YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — The city Board of Zoning Appeals and City Planning Commission will take up several requests next month for variances and zoning changes it took testimony on Tuesday afternoon.  Lacking a quorum to take any action at its scheduled meeting, the three members of the seven-member board who were present – Deputy Director […]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was unchanged from September to October. State officials on Friday said the unemployment rate was 4.2% last month, the same as September. Ohio’s unemployment rate stood at 4.6% in October 2018. The national rate was 3.6% in October, up from last month, and down from 3.8% […]

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics WriterWASHINGTON (AP) — Americans stepped up their shopping last month, spending more online and buying more cars, evidence that consumers can still drive the economy’s growth. The Commerce Department said Friday that retail sales rose 0.3% in October, rebounding from a 0.3% drop the previous month. Sales increased 3.1% compared […]

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics WriterWASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. producer prices rose 0.4% in October, the biggest jump in six months, reflecting a surge in energy costs. The Labor Department said Thursday that the October increase in its producer price index, which measures price pressures before they reach consumers, followed a 0.3% decrease in September. […]

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics WriterWASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is due to testify Wednesday in Congress about the outlook for the U.S. economy, giving his perspective two weeks after the Fed cut interest rates for a third time this year. The Fed signaled after its Oct. 29-30 meeting that it would […]

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics WriterWASHINGTON (AP) — American workers were less efficient in the July-September quarter, pushing down productivity for the first time since late 2015. The Labor Department said Wednesday that productivity, a measure of economic output for each hour worked, fell 0.3% in the third quarter. The drop comes after two quarters […]

By COURTNEY JESPERSEN of NerdWalletMy husband and I have a Thanksgiving routine. Before the family arrives or the turkey is carved, we gather in the living room. As Christmas music plays in the background, he turns on his laptop, and I mine. That’s when the deal hunt begins. Some people cringe at the thought of […]

By JOYCE M. ROSENBERG AP Business WriterNEW YORK (AP) — The market for small businesses cooled further during the third quarter as fallout from trade wars made companies look less appealing to buyers. That’s the finding of a quarterly report analyzing small business sales released by BizBuySell.com, an online marketplace for companies. BizBuySell.com counted 2,454 […]