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Fading job prospects, rising inflation, high gas costs and house prices tanking have some North Carolinians worried about a recession.
Elimination of 90 jobs brings the total employed at the production plant to fewer than 900. A year ago, the facility employed 1,350.
Foreclosures were 64 percent greater in the second quarter of 2008 than in the same period last year. But a real estate group notes that home sales increased in June from May, and home values were up 5 percent from 2007.
The jobless rate in the Triangle was about 5 percent in June, while Fayetteville's was about 6.5 percent.
A bill passed by the state legislature Thursday requires lenders to give homeowners 45 days notice before starting foreclosure proceedings. The banking commissioner will examine the loan's terms and try to work out a deal to save the home.
Customers of the Salvation Army of Wake County say they are feeling the effect.
Rebates and offers of free or reduced-price gas comes with various restrictions but are luring some customers to car dealerships.
Business owners say they are having to turn away customers because it's no longer profitable for them to do business.
As Memorial Day weekend – and the summer vacation season – got under way Friday, gas prices inching closer to $4 a gallon made trips to North Carolina beaches harder on the pocketbooks of vacationers.
The food budget is a great place to cut spending, and it's an area where savings can add up over time without making major life adjustments.
Business at Rollingview Marina on Falls Lake is booming again, despite high gas prices to fuel boats.
Prices at the pump have soared to a new record each of the past five days, and the U.S. Energy Department predicts they'll go even higher.
Rising costs for food and services can be linked back to record gasoline prices.
Growth in Raleigh is taking a hit amid the credit and mortgage crisis, but officials are optimistic for long-term development downtown.
Franklin County is feeling the pinch of the struggling housing market.
Jay Swaminathan, a consultant for numerous international firms and a member of Kenan-Flagler Business School faculty, also sees ‘dual-shoring’ of jobs as an emerging, beneficial trend among U.S. firms.
With gasoline prices at record levels, many drivers are searching for cheaper alternatives. But at least one option is hard to come by in the Triangle.
Rising gas prices are hitting boaters hard this spring. The national average price for gasoline rose 7 cents over the last two weeks, according to the Lundberg Survey.
"Hillary will be here next week and every week until your primary," Former President Bill Clinton predicted in a speech at the Cary Senior Center Friday.
If your Easter weekend plans include travel in the Triangle, you can expect to pay about $3.26 per gallon for gas.
Lumber company officials say the crisis housing market has meant bad news for their bottom line and for their workers.
State employment commission sees these unemployment jumps plus increases in 99 of 100 counties as ‘red flags.’ Raleigh-Cary rate hits 4%, Durham at 4.1%. Even Orange County rate climbs, and it has state’s lowest.
In North Carolina, existing-homes sales fell 22 percent in January from a year earlier, but Goldsboro is experiencing a surge in sales – up 173 percent.
State residents would love to have regional rail systems and other mass transit options – they just don't like the idea of paying for it. Elon University's survey also finds most people satisfied with the state DOT.
As the U.S. economy slides toward recession, North Carolina appears to be treading the turbulent economic waters better than most states, according to economic observers.
Cary is implementing four new conservation programs in an effort to get homeowners to save water.
Cash used to be the fastest way to pay, but technology could change that. A new kind of credit card gets you in and out of a store with just a wave in front of a special reader.
Medical technology firm will add 274 jobs and invest $134.7 million in projects. BD will receive nearly $4M in state incentives.
Layoffs at the plant, expected between mid-May and early June, could result in the elimination of up to 1,100 jobs.
Chairman and CEO of Warren-Buffett-owned airline tells employees a "world-class campus" will be built in Columbus. N.C. officials negotiated for months to try to lure the airline to RDU.
The U.S. Labor Department said 63,000 people lost jobs in February, the heaviest cuts in five years. Durham's job market is soaring, in spite of higher unemployment numbers elsewhere.
More Raleigh, Fayetteville employers looking to trim payrolls, Manpower reports. However, Greenville, Rocky Mount job markets look positive.
The N.C. Board of Transportation awarded $54.3 million for 10 highway projects at its meeting Thursday.
The Angel Connection: Department of Commerce initiative will provide grants to companies seeking to build environmentally friendly products, services.
