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Henry Payne/The Detroit News/TNS

The new Motor City? California is home to the 21st century auto startup boom

Business / Business News /

LOS ANGELES — On a sunny afternoon this fall, automotive engineers and marketers with Mullen Automotive welcomed new customers to check out a fleet of brands, including SUVs, utility trucks and a sports car. The customers got test rides with experts and a look at future products.

But the startup automaker isn’t located in Motor City, ...Read more

Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Liam Denning: Musk's Cyberbeast has a weight problem

Business / Business News /

Among the Tesla Cybertruck’s unusual selling points, such as stopping various projectiles, is this one:

If you're ever in an argument with another car, you will win.

That was Elon Musk talking tough at the launch of Tesla Inc.’s latest model. While any autos executive will talk up safety specs, framing a crash as a contest to be won or ...Read more

Henry Payne/The Detroit News/TNS

Auto review: Family Thanksgiving in the 3-row Acura MDX Type S

Business / Business News /

DETROIT — Dinner in Motown, Wings game, paddle tennis, shopping, Bocce ball, dinner, snow, snow and let it snow. Just your typical jam-packed Thanksgiving weekend for the Payne family six-pack of mom, dad, two boys and their wives.

Good thing we had a three-row, six-seat SUV to negotiate it all.

This week’s test mule was a 2024 Acura MDX ...Read more

Tommaso Boddi/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Jeff Bezos to sell a Seattle-area property, reports say

Business / Business News /

Billionaire Jeff Bezos, who recently announced his plans to move to Miami, is looking to offload at least one of his Seattle-area homes, according to media reports and property listings.

The Amazon founder owns a 4,300-square-foot, five-bedroom home in the Eastside town of Yarrow Point currently listed for nearly $4.4 million, Business Insider ...Read more

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/TNS

Five big takeaways from Sam Altman's conversation with Trevor Noah

Business / Business News /

When Sam Altman was abruptly fired last month as CEO of artificial intelligence powerhouse OpenAI, the rupture left him with a lot of thinking to do.

But looking back on the experience, Altman told comedian Trevor Noah in a video podcast released Thursday morning, there may have been some upside.

"The empathy I gained out of this whole ...Read more

David Carson/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/TNS

Congressional watchdog: Stop paying big farmers' crop insurance

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A new report from a congressional watchdog calls out subsidies for crop insurance to more than 1,000 of the nation's largest farmers as a waste of taxpayer money.

The Government Accountability Office, an independent, nonpartisan oversight agency, published a 73-page report this week highlighting that some of the $17.3 billion the federal ...Read more

California may require homeowners to replace broken A/C units with heat pumps starting in 2026

Business / Business News /

California may require homeowners to replace their broken air conditioning units with heat pumps or more efficient HVAC systems beginning in 2026, draft rules released last month by state energy regulators show.

Encouraging the adoption of heat pumps, which both cool and heat homes using electricity, is key to the state’s carbon neutrality ...Read more

Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Santa Cruz plans high-rise living as a fix for sky-high housing costs -- and meets opposition

Business / Business News /

You can sense it in the ubiquitous "Help Wanted" posters in artsy shops and restaurants, in the ranks of university students living out of their cars and in the outsize percentage of locals camping on the streets.

This seaside county known for its windswept beauty and easy living is in the midst of one of the most serious housing crises ...Read more

Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Here's how many jobs LA lost during the Hollywood strikes

Business / Business News /

Entertainment employment in the greater Los Angeles area took a big hit during the writers' and actors' strikes, according to a study released Thursday by the Otis College of Art and Design in conjunction with Westwood Economics and Planning Associates.

But the strikes were not the only causes of the contraction, the report found.

The study �...Read more

Minneapolis Fed survey predicts tough times ahead for commercial and residential developers

Business / Business News /

A new survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis shows deepening concerns about the health of residential and commercial construction companies in the Fed's six-state region, while companies that build industrial and infrastructure projects are more optimistic.

