Consumer prices rose in January, before Iran War added price pressures
Economic growth was slower at the end of 2025 than data first showed and inflationary pressures persisted at the start of this year, a troubling snapshot of an economy on unsteady footing before war with Iran upended oil and financial markets. Consumer prices increased moderately in January, the Federal Reserve’s...
Pittsburgh businesses ready for 2026 NFL Draft
Jim Coen expects his football-themed merchandise to fly off the shelves when the 2026 NFL Draft comes to town April 23. “I’m projecting this NFL Draft to be like two Super Bowls combined,” said Coen, who owns Yinzers in the Burgh, a Strip District store dedicated to all things Pittsburgh...
U.S. economy expanded at sluggish 0.7% in 4th quarter, government says, downgrading 1st estimate
WASHINGTON — The U.S. economy, hobbled by last fall’s 43-day government shutdown, advanced at a sluggish 0.7% annual rate from October through December, the Commerce Department reported Friday in a big downgrade of its initial estimate. Growth in gross domestic product — the nation’s output of goods and services —...
Pittsburgh’s Urban Redevelopment Authority moves forward with long-sought housing in the Hill District
Several funding projects are moving ahead in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, including long-hoped-for housing in the Lower Hill. These and other developments that would fill vacant land and improve business façades were discussed Thursdayby Pittsburgh’s Urban Redevelopment Authority. At issue were proposed housing developments on two parcels in the Lower Hill...
What the Live Nation settlement would mean for concertgoers — and why some say it isn’t enough
NEW YORK — Live Nation and the U.S. government announced a deal this week that they say would give artists and venues more choice when it comes to selling concert tickets to music fans. But critics say meaningful changes are far from guaranteed. It’s no secret that buying concert tickets...
Oil jumps to $100 per barrel and stocks sink worldwide with no clear end in sight for the Iran war
NEW YORK — With no clear end in sight, the war with Iran sent oil prices back to $100 per barrel on Thursday, and stocks sank worldwide. The S&P 500 fell 1.5% and resumed its sharp swings following a couple days of relative calm. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped...
Mortgage rates rise as Iran war ripples through financial markets
Mortgage rates in the United States are rising again, ending — for the time being — a decline that had offered hope to homebuyers struggling to afford housing. The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rate in the United States rose to 6.11%, mortgage-financing giant Freddie Mac said Thursday, the second week...
Westinghouse-funded study finds $20B annual impact for firm’s proposed U.S. reactor fleet
A planned fleet of Westinghouse nuclear reactors in the U.S. would bring $20 billion in annual economic impact and support more than 22,000 jobs, according to a new report commissioned by the Cranberry-based company. Westinghouse released the figures Wednesday to bolster the case for constructing 10 AP1000 reactors across the...
$3.3M state investment aims to boost Downtown Pittsburgh revival
The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership is getting more than $3 million from the state to help revitalize Downtown Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Secretary Rick Siger joined local government officials and business leaders inside Origin Story Coffee on Thursday to announce how the investment plans to renew...
AI writes buggy code. A Silicon Valley startup wants to fix it
PALO ALTO, Calif. — In January, a team of researchers at Carnegie Mellon University published a study analyzing the use of artificial intelligence technologies that can generate their own computer code. The study found that while these increasingly popular AI systems could speed up software development, they could also degrade...
U.S. applications for unemployment benefits inch down to 213,000 as layoffs remain stable
WASHINGTON — U.S. applications for unemployment benefits inched down modestly last week as layoffs remain at historically healthy levels despite a weakening job market. The number of Americans filing for jobless aid for the week ending March 7 fell by 1,000 to 213,000 the previous week, the Labor Department reported...
Trump administration kicks off new process to try to replace tariffs struck down by Supreme Court
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Wednesday opened a new trade investigation into manufacturing in foreign countries — an effort that comes after the Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s previous use of tariffs by declaring an economic emergency. Trump and his team have made clear that they’re seeking...
