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US job openings dip to 9.6 million, lowest since 2021

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:25:26 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. job openings fell in March to the lowest level in nearly two years, a sign that the American labor market is cooling in the face of higher interest rates.Employers posted 9.6 million vacancies in March, down from nearly 10 million in February and lowest since April 2021. The Labor Department’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary, out Tuesday, showed that layoffs rose to 1.8 million, the highest level since December 2020.The number of Americans quitting their jobs — a sign they have confidence they can find better pay or working conditions elsewhere — dropped to 3.9 million, lowest since May 2021.The American job market is strong but losing momentum. The Federal Reserve has raised its benchmark interest rate nine times in just over a year in a bid to rein in inflation that last year hit a four-decade high. And higher borrowing costs are taking an economic toll.A hot job market can push up wages — and overall prices. “Overall the JOLTS report shows a h...

Former Ohio attorneys general fight supermajority amendment

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:25:26 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Republican state lawmakers moving to ask Ohio voters this August to raise the threshold for passing future constitutional amendments — with the idea of thwarting a November abortion rights question — pressed forward Tuesday, even as former attorneys general of both parties joined a growing chorus in opposing their plan.Two Ohio House committees had separate possible votes scheduled — one on a bill establishing a $20 million special election this summer, and another on a joint resolution that would place an issue on that ballot asking to raise the threshold for passing constitutional amendments from 50%-plus-one to 60%.Five former attorneys general wrote a letter to every state senator and representative Monday opposing the plan, a move that follows opposition from former Republican Govs. Bob Taft and John Kasich and former Democratic Govs. Ted Strickland and Richard Celeste. Republicans Betty Montgomery and Jim Petro and Democrats Richard Cordray, Lee Fisher an...

Shuttered gypsum mine in central Cape Breton to reopen: USG Corp.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:25:26 GMT

LITTLE NARROWS, N.S. — A gypsum quarry in central Cape Breton that closed seven years ago will soon be reopened.The Canadian division of USG Corp. says it will spend $104 million revitalizing the quarry at Little Narrows, N.S., creating 100 permanent jobs once the relaunch is completed in three years.The Chicago-based building materials company says the quarry will produce up to two million tonnes of raw gypsum every year.Gypsum is used to make drywall, a popular building material also known as wallboard that is used to form the flat surfaces of walls and ceilings.The gypsum from Little Narrows will be shipped by boat to Montreal and other manufacturing locations along the eastern seaboard. USG says it kept the quarry operating between 1954 and 2016.The quarry first started producing gypsum in 1935, and at its peak it employed 150 people.This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 2, 2023.The Canadian Press

Stock market today: Stocks drop as Fed, debt deadline loom

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:25:26 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are falling Tuesday as Wall Street waits for the Federal Reserve’s latest move on interest rates and watches Washington edge closer to what would be a catastrophic default on U.S. government debt. The S&P 500 was 1.1% lower in early trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 379 points, or 1.1%, at 33,672, as of 10:22 a.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.9% lower. Some of the sharpest action was among companies that reported results for the first three months of the year, as earnings season stays in high gear. Arista Networks fell 12.1% despite reporting better profit and revenue than expected. Analysts said investors may have been disappointed it didn’t raise its forecast for upcoming results even more than it did. DuPont dropped 8.9% after also turning in stronger profit and revenue than forecast. It lowered the top end of its forecast for revenue this year, saying it expects improvements in the electronics markets to come later th...

Crown comes to Parliament in pre-coronation Charles visit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:25:26 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Before the glory of his coronation weekend, King Charles III visited Parliament Tuesday, to get a reminder that the monarch’s power has limits.Charles and Camilla, the queen consort, attended a reception for lawmakers, most of whom haven’t been able to snag a ticket to Saturday’s coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey. The royal couple also had the chance to see a 300-year-old gilded coach that ferried the speakers of the House of Commons to coronations and royal weddings.But not anymore. On Saturday, the carriage will remain in Parliament’s Westminster Hall, where it’s on public display. Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle will walk the few hundred yards (meters) to the abbey for the coronation, clad in full ceremonial dress including lace jabot and cuffs, and preceded by a sergeant-at-arms carrying the ornamental mace from the House chamber. Hoyle said the presence of the mace “shows, this is the elected House, represented.”“Constitutionally, it is so important the...

