WASHINGTON (AP) — Cosmetic companies would have to take extra steps to ensure that any products containing talc are free of asbestos under a federal rule proposed last week. The proposal from the Food and Drug Administration and mandated by Congress is intended to reassure consumers about the safety of makeup, baby powder and other [...]
NEW YORK (AP) — What a wonderful year 2024 has been for investors. U.S. stocks ripped higher and carried the S&P 500 to records as the economy kept growing and the Federal Reserve began cutting interest rates. The year featured many familiar winners, such as Big Tech, which got even bigger as stock prices kept [...]
Name a hot topic, and chances are good there’s a new law about it taking effect in 2025 in one state or another. Many of the laws launching in January are a result of legislation passed this year. Others stem from ballot measures approved by voters. Some face legal challenges. Here’s a look at some [...]
2024 was another banner year for energy-storing battery projects. The ability to store large amounts of electricity in batteries was essentially nonexistent a decade ago, but the country had about 24 gigawatt-hours operating as of the end of November, up a whopping 71 percent over the same date in 2023. This is welcome news to [...]
Artificial intelligence holds the promise of helping countless students with a range of visual, speech, language and hearing impairments to execute tasks that come easily to others. Schools everywhere have been wrestling with how and where to incorporate AI, but many are fast-tracking applications for students with disabilities. Getting the latest technology into the hands [...]
A Fifth District Court of Appeals panel reversed a Delaware County Board of Tax Appeals decision that judges determined deprived a Sunbury man his due process rights. The appellate panel held the county Board of Revision failed to give James Quinton III the opportunity to argue his claim in support of a change in valuation [...]
WASHINGTON (AP) — The average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the U.S. rose for the second week in a row to its highest level since mid-July, reflecting a recent jump in the bond yields that lenders use as a guide to price home loans. The rate rose to 6.85 percent last week from 6.72 [...]
NEW YORK (AP) — The decision to add fluoride to drinking water rests with state and local officials, and fights are cropping up nationwide. Communities in Florida, Texas, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming and elsewhere have debated the idea in recent months — the total number is in the dozens, with several deciding to stop adding it [...]