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• Unemployment rate high in Pueblo

  March 8, 2013 8:53 PM

  As of December, national unemployment was at 7.7%. Colorado's is roughly the same at 7.6%. But Pueblo's is much higher at 11.3%. "Clearly the numbers are higher than we would like," said Jack Rink, PEDCO President and CEO. But change is ahead. "We obviously would like to... more »

• Judge approves settlement on Black Hills gas rate

  December 8, 2012 8:23 AM

  DENVER (AP) - An administrative law judge has approved a settlement reducing a proposed $1 million natural gas rate hike by Black Hills Energy to $174,000. The Colorado Public Utilities Commission said Friday that the settlement means base rates will rise about 0.8 percent instead of nearly 5 percent. For... more »

• September jobless rate drops

  October 5, 2012 8:36 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. unemployment rate fell to 7.8 percent last month, dropping below 8 percent for the first time in nearly four years. The rate fell because more people found work, a trend that could impact the presidential election. The Labor Department says employers added 114,000 jobs in... more »

• Black Hills Energy will increase electric rates in January

  December 23, 2011 11:35 AM

  In about a week Black Hills Energy customers will have to pay more on their utility bills. The Colorado Public Utility Commission approved a 4.9% rate increase. Black Hills Energy says the average residential customer will pay about $17 more a month on their bills; small business customers will pay... more »

• Local jobless rate jumps

  March 10, 2011 2:10 PM

  DENVER (AP) - The Colorado unemployment rate hit 9.1 percent in January, topping the U.S. rate of 9 percent. That's up from 8.9 percent in Colorado a year earlier. The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment said Thursday that almost 2.43 million Coloradans have jobs, down about 1 percent... more »

• Research firm studies teen pregnancy in Pueblo

  February 14, 2011 7:10 PM

  A new study is underway in Pueblo to find out why the city has one of highest teen pregnancy rates in the state. It's costing taxpayers millions as many young moms struggle to finish high school. The health department has now hired a research firm to study why its such... more »

• Some postal rates to increase

  January 13, 2011 2:10 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Postal rates will go up in April, but the cost of sending the basic letter will remain the same. The Postal Service said Thursday that most rates will go up on April 17 under a formula that allows the agency to increase prices within the rate... more »

• Two-year bonds at record low rate

  October 26, 2010 1:47 PM

  NEW YORK (AP) - Investors are lending money to the government at a record low rate for two-year debt. The Treasury sold $35 billion in two-year notes on Tuesday at 0.40 percent, the lowest yield ever for an auction of two-year notes. Last month, the Treasury auctioned the notes... more »

• Economy likely creating some jobs, but not enough

  October 8, 2010 8:16 AM

  The final monthly jobs report before the midterm congressional elections is due out Friday and it's not expected to be very optimistic. The report is likely to leave President Barack Obama in a precarious position: Democratic members of Congress will face voters with unemployment likely above 9.5 percent. ... more »

• Home foreclosure rate soars in Pueblo County

  September 21, 2010 5:07 PM

  The home foreclosure rate in Pueblo County soared 31 percent in August 2010, compared to '09, according to figures released Tuesday by the Colorado Division of Housing. It's the largest percentage increase of any Colorado county. El Paso County saw a 3 percent decline. Overall, the state foreclosure... more »

• State parks board considers higher fees

  September 16, 2010 10:28 AM

  The Colorado State Parks Board is considering raising fees for entrance passes, some campgrounds and other facilities to make up for declining state funding. The board is meeting Thursday in Basalt. Members are looking at raising the daily entrance fee by $1 and camping fees at a dozen... more »

• Suicide rate soars in Colorado

  September 8, 2010 10:31 AM

  Suicides soared in Colorado in 2009, according to the Colorado Department of Health. The suicide rate is the highest in more than 20 years. Colorado annually has a suicide rate that is approximately 40 percent higher than the U.S. rate, according to Jarrod Hindman, program manager of the department's Office... more »

