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Penelec electricity prices increase

Customers who use Penelec as their power generation supplier are paying more for their electricity. Penelec’s residential price increased from 11.75 cents per kilowatt hour to 13.14 cents per kilowatt hour on June 1 due to higher auction prices, said Lauren Siburkis, program manager, transmission communications for First Energy Corp, Penelec’s parent company. For the average Penelec residential customer, the monthly bill impact will be an increase of approximately 6%. The price to compare for FirstEnergy’s Pennsylvania utilities, including Penelec, changes twice each year. ...

Briefcase: Conservation center to reduce energy use

STATE COLLEGE ClearWater Conservancy is incorporating advanced high-performance building envelope strategies into the design of the new Hamer Community Conservation Center, creating a facility that prioritizes energy efficiency, occupant comfort and long-term carbon reduction. This work is made possible in part through support from the West Penn Energy Fund, an organization that supports transformational projects advancing sustainable energy technologies. Located in the footprint of a historic barn and situated on 12 acres of ClearWater-stewarded land in Houserville, the Hamer ...

Briefcase: Business news of local interest

Hummingbird Therapy receives award Hummingbird ABA Therapy of State College has been selected as a recipient of the 2026 Governor’s Achievement Award, presented by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry at the annual conference of the Pennsylvania Workforce Development Association. The Governor’s Achievement Award recognizes Pennsylvania employers that demonstrate exceptional commitment to workforce, community and economic development through partnerships with the commonwealth’s workforce development system and specifically, the PA CareerLink network. Founded by ...

US job market resilient as openings hit 7.6M

WASHINGTON — U.S. job openings jumped in April as the labor market looked resilient despite economic uncertainty caused by the Iran war. U.S. employers posted 7.6 million job vacancies in April, the Labor Department reported Tuesday, up from 6.9 million in March and most since May 2024. Economists had forecast just 6.8 million openings. The department’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) showed that layoffs fell but so did the number of Americans quitting their jobs - a sign of confidence in their prospects. And the report’s measure of gross hiring also dropped in ...

Ticker: Executive order signed that could slow down AI

President Donald Trump has signed a new executive order on oversight of artificial intelligence, less than two weeks after postponing a White House ceremony over his concerns that a similar policy could dull America’s edge on AI technology. It was not immediately clear to what extent the order signed Tuesday differed from the one he declined to sign on May 21. The order establishes a framework to vet the national security risks of the most advanced AI systems for up to a month before their public release. US sanctions Iran’s Nobitex and 3 others The Trump administration has placed ...

Trump makes tariff changes

NEW YORK — President Donald Trump on Monday adjusted tariffs on some steel, aluminum and copper imports, lowering some tariffs on farming equipment and extending tariffs on other equipment. In an executive order, Trump lowered tariffs on agricultural equipment, including combines and harvesters, to 15% from 25%. He expanded the existing category of industrial equipment that is subject to a 15% tariff to include mobile industrial equipment like bulldozers and forklifts.