Across all sectors, however, the industry is seeing some improvements as ...Read more

Feverpitched/Dreamstime/TNS

Conor Sen: Frustrated homebuyers are about to catch a break

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Homebuyers have suffered some severe whiplash in recent months. After all, when mortgage rates hit 8% in late October, it was reasonable to think the housing market would stay on ice throughout the winter. The move cemented a narrative of negativity about poor affordability and homeowners with low-rate loans being unwilling to sell. Seven weeks ...Read more

UAW hits major threshold in organizing drive at Volkswagen in Tennessee

Business / Business News /

More than 30% of Volkswagen AG workers at the German automaker's only U.S. plant in Chattanooga, Tenn., have signed union authorization cards in less than a week, the United Auto Workers said in a news release Thursday.

That includes more than 1,000 workers, according to the union, which last week formally launched a campaign to organize ...Read more

Jack Flemming/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Black-trimmed homes, tiny libraries and other signs your neighborhood is about to be gentrified

Business / Business News /

LOS ANGELES — A shift in demographics. Affordable apartments transformed into luxury condos. A coffee shop called something like "Brew Slut."

The signs of gentrification take many forms. A newly opened art gallery can serve both as a communal space and a harbinger of the displacement to come. Remodeled homes might boost a street's curb appeal...Read more

Real estate Q&A: Can I sell one of my parking spots?

Business / Business News /

Q: I live in a condominium where every apartment has two assigned parking spots. Since it is just me, one of my neighbors asked me if I would sell him one of my spots. Since I am not using it and times are tight, the extra money would help. Am I allowed to do this? — Ted

A: To get to the bottom of this, you must answer two questions: Can you ...Read more

Alterfalter/Dreamstime/TNS

Next-generation plastic recycling plant is bet on rising US demand

Business / Business News /

Most gamblers looking for action in Las Vegas head for the Strip, but the biggest bet to watch these days is on the edge of town. There, a vast new complex will take plastic waste from across the West and process it into high-quality material that manufacturers can turn back into water and soda bottles or other food-grade packaging.

Republic ...Read more

Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group/TNS

To save on their mortgages, Bay Area buyers are increasing their down payments

Business / Business News /

Who has $235,183 lying around in a bank account? The average homebuyer in Silicon Valley, apparently. That’s the median down payment for a home in the San Jose metro area — and it’s on the rise.

In the third quarter of 2023, the median down payment in San Jose reached nearly 25% of purchase price, up from 23% in the first quarter, ...Read more

Feverpitched | Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

35% of Americans want a housing crash, poll says

Business / Business News /

How out of whack is the housing market?

Well, an October poll by LendingTree of 2,045 US adults found 35% want the housing market to crash — highlighted by youthful Gen Z-ers (53%) and millennials (46%).

Look, rooting for a bargain is as American as apple pie. Who doesn't hope for that big sale, deep-discount coupon or holiday pricing to ...Read more

Rosalio Ahumada/The Sacramento Bee/TNS

Sacramento State faculty set to strike. Here's what to know

Business / Business News /

In the spirit of the holiday season, the labor movement keeps on giving the gift of strikes. This time, California State University faculty are the ones walking the picket line.

The California Faculty Association, which represents close to 29,000 professors, lecturers, librarians, counselors and coaches across the CSU system, is staging one-day...Read more

David Guralnick/The Detroit News/TNS

Ford, Xcel partner on commercial EV chargers

Business / Business News /

Xcel Energy and Ford Motor Co. announced Tuesday they are collaborating to outfit business fleets with 30,000 electric vehicle charging ports across eight states by 2030.

The program would begin in Wisconsin and Colorado in 2024 but could expand elsewhere — including in Minnesota — if approved by utility regulators.

Minneapolis-based Xcel ...Read more

Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Leaked document offers glimpse into how Amazon amasses influence in California's Inland Empire

Business / Business News /

In the first two years of the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and Culture’s existence, e-commerce giant Amazon.com was happy to contribute funds to the much-lauded Riverside, California, facility.

But this year, the Cheech hosted an exhibit that included a piece depicting an Amazon warehouse on fire. In an interview, the artist said the ...Read more