• Recession blamed for decline in US births

  August 27, 2010 12:29 PM

  The U.S. birth rate has dropped for the second year in a row, and experts think the wrenching recession led many people to put off having children. The 2009 birth rate also set a record: lowest in a century. Births fell 2.7 percent last year even as the population... more »

• Worst unemployment report of the year released

  August 19, 2010 9:29 AM

  New applications for unemployment insurance reached the half-million mark last week for the first time since November, a sign that employers are likely cutting jobs again as the economy slows. The Labor Department said Thursday that initial claims for jobless benefits rose by 12,000 last week to 500,000, the... more »

• New unemployment claims on the rise

  August 5, 2010 8:27 AM

  Initial requests for jobless benefits rose last week to their highest level since April, a sign that hiring remains weak and some companies are still cutting workers. The Labor Department says new claims for unemployment insurance rose by 19,000 to a seasonally adjusted 479,000. Analysts had expected a small... more »

• Colorado's fire death rate second lowest in U.S.

  May 19, 2010 11:54 AM

  Here's what I'm working on today. The Colorado Division of Fire Safety says Colorado has the second lowest rate of deaths from accidental fires in the country. Only Hawaii has a lower rate. The Pueblo Fire Department says a big part of that equation is educating the public about fire... more »

• Apartment vacancy rate drops

  April 19, 2010 3:11 PM

  A new report says the apartment vacancy rate in the Colorado Springs area for the first three months of 2010 was the lowest reported since 2001. A survey released Monday by the Apartment Association of Southern Colorado and the Colorado Division of Housing says the first-quarter vacancy rate was... more »

• Hawaiian rated best US airline for service in 2009

  April 12, 2010 10:46 AM

  Hawaiian Airlines again tops a list of 18 of the nation's busiest carriers for best service. Closely trailing is low-cost carrier AirTran. Hawaiian has been number one for three out of the last four years in an annual rating of airline quality by private researchers. The ratings, released Monday, are... more »

• Temporary census jobs boost employment

  April 2, 2010 9:11 AM

  The nation's economy created the largest number of jobs last month since the recession began, bolstered by thousands of temporary census jobs. The unemployment rate remained at 9.7 percent for the third straight month. The Labor Department said employers added 162,000 jobs in March, the most in three years... more »

• Mortgage rates now above 5 percent

  February 25, 2010 12:08 PM

  Rates for 30-year home loans rose above the 5 percent threshold for the first time in three weeks, but remained near historically low levels. The mortgage finance company Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average rate on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage was 5.05 percent this week, up from... more »

• New jobless claims rise more than expected: 440,000

  January 14, 2010 8:44 AM

  The number of newly laid-off workers requesting unemployment benefits rose last week as jobs remain scarce amid a sluggish economic recovery. The Labor Department says new claims for unemployment insurance rose by 11,000 to a seasonally adjusted 444,000. Wall Street economists polled by Thomson Reuters expected an increase of only... more »

• Colorado drunken driving death rate rises in 2008

  December 8, 2009 11:34 AM

  Deaths in drunken driving crashes are down nationally but up in Colorado. A new federal report has found that drunken driving fatality rates fell in 40 states and the District of Columbia in 2008. The rates in three states remained virtually unchanged but the rate increased in Colorado along with... more »

• Slight decline in Colorado October unemployment

  November 20, 2009 1:03 PM

  Colorado unemployment continues to decline with the latest figures showing the seasonally adjusted rate for October at 6.9 percent. That's a slight decline from September, when the rate was at 7 percent. It was 7.3 percent in August. Colorado's unemployment rate last October was 5.3 percent. The figures released Friday... more »

• Child poverty rate in Pueblo highest in state

  September 30, 2009 1:39 PM

  Colorado's child poverty rate is among the fastest growing in the country, according to new data released by the U.S. Census Bureau. Also, among cities in the state, Pueblo has the highest child poverty rate at 30.6%. "The implications of poverty on a child's life are widespread and long-lasting,"... more »