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Jobless rate in Ohio dips down to 4.3%

Ohio’s unemployment rate stood at 4.3% in January, down from 4.4% in December, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services reported Friday. Ohio’s nonagricultural wage and salary employment increased 16,300 over the month, from a revised 5,663,400 in December to 5,679,700 in January. The number of workers unemployed in Ohio in January was 255,000, down from 258,000 in December. The number of unemployed has decreased by 34,000 in the past 12 months from 289,000. The January unemployment rate for Ohio decreased 0.5 percentage points from 4.8% in January 2025. The U.S. ...

GM leads nation in 1st-quarter auto sales

Despite a drop of nearly 10 percentage points from the previous year, General Motors leads the nation in auto sales. GM sales in the first quarter of 2026 totaled 626,429 vehicles, the company reported this week in its news release. Chevrolet’s Silverado line accounted for 128,818 of its ...

US economy rebounds strongly with 178,000 new jobs

WASHINGTON (AP) — American employers added a surprisingly strong 178,000 jobs last month, rebounding from a dismal February. And the unemployment rate dipped to 4.3%. The Labor Department reported Friday that hiring marked a turnaround from the loss of 133,000 jobs in February. The job gains were about three times what economists had forecast. But uncertainty surrounding the war with Iran — and its impact on energy prices — is clouding the outlook for the labor market. The unemployment rate was down from 4.4% in February. That is partly because the labor force — those ...

Dizzying fuel prices are determined by factors that are largely outside of a gas station’s control

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The near-daily changes in U.S. gas prices are dizzying for drivers, who are left feeling frustrated and cash-strapped by the highest fuel costs since 2022. With the Iran war pushing up prices worldwide, the U.S. average for a gallon of gas topped $4 on Tuesday, according to AAA. The uncertainty at the pump is trickling down from a massive, volatile oil and gas market that’s making it hard for gas stations to keep up. Oil prices soared when U.S. markets opened Thursday following President Donald Trump’s speech Wednesday promising to hit Iran “extremely ...

Retail sales rose in February before the Iran war, which threatens to derail spending

NEW YORK (AP) — Shoppers increased their spending in February before gasoline prices spiked because of the attacks on Iran by the U.S. and Israel. Retail sales rose a better-than-expected 0.6% in February, from a revised 0.1% decline in January, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. Retail analysts say it was a strong showing given that inflation has rattled American households, but that the war in Iran may have dented the psyche of consumers with spending on gasoline racing higher over the past five weeks. “While the overall numbers are good and suggest a continued ...

Hershey to return to classic recipe for all Reese’s products after criticism

Hershey said Wednesday it will use classic recipes for all Reese’s products starting next year, a change that comes after the grandson of Reese’s founder criticized the company for shifting to cheaper ingredients. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups have always been made with real milk chocolate or dark chocolate and peanut butter. But a small portion of Hershey’s and Reese’s products, like mini Easter eggs, are now made with a coating that contains less chocolate. Hershey said that in 2027, it will shift those products to “their classic milk chocolate and dark chocolate ...