company, received annual...
American Greetings declares 12 cent dividend
6:44
American Greetings Corp. said Friday its board declared a regular dividend of 12 cents per share. The Cleveland-based company said it will be paid Jan. 4 to shareholders of record as of Dec. 23. Its shares rose 41...
Cato declares 16.5 cent quarterly dividend
6:33
Cato Corp., which sells low-priced women's clothes at stores in the southern U.S., said Friday its board declared a regular dividend of 16.5 cents per share. The company, based in Charlotte, N.C., said it will be paid...
Omnicom Group declares 15 cent dividend
6:32
Omnicom Group Inc., one of the world's largest advertising and marketing conglomerates, said Friday its board declared a regular dividend of 15 cents per share. The New York-based company said it will be paid Jan. 4 to...
Economist tells cattlemen it will be tough in 2010
6:32
A leading livestock market expert warned Kansas cattlemen Friday that the industry will continue to be tough and urged them to take advantage of any narrow profit margins they can find. Randy Blach, an economist for...
Earnings Preview: Kroger Co.
6:23
The Kroger Co. reports third-quarter earnings Tuesday before the market opens. The following is a summary of key developments and analyst opinion related to the period. OVERVIEW: Cincinnati-based Kroger, the nation's...
Company to pay $25K penalty over lead complaints
6:19
A California company will pay a $25,000 civil penalty after it repeatedly imported children's products with high levels of lead. The Consumer Product Safety Commission said Friday that Excelligence Learning Corp, doing...
Earnings Preview: Brown-Forman Corp.
6:16
Liquor company Brown-Forman Corp. reports earnings for its second quarter on Tuesday before the market opens. The following is a summary of key developments and analyst opinion related to the period. OVERVIEW:...
Underwriters for QKL Stores buy shares worth $4.9M
6:15
Chinese grocer QKL Stores Inc. said on Friday that the underwriter in its recent public offering, Roth Capital Partners LLC, exercised an option to buy 900,000 shares. The sale to Roth raised another $4.9 million. That...
Vanguard Natural Resources closes oil and gas deal
6:14
Oil and natural gas company Vanguard Natural Resources LLC on Friday said it has closed its $55 million purchase of oil and gas assets in the Permian Basin in Texas from private sellers. The company said the deal...
GM CEO shuffles managers, seeks culture change
6:14
When auto industry veteran Bob Lutz returned to General Motors in 2001 after 30 years with other companies, he quickly grew tired of GM's numbers-oriented bureaucracy, printing up post-it notes that asked, "Says Who?" ...
Treasury gets $146.5M for Capital One warrants
6:12
The Treasury Department said Friday it received $146.5 million for the warrants of Capital One Financial Corp. in the first auction of the warrants the government received as part of the $700 billion financial system...
Moody's downgrades Marshall & Ilsley ratings
6:09
Moody's Investors Service on Friday downgraded the ratings of Marshall & Ilsley Corp. and its subsidiaries and also changed its outlook to negative. Moody's downgraded the company's senior debt by one notch to...
Small increase seen in Florida revenue estimate
6:06
State economists crunched numbers into the night Friday, but preliminary figures show Florida's general revenue will be a bit higher than previously forecast for the current fiscal year and the three that follow it. ...
Second spill reported North Slope
6:05
Crews continued Friday to clean up a spill at an oil field on Alaska's North Slope while state environmental regulators were monitoring a second spill in the region. About 7,100 gallons of water with oily residue...
Alabama's unemployment taxes go up Jan. 1
6:03
The taxes that Alabama businesses pay for unemployment benefits are going up Jan. 1. State Industrial Relations Director Tom Surtees said every employer will see an increase because unemployment has gone up during the...
Monster, DuPont, Take-Two are big movers
6:02
The following stocks were among those that moved substantially or traded heavily Friday on the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq Stock Market: NYSE: Synovus Financial Corp., up 37 cents at $2.15 A recent drop in...
Business Highlights
6:02
Unexpected drop in jobless rate sparks optimism WASHINGTON (AP) _ A surprising drop in the unemployment rate and far fewer job losses last month raised hopes Friday for a sustained economic recovery. The rate...
New film festival planned for Detroit in March
6:00
A former school that is been being used as a movie house will host a new film festival next year that organizers hope will build on growing enthusiasm for the movie industry in Michigan. The Detroit Independent Film...
Moody's downgrades Marshall & Ilsley ratings
5:58
Moody's Investors Service on Friday downgraded the ratings of Marshall & Ilsley Corp. and its subsidiaries and also changed its outlook to negative. Moody's downgraded the company's senior debt by one notch to...
Ticket for train companies is US jobs
5:56
Administration officials on Friday portrayed President Barack Obama's $8 billion high-speed train program as a jobs generator, announcing promises from European and Asian companies seeking rail contracts to employ U.S....
Reynolds offers buyouts to manufacturing workers
5:53
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., maker of Camel cigarettes, said Friday it is offering buyouts to about 1,800 workers at its North Carolina factories to cut costs. The company does not have a specific number of jobs it hopes...
NY newspaper cutting 166 printing and mailing jobs
5:53
A Gannett Co. newspaper outside New York City says it is cutting 166 jobs by outsourcing its printing and mailing operations. President and Publisher Michael J. Fisch says The Journal News will also try to sell its...
ALL BUSINESS: Help needed for underwater mortgages
5:51
Stop paying your mortgage. That's the underlying message from a University of Arizona law professor, whose new paper is hitting a nerve as the nation's housing crisis enters its fourth year. Brent White denies...
ConAgra Foods declares dividend of 20 cents
5:33
Packaged food maker ConAgra Foods Inc. on Friday declared a dividend of 20 cents. The dividend is payable March 2 to shareholders of record as of Jan. 29. ...
Medtronic declares dividend of 20.5 cents
5:32
Medical device maker Medtronic Inc. on Friday declared a cash dividend of 20.5 cents. The company said the dividend is payable Jan. 29 to shareholders of record as of Jan. 8. ...
Verizon leaves quarterly dividend unchanged
5:31
Verizon Communications Inc. said Friday that it will pay a quarterly dividend of 47.5 cents per share, unchanged from the previous quarter, on Feb. 1 to shareholders of record on Jan. 8. Verizon has about 2.5 million...
Cracker Barrel declares 20 cent dividend
5:30
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc. said Friday its board declared a regular dividend of 20 cents per share. The company, based in Lebanon, Tenn., said it will be paid Feb. 5 to shareholders of record as of Jan. 15. ...
Treasurys tumble after upbeat jobs report
5:24
Treasury prices tumbled Friday after the Labor Department said employers cut far fewer jobs than anticipated in November. The better-than-expected jobs report provided the latest sign yet that the economy is...
MarketAxess: November trading more than doubled
5:17
MarketAxess Holdings Inc., which operates an electric trading platform for corporate bonds, said Friday its monthly trading volume more than doubled in November. The company reported total trading volume of $29.3...
American Water Works closes $60M debt offering
5:16
Utility company American Water Works Co. said Friday its financing business closed a 30-year, $60 million taxable debt offering. The proceeds will be used to repay debt related to infrastructure upgrades in Illinois,...
How the major stock indexes fared on Friday
5:11
Investors grew more confident about the economy but also worried that a brighter employment picture will mean rising interest rates. Stocks closed higher Friday but only after giving up much of their early gains....