Wal-Mart workers to see $9 wage minimum
By Lucy Ren Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced on Thursday that approximately 500,000 associates at its U.S. stores would receive a minimum hourly pay of $9 in April, a 24 percent increase from today’s federal minimum wage. Wal-Mart U.S. will increase its minimum monthly wage by another dollar by next February. According to President and Chief […]
Fed minutes: ‘many’ favor delaying interest rate hike
By Lucy Ren The majority of the participants at the January Federal Open Market Committee meeting leaned towards delaying the interest rate hike, according to the FOMC’s January meeting minutes released on Wednesday.
U.S. Import Prices Decline By the Largest Amount in 6 Years
By Lucy Ren U.S. import prices in January declined by the greatest amount since December 2008, driven by plunging fuel prices and the strengthening of the U.S. dollar. Import prices fell 2.8 percent from December, missing the economists’ forecast average of a 3.1 percent drop compiled by Bloomberg.
Rauner Declares ‘Fair Share’ Fees a Violation of First Amendment
By Lucy Ren Governor Bruce Rauner declares in a federal lawsuit that the “fair share” union fees are “unconstitutional,” as the Supreme Court has repeated recognized from recent cases that “compelling a state employee to financially support a public sector union seriously impinges upon the free speech and association interests protected by the First Amendment.” […]
DeVry’s stock tanks as enrollment declines
By Lucy Ren The stock of DeVry Education Group Inc., one of the largest educational organizations in the world with subsidiaries including Carrington College and DeVry University, plummeted 18.1 percent, as the company’s adjusted earnings per share of 75 cents fell short of the consensus estimate of 78 cents.
Rising Dollar Exacerbates U.S. Trade Deficit
By Lucy Ren The U.S. trade deficit went up 17.1 percent to $46.6 billion in December. Impacted by the strong dollar, exports decreased by 0.8 percent and imports expanded by 2.2 percent, the highest growth since March. For all 2014, the U.S. goods and services deficit increased 6 percent to $505 billion. Exports rose 2.9 […]
For-Profit College Agrees to Forgive Almost Half a Billion in Student Debt
By Lucy Ren Troubled for-profit college chain Corinthian Colleges Inc. agreed with the U.S. Department of Education and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to forgive at least $480 million on private student loans, marking an “unprecedented debt relief,” according to CFPB Spokeswoman Moira Vahey. The debt relief announced on Tuesday marks a 40 percent […]
Illinois Saw the Largest Unemployment Rate Decline in U.S.
By Lucy Ren Thirty states had statistically significant unemployment rate declines over the year of 2014, the largest of which occurred in Illinois, while the only significant rate increase occurred in Louisiana, according to a release by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Initial Jobless Claims Down, Continuing Claims Up
By Lucy Ren Initial jobless claims for the week ended Jan. 17 declined 10,000 from the previous week’s level, but the four-week moving average increased by 2.2 percent, and continuing claims for the week ended Jan.10 also increased. The four-week moving average rose by 6,500 to 306,500 for the week ended on Jan.17. Continuing claims […]
Striking out ALS one pitch at a time
By Emily Iannaconi Medill Reports As the Boston College players perch on the top step of the dugout, their arms touch the red flag with a white ribbon that looks like a baseball and has the words “Strike Out ALS” inscribed in blue lettering. No matter where or when they play, the Eagles support and […]
