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Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times/TNS

US hiring cools in January; California's outlook is dimmed by looming cuts in government and aid

Business / Business News /

WASHINGTON — U.S. job growth slowed at the start of the year, the government said Friday, as business services, manufacturing and other major industries held back on adding new jobs amid increased uncertainty about the economy.

The Los Angeles-area wildfires, which began Jan. 7, didn’t have a material effect on the nation’s employment ...Read more

Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times/TNS

US hiring cools in January; unemployment claims in California increase due to the fires

Business / Business News /

U.S. job growth slowed at the start of the year, the government said Friday, as business services, manufacturing and other major industries held back on adding new jobs amid increased uncertainty around the economy.

The exceptions were retail, healthcare and government, which accounted for almost all of the 143,000 net new jobs added last month...Read more

Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Chicago Auto Show goes electric with 2 EV tracks, dozens of models and first appearance by Rivian

Business / Business News /

The atmosphere is electric at this year’s Chicago Auto Show, with two indoor EV test tracks, dozens of models and several high-profile debuts, including the first appearance by homegrown Rivian.

But with EV sales growth slowing and threats by President Donald Trump to impose tariffs, pause infrastructure build-out and end federal tax credits,...Read more

Mark Wilson/Getty Images North America/TNS

Robocalls and spam still a scourge. Some carriers get an F for protecting consumers

Business / Business News /

Phone companies represent a critical line of defense when it comes to warning about or blocking robocalls and robotexts. But most telecom carriers are failing to adequately protect their customers, which is contributing to a rebound in the number of spam messages, according to a report from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group.

About 2 ...Read more

Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Illinois SEIU passes resolution declaring itself 'under attack' by CTU

Business / Business News /

The Service Employees International Union State Council, which represents 160,000 workers in Illinois, declared in a resolution that it is “under attack” from the Chicago Teachers Union and condemned a contract proposal by the teachers union that SEIU said would take jobs from their union and give them to CTU.

The teachers union has been ...Read more

Carline Jean/Sun Sentinel/TNS

Insurance regulators slash Citizens' requested rate hikes for 2025

Business / Business News /

Insurance regulators spent more than seven months considering the 14% average rate hike proposed for homeowners covered by state-owned Citizens Property Insurance Corp. and ultimately voted thumbs down.

Rate hikes proposed by Citizens in June by Citizens Property Insurance Corp. were slashed in a final order by the Florida Office of Insurance ...Read more

Ford Motor Company/Ford Motor Company/TNS

Auto review: Another fresh face for the 2025 Lincoln Aviator

Business / Business News /

There’s a design consistency to the best luxury car brands, a continuum of style that unconditionally declares what it is. Go back to 1938 and you’ll recognize the BMW 328’s grille. The same is true of Mercedes-Benz. Cadillac became synonymous with egg crate grilles and tailfins, boasting a sinister yet sublimely luxurious vibe. Then there...Read more

Dirk Shadd/Tampa Bay Times/TNS

What's next for Tampa's hurricane-battered Beer Can Island? Cryptocurrency

Business / Business News /

TAMPA, Florida — Pine Key — the Tampa Bay landmark better known to locals as Beer Can Island — has seen better days.

Hurricane Helene put the private island about eight feet underwater, said co-owner Russell Loomis. The storm destroyed every structure on the island, wiping out the concert stage, tiki bar, giant slide and food truck. ...Read more

Bryan Bedder/Getty Images North America/TNS

Hedge fund, tech firm look to reincorporate in Nevada

Business / Business News /

Two more companies are looking to reincorporate in Nevada as the state siphons business from Delaware, the long-reigning heavyweight for such out-of-state paperwork.

File-sharing service Dropbox unveiled plans last Friday to move its incorporation from Delaware to Nevada. The San Francisco-based tech firm said in a securities filing that it’s...Read more

Craig Chandler/University of Nebraska–Lincoln/TNS

As EV vehicles get heavier, they're also getting more dangerous, safety experts say

Business / Business News /

Electric vehicles have rapidly grown in popularity over the last several years as they’ve gotten cheaper, more powerful and easier to charge. But in some cases, say traffic safety experts, they’ve also gotten more dangerous.

