Business & Economy

Liberty Diversified International's chairman and CEO informed the city of Brainerd Tuesday the company was no longer interested in buying the plant, citing environmental concerns.

Americans started thinking differently about U.S. dependence on imported oil 40 years ago Sunday. Decades later, the U.S. is in the midst of a homegrown energy boom.

San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit officials and union leaders are offering what they say are solutions to a strike that scrambled the commute for hundreds of thousands of workers, who faced clogged highways and crowded buses.

Retailers hope that short-term uncertainty over potential default on U.S. debt won't stop Americans from spending during the busiest shopping period of the year, but they're fearful that it will.

Surveys indicate that in four years of study, college students will typically spend $2,500 or more on textbooks - from new books to used books and rentals. A St. Paul company is cashing in on student frustration with high textbook prices by offering less expensive electronic and print-on-demand alternatives.

The New York Stock Exchange isn't taking any chances with Twitter's initial public offering.

In recent weeks, economists have been worrying about the negative impact of the now-ended government shutdown and potential debt crisis. But away from Capitol Hill, the economy has been getting a big boost: gasoline prices have been declining, week after week.

The walkout officially began at midnight Thursday and it comes after six months of on-again, off-again talks fell apart. The impasse came after a marathon negotiating session that led the agency and its two largest unions closer to a contract deal.

Some economists say that without government input, their forecasts are like flying blind. Even though federal offices were reopened on Thursday morning, government economists have not yet been able to release their long-delayed reports.

Union workers are threatening to go on strike at midnight unless San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit agrees to enter arbitration after a marathon negotiating session with management and its two largest unions came to a halt Thursday.