Business category, Page 2
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...
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...
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...
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...
U.S. stocks erase a big early loss and rise after oil prices whip from nearly $120 back below $90Video
NEW YORK — The U.S. stock market careened through a manic Monday, going from a steep early loss to a solid gain as worries turned into hope that the war with Iran may not last that long. Oil prices whipped from nearly $120 per barrel, their highest since 2022, back...
Shapiro wants to incentivize data centers to be better neighbors. Will that work?
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro wants to incentivize data center developers to follow stricter environmental and transparency standards...
UPMC Magee-Womens nurses union clamors for staffing ratios
Unionized nurses at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital will propose unit-by-unit staffing standards Tuesday as they bargain with their employer for a first contract. Roughly 900 registered nurses and advanced practitioners are seeking mandatory patient-to-nurse ratios based on recommendations from various professional organizations, such as the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and...
Anthropic sues Trump administration seeking to undo ‘supply chain risk’ designation
Anthropic is suing the Trump administration, asking federal courts to reverse the Pentagon’s decision designating the artificial intelligence company a ” supply chain risk ” over its refusal to allow unrestricted military use of its technology. Anthropic filed two separate lawsuits Monday, one in California federal court and another in...
The Fresh Market sets opening date for 1st Pittsburgh store
The former Whole Foods in Pittsburgh’s Shadyside neighborhood is nearly back to being a grocery store. The Fresh Market is scheduled to open March 18 at 5880 Centre Ave., returning an upscale grocer to the site four years after Whole Foods left for new digs nearby in East Liberty. North...
Energy prices soar to levels not seen in years as Iran names new supreme leader and digs in
Oil prices spiked near $120 per barrel before falling back Monday as the Iran war intensified, threatening production and shipping in the Middle East and pummeling financial markets. The price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, surged to $119.50 per barrel early in the day but later...
DOJ, Live Nation reach settlement over illegal monopoly case, source says
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department reached a settlement in its antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation Entertainment, on Monday in a case that alleged an illegal monopoly over live events in America. The settlement was confirmed by a person familiar with the matter who could not...
Uber’s women-only option goes nationwide in the U.S.
NEW YORK — Uber launched a feature Monday to allow both women riders and drivers across the U.S. to be matched with other women for trips, expanding a pilot program aimed at addressing concerns about the safety of its hail-riding platform. The new feature is being rolled out nationwide despite...
Retirement savings plans can be used to fund a home down payment. But should you?
LOS ANGELES — Raiding retirement savings for a down payment on a home can be tempting, especially if you’ve struggled to scrape together enough money to buy. But should you? Most 401(k) and similar retirement savings plans like Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) allow homebuyers to withdraw or borrow a limited...
Japan’s Nikkei 225 share index falls more than 6% as oil soars over $100 a barrel
BANGKOK — Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index plunged more than 7% early Monday and other Asian markets also tumbled after oil prices soared to about $114 a barrel due to disruptions from the war in the Middle East, casting a shadow over economies heavily dependent on imported crude and gas...
Travelers encounter long waits at some airports as DHS shutdown affects security checkpoints
Travelers complained of long waits Sunday — lasting hours in some cases — at security checkpoints at airports in Houston and New Orleans, which officials blamed on a government shutdown of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The estimated wait time at the standard security checkpoint at the William P....
Trump’s ‘roaring’ economy meets a rough start to 2026: What the latest numbers show
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump promised that 2026 would be a bumper year for economic growth, but instead it has kicked off with job losses, rising gasoline prices and more uncertainty about America’s future. In his State of the Union address less than two weeks ago, the Republican president confidently...
Crude oil prices surpass $100 a barrel as the Iran war impedes production and shipping
CHICAGO — Oil prices eclipsed $114 per barrel for the first time since 2022 on Monday as the Iran war intensified, threatening production and shipping in the Middle East. The price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, surged past $114 after trading resumed on the Chicago Mercantile...
Retail sales fall modestly in January as American consumers pull back on spending
American consumers pulled back their spending to start 2026, extending the malaise in retail sales that began late last year. Retail sales fell 0.2% in January, following a flat reading in December, according to the Commerce Department’s report issued on Friday. January’s figure came in below the forecasts of economists,...
U.S. lost 92,000 jobs last month and unemployment rate ticked higher to 4.4%
WASHINGTON — American employers unexpectedly cut 92,000 jobs last month, a sign that the labor market remains under strain. The unemployment rate blipped up to 4.4%. Hiring deteriorated from January, when companies, nonprofits and government agencies added a healthy 126,000 jobs, the Labor Department reported Friday. Economists had expected 60,000...
