September 26, 2024 9:26 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The American economy expanded at a healthy 3% annual pace from April through June, boosted by strong consumer spending and business investment, the government said, leaving its previous estimate unchanged. The nation’s gross domestic product — the nation’s total output of goods and services — picked up sharply in the second quarter from the tepid 1.6% annual rate in the first three months of the year. Consumer spending, the primary driver of the economy, grew last quarter at a 2.8% pace, down slightly from the 2.9% rate the government had previously estimated. The final GDP estimate for the April-June quarter included figures showing that inflation continues to ease, to just above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target.
September 26, 2024 9:27 am
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits last week fell to the lowest level in four months. The Labor Department reported Thursday that applications for jobless claims fell by 4,000 to 218,000 for the week of Sept. 21. That’s fewer than the 224,000 analysts were expecting. The four-week average of claims, which evens out some of weekly volatility, fell by 3,500 to 224,750. The total number of Americans collecting jobless benefits rose by 13,000 to about 1.83 million for the week of Sept. 14. Applications for jobless benefits are widely considered a proxy for U.S. layoffs.
September 26, 2024 4:48 am
A pipe replacement project in South Strabane Township will result in a road closure Friday. Officials say Berry Road will be closed between the entrance to Strabane Square by Giant Eagle and Kohl’s from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The township’s Public Works Department will be completing the work. Motorists are asked to avoid the area and seek alternate routes, preferably Route 19. Motorists can still reach the Giant Eagle side of Strabane Square coming from Locust Avenue. Motorists can also reach the Kohl’s side on Berry when approaching from Manifold Road.
September 26, 2024 4:56 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Left-leaning groups and voting rights advocates are asking Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court to stop counties from throwing out what could be thousands of mail-in ballots in November’s election in the presidential battleground state. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday directly to the state’s highest court. It is the latest attempt by the groups to ensure counties don’t reject mail-in ballots that have an incorrect or missing date on the ballot envelope. The suit is at least the third election-related case now pending before the state Supreme Court as Democrats, Republicans and voting-rights groups fight over voting laws. Justices don’t have to take the case.
September 26, 2024 4:53 am
Derided by Donald Trump as a “communist,” Vice President Kamala Harris is playing up her street cred as a capitalist. Attacked by Harris as a rich kid who got $400 million from his father on a “silver platter,” Trump is leaning into his raw populism. The two presidential candidates delivered dueling speeches Wednesday that reflect how they’re honing their economic messages for voters in battleground states. Both are trying to counter criticism of them while laying out their best case for a public that still worries about the economy’s health.
September 25, 2024 5:00 am
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Fast-moving Hurricane Helene is advancing across the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida and it’s been upgraded to a Category 2 storm. Forecasters say it threatens an “unsurvivable” storm surge in parts of northwestern Florida, as well as damaging winds, rains and flash floods hundreds of miles inland across much of the southeastern United States. Landfall is expected Thursday evening. The governors of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina have all declared emergencies in their states. In the Pacific, former Hurricane John strengthened Thursday morning back into a hurricane as it threatened areas of Mexico’s western coast with flash flooding and mudslides.
September 26, 2024 2:39 am
(AP) – An arbitration board has ruled that U.S. Steel may proceed with its proposed acquisition by Nippon Steel. The board, which was jointly chosen by U.S. Steel and the United Steelworkers to decide disputes between them, said Wednesday that U. S. Steel has satisfied each of the conditions of the successorship clause of its basic labor agreement with the union and that no further action under the agreement was necessary in order to proceed to closing the proposed transaction with Nippon Steel. (Photo: AP)
September 26, 2024 5:39 pm
(AP) – A 10th person has died in an ongoing outbreak of listeria food poisoning tied to a now-closed Boar’s Head deli meat plant in Virginia. At least 59 people in 19 states have been sickened by the bacteria first detected in liverwurst. Boar’s Head officials shut down the plant in Jarratt, Virginia, earlier this month and stopped making liverwurst. Inspection reports revealed problems including mold, insects, dripping water and meat and fat residue on walls, floors and equipment. The company earlier recalled more than 7 million pounds of deli meat products sold across the U.S.
September 25, 2024 5:03 am
NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S., France and other allies are jointly calling for an immediate 21-day cease-fire to allow for negotiations in the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that has killed more than 600 people in Lebanon. The joint statement Wednesday, negotiated on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, says the recent fighting is “intolerable and presents an unacceptable risk of a broader regional escalation.” The statement calls on “all parties, including the Governments of Israel and Lebanon, to endorse the temporary ceasefire immediately.” The signatories include the United States, Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar. They said they hoped both Israel and Hezbollah would accept it quickly.
September 26, 2024 3:52 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – Hoda Kotb is leaving NBC’s “Today” show. Kotb told viewers this morning that her 60th birthday over the summer made her realize it’s time for a change, even though she feels she’s at the top of the wave of her career. She says she needs to spend more time with her two daughters, ages 7 and 5, and her mother. Kotb joined NBC in 1998 and became part of the “Today” show in 2007. She has been a co-anchor since 2018. Kotb plans to work through the beginning of 2025. (Photo: AP)
