Retail sales plunged along with temperatures in January after a bustling holiday season
WASHINGTON (AP) — Retail sales dropped sharply last month, in part because cold weather kept more Americans indoors, denting sales at car dealers and most other stores. Retail sales fell 0.9 percent in January from the previous month, the Commerce Department said, after two months of healthy gains. It was a much bigger drop than [...]
U.S. sanctions international court’s top prosecutor
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States sanctioned the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor last week, following up on President Donald Trump’s order targeting the court over its investigations of Israel. The prosecutor, Karim Khan, was added to Washington’s list of “Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons.” Those on the list are barred from doing [...]
Scout Motors’ direct-sales effort stalls
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Legislation to let Volkswagen-backed Scout Motors sell its electric SUVs directly to people in South Carolina, where the vehicles will be built, has stalled after fierce opposition from traditional automobile dealers. A House subcommittee held a carefully prepared meeting last week, hearing just an hour of testimony from Scout and its [...]
Suspending cage-free egg laws unlikely to solve high egg prices caused by bird flu
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada’s governor last week signed legislation allowing the state to suspend a law requiring cage-free eggs in hopes of getting residents some relief at the checkout counter, where a dozen eggs costs an average of nearly $5 because of the lingering bird flu. Yet it is not quite that simple, which [...]
EPA chief to seek return of $20B in grants
WASHINGTON (AP) — The new head of the Environmental Protection Agency said he will try to rescind $20 billion in grants awarded by the Biden administration for climate and clean-energy projects. In a video posted on X, Administrator Lee Zeldin said the EPA would revoke contracts for a still-emerging “green bank” that is set to [...]
Baltimore sues Glock over handgun design
BALTIMORE (AP) — Baltimore is suing gunmaker Glock over design features that allow its handguns to be easily modified to become fully automatic weapons, which enables criminals to inflict more damage and makes the city more dangerous, attorneys argue in a complaint. The lawsuit follows similar cases brought against Glock in Chicago, Minnesota and New [...]
Roegner joins Antani in 2026 race for Ohio treasurer
COLUMBUS (AP) — Republican Ohio Sen. Kristina Roegner, a veteran state lawmaker with fiscal oversight experience and a background in finance, announced last week that she is running for state treasurer. Roegner, 56, of Hudson, is just finishing up 14 years in the Ohio General Assembly — four terms in the Ohio House and two [...]
Man’s guilty plea correctly accepted, appeals panel rules
A Franklin County appellate panel affirmed the conviction and sentence of a southeast Columbus man who was implicated in the activities surrounding the disappearance and killing of a teenager in 2023. The three-judge panel of the Tenth District Court of Appeals held that the lower court, in accordance with Crim.R. 11, correctly accepted 19-year-old Miquel [...]