Former employees of a Franklin County electronics maker are scrambling to find work, but manufacturing jobs are hard to come by, and many have not been in the market for years.
Wake County School Superintendent Del Burns wants another $35 million for the 2008-09 operating budget. Some commissioners say that is too much.
Bad things can come with growth. But most things in life come with both costs and benefits. It's rare that something carries either all pluses or all minuses.
Motricity, a fast-growing global provider of mobile content applications for telecommunications providers, announced Tuesday that it would lay off much of its Durham work force and move its headquarters to Washington state.
Wal-Mart has decided not to build a Supercenter store in Knightdale that was to be the main attraction of a proposed shopping development, the town's mayor said Tuesday.
North Carolina needs to shift highway construction funds from rural to urban areas, come up with new ways to finance roads and overhaul the state Department of Transportation, according to a report issued Thursday.
High-tech medical equipment manufacturer is eligible to receive up to $5.6 million in state incentives. Jobs will pay average salary of $73,000.
PSNC, which serves the Triangle and Piedmont Natural Gas have both informed the state they will apply for a rate increase.
Big quarterly $844M loss triggers sell-off of telecom gear company’s stock. Shares fall 14 percent to 52-week low. Company won’t disclose impact on RTP work force.
As more than 25,000 properties fall into some stage of foreclosure, people around the Triangle are turning others' losses into big gains.
The Raleigh Hospitality Water Conservation Task Force -- a group made up of local restaurant and hotel leaders -- meets for the first time today to look at ways the industry can conserve water.
A former North Carolina transportation secretary called Thursday for the creation of a $1.9 billion state fund to help finance mass transit programs in urban areas and ease traffic congestion.
As Falls Lake, Raleigh's primary water source continues to drop, the city of Raleigh got together with major water users Wednesday night to talk about ways to save the dwindling resource.
The latest numbers show North Carolina at the national average of 5 percent unemployment. Industries suffering include manufacturing, construction and landscaping.
Renting and leasing are growing options on higher-end homes in the Triangle area, and with the housing market slowing, it's an alternative that works for sellers and buyers.
Duke Energy and Progress Energy want to let customers purchase carbon credits through environmentally friendly programs administered by the nonprofit NC GreenPower.
State program targets small companies; grants can be as much as $100,000.
The Angel Connection: Know the value of your product or service, be the best, and make your customers offers they can’t refuse.
Workers will be part of $38 million federal contract for student aid study.
Drug giant was to receive nearly $1.4 million in grants for job creation at pharmaceutical production facility. GSK says it can’t guarantee that 200 newly created jobs will continue over several years.
Stock opens lower on news of drop in earnings, falls 79 cents. Company does top Street revenue forecast for coming year.
As the drought slowly tightens its grip on North Carolina, state officials worry about its impact on the economy.
A hospitality water summit, scheduled for 9 a.m. today, will be geared toward getting hotels and restaurants to conserve water.
Mayor Charles Meeker on Monday called for establishing an overall "budget" for local water use and said the City Council would take steps in the coming weeks to ensure the city stays within it.
State lawmakers on Friday called for changes in the state Department of Transportation, one day after a state audit criticized the department for costly construction delays.
Delays in highway and bridge construction cost North Carolina taxpayers at least $152 million in recent years as the NCDOT operated on "hunches and intuition," according to a state audit released Thursday.
Tourism had a $465 million impact on Durham's economy in 2006, according to a new study.
Activity in Raleigh's downtown residential real estate market declined dramatically in recent months, but downtown boosters call it a seasonal slump and say it's not linked to the national housing slowdown.
In new survey from Duke and CFO Magazine, executives say economic outlook is bleak. However, most don’t expect a recession.
Consolidation in business intelligence sector among SAS rivals helps drive more business to Cary company. Sales increase in other software categories as well on global basis.
You Decide: Economic slowdowns occur about once every eight-to-10 years. Each of us has to decide how to live through them until better days come.
State officials hope that a national hotline connection will mean that local help for homeowners facing foreclosure will soon be only a phone call away.
Progress Energy wants to build two new reactors at its Shearon Harris site to accommodate growth, but some argue that is precisely what Wake County does not need.
Wake County is feeling the same effects as the rest of the nation, and slumping house sales are affecting prices and making for a buyers' market.
