A hiring sign is displayed at a restaurant in Rolling Meadows, Ill., Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of people seeking unemployment benefits rose modestly last week, the latest sign that the labor market remains strong despite the Federal Reserve’s efforts to cool the economy and hiring. Applications for unemployment aid for the week ending Dec. 24 climbed 9,000 to 225,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Unemployment benefit applications are a proxy for layoffs, and are being closely monitored by economists as the Fed has rapidly raised interest rates in an effort to cool job growth and inflation. Should the Fed’s rate hikes cause a recession, as many economists fear, a jump in layoffs and unemployment claims would be an early sign.

Tourists look out onto the city skyline from Christmas Tree Point on top of Twin Peaks in San Francisco, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022. (Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Almost 1,000 towns, hamlets and villages in the U.S. lost their status as urban areas as the U.S. Census Bureau released a new list of places considered urban based on revised criteria. The new standards raise the population threshold from 2,500 to 5,000 people and add housing units to the definition. Around 3.5 million residents who live in the small cities, towns and villages that lost their urban designation were bumped Thursday into the rural category. The change matters because rural and urban areas often qualify for different types of federal funding for transportation, housing, health care and education.

HARRISBURG – Rep.-elect Marla Brown (R-Lawrence) today announced that she will be opening a district office in New Castle to ensure continuity of constituent services.

The office, which will open for business beginning on Monday, Jan. 9, is located in the Washington Centre Plaza at 28 N. Mill St., New Castle. Office hours will be Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the telephone numbers are 724-498-4397 and 833-431-0502.

“One of the most important aspects of my job as your state representative is helping you deal with state government,” said Brown. “Stopping by my office is one way for constituents to let me know what they think we should be doing in Harrisburg. I look forward to hearing from them, as well as discussing my efforts to stand up for taxpayers.”

Staff in the offices offer the following state-related services:

• Driver’s license and vehicle registration applications and renewals.
• Assistance with PennDOT paperwork, such as lost cards, changes, corrections, special plates and handicapped placards.
• PACE and PACENET applications.
• Help with public assistance, such as Medicaid and food stamp applications.
• Property Tax and Rent Rebate applications.
• Birth and death certificate applications.
• Access to state tax forms.
• Voter registration forms.
• Referrals to agencies to resolve state-related matters.

Brown will be hosting a grand opening celebration at the office on Friday, Feb 3, beginning at noon. In addition, she is planning on scheduling events such as a town hall meeting, pancake breakfasts, coffee chats, a senior expo and much more. She will be announcing dates, times and locations for these events in the near future.

Ashlyn Harmon of New Orleans searches for her Southwest Airlines bags amongst hundreds of others at Midway International Airport as Southwest continues to cancel thousands of flights across the country Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022, in Chicago. Harmon said her family’s initial Southwest flight was cancelled on Christmas so they rebooked on American Airlines, although Southwest still shipped their bags to Midway. “We rebooked ourselves,” she said. “I figure we can deal with refunds and all of that when we get back.” She was searching for her own bag, which contains medication for her young son. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

DALLAS (AP) — Southwest Airlines is still trying to extract itself from sustained scheduling chaos and cancelled another 2,350 flights after a winter storm overwhelmed its operations days ago. The Dallas carrier acknowledge inadequate and outdated operations technology that can leave flight crews out of position when adverse weather strikes. There was a total of 2,450 flights cancelled in the U.S. early Thursday, 2,360 were Southwest routes, or about 58% of its entire schedule. Southwest was the only airline unable to recover from storm-related delays that began over the weekend when snow, ice and high winds raked portions of the country.

If you’ve been around for a while, chances are you remember a store called Ames.  The chain of stores has been out of business since 2002, although the company made an announcement that they’ll be making a return this spring.  They have yet to announce specific locations for new stores, but have confirmed that multiple stores will be opened here in Pennsylvania.

File Photo

(Pittsburgh, PA) Amid the Southwest airlines flight cancellations, the effects are being felt in at Pittsburgh international Airport. It was reported that hundreds of peoples luggage is currently left stranded at the airport. Out of 238 flights scheduled for today, 35 have been cancelled. 19 going out, and 16 coming in. The cancelled flights are all through Southwest airlines. Southwest currently has cancelled 2362 flights today nationwide.

(File Photo)

(Pittsburgh, PA) It has been reported that the once well known dance studio in Penn Hills owned by Abby Lee Miller has been sold. Miller reportedly sold the studio for $300,000 and it will be used for commercial purposes.

The Society for Research in Child Development published the study on its website and looked at data from 10,000 toddlers and preschoolers in five nations.

Mai Miksic, early childhood education policy director for Children First PA, a nonprofit advocacy organization which helps shape programs used in child care centers, said the research confirms the need for center-based care, and early childhood education pays off for children’s learning and brain development.

“It is in these situations that children are able to be screened for things like developmental needs,” Miksic explained. “If they need early intervention if they need additional supports, there’s usually staff at centers who are qualified to identify those needs and get them connected to services.”

Researchers looked at the number of hours per week children were in care settings and reported they found no greater likelihood of problem behaviors such as hitting, kicking, biting, fighting, or bullying, with more time spent in care.

According to the Economic Policy Institute, the average yearly cost of infant care in Pennsylvania is close to $12,000, which equals about $987 per month, a high price tag, Miksic added, for parents who are feeling the pinch of inflation.

She also noted there is a staffing shortage in the child care sector and for providers to attract and keep staff it needs to raise wages, which could translate to even higher tuition for parents.

“The good news is there has been pandemic relief aid that has kept child care programs open,” Miksic acknowledged. