Crash shines light on immigrants in Christmas tree workforce

GERVAIS, Ore. (AP) — It was nighttime when Pedro Lucas came home, clutching receipts showing he had paid a funeral home to have the bodies of three immigrant laborers returned to Guatemala from Oregon. The three, including two of Lucas' cousins, were killed when a pickup truck slammed into a van carrying...

Report faults Census Bureau for hiring sex offender in NC

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The U.S. Census Bureau didn't follow its guidelines when it hired a registered sex offender in North Carolina last year, raising questions about the agency's judgment, according to an Inspector General's report made public Thursday. Even though the man disclosed his prior arrest, and...

UN chief warns against 'survival of the richest' on climate

MADRID (AP) — Failure to tackle global warming could result in economic disaster, the United Nations Secretary-General warned Thursday in Madrid, as negotiators at the U.N. climate talks remained deadlocked over key issues. António Guterres said unrestrained climate change would allow only the...

Detroit tops list of hard-to-count cities ahead of census

DETROIT (AP) — When the U.S. Census Bureau starts counting people next year in Detroit, obstacles are bound to arise: The city has tens of thousands of vacant houses, sparse internet access and high poverty — factors that will make it the toughest community to tally. Other Rust Belt towns that have...

UAW workers ratify new contract with Fiat Chrysler

DETROIT (AP) — Unionized workers at Fiat Chrysler have voted overwhelmingly to approve a new four-year contract with the company. The ratification means the United Auto Workers union has settled with all three Detroit automakers. General Motors workers ratified an agreement in October after a 40-day...

GM lending $40M to startup company buying closed Ohio plant

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — General Motors has agreed to loan $40 million to a newly formed company that wants to make electric pickup trucks at a massive Ohio assembly plant GM shut down earlier this year. The agreement between the two companies also would allow GM to buy back the plant up until next May,...

Census Bureau head says IT concerns are being remedied

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Information technology problems at the U.S. Census Bureau have been fixed or are in the process of being remedied, despite recent reports raising concerns about the bureau’s preparedness for the 2020 Census, the agency’s director said Monday. Census Bureau director Steven...

Q&A: Does a manufacturing slump threaten the US economy?

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defying fears and predictions, the U.S. economy is still shrugging off President Donald Trump’s trade conflicts. Employers added a sizzling 266,000 jobs in November, and unemployment matched a 50-year low of 3.5% — all while the Trump administration is waging a bruising...

Amazon says delivery times back to normal after delays

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon said Friday that it's back to delivering its packages on time after bad weather and a rush of orders caused some delays earlier in the week. “We quickly re-balanced capacity and it’s all systems go now,” tweeted Amazon executive Dave Clark, who oversees Amazon's...

US employers add robust 266,000 jobs in November; unemployment falls to 50-year low of 3.5%