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State College company expands access to critical water loss technology

STATE COLLEGE — A State College-based company is playing a key role in addressing one of the most urgent challenges facing U.S. water infrastructure: the massive loss of treated drinking water due to aging systems and undetected leaks. Fluid Conservation Systems (FCS) has partnered with Core & Main, a leading national distributor of water infrastructure products, to expand access to FCS’s advanced leak detection and pressure monitoring technologies. These tools are designed to help utilities identify and fix leaks early — before they result in major water loss, service ...

West announces addition of nearly 100 new jobs to its manufacturing site in Williamsport

WILLIAMSPORT — West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE: WST), a global leader in innovative solutions for injectable drug administration, announced it will hire nearly 100 new roles to support increased drug delivery needs of chronic disease treatments such as diabetes and obesity as part of a recent contract manufacturing capacity expansion at its site in Williamsport. Hiring has started and will continue through the first quarter of 2026. West currently employs over 580 people across two locations in the Lycoming County area, with another manufacturing location in Jersey Shore. ...

US inflation gauge cools with little sign of tariff impact so far

WASHINGTON (AP) — A key U.S. inflation gauge slowed last month as President Donald Trump’s tariffs have yet to noticeably push up prices. Spending by Americans slowed despite rising incomes, potentially an early reaction to higher prices on some imported goods. Friday’s report from the Commerce Department showed that consumer prices rose just 2.1% in April compared with a year earlier, down from 2.3% in March and the lowest since September. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices rose 2.5% from a year earlier, below the March figure of 2.7%, and the lowest ...

Why are more shoppers struggling to repay ‘buy now, pay later’ loans?

NEW YORK (AP) — More Klarna customers are having trouble repaying their “buy now, pay later" loans, the short-term lender said this week. The disclosure corresponded with reports by lending platforms Bankrate and LendingTree, which cited an increasing share of all “buy now, pay later” ...

Homeowners spend on renovations and repairs despite the uncertain economy and higher prices

LOS ANGELES (AP) — U.S. homeowners are spending more on home renovation projects, bucking a broader pullback by consumers amid diminished confidence in the economy. Sales at building materials and garden supply retailers rose 0.8% last month from March, the biggest gain since 2022, and were up 3.2% from April last year. At the same time, U.S. retail sales overall rose 0.1%, a sharp slowdown from March. The trend comes even as prices for home improvement products have been rising. The cost of home repairs and remodeling climbed by nearly 4% in the first quarter from a year ...