Government And Institutions

When American freight trains delivered cargo after World War II, the steam-belching beasts commonly had seven people aboard — an engineer, a conductor, up to four brakemen and a fireman.

City officials in the North Dakota oil patch say they are forging ahead with housing and infrastructure projects, despite an expected downturn in drilling in the next year.

New York regulators say Bank Leumi will pay $130 million and has fired two senior employees to settle an investigation into a scheme to help U.S. clients evade federal and state taxes.

Michigan lawmakers were entitled to correct a mistake by retroactively clarifying that they never intended for out-of-state companies to lessen their tax liability under a 2007 business tax overhaul, a judge ruled.

Gov. David Ige has released the first draft of Hawaii's $25.7 billion budget that covers the next two fiscal years.

Figures on government spending and debt (last six digits are eliminated).

California's largest power utility released a dozen more emails Monday that it said showed improper back-channel discussions between the utility and top state regulators.

People familiar with the case tell The Associated Press that U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm of New York City is planning to plead guilty to a tax evasion charge instead of going to trial next month.

Cargill aims to sell more corn and soybeans.

Gas flaring in the most profitable shale field in the U.S. is on pace to surpass to 2013 levels of waste and pollution in South Texas, according to a newspaper analysis of state records published Sunday.

When the Washington Supreme Court told the Legislature it needed to fix the way the state pays for public schools, it also ordered lawmakers to stop relying so much on local levy dollars to pay for basic education.

While environmental groups are doing a victory dance over New York's decision to ban fracking, farmers such as apple grower David Johnson are grieving for dashed hopes and dreams.

Illinois farm groups are looking to Cuba as a growing market for corn, soybeans, pork and other products the state produces, and they see the state's access to rail and river transportation as an advantage to trade with the Caribbean island nation of 11 million consumers.

President Barack Obama's announcement this week to normalize diplomatic relations with Cuba and ease some economic restrictions has been closely followed in Kansas, as the move could open up a major market for winter wheat producers.

The incoming head of the natural gas utility working to extend a pipeline from Colchester to Vergennes and eventually Middlebury and Rutland said Friday the cost estimate for the first phase of the project is now $154 million, a 27 percent increase in the amount approved by state regulators in October.

T-Mobile US will issue up to $90 million in refunds for billing customers for cellphone text services they didn't order, under a settlement with federal regulators.

Oil's plunge is spreading both pain and gain across the globe.

Regulators have closed a small lender, the 18th bank failure in the U.S. this year after 24 closures in 2013.

Oil's slump didn't just hit the stock market, it's shaken up the junk-bond market, too.

President Barack Obama says he will try to undertake an overhaul of the tax system with the new Republican majorities in Congress.