GOP lawmakers take aim at Arizona renewable energy standards
As states across the U.S. West beef up their renewable energy requirements, a push to do so in Arizona has been met by fierce resistance from the Republican governor and GOP-dominated Legislature, which are looking to strip elected utility regulators of their power to set energy policy in one of the nation’s sunniest states.
Passenger vehicle travel rebounding to pre-pandemic levels
The number of daily passenger vehicle trips has hit a major milestone, reaching pre-pandemic levels for the first time in a year, according to data provided to The Associated Press by the transportation analytics firm Inrix, with Americans driving more often and farther than at any time since pandemic lockdowns were invoked.
New problems arise for crop storage as planet gets warmer
MECOSTA, Mich. (AP) — For generations, Brian Sackett's family has farmed potatoes that are made into chips found on grocery shelves in much of the eastern U.S.
Hopeful signs as California adds 141,000 jobs in February
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California added 141,000 jobs in February as more than a quarter of a million people returned to the workforce, state officials announced Friday, a reflection of loosening virus restrictions on businesses as more people get vaccinated.
Hot housing market fuels a rise in homeowners’ equity
The red-hot U.S. housing market is paying off for many homeowners, even those who aren’t looking to sell their home. On average, homes with a mortgage gained $26,300 in equity in the last three months of 2020 versus a year earlier, according to real estate information company CoreLogic. That average gain is the highest since 2013, the firm said. CoreLogic said homes with a mortgage account for about 62% of all U.S. properties. Taken together, the home equity for those properties surged to more than $1.5 trillion, an increase of 16.2% from a year earlier. T
