Vermont's governor has signed into law the nation's first ban on a hotly debated natural gas drilling technique called hydraulic fracturing.There's no drilling currently happening in Vermont, which is ...

A sophisticated car theft ring "stalked" New Yorkers who drove Lexus SUVs and other mint-condition luxury vehicles so it could fill orders from an international broker serving clients in northwest ...

Fears that Greece will drop the euro are pushing a key Treasury yield to the lowest level this year.In late Wednesday trading, the yield on the 10-year note is 1.76 percent, a new low for 2012. That's ...

Republic Bancorp Inc. said Wednesday that it raised its quarterly cash dividends by 7 percent.The Louisville, Ky.-based bank holding company said it will pay a dividend of 16.5 cents on its Class A common ...

John Edwards' defense team rested Wednesday without calling the two-time Democratic presidential candidate or his one-time mistress to the witness stand, a sign of confidence after presenting little more ...

The wife of fired Syracuse University assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine claimed Wednesday that ESPN maliciously trampled her reputation by broadcasting salacious stories about her and about claims ...

The North Dakota attorney general's office says the state's share of a multistate settlement with footwear company Skechers USA Inc. is nearly $71,000.Skechers will pay $40 million in customer refunds ...

Maybe the U.S. economy's strength this winter wasn't just weather-related after all.Home construction is near a three-year high. And factory output has risen in three of the year's first four months.The ...

Federal Reserve policymakers are open to further efforts to stimulate the U.S. economy if growth falters or threats escalate.Minutes of the central bank's April 24-25 meeting released Wednesday stated ...

FBI Director Robert Mueller said Wednesday the bureau has launched a preliminary investigation of JPMorgan Chase & Co. following a $2 billion trading loss at the bank.Mueller's comment at a Senate Judiciary ...

The government wants you to know that simply sporting a pair of Skechers' fitness shoes is not going to get you Kim Kardashian's curves or Brooke Burke's toned tush.Skechers USA Inc. will pay $40 million ...

Claims that Skechers USA Inc.'s fitness shoes can help shed pounds and tone muscles are sketchy at best, says the government — and they're going to cost the company millions of dollars.The footwear company ...

Shares of Valero Energy Corp. rose Wednesday after a Dallas investment firm headed by oilman T. Boone Pickens disclosed it had purchased 188,000 shares in the petroleum refining and marketing company during ...

Shares of asset management company Legg Mason Inc. jumped Wednesday after the company said it will buy back $1.25 billion in debt held by a private equity firm and got authority to buy back up to $1 billion ...

The engineer who signed off on plans for the tent-like Dallas Cowboys practice facility that collapsed and seriously injured two team employees three years ago is paying a $12,000 fine to settle faulty ...

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack hopes to raise the profile of agricultural research at universities like Penn State as Congress begins the arduous task of renewing the federal farm bill.The USDA ...

Hawaii's teacher union members begin voting this week on a contract they rejected earlier this year, despite warnings from the state that the agreement is no longer valid.Hawaii State Teachers Association ...

A Barclays analyst on Wednesday upgraded Cisco Systems Inc. after a recent stock decline triggered by a weak guidance.THE BACKGROUND: Cisco, the world's largest maker of computer-networking equipment, ...

A senior judge was sworn in Wednesday to head Greece's caretaker government for a month as the debt-crippled country lurches through a political crisis that threatens its membership in the 17-nation eurozone.The ...

Even though Maine Gov. Paul LePage signed a bill Wednesday to make up for an $80 million budget shortfall largely through Medicaid cuts, the debate is far from over.Maine voters can expect the cuts to ...

Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird was voted the NBA's Executive of the Year on Wednesday, becoming the first person to win that award, plus the MVP and Coach of the Year honors.The Pacers went 42-24 ...

In the midst of a battle over extending the 40-year licenses of two Entergy Corp. nuclear plants near New York City, federal regulators are looking into whether such plants would be eligible for yet another ...

Shares of Idenix Pharmaceuticals Inc. rose Wednesday after a William Blair & Co. analyst said the hepatitis C drug developer could report some important good news over the next few months.THE SPARK: Analyst ...

For the first time in 20 years, U.S. health officials have lowered the threshold for lead poisoning in young children.The new standard announced Wednesday means that hundreds of thousands more youngsters ...

Montana officials said Wednesday that they are investigating several sites with suspected oil left over from an Exxon Mobil Corp. pipeline break last year, but recent testing shows one such site just downstream ...

A Senate committee has approved legislation to give benefits to same-sex partners of federal workers.The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee sent the legislation to the full Senate on ...

Is it really more expensive to eat healthy?An Agriculture Department study released Wednesday found that most fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods cost less than foods high in fat, sugar and salt.That ...

Subaru announced plans Wednesday for a $75 million expansion of its central Indiana factory in order to increase production of its Outback and Legacy models.Construction work on the expansion of the factory ...

Shares of Chinese Internet portal Sina Corp. jumped Wednesday as the company's first-quarter profit beat Wall Street expectations and advertising revenue rose.THE SPARK: Sina, which runs the microblogging ...

Former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling asked Rhode Island for additional help to save his video game company Wednesday, prompting state leaders to consider whether the firm is viable enough to justify further ...

The Talbots Inc.'s shares jumped in early trading Wednesday after the retailer announced that it was extending its talks with Sycamore Partners about an acquisition offer before sliding again in afternoon ...

The new chief executive of Northeast Utilities said Wednesday that New England's largest utility has its work cut out for it following two storms last year that damaged power lines and the company's reputation.CEO ...

Using only her thoughts, a Massachusetts woman paralyzed for 15 years directed a robotic arm to pick up a bottle of coffee and bring it to her lips, researchers report in the latest advance in harnessing ...