WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for jobless benefits fell to its lowest level in five weeks, even as more high-profile companies announce layoffs. Applications for unemployment benefits fell by 12,000 to 201,000 for the week ending Feb. 17, the Labor Department reported. The four-week average of claims, a less volatile measure, fell [...]
NEW YORK — The nation’s labor board ruled last week that Home Depot violated federal labor law when it fired an employee for refusing to remove the hand-drawn “BLM” acronym for “Black Lives Matter” from a work apron. The National Labor Relations Act said it protects the legal right of employees to engage in “concerted [...]
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A Virginia bank says it will delay plans to auction off land at West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice's posh resort in an attempt to recover more than $300 million on defaulted business loans by the governor's family. In a filing in Greenbrier County Circuit Court, Carter Bank & Trust of Martinsville, [...]
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A U.S. appeals court struck down a moratorium on coal leasing from federal lands in a move that could open the door to future coal sales from vast, publicly owned reserves of the fuel. The ruling from a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is a setback [...]
DALLAS — Now that the yearslong process to finalize how the 12 teams for the expanded College Football Playoff will be selected for the next two seasons is complete, there are already discussions about maybe adding more teams for 2026 and beyond. The CFP management committee discussed the potential of a 14-team bracket last week, [...]
WASHINGTON (AP) — Trying to keep up with customer demand, Batesville Tool & Die began seeking 70 people to hire last year. It wasn't easy. Attracting factory workers to a community of 7,300 in the Indiana countryside was a tough sell, especially having to compete with big-name manufacturers nearby such as Honda and Cummins Engine. [...]
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden earlier this week signed an executive order and created a federal rule aimed at better securing the nation's ports from potential cyberattacks. The administration is outlining a set of cybersecurity regulations that port operators must comply with across the country, not unlike standardized safety regulations that seek to prevent [...]
WASHINGTON (AP) — With election season already underway, some state election officials are expressing frustration that Congress has yet to allocate federal money they have come to rely on to help cover the costs of securing their systems from attacks, updating equipment and training staff. Election officials face a long list of challenges this year, [...]