Jobless rate tops 10% for first time since 1983

WASHINGTON (AP) - The unemployment rate has hit double digits for the first time since 1983 - and is likely to go higher.

Gazette delivery workers protest shift to outside firm

NORTHAMPTON - Upset with new employment conditions, a half dozen Gazette newspaper carriers picketed outside the company's Conz Street offices Thursday, holding signs that read, "Keep our Hometown Paper Hometown" and "Carriers are the Backbone of Newspaper Delivery."

Dana shedding Chevy to be stand-alone VW dealer

NORTHAMPTON - Dana Automotive, reacting to ultimatums from General Motors, will sever its Chevrolet franchise by the end of December and exclusively sell Volkswagen vehicles by the first of the year. The dealership has operated as a dual-brand shop featuring Chevrolet and Volkswagen vehicles for over 17 years.

JPMorgan settles with SEC for over $700M

WASHINGTON - JPMorgan Chase & Co. has agreed to a settlement worth more than $700 million over federal regulators' charges that it made unlawful payments to friends of public officials to win municipal bond business in Jefferson County, Ala.

Stocks lose gains in last hour

NEW YORK - A late-day slump left stocks mixed Wednesday as investors couldn't hold on to their optimism after the Federal Reserve gave an encouraging assessment of the economy.

The Dow Jones industrial average, up more than 150 points after the Fed described the economy as showing more signs of recovery, closed up 30. The broader indexes were narrowly mixed.

House votes to speed up credit card regulations

WASHINGTON - The House voted on Wednesday to impose immediately tough new rules for credit card companies after voters complained of increased interest rates and steep new fees.

The bill, approved 331-92, would accelerate the enactment date of legislation passed this spring that limits when and how banks can charge borrowers.

Clunkers did little for fuel economy

WASHINGTON - The most common deals under the government's $3 billion Cash for Clunkers program, aimed at putting more fuel-efficient cars on the road, replaced old Ford or Chevrolet pickups with new ones that got only marginally better gas mileage, according to an analysis of new federal data by The Associated Press.