Fading job prospects, rising inflation, high gas costs and house prices tanking have some North Carolinians worried about a recession.
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Trim fat from your grocery bill
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.
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Marina Business Booming Despite High Gas Prices
Business at Rollingview Marina on Falls Lake is booming again, despite high gas prices to fuel boats.
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Record Gas Prices Going Up, Up, Up
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.
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Higher fuel prices extend pain beyond pump
Rising costs for food and services can be linked back to record gasoline prices.
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Raleigh Growth Hurt by Mortgage, Credit Crisis
Growth in Raleigh is taking a hit amid the credit and mortgage crisis, but officials are optimistic for long-term development downtown.
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Loss of Housing Revenue Could Hurt Franklin County
Franklin County is feeling the pinch of the struggling housing market.
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Biggest Scare Factor in Business Today? Keeping Competitive Edge, UNC Professor Says
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.
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Gas stations not pumped about E85
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.
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Boaters try to keep afloat with high gas prices
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.
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Former President Pushes Health Care, Green Jobs in N.C. Campaign Stop
"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.
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Gas prices remain near record
If your Easter weekend plans include travel in the Triangle, you can expect to pay about $3.26 per gallon for gas.
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Lumber Companies Cut Back on Production, Jobs
Lumber company officials say the crisis housing market has meant bad news for their bottom line and for their workers.
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January Jobless Rate Surges in N.C. Metro Areas
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.
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Goldsboro Real Estate Market Bucks Trend
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.
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Poll: N.C. residents want mass transit, not expense
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.
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Experts: N.C. Should Ride Out Recession
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.
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Cary Gets Creative With Water Conservation
Cary is implementing four new conservation programs in an effort to get homeowners to save water.
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New Wave in Credit Cards Comes With Risks
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.
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BD to Build in Wilson, Expand in Durham
Medical technology firm will add 274 jobs and invest $134.7 million in projects. BD will receive nearly $4M in state incentives.
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Pilgrim's Pride Plant, Jobs Leaving Siler City
Layoffs at the plant, expected between mid-May and early June, could result in the elimination of up to 1,100 jobs.
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NetJets Picks Columbus – not RDU – for $200M Expansion, Hundreds of New 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.
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Bull City Job Market Among Nation’s Hottest
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.
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Job Market in Durham Among Nation’s Strongest, Survey Shows
More Raleigh, Fayetteville employers looking to trim payrolls, Manpower reports. However, Greenville, Rocky Mount job markets look positive.
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DOT Awards $54M in Highway, Bridge Contracts
The N.C. Board of Transportation awarded $54.3 million for 10 highway projects at its meeting Thursday.
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N.C. makes ‘green’ available for green entrepreneurs
The Angel Connection: Department of Commerce initiative will provide grants to companies seeking to build environmentally friendly products, services.
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Layoffs Pose Challenges for Flextronics Employees
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.
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Is Budget Standoff Brewing in Wake County?
Wake County School Superintendent Del Burns wants another $35 million for the 2008-09 operating budget. Some commissioners say that is too much.
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How Can You Judge Growth?
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.
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Motricity to Slash Jobs, Move From N.C.
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.
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Wal-Mart Scraps Plans for Knightdale Supercenter
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.
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Overhaul in Road Funding, DOT Structure Urged
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.
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Siemens Medical to Add 300 Jobs, Invest $60M at Cary Campus
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.
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Gas companies want to raise rates
PSNC, which serves the Triangle and Piedmont Natural Gas have both informed the state they will apply for a rate increase.
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Nortel to Lay Off 2,100, Move another 1,000 Jobs
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.
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Bargain Hunters Close in on Foreclosure Market
As more than 25,000 properties fall into some stage of foreclosure, people around the Triangle are turning others' losses into big gains.
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Hospitality Task Force Tackles Water Conservation
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.
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Ex-DOT Chief Proposes $1.9B in Transit Funding
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.
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Major Water Users Discuss Water Conservation Campaign
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.
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N.C. Joblessness at U.S. Average, but Triangle Does Better
The latest numbers show North Carolina at the national average of 5 percent unemployment. Industries suffering include manufacturing, construction and landscaping.
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Local Home Sellers Look to Leasing
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.
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Duke, Progress Energy Want to Expand Green Programs
Duke Energy and Progress Energy want to let customers purchase carbon credits through environmentally friendly programs administered by the nonprofit NC GreenPower.
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N.C. offers $1M in grants for ‘green,’ alternative energy technology
State program targets small companies; grants can be as much as $100,000.
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Where’s the Money? Investors Need to See Entrepreneurs Can Close a Sale
The Angel Connection: Know the value of your product or service, be the best, and make your customers offers they can’t refuse.
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RTI International to Add 600 Jobs at Raleigh Call Center
Workers will be part of $38 million federal contract for student aid study.
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GSK Gives Up Incentives Linked to Zebulon Plant Expansion
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.
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Progress Energy’s Profits, Revenues Miss Street Estimates
Stock opens lower on news of drop in earnings, falls 79 cents. Company does top Street revenue forecast for coming year.
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Drought Could Impact Business Growth, State Fair
As the drought slowly tightens its grip on North Carolina, state officials worry about its impact on the economy.
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Hospitality Industry Comes Together for H2O Conservation
A hospitality water summit, scheduled for 9 a.m. today, will be geared toward getting hotels and restaurants to conserve water.
