Trump says he wants government to buy $200B in mortgage bonds in a push to bring down mortgage rates

January 10, 2026

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said on social media Thursday that he is directing the federal government to buy $200 billion in mortgage bonds, a move he said would help reduce mortgage rates at a time when Americans are worried about home prices. Trump and the White House have been trying to show they are responding to voter concerns about affordability ahead of midterm elections in November. Home prices have generally risen faster than incomes because of a persistent construction shortfall, making it harder for renters to buy their first home and for existing owners to ...

Some Warren Buffett wisdom as he concludes leading Berkshire Hathaway

January 3, 2026

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The advice that legendary investor Warren Buffett offered on investing and life over the years helped earn him legions of followers who eagerly read his annual letters and filled an arena in Omaha every year to listen to him at Berkshire Hathaway’s annual ...

Farmers can now learn how much aid they will get from the Trump admin

January 3, 2026

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Farmers are now learning how much aid they can expect to receive from a $12 billion package that President Donald Trump announced earlier this month. The U.S. Department of Agriculture released the figures Wednesday for how much aid per acre farmers can plan on for each row crop. The details arrived after most farmers have already met with their bankers to arrange financing for next year’s crops and placed orders for the seed and fertilizer they will need. But officials have promised that the payments should arrive by the end of February. Soybean farmers have ...

Coploff, Ryan & Houser temporarily relocates, extends thanks to community

December 27, 2025

LOCK HAVEN — On Sunday night, Dec. 21, 2025, the building at 136 East Water Street in Lock Haven, occupied by the law offices of Coploff, Ryan & Houser and two residential apartments, was badly damaged by a fire. Within just four hours, heroic efforts to put out the two-alarm fire were ...

US economy expands at a surprisingly strong 4.3% annual rate in the third quarter

December 24, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy grew at a surprisingly strong 4.3% annual rate in the third quarter, the most rapid expansion in two years, as government and consumer spending, as well as exports, all increased. U.S. gross domestic product from July through September — the economy’s ...

Consumer confidence slides in December to lowest level since US tariffs rolled out in April

December 24, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumers confidence in the economy was shaken in December as Americans grow anxious about high prices and the impact of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs. The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index fell 3.8 points to 89.1 in December from November’s upwardly revised reading of 92.9. That is close to the 85.7 reading from April, when Trump rolled out his import taxes on U.S. trading partners. A measure of Americans’ short-term expectations for their income, business conditions and the job market remained stable at 70.7, but ...