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Chemours to pay $450M to settle ‘forever chemicals’ case

Local Business

The Trump administration on Wednesday reached a multi-state settlement with chemical giant Chemours Co. over years-long, illegal discharges of synthetic “forever chemicals” used to make products resistant to water, grease and stains. The settlement is the first by the federal government to resolve enforcement claims against a manufacturer of harmful chemicals known as PFAS. Under the agreement, filed in federal court in West Virginia, Chemours will pay a civil penalty of $22.5 million for alleged violations and spend $90 million over 15 years to mitigate PFAS discharges in three ...

Fireworks revenue expected to reach new heights in region

Local Business

Revenues for both consumer and display fireworks hit record highs in 2025 and another record-setting year is likely this year as America celebrates its 250th anniversary on July 4. According to the American Pyrotechnics Association, the fireworks industry saw revenues of $2.3 billion for ...

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International News

Nation South Carolina Attorney general wins governor runoff COLUMBIA — South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson won a runoff election on Tuesday, swiftly routing the candidate initially endorsed by President Donald Trump to be the Republican nominee for governor. Wilson defeated Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, whom Trump backed in the closing days of the primary campaign. The president later said he supported both candidates, hedging his bets in the race after his candidates for governor lost in Iowa and Georgia earlier this month. Arizona Guthrie family still seeking ...

Briefcase: Sharp drops in Big Tech pull indexes lower

Local Business

Pullbacks in big technology companies sent indexes lower on Wall Street. The S&P 500 fell 1.4% Tuesday. The selling was concentrated in AI-related companies that have had huge run-ups in recent months and sent the market to record after record, most recently in early June. Investors are becoming worried that the growing likelihood of interest rate hikes this year to fight inflation will weigh on economic growth. The Nasdaq fell 2.2%. The Dow, which has less weighting in tech, held up better with a drop of just 0.1%. Chip companies, which have soared in recent weeks, sank. Micron ...

House approves bipartisan housing bill

Local Business

WASHINGTON — The House gave final approval Tuesday to a broad bipartisan bill aimed at lowering the cost of housing, with lawmakers in both parties eager to show progress on affordability issues ahead of this year’s midterm elections. The 358-32 vote sends the bill to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it into law Wednesday at the Capitol. The Senate passed the legislation 85-5 on Monday. The legislation would reduce federal regulations, streamline environmental reviews, speed up the construction process and curb the influence of corporate landlords by limiting their ...

AI slump raises concerns for investors’ spending

Local Business

Technology companies are spending big to incorporate artificial intelligence into their businesses and to build huge data centers. Investors who had jumped on the bandwagon appear to be having second thoughts. Proponents of artificial intelligence see it as the next great revolution for the global economy. The revolution won’t come cheap. Just four companies — Alphabet, Amazon, Meta Platforms and Microsoft — plan to spend up to $720 billion this year, primarily on AI data centers. This week, investors are looking at the huge sums being spent and questioning whether AI can produce ...