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Meeker: Water 'Budget' Needed to Get Through Drought
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.
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DOT, Easley Take Heat for Highway Construction Delays
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.
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Audit: Delays in Highway Projects Costly
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.
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Tourism Adds $465M to Durham Economy
Tourism had a $465 million impact on Durham's economy in 2006, according to a new study.
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Downtown Raleigh Condo Sales Slide
Activity in Raleigh's downtown residential real estate market declined dramatically in recent months, but downtown boosters call it a seasonal slump and say it's not linked to the national housing slowdown.
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Bah, Humbug: Chief Financial Officers Give Collective Thumbs Down to Economy
In new survey from Duke and CFO Magazine, executives say economic outlook is bleak. However, most don’t expect a recession.
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$trong Fourth Quarter Boosts SAS Revenues to $2.15 Billion
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.
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Should You Fear a Recession?
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.
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Home Foreclosure Help's Just a Call Away
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.
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Progress Energy hopes to expand nuclear plant
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.
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Slipping House Sales Build a Buyers' Market
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.
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Triangle home builders go green
The home builders' associations in four Triangle counties have pooled their resources to encourage building environmentally friendly houses.
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Unemployment Rate Remains Stable Across Triangle
Over past year, jobs show growth in numerous RTP area metro markets.
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Tougher Water Rules Drying Up Some Green Businesses
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.
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Is the Economic Slowdown a Pause or a Recession?
Some data point to a downturn, but other data are positive. Fed action is crucial in determining what happens now.
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Raleigh Might Pass Cost of Drought Onto Residents
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.
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Triangle Home Sales Fall 19% in December, But ’08 Looking Better
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.
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Are We Being Overwhelmed by Debt? Not Necessarily
You Decide: A closer look shows personal, government debt pictures may not be as bad as many people say.
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Burlington Textile Plant Closing; 430 Workers to Lose Jobs
Governor sends in ‘Rapid Response Team’ to help affected employees.
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Raleigh Council OKs Some Water-Saving Ideas
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.
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State’s Biofuels Center opens in Oxford
Several staff positions have been filled for $5M effort funded by General Assembly.
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What’s Ahead for U.S., N.C. Economy? Forums to Offer Insight
N.C. Bankers, N.C. Chamber team up for event featuring top economist from home builders group. Wachovia’s top economist to discuss Triangle.
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Economy Is Skating on Thin Ice Entering 2008, Execs Told
Multiple doses of reality delivered at Economic Forecast Forum predict a tough year ahead – but not necessarily a recession.
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Housing Downturn to Crimp Local Economy
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.
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Folks in the Triangle React to New Energy Bill
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.
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Durham Eyes Surcharge to Boost Water Conservation
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.
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Cary Silicon Chip Facility Could Gain Jobs, Lose Some in Consolidation
Qimonda, which is based in Germany, is closing plant in Vermont. Some workers in Cary could be displaced through consolidation, spokesperson says.
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Nonprofits Are Booming in North Carolina
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.
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Live, Work, Play: Developers Want People to Do It All
The reconstruction of the Waverly Place shopping center in Cary is leading a trend toward mix-used development across Wake County.
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Economist Sees Continued Growth in ’08 for N.C. Economy
However a ‘roller coaster’ end to ’07 will mean slow start in new year, says UNCC professor.
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N.C.'s County Leaders Tackle Road Funding in Summit
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.
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Ethanol plant to rise on Raeford corn field
100 permanent jobs are part of the benefit Hoke County hopes to reap from construction of the state's first ethanol plant.
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Progress Energy spells out strategy to reduce energy demand
If users participate, programs could save equivalent of 12 conventional power plants a year, company says.
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Home Foreclosures Surge in Wake, Durham Counties
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.
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Protecting Military Could Mean Boost in State's Economy
A new plant in Roxboro will manufacture armed vehicles for the military and bring a boost into the state's economy.
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Meeker Seeks Higher Fees, More Conservation, Better Transit
Mayor Charles Meeker on Thursday called for higher impact fees for new development, year-round water conservation measures and improved transit services across Raleigh.
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A One-Horse Race: N.C.’s Reliance on Economic Incentives
RTP Product Pipeline: Survey shows support for incentive programs to lure business. But what about an alternative?
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Housing Market Worsens in Triangle
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.
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Shooting for Jobs: Triangle Fair Matches Prospects, Growing Video Game Companies
Emergent, Icarus, Red Storm, Funcom, Destineer, Vicious Cycle, Themis Group are in hiring mode as region’s game sector continues growth.
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Lenovo to Pass on $8.4 Million State Job Incentive
The company's plans do not align with growth targets required to collect the money.
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Black-Owned Businesses Contribute About $44 Billion to N.C. Economy
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.
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Interest Rate Cuts Are Double-Edged Sword
You Decide: Like in many other economic categories and in pricing, lower rates help some people and businesses but hurt others.
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What Are the Best Credit Cards to Use?
A Consumer Reports survey revealed the best and worst credit cards and what issuers give top deals and service.
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Moore: Business Principles Should Prevent Mortgage Crisis
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.
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Worried by Economy? We Will Dodge a Recession
NCBA Business Barometer: Variety of statistics show economy should continue to grow.
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Drought Takes Toll on 'Green Industry'
The "Green Industry" creates 152,000 jobs in the state and brings $8.6 billion into the economy each year – or has been.