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Governors Pitch Novel Tactics to Create Jobs
Nurse practitioners Michele Knappe, left, and Julie Zimmer go over a patient’s chart at Ingalls Family Care Center in Flossmoor, Ill. The need for health care workers is expected to surge in the next decade, and several governors are pushing proposals designed to attract more qualified applicants. (AP) As the U.S. economy gains strength and […]
States Risk Losing Millions of Federal Work-Share Dollars
Workers like these at ESCO Corp. last year participated in a work-share program that prevented layoffs at the Portland-based company, which makes parts for oil and gas industries. The U.S. government is giving states $100 million for work-share. (Credit: ESCO Corp.) State legislatures must act this year or possibly lose their share of $100 million […]
Target Data Breach Highlights State Privacy Role
At the urging of state attorneys general, Target is offering one year of free credit monitoring in the wake of last month’s massive data breach. States are taking a more active role in protecting online privacy. (AP) The recent data breach at Target highlights the growing role of states in protecting people’s online data and […]
Which States Will Generate Jobs in 2014?
After four years of a fragile and uneven recovery, the U.S. job machine is likely to kick into high gear in 2014. Even recession-battered states such as Arizona and Florida are expected to generate jobs at a healthier clip. Overall, the U.S. economy is projected to generate 2.6 million jobs in 2014 year, up from […]
States Crack Down on ‘Cramming’ Phone Scams
When a mysterious, unauthorized fee appears on your cellphone bill, it’s called “cramming.” States are working with major phone carriers to prevent such scams, especially as more Americans ditch landlines for wireless phones. (AP) States are stepping up efforts to help consumers who find mysterious, and usually bogus, charges on their phone bills. Some 12,500 […]
Indian Tribes, States Eye Online Gambling
A computer screen displays the results of a losing game of slots in Atlantic City. New Jersey is one of only three states that allow online gambling, but some Indian tribes are talking to state officials about complementing their brick-and-mortar casinos with Internet betting. (AP) American Indian tribes have 460 gaming facilities in 28 states, […]
High Foreclosure States Fail to Get Aid to Homeowners
A sign offering help to homeowners in foreclosure proceedings stands by a street in Pembroke Pines, Fla. Florida has the nation’s highest foreclosure rate, but it and many other states are underutilizing a federal fund designed to help homeowners. (AP) Some of the states hit hardest by the foreclosure crisis aren’t spending millions of dollars […]
State AGs Target Patent Trolls to Protect Businesses
Caption Vermont’s Attorney General Bill Sorrell says the patent system is broken. He was the first to go after “patent trolls” using the state’s consumer protection law. (AP) A handful of states have launched aggressive efforts to thwart so-called “patent trolls” that have bedeviled businesses ranging from giants like Amazon and Facebook to mom-and-pop stores. […]
Nine States Have Jobless Rates Higher Than U.S. Average
Caption Job seekers at this Florida job fair in Miami Lakes check out companies offering more than 2,000 employment opportunities. Florida added the most jobs in the last month. (AP) Nevada once again leads the nation with the highest unemployment rate, but its 9.3 percent rate in October is the lowest in five years. Nationwide, […]
States Launch Programs to Help Veterans Find Jobs
Air Force veteran Brett Culver, left, talks with Texas state trooper Deon Cockrell at a Recruit Military job fair in Oklahoma City. Young veterans have a harder time finding work. (AP) The overall unemployment rate for veterans is steadily declining, but veterans are having better luck landing work in Virginia and Texas than they are […]
Vampires, Zombies Haunt Some States’ Housing Markets
This home in Detroit represents a typical “zombie” because the property is still going through the foreclosure process but the resident has already fled. Zombies can drag down property values. (AP) Vampires and zombies aren’t just for Halloween and Hollywood. The real estate industry uses these terms to describe certain kinds of foreclosed homes. And […]
Home Repossessions Are Up in Half the States
An auction sign in front of a home in Salem, Ore. Foreclosure starts in the state increased more than 250 percent in the third quarter. During the same period, Kentucky had the largest increase in the number of bank repossessions of foreclosed homes, with 67 percent. (AP) Florida still leads the country in overall foreclosure […]