Search continues for two missing Quebec firefighters swept away during spring floods

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:25:26 GMT

BAIE-SAINT-PAUL, Que. — The search is continuing for two missing firefighters who were carried away by floodwaters northeast of Quebec City.The firefighters were helping two residents near St-Urbain, Que., in Quebec’s Charlevoix region, when they went missing Monday afternoon.Charlevoix is one of several parts of the province hit hard by flooding after a period of heavy rain, with some communities in the region declaring a state of emergency after banks overflowed, washing away roads and cutting off access to homes.Provincial police say specialized rescue teams are on site to help search for the two missing first responders.Environment Canada says that Charlevoix received between 50 and 60 millimeters of rain between Sunday and Monday and was expected to get another 10 mm to 20 mm by Wednesday.Public Security Minister François Bonnardel travelled to Baie-St-Paul, Que., a city in Charlevoix under a state of emergency, where he told reporters today that ground and aerial teams a...

WATCH LIVE | Illinois State Police update after at least 6 dead, more than 30 hospitalized in I-55 crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:25:26 GMT

DIVERNON, Ill. (AP) — Both lanes of I-55 reopened Tuesday morning hours after a windstorm in central Illinois causing numerous crashes that killed at least six people Monday, police said.Six people were killed in a 72-car pileup late Monday morning near mile marker 76, between Diveron and Farmersville, about 20 miles south of Springfield. Multiple tractor-trailers were among the vehicles involved, two of which caught fire, Illinois State Police Maj. Ryan Starrick said.More than 30 people on both sides of I-55 were transported to hospitals with injuries. “The only thing you could hear after we got hit was crash after crash after crash behind us,” said Tom Thomas, 43, who was traveling south to St. Louis.I-55 was shut down in both directions in Montgomery County, 75 miles (120 kilometers) north of St. Louis.Starrick told reporters that it was a spring version of a “whiteout situation” typically seen in winter snowstorms. Gov. J.B. Pritzker described the ...

Woman IDs 4 of 7 Oklahoma bodies as daughter, grandchildren

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:25:26 GMT

A woman said Tuesday that her daughter and three grandchildren were among the seven people found dead at a rural Oklahoma property during a search for two missing teens and a convicted sex offender. Janette Mayo, 59, of Westville, Oklahoma, said the Okmulgee County Sheriff’s Office notified her late Monday that the other four victims were her daughter, Holly Guess, 35, and her grandchildren, Rylee Elizabeth Allen, 17, Michael James Mayo, 15, and Tiffany Dore Guess, 13. Okmulgee County Sheriff Eddy Rice said Monday that the state medical examiner would have to confirm the identities of the victims, but “we believe that we have found the persons.” He said Monday that the bodies were believed to include those of 14-year-old Ivy Webster and 16-year-old Brittany Brewer, along with Jesse McFadden, the felon authorities had said the teens were traveling with. “We are no longer looking,” Rice said. “We believe to have found everything that we were seeking this morning. Our hearts go out to ...

Toxic algae season underway in Austin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:25:26 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — With summer just around the corner, many more Central Texans will be in the water to find some relief from the heat.Yet, toxic algae season has arrived early and several factors are pointing towards the possibility of a more severe season this summer in Austin.This spring, scientists from the City of Austin already discovered blue-green algae on Lady Bird Lake and Lake Austin. Also known as Cyanobacteria, these blooms are a growing global threat that can produce dangerous toxins that can sicken people and pets.Since 2019, Austin’s Watershed Protection Department has been studying blue-green algae. This came after several dogs died at Red Bud Isle on Lady Bird Lake.This summer, the City plans to spend roughly $300,000 on treatment and testing of the toxic algae, using phoslock to cut off nutrients to the algae and keep it from spreading.Lucia Ross is the chief marking officer with BlueGreen Water Technologies. She said it’s best to steer clear of this gooey substance ...

Jonas Brothers to perform at Austin's Moody Center

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:25:26 GMT

 Editor’s Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today’s top headlines for May 2, 2023.AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austinites who are fans of the Jonas Brothers will be burnin' up this September, following the announcement the trio will be performing at the Moody Center.The Grammy Award-nominated band will perform songs from their five albums on Sept. 3 including their upcoming sixth one, aptly titled "The Album," set to release May 12. So what's a man gotta do to get tickets? Those interested can register for Verified Fan ticket access online. That registration window will remain open through Saturday at 11 p.m. CT This isn't the trio's first introduction to Austin, or even the Lone Star State. The youngest member of the trio, Nick Jonas, has Texas blood in him, born in Dallas. Back in March, he returned to his home state as part of a South by Southwest Conference & Festivals panel, discussing his personal experience with diabetes and advancements in technology. JONAS BROTHERS IN TE...