News

NY Seeks Change On Tax Breaks For Manufacturing Jobs

January 8, 2010 4:02 am | by Michael Virtanen, Associated Press Writer | Comments

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The Paterson administration wants to change the way New York businesses get tax breaks for job creation, proposing credits for research and development, capital investment and payroll costs for new jobs in high technology, biotechnology, clean energy, finance and manufacturing.

Executives Covered Up Death Toll In Chinese Gas Leak

January 8, 2010 3:42 am | Comments

BEIJING (AP) — State media says 21 workers were killed by a gas leak at a factory in northern China earlier this week after executives were caught underreporting the number of deaths. The Xinhua News Agency says workers were poisoned after a gas pipeline broke at the Hebei Puyang Iron and Steel Co.

TVA Coal Spill A $428 Million Payday To Contractors

January 8, 2010 3:34 am | Comments

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Cleaning up the Tennessee Valley Authority's coal ash spill at Kingston is already delivering big paydays for some contractors and it's a tab rate payers should be watching. The nation's largest public utility has open contracts that total $428.5 million. A review of the contracts by The Knoxville News Sentinel shows that 10 firms are under contract to make more than $10 million each from the first phase of the cleanup.

Dutch Spyker Tosses Out Last-Ditch Bid For Saab

January 8, 2010 3:23 am | by Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writer | Comments

DETROIT (AP) — Hopes to keep Swedish car company Saab alive flickered Thursday as Dutch exotic automaker Spyker Cars made another bid to buy the troubled brand from General Motors, but a person briefed on the dealings said GM remains skeptical that Saab can be saved. Spyker confirmed in a statement issued Thursday evening that it made the last-minute offer, which came a day after GM's interim CEO, Ed Whitacre Jr.

Ind. Steel Plant Explosion Kills 1, Injures 4

January 8, 2010 3:20 am | Comments

PORTAGE, Ind. (AP) — An explosion at a steel plant in Indiana killed one worker and injured four more on Thursday, a fire official said. Portage Fire Chief Bill Lundy said the evening blast at the Beta Steel Corp. plant may have happened because water somehow met with molten steel.

Suspect In ABB Shooting Unhappy At Work, Says Neighbors

January 8, 2010 3:18 am | by Cheryl Wittenauer, Associated Press Writer | Comments

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The man widely identified as the gunman in a fatal shooting spree at a St. Louis industrialplant was described as an amicable family man and good neighbor, who would rake an elder's leaves and bring him holiday treats. But 51-year-old Timothy Hendron of Webster Groves, a St.

Shooting At St. Louis ABB Plant Claims Three Victims

January 7, 2010 10:33 am | by Jim Salter, Associated Press Writer | Comments

ST. LOUIS (AP) — An employee of a St. Louis manufacturing plant walked in with an assault rifle and a handgun on Thursday morning and opened fire, killing at least three people and wounding five others, authorities said. Several hours after the shooting, police were still inside Swiss-based ABB Group's plant, going room to room in a search for both the gunman and additional victims, police Capt.

Google Picks Fight With Apple Over New Hardware

January 6, 2010 4:04 am | by Michael Liedtke, AP Technology Writer | Comments

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP) — The once-cuddly relationship between Google Inc. and Apple Inc. is morphing into a prickly power struggle as the ambitions and ideas of the technology trendsetters increasingly collide. The growing use of high-powered phones for Web surfing has become a flash point in the brewing battle because both Google and Apple view the mobile market as a key to their continued success in the next decade.

Electric Car Maker Reopens Plant In Downtrodden Elkhart

January 6, 2010 3:44 am | Comments

ELKHART, Ind. (AP) — An electric car maker plans to open a factory in a northern Indiana plant that once made parts for recreational vehicles. State and local officials joined executives from Think North America for an official announcement Tuesday. The plant in Elkhart will be Think North America's first in the U.

U.S. Automakers Hopeful After Worst Year In Decades

January 6, 2010 3:38 am | by Dee-Ann Durbin and Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writers | Comments

DETROIT (AP) — Automakers in the U.S. ended their worst year in almost three decades with hints of a recovery in December. Many, especially those selling small or inexpensive vehicles, reported improvements last month and expressed hope for a mildly better 2010. It was a positive finish to one of the toughest years on record for the industry, with U.

Coal Miners Afflicted By Mysterious Razor Blades

January 6, 2010 3:33 am | Comments

GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) — The Campbell County Sheriff's Office is investigating a series of incidents involving razor blades at the North Antelope-Rochelle coal mine in Campbell County. Officials say someone put a razor blade in a pair of gloves used for working with high-voltage equipment in October.

Senator Bingaman: Cap-and-Trade Unlikely This Year

January 6, 2010 3:27 am | by Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press Writer | Comments

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The chairman of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee said Tuesday that it's unclear whether Congress will be able to pass cap and trade legislation aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions this year. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., said there's no consensus on what form a cap-and-trade system would take, but strong desire exists in both the Senate and House to pass other energy-related bills that would curb pollution blamed for global warming.

GM Sales Decline 30 Percent In 2009

January 6, 2010 3:25 am | Comments

DETROIT (AP) — General Motors said Tuesday its 2009 sales fell 30 percent and December sales fell 5.7 percent. BY THE NUMBERS: Sales fell to 207,538 vehicles in December from 220,030 a year earlier. For all of 2009, sales fell to 2.1 million vehicles from about 3 million. THE DIVISIONS: In December, car sales fell 9 percent to 79,417 from 87,506 while light truck sales fell 3 percent to 128,121 from 132,524.

Three Arrested In $100,000 Scrap Metal Theft From GM

January 6, 2010 3:23 am | Comments

FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Authorities say three people suspected of stealing metal from an idled General Motors Corp. plant in Flint have been arrested. Police said two men and one woman were arrested about 11:30 p.m. Sunday at the Buick City complex about 55 miles northwest of Detroit and are being held at the Genesee County Jail.

Japanese Auto Sales Hit 38-Year Low

January 5, 2010 3:55 am | Comments

TOKYO (AP) — Auto sales in Japan declined to their lowest in 38 years, slumping 9 percent to 2.9 million vehicles for 2009, an industry group said Tuesday. Auto sales have been hammered by the economic slowdown as consumers tightened their pursestrings, despite tax breaks and cash-for-clunkers incentives introduced by the government.