CONSUMER NEWS

Builders step up spending for fifth straight month
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Builders increased their spending in December for the fifth consecutive month, offering more evidence of a turnaround in the battered construction industry. Housing, nonresidential construction and government projects all showed gains. The Commerce Department says spending on construction projects rose 1.5 percent in December after a revised 0.4 percent gain in November. That pushed spending to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $816.4 billion, the highest level in 20 months. Even with the gains, spending is barely half the level that economists consider healthy. Analysts say it could be four years before the industry returns to full health. Residential construction rose 0.8 percent on the strength of single-family homes. Nonresidential building jumped 3.3 percent, led by factory construction. Government spending rose 0.5 percent.
   AP-WF-02-01-12 1508GMT

Posted 3:21 AM EST on February 03, 2012

Mass.: Bone marrow donor recruiting case settled
BOSTON (AP) -- Massachusetts officials have announced an agreement that will require a bone marrow registry and medical laboratory company that used fashion models to recruit donors to pay $520,000. Attorney General Martha Coakley said Caitlin Raymond International Registry and UMass Memorial Health Ventures Inc. engaged in improper marketing by paying models to attract potential donors at malls, festivals and sporting venues. A judgment filed in court by Coakley on Thursday alleges that they also improperly waived copayments and deductible amounts for the testing of potential donors. Under the agreement, they will pay restitution to Massachusetts consumers for out-of-pocket payments made for donor testing. They will also pay the state $500,000 for initiatives to improve health care services and to combat unlawful marketing practices. Officials in New Hampshire, where the models were also used, planned a news conference Thursday afternoon.
   AP-WF-02-02-12 1722GMT

Posted 3:16 AM EST on February 03, 2012

Map pinpoints Lyme disease risk areas
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) -- Researchers who dragged sheets of fabric through the woods to snag ticks have created a detailed map pinpointing the highest-risk areas for Lyme disease. The map shows a clear risk across much of the Northeast, from Maine to northern Virginia. Researchers at Yale University also identified a high-risk region across most of Wisconsin, northern Minnesota and a sliver of northern Illinois. Areas highlighted as "emerging risk" regions include the Illinois-Indiana border, the New York-Vermont border, southwestern Michigan and eastern North Dakota. The map was published this week based on data from 2004-2007. Researchers say the picture might have changed since then in the emerging areas, but the map is still useful because it highlights areas where tick surveillance should be increased and can serve as a baseline for future research.
   AP-WF-02-03-12 1626GMT

Posted 3:12 AM EST on February 03, 2012

Strong US jobs report sends dollar higher
NEW YORK (AP) -- The dollar is rising against most major currencies on a better-than-expected U.S. jobs report. The Labor Department says that 243,000 were added in January. The unemployment rate fell to 8.3 percent, the lowest in three years.  Economists expected a gain of 155,000 jobs and the unemployment rate to remain at 8.5 percent. The euro is down to $1.3108 in morning trading Friday from $1.3141 late Thursday. The British pound is down to $1.5789 from $1.5798. The dollar is up to 76.59 Japanese yen from 76.16 and to 0.9195 Swiss franc from 0.9170 Swiss franc.
   AP-WF-02-03-12 1626GMT

Posted 3:10 AM EST on February 03, 2012

Obama pushes for veterans jobs programs
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama is proposing steps to help veterans find work as firefighters, cops and park rangers. The president says veterans who have risked their lives defending America should get the opportunity to rebuild America when they return from deployment. Obama visited a fire station Friday in Arlington, Va. The president expanded on plans in his State of the Union address. Obama wants federal help for communities that make it a priority to recruit veterans, and connect veterans with jobs rebuilding local communities and national parks. He says he wants to do all he can to make sure troops come home to new jobs and opportunities.
   AP-WF-02-03-12 1702GMT

Posted 3:08 AM EST on February 03, 2012

CONSUMER LINK

AP News

BUSINESS NEWS

Obama: Economic recovery speeding up

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) -- President Barack Obama says the economy is growing stronger and the economic recovery is speeding up.

CONSUMER INFO

Builders step up spending for fifth straight month
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Builders increased their spending in December for the fifth consecutive month, offering more evidence of a turnaround in the battered construction industry. ...

SCIENCE/TECH NEWS

IN THE NEWS: A SUPER CRACKDOWN

NEW YORK (AP) -- If your Super Bowl-watching plans included checking out the big game on one of those "don't tell anybody about this" web sites that feature streams of live sporting events -- better make other plans.

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SUPER BOWL-BRADY AND BUFFALO

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Hey, Buffalo's not so bad.