On 2,000 acres across three counties, Nick Oomen’s family farm grows crops like asparagus, broccoli, zucchini and cherries.

Even with a bountiful harvest, Oomen says he’s not sure how long the fourth-generation business called West Michigan Produce will last. That’s because Oomen and other farmers like him face increased labor costs they ...Read more

Coloradans looking to buy homes or simply hold onto their property face a barrage of challenges: a white-hot real estate market, high interest rates and soaring property taxes. You can add surging home insurance rates to the pile of problems eroding the landscape of affordable housing options.

Colorado homeowners are reporting premium increases...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Last month Ruhel Islam watched a wrecking crew demolish the O'Reilly Auto Parts Store on Lake Street in Minneapolis that rioters had destroyed in May 2020.

After four years, the blighted building was finally coming down to make way for a new $12 million Latino community center. It should have been happy news.

But the scene ...Read more

At a U.S. Senate hearing last month, a Boeing whistleblower claimed that small gaps in Boeing's 787 Dreamliner could cause a catastrophic accident. The following week at the 787 assembly plant in South Carolina, Boeing insisted the gaps pose no risk and the jet is safe.

The dueling narratives, emerging as Boeing's credibility is near an all-...Read more

Melinda French Gates announced Monday she is resigning from her role as co-chair of the Seattle-based Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

“This is not a decision I came to lightly,” French Gates wrote in a post shared on X.

CEO Mark Suzman, the executive leadership team and the board of trustees will continue to lead the foundation’s ...Read more

Tesla Inc. has begun hiring back some of the almost 500 members of its Supercharging team that Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk dismissed late last month.

Chief among the personnel who have returned is Max de Zegher, the director of charging for North America, according to people with knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be identified ...Read more

Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. is reaching out to potential buyers of the £7 billion ($8.8 billion) Boots drugstore chain in the UK, according to people familiar with the matter.

The Deerfield, Illinois-based company is working with advisers to hold early-stage discussions with would-be bidders, said the people, who asked not to be identified ...Read more

OpenAI is launching a faster and cheaper version of the artificial intelligence model that underpins its chatbot, ChatGPT, as the startup works to hold on to its lead in an increasingly crowded market.

During a livestreamed event on Monday, OpenAI debuted GPT-4o. It’s an updated version of its GPT-4 model, which is now more than a year old. ...Read more

Polar Semiconductor will receive up to $120 million in federal funds to expand and upgrade its Bloomington, Minnesota, facility.

The U.S. Department of Commerce and Polar signed a preliminary agreement for the money, which comes from the CHIPS (Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors) and Science Act program. Polar's project will ...Read more

Banks are celebrating an early legal win in their fight to kill new U.S. rules that threaten billions of dollars in revenue from credit-card late fees.

A federal judge’s decision last week to freeze caps on the charges mandated by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau gave a last-minute reprieve to lenders before they were scheduled to ...Read more

U.S. consumer expectations for inflation and home prices rose in April while perceptions of the labor market weakened, underscoring an uneasy backdrop for household finances and the cost of living.

Consumers expect prices will climb at an annual rate of 3.3% over the next year after hovering around 3% for the past four months, a Federal Reserve...Read more

It is definitely not party time at Aimbrell Shanks’ Santa Clara, California, rental company, PartyTime Machines. As at a great many Bay Area small businesses, inflation is not only driving expenses up, it is shrinking her market as consumers cut spending to cope with their own rising household costs.

“I am not optimistic,” said Shanks, ...Read more

The Sriracha shortage panic has returned.

In what’s become a dreaded tradition in recent years, fans of the beloved spicy chili sauce just got more bad news: The California company that popularized the condiment known for its distinctive fiery red color has halted production until after Labor Day.

Earlier this month, Huy Fong Foods, which is...Read more

Often when people aged 50 or older contact her, Pittsburgh financial coach Shay Port said the conversation starts with them declaring that they will never be able to retire.

"They say things like, 'I know I will have to work the rest of my life,'" Port said. "And that's what I try to help them with — actually being able to retire at some ...Read more

Q: I have a 2014 Honda and I am curious as to the key fob. The batteries must be at least 10 years old, and it doesn’t look like they can be replaced. I’m curious as to how long the batteries are gonna last. I hope it does not die sometime when I’m out somewhere else and trying to get started.

D.B., Cheshire, Connecticut

A: There is ...Read more

Parsley, an 11-year-old goat, ambled over to several children who gathered to watch his first day on the job.

He patiently let them pat him but soon had to get back to work munching on a bush. Parsley chewed away at leaves and branches that made their way to his four-compartment stomach to be fermented as if in a living wine barrel.

“Parsley...Read more