U.S. consumer spending edged up a slight 0.1 percent in September, a disappointing performance in which rebounding auto sales were offset by weakness in other areas. The Commerce Department said Monday that the scant gain in September followed an equally ...
Read More »Sears files for Chapter 11 amid plunging sales, massive debt
Sears filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday, buckling under its massive debt load and staggering losses. The question now is whether a smaller version of the company that once towered over the American retail landscape can remain viable or ...
Read More »Consumer prices up slight 0.1 percent in September
Consumer prices edged up a slight 0.1 percent in September as energy prices retreated after a big gain in August. The Labor Department said Thursday that the September gain in its closely watched consumer price index followed a 0.2 percent ...
Read More »Scramble for holiday workers already near fever pitch
Across the country, America’s retailers and shipping companies are looking happily forward to a robust holiday season. There’s just one concern: Who will stock the shelves, pack the orders and ring up customers? The U.S. job market is the tightest ...
Read More »Working past 65? It’s easier to do if you graduated college
Close to one in five Americans who’s 65 or older is still working, the highest percentage in more than half a century. And the one who’s still working may be better off. As more Americans delay retirement, it’s those with ...
Read More »Google’s Waze expands carpooling service nationally
Google will begin offering its pay-to-carpool service throughout the U.S., an effort to reduce the commute-time congestion that its popular Waze navigation app is designed to avoid. The expansion announced Wednesday builds upon a carpooling system that Waze began testing ...
Read More »Wholesale prices rose just 0.2 percent in September
U.S. wholesale prices rose a mild 0.2 percent last month, held down by lower food and energy costs, suggesting that inflation remains in check despite the economy’s robust growth. The Labor Department said Wednesday that its producer-price index — which ...
Read More »Whitefish Energy wins U.S. contracts after Puerto Rico ouster
A year after losing a $300 million no-bid contract to restore Puerto Rico’s hurricane-shattered electric grid, Whitefish Energy Holdings has quietly been seeking and winning U.S. government contracts. Founded in 2015 in Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s tiny Montana hometown, Whitefish ...
Read More »New rulings on medical marijuana use go against employers
Connecticut health-care worker Katelin Noffsinger told a potential employer that she took medical marijuana to deal with the effects of a car accident, although when a drug test came back positive, the nursing home rescinded her job offer anyway. A ...
Read More »Pot-legalization advocates seek Midwest foothold
Backers of broad marijuana legalization are looking to break through a geographic barrier in November and get their first foothold in the Midwest after a string of election victories in Northeastern and Western states. Michigan and North Dakota, where voters ...
Read More »IRS issues guidance on deductibility of business meals
The IRS is making it simpler for business owners to deduct the cost of meals with customers and clients. The agency this month issued guidance for the deductibility of food and meals under the tax law enacted in December. The ...
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