The home builders' associations in four Triangle counties have pooled their resources to encourage building environmentally friendly houses.
Over past year, jobs show growth in numerous RTP area metro markets.
Restrictions for Raleigh water customers could soon get tougher. "Green Industry" professionals held a meeting Tuesday to discuss how much the drought is hurting their livelihood.
Some data point to a downturn, but other data are positive. Fed action is crucial in determining what happens now.
The drought has been taking its toll everywhere: people's daily lives, their pocketbooks and municipalities' public utilities budgets. Raleigh officials were considering a 50 percent surcharge to pass that cost onto residents.
Wake County market hit worst of all as value of homes sold also declines, latest statistics show. However, sales prices increase in Durham, Johnston, Orange counties. Top realtor exec sees better prospects in ’08.
You Decide: A closer look shows personal, government debt pictures may not be as bad as many people say.
Governor sends in ‘Rapid Response Team’ to help affected employees.
The City Council on Tuesday approved several of Mayor Charles Meeker's suggestions to slash local water consumption, but council members held off on his two most controversial ideas: a 25-gallon individual daily limit on water and a temporary 50 percent increase in water rates.
Several staff positions have been filled for $5M effort funded by General Assembly.
N.C. Bankers, N.C. Chamber team up for event featuring top economist from home builders group. Wachovia’s top economist to discuss Triangle.
Multiple doses of reality delivered at Economic Forecast Forum predict a tough year ahead – but not necessarily a recession.
The new year could bring a slightly slower pace to Wake County's economy, as the turmoil in the national housing market could produce a ripple effect locally, observers said.
President Bush signed into law Wednesday a new energy bill that called for more fuel-efficient vehicles and required an boost in the use of ethanol made from corn.
As crews began tapping an abandoned quarry Monday to deliver more water to the city, one Durham official called for a 10 percent surcharge on local water bills to help pay for the costs of the ongoing drought.
Qimonda, which is based in Germany, is closing plant in Vermont. Some workers in Cary could be displaced through consolidation, spokesperson says.
The nonprofit marketplace is big business in North Carolina, and growing fast. Nonprofits provide nearly 213,000 jobs in the state and pump $25.8 billion into its economy, a new study says.
The reconstruction of the Waverly Place shopping center in Cary is leading a trend toward mix-used development across Wake County.
However a ‘roller coaster’ end to ’07 will mean slow start in new year, says UNCC professor.
Counties will have to make up for an expected $65 billion shortfall in the state's transportation budget over the next 25 years. Leaders met Tuesday to talk about the issue.
100 permanent jobs are part of the benefit Hoke County hopes to reap from construction of the state's first ethanol plant.
If users participate, programs could save equivalent of 12 conventional power plants a year, company says.
Data show the Triangle is feeling the effects of the national real estate crisis. Only Orange County has remained immune to the wave of foreclosures.
A new plant in Roxboro will manufacture armed vehicles for the military and bring a boost into the state's economy.
Mayor Charles Meeker on Thursday called for higher impact fees for new development, year-round water conservation measures and improved transit services across Raleigh.
RTP Product Pipeline: Survey shows support for incentive programs to lure business. But what about an alternative?
There were more signs Monday that the national housing slump has hit the Triangle. According to the N.C. Association of Realtors, existing home sales dropped 24 percent for the month of September compared with the same month last year.
Emergent, Icarus, Red Storm, Funcom, Destineer, Vicious Cycle, Themis Group are in hiring mode as region’s game sector continues growth.
The company's plans do not align with growth targets required to collect the money.
Black-owned businesses are a staple on Durham's Parrish Street. Across the state, they account for more than 85,000 jobs and contribute about $44 billion to the state's economy.
You Decide: Like in many other economic categories and in pricing, lower rates help some people and businesses but hurt others.
A Consumer Reports survey revealed the best and worst credit cards and what issuers give top deals and service.
Blaming questionable business practices for a record number of foreclosures in recent weeks, especially on sub-prime loans, State Treasurer Richard Moore on Tuesday unveiled a list of principles he said would protect buyers from purchasing homes they can't afford.
NCBA Business Barometer: Variety of statistics show economy should continue to grow.
The "Green Industry" creates 152,000 jobs in the state and brings $8.6 billion into the economy each year – or has been.
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