Yale report warns Independence Health takeover could prove costly for patients
West Virginia University Medicine’s pending takeover of Independence Health System would reduce competition and likely drive up patient costs, according to the Health Care Affordability Lab at Yale. A report released Monday by the lab found the acquisition would make parts of Fayette and Westmoreland counties even more severe “red...
Oil shock from Iran war prompts countries to open strategic reservesVideo
NEW YORK — A widening war in Iran has halted oil tankers, made targets of refineries and spooked investors worried about the cascading impact of spiking energy prices. In response, the International Energy Agency agreed on Wednesday to release the largest volume of emergency oil reserves in its history, with...
New development envisioned for Westinghouse site in Churchill
The former Westinghouse Research and Technology Park in Churchill borough could soon become a walkable mixed-use development. Commonwealth Commercial Real Estate presented an early rendering of the project, which it is calling Legacy Crossings, at Monday’s Churchill Borough Council meeting. Plans show wholesale and retail grocery stores, restaurants, a gas...
Inflation was elevated in February even before the Iran war sent energy costs soaring
KANSAS CITY — Inflation stayed stubbornly elevated last month as gas prices rose in a snapshot of what consumer prices looked like before the Iran war sent energy costs soaring. Consumer prices rose 2.4% in February compared with a year earlier, the Labor Department said Wednesday, matching January’s 2.4% increase....
Ligonier Township to hold hearing on rezoning request that would allow farmers market
The dispute over whether the popular Ligonier Country Market should be allowed to have vendors sell their wares on Waterford Fire Department property in Ligonier Township will resume April 14. That’s when the township supervisors hold a public hearing on the fire department’s request to rezone its 22-acre field adjacent...
Rising fuel costs pressure airlines and truckersVideo
The surge in fuel prices because of the war in Iran is starting to put significant pressure on airlines, truckers and the public. The conflict has effectively frozen shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for about one-fifth of the world’s oil. President Donald Trump’s statement Monday that the...
Official says deal for new airline within reach at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport
Negotiations have progressed significantly with one or more commercial airlines to fly from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport near Latrobe, the executive director of the Westmoreland County Airport Authority said Tuesday. Gabe Monzo said talks with national carriers interested in operating routes from the Palmer airport intensified after Spirit Airlines pulled...
Stocks hold steadier as Wall Street waits for the next signal on how long war with Iran might last
NEW YORK — The U.S. stock market held steadier Tuesday as Wall Street waited for the next signal on when the war with Iran may end. The S&P 500 dipped 0.2%, a day after its latest wild swings caused by extreme moves in the oil market. The Dow Jones Industrial...
Labor pains: Union nurses, UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital spar over staffing in 1st contract
Unionized nurses at Allegheny General Hospital spent more than two decades successfully fighting for caps on their number of assigned patients. The young UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital nurses unions hope to secure them in their first contracts. When the Allegheny General Hospital union formed in 1999, “nobody had staffing standards in...
YouTube adds tool to help public figures report fake videos
SAN FRANCISCO — YouTube is adding a detection tool for government officials, political candidates and journalists to catch and report videos that use artificial intelligence to display their likeness without permission. The pilot program, announced Tuesday, is arriving as social media companies and a patchwork of new laws start to...
U.S. solar installations fell in 2025 as Trump attacked clean energy
Solar power installations declined in the United States last year, as the Trump administration sought to impede the growth of renewable energy, according to an industry report released Tuesday. Solar energy maintained its position as the largest source of new electricity generation added to the electric grid, but the amount...
Column: We need to talk about your retirement ‘spending’
I spend a lot of time talking to retirees about their spending plans. Many of them proudly tell me that they’re spending far less than the 3%-4% initial withdrawal amounts that are often bandied about in the context of safe spending rates. They tell me they’ve been good savers, they’re...
John Dorfman: These CEOs are stepping up to buy on bad news
I like to see chief executives step up and buy their company’s shares amid bad news. It’s a sign of faith that goes beyond rhetoric. Here are three recent instances. KKR The private-equity industry — consisting of partnerships that invest in companies that aren’t publicly traded — has suffered a...