In particular, the proliferation of heavier electric trucks in recent years has raised concerns among safety experts ...Read more

Daniel Jacobi II/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

Nevada is the most expensive state to own a vehicle, study says

Business / Business News /

Nevada is the most expensive state to own a vehicle, according to a new study.

Nevadans pay the most for car ownership, with an average annual cost of $6,118.86, according to a study from LendingTree. Auto insurance rates, fuel expenses, annualized sales tax and repair costs were all factored in to create the average rate.

According to the ...Read more

Henry Payne/The Detroit News/TNS

Auto review: Road trippin' in the VW ID.Buzz to frigid Ohio and back

Business / Business News /

MARYSVILLE, Ohio — The 2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz EV has rolled up wins this auto awards season — including North American Utility of the Year — because it’s iconic, roomy and just so doggone adorable.

Though the Hoover family may disagree.

The fictional Hoovers, of course, are the most famous (infamous?) owners of a 1978 VW Microbus ...Read more

Marc Grasso/Boston Herald/TNS

Auto review: 2025 Porsche Cayenne is no longer a hybrid dream

Business / Business News /

While Porsche has no problem creating cars with outstanding power and unfathomable beauty, in 2025 their flagship gets better. Not only the addition of the E-Hybrid which rolled out for all of the SUV fleet as an option, but the addition of the Turbo E-Hybrid in 2025, which is a dream for many car buyers.

As recently reviewed in Grasso’s ...Read more

Jeff Whyte/Dreamstime/TNS

All Quiksilver, Billabong and Volcom stores to close amid Chapter 11 bankruptcy

Business / Business News /

Quiksilver, Billabong and Volcom brick-and-mortar stores, known for their beach and outdoor apparel, are closing, their parent company said.

Costa Mesa, California-based Liberated Brands said in a bankruptcy filing this week it would shut down 124 locations. The company operates 35 stories in California, including locations in Camarillo, ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Software giant Red Hat gives owner IBM lift to shed its stodgy identity

Business / Business News /

At IBM’s Investor Day event in New York City this week, the first the company has held since 2021, a word executives stressed was “software.”

And two other words top IBM brass highlighted again and again were “Red Hat.”

“Hopefully you got the theme of the entire day today of us being a much more software-led company,” IBM chief ...Read more

Jon G. Fuller/VW Pics/ZUMA Press/TNS

Energy bill turns focus on Nevada's 'untapped geothermal potential'

Business / Business News /

Harnessing the heat far below Nevadans’ feet may become easier with the reintroduction of a bill that failed to make it through the last Congress.

Sponsored by U.S. Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nevada, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, the Streamlining Thermal Energy Through Advanced Mechanisms (STEAM) Act aims to speed up lengthy permitting ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Shuttering of USAID could mean the end of millions in income for Midwest farm operations

Business / Business News /

U.S. farmers and agribusinesses, including Minnesota ventures from ag giants to processors of yellow split peas, could lose money after President Donald Trump’s administration abruptly closed USAID.

Minnesota-based agribusiness companies Cargill and CHS Inc., along with Minneapolis trader Sinamco, sold a total of $70 million in sorghum, wheat...Read more

Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News/TNS

How tariffs could impact the housing market

Business / Business News /

Mortgage rates could go up because of a trade war between the United States and Canada, Mexico and China, according to real estate experts.

Tariffs also could potentially increase prices on building materials, and more, and inflation invariably means mortgage rates will go up.

Nicholas Irwin, research director for UNLV’s Lied Center for Real...Read more

Tom Gralish/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

The surprisingly smooth process of turning offices into apartments in Philadelphia's first big conversion project

Business / Business News /

The first major office-to-residential conversion of the post-pandemic era in Philadelphia is set to be completed this spring.

Alterra Property Group is on schedule to finish the conversion of 1701 Market St. from an office building to apartments by Memorial Day. Units will begin leasing in March.

For all the talk of transforming empty offices ...Read more

Katelyn Myrick/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS

NCR Voyix appoints a new CEO

Business / Business News /

Less than 16 months after NCR split into two companies, the digital commerce half has ousted its short-lived CEO in favor of new top leadership.

NCR Voyix announced Wednesday it appointed James “Jim” Kelly as its next president and CEO, succeeding David Wilkinson, who was president and CEO since the split.

Wilkinson’s short stint helming...Read more