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US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated

WASHINGTON (AP) — Wholesale costs in the United States picked up sharply last month, signaling that price pressures are still evident in the economy even though inflation has tumbled from the peak levels it hit more than two years ago. The Labor Department reported Thursday that its producer price index — which tracks inflation before it reaches consumers — rose 0.4% last month from October, up from 0.3% the month before. Measured from 12 months earlier, wholesale prices climbed 3% in November, the sharpest year-over-year rise since February 2023. Excluding volatile food and ...

Some in seafood industry see Trump as fishermen’s friend, but tariffs could make for pricier fish

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump is likely to bring big changes for one of the oldest sectors of the U.S. economy — seafood — and some in the industry believe the returning president will be more responsive to its needs. Economic analysts paint a more complicated picture, as they fear Trump’s pending trade hostilities with major trading partners Canada and China could make an already pricy kind of protein more expensive to consumers. Conservationists also fear Trump’s emphasis on government deregulation could jeopardize fish ...

Real IT Care, LLC celebrates 15th year anniversary

November 2024 marks the 15th anniversary of Real IT Care LLC, a Williamsport based company who is passionate about supporting the technology needs of small to mid-sized businesses, both locally and nationally. Whether supporting a business’s Microsoft Office 365 environment, managing a ...

Walmart’s DEI rollback signals a profound shift in the wake of Trump’s election victory

NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart’s sweeping rollback of its diversity policies is the strongest indication yet of a profound shift taking hold at U.S. companies that are re-evaluating the legal and political risks associated with bold programs to bolster historically underrepresented groups. The changes announced by the world’s biggest retailer on Monday followed a string of legal victories by conservative groups that have filed an onslaught of lawsuits challenging corporate and federal programs aimed at elevating minority and women-owned businesses and employees. The retreat from such ...

Thousands of workers march across Italy in general strike demanding better pay and services

MILAN (AP) — Thousands of teachers, health care workers, trash collectors and others walked off their jobs across Italy on Friday to protest a decline in spending power, persistently low salaries and government policies they say have weakened public services. Italy’s most powerful trade unions called the eight-hour strike and mobilized marches in cities across the country to target Premier Giorgia Meloni’s latest budget that they say penalizes schools, health care and other services. They also are pressing for a more equitable distribution of profits from private companies to ...

Starting a small business is hard. Exiting can be even harder, but planning early is the key

NEW YORK — Starting a small business is hard. Figuring out what to do with a small business when an owner is ready to retire can be even more difficult. Small business owners say it is best to have a plan well in advance of making a big change like ceding a business to someone else. Mike Roach started Paloma Clothing in Portland, Oregon, as a co-owner with his mother in 1975. In 1981, he became co-owner with his wife, Kim Osgood. But after nearly 50 years of owning the business, Roach, 74, knew he needed to start thinking about what came next. His manager, Traci Burnes, helped ...