Consumer confidence in Florida rose in April thanks to flattening housing prices statewide and news the economy has not gotten worse, a University of Florida report released today said. UF's Survey Research Center at the Bureau of Economic and Business Research reported a six-point gain in its consumer confidence index to 71 in April. ...more

April 28, 2009

Nothing lasts forever, but a growing number of cost-conscious consumers are finding a quick fix to address the old adage by choosing to repair, rather than replace apparel and household items such as shoes, clothes, televisions and vacuums. ...more

March 11, 2009

Keeping inmates in other states might not be cheaper than keeping them here, but the state would be able to save the cost of building new prisons. ...more

March 7, 2009

On New Year's Eve I was sitting at a table with friends, waiting for the count down to the New Year. I looked at the noise maker in front of me and saw "made in the U.S.A" stamped on it. It made me start to think of my youth in the '50s and '60s. I remembered the RCA T.V. that was made in the U.S.A. I remembered the Emerson radio that was made in the U.S.A. I remembered the Chevrolet that my father drove; you guessed it, made in the U.S.A. ...more

February 5, 2009

NEW YORK (AP) - Several analysts expressed skepticism Friday that the Federal Reserve's decision allowing GMAC Financial Services to become a bank holding company would spur many more people to buy cars. ...more

December 28, 2008

November's U.S. vehicle sales at General Motors and Chrysler plunged more than 40 percent, and Ford's sales dropped 31 percent, crushing hopes that the industrywide drop in vehicle demand might be easing as the U.S. automakers prepare to state their second case for a federal bailout. ...more

December 3, 2008

Shells Seafood Restaurants was losing money for years, but the chain's chief executive sounded upbeat when the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in early September. ...more

November 30, 2008

Stories like the Shells restaurant bankruptcy are playing out across the Tampa Bay area. Tribune research shows business bankruptcy here is rising much faster than in most regions of the country. All told, 500 businesses filed for bankruptcy in four Bay area counties during the 12 months that ended in June — 97 percent more than the year before. ...more

November 28, 2008

Factory orders dropped by more than three times as much as analysts expected in September as the U.S. manufacturing sector continues to suffer from the economic downturn. ...more

November 5, 2008

Some people worry, when they've been away from home, that they might return to find something missing. ...more

October 18, 2008