The Bay Area job market, a long-time engine for California’s economy, has sputtered badly in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, reflecting a profound shift in the fortunes of Silicon Valley.

The slowdown is so pronounced that the region has become a drag on California’s job market. In 2024, job growth in the state ranked only 37th among ...Read more

California homeowners were just reminded that the financial backstop of last resort for houses destroyed by wildfires is … other California homeowners. It’s a sign of what’s in store for the rest of the country when too many homes lack adequate protection from the growing risk of natural disasters.

Last week, surprising no one, California...Read more

ROME, Georgia — For all of his 75 years, Alvin Jackson has called this city in the Appalachian foothills of northwest Georgia his home.

Like many in the town of about 40,000 residents, Jackson has quenched his thirst with water that comes straight out of his tap. For decades, Jackson thought little about what was in that water, which is ...Read more

Southwest Airlines Co. will cut about 1,750 jobs in its leadership ranks, a dramatic step to reduce expenses that mark the first layoffs in the carrier’s history.

The pullback will impact 15% of corporate positions, including senior leadership and directors, the airline said in a statement Sunday. The reductions start in late April and will ...Read more

Over the past few weeks, the Trump administration has set its sights on another federal agency it believes needs to be culled, aiming to curtail the work of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

From trying to get medical debt off credit reports to going after a student loan servicer, the work of the CFPB has touched many aspects of ...Read more

A political titan has filed a provocative bill he says will reduce insurance costs in Florida — and the insurance industry doesn’t like his proposals.

One provision would roll back recent restrictions on fees that attorneys can collect when they sue insurers. Another provision would require insurers to publicly disclose their companies’ ...Read more

The future of the federal government’s footprint in Chicago is uncertain as the Trump administration embarks on a plan to shed up to half of all government office space across the nation, while also shrinking the federal workforce.

The federal government owns 19 properties in Chicago, including the John C. Kluczynski Federal Building and the ...Read more

A union representing air safety personnel said it’s reviewing the fallout from a slew of firings late Friday that affected U.S. Federal Aviation Administration employees, just a few weeks after the worst U.S. civil aviation disaster in decades.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, which represents air-traffic controllers, ...Read more

ORLANDO, Florida — Walt Disney World has been a regular destination for Tim Bishop and his family for years, but that’s all over now.

The 56-year-old Toronto-area real estate agent is crossing Florida off his travel list and taking his money elsewhere.

“Any Canadian who has a lick of national pride should be rethinking their U.S. travel ...Read more

More than a decade ago, outcries about the lack of diversity in the tech industry reverberated across major Silicon Valley companies from Facebook to Google.

Women and minorities spoke out about feeling out of place in male-dominated professions, civil rights activists urged businesses to do more and tech workers like Tracy Chou, who was a ...Read more

The founder of a cryptocurrency token business in Miami has been sentenced to 27 months in prison for committing wire fraud during the last crypto boom and ordered to pay victims $1.14 million.

Austin Michael Taylor, 41, founded CluCoin, a cryptocurrency project, which held a successful Initial Coin Offering in May 2021. An ICO, like an IPO ...Read more

If you’re changing jobs or have been laid off, chances are that your 401(k) account is the last thing on your mind. But it pays to include that money in your moving plans — even if you don’t deal with it right away.

Fortunately, these workplace retirement accounts are designed to be portable. However, moving your 401(k) and choosing when...Read more

After more than a century of churning out fuel on the banks of the Houston Ship Channel, the city’s oldest refinery is preparing to shut down, potentially putting hundreds of people out of work. Its competitors are welcoming its demise.

The closure of the plant — built by industrialist Harry Sinclair in 1918 and now owned by petrochemicals ...Read more

Q: When using fuel system cleaner, why is it recommended that the gas tank be almost empty and to run the tank almost empty before the next fill-up?

D.N., Tinley Park, Illinois

A: I always recommend using the additive with a full tank of gas. Pour in the additive and then fill the tank. This blends it for the preferred concentration. Running ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — Workers at Amazon’s hulking fulfillment center in Garner voted against unionizing, according to election results announced Saturday, marking a defeat for the independent union that had aimed to make history in the nation’s least organized state.

The union election, conducted between Monday and noon Saturday and overseen by...Read more

Apple and Google have restored TikTok to their U.S. app stores after President Trump delayed enforcement of a law that requires the popular video app to divest or face a nationwide ban.

The tech companies removed TikTok nearly a month ago to comply with the law, which went into effect Jan. 19.

A day later, on his first day in office, Trump ...Read more