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US applications for jobless aid fall

WASHINGTON — U.S. applications for unemployment benefits fell last week as layoffs remain at historically low levels. The number of Americans filing for jobless aid for the week ending Feb. 14 fell by 23,000 to 206,000 from the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s significantly fewer than the 225,000 new applications that analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet had forecast. Filings for unemployment benefits are viewed as representative of U.S. layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market. Earlier this month, the Labor ...

Grandson of Reese’s inventor accuses Hershey of cutting corners

The grandson of the inventor of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups has lashed out at The Hershey Co., accusing the candy company of hurting the Reese’s brand by shifting to cheaper ingredients in many products. Hershey acknowledges some recipe changes but said Wednesday that it was trying to meet ...

Public health groups sue EPA over repeal of finding

A coalition of health and environmental groups sued the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday, challenging the rescinding of a scientific finding that has been the central basis for U.S. action to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change. A rule finalized by the EPA last week revoked a 2009 government declaration known as the endangerment finding that determined that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare. The Obama-era finding is the legal underpinning of nearly all climate regulations under the Clean Air Act for motor ...

FDA to end 2-study rule for drugs

The Food and Drug Administration plans to drop its longtime standard of requiring two rigorous studies to win approval for new drugs, the latest change from Trump administration officials vowing to speed up the availability of certain medical products. Going forward, the FDA’s “default position” will be to require one study for new drugs and other novel health products, FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary and a top deputy, Dr. Vinay Prasad, wrote in a New England Journal of Medicine piece published Wednesday. The announcement is the latest example of Makary and his team changing ...

Meta CEO questioned on kids’ Instagram use at trial

Mark Zuckerberg and opposing lawyers dueled in a Los Angeles courtroom on Wednesday, where the Meta CEO answered questions about young people’s use of Instagram, his congressional testimony and internal advice he’s received about being “authentic” and not “robotic.” Zuckerberg’s testimony is part of an unprecedented social media trial that questions whether Meta’s platforms deliberately addict and harm children. During questioning by the plaintiff’s lawyer, Zuckerberg said he still agrees with a previous statement he made that the existing body of scientific work has ...

Briefcase: Business news of local interest

EAST PETERSBURG Warfel Construction named to Top Performers list Warfel Construction, which has an office in State College, has been named to the Associated Builders and Contractors’ 2025 Top Performers lists. Warfel is ranked No. 93 on the ABC Top 250 Performers list, No. 38 among 196 Top General Contractors and No. 19 among Top Health Care Contractors nationwide. ABC’s annual Top Performers program recognizes contractor members for excellence in safety, quality, project performance and leadership, ranked by number of hours worked and participation in ABC’s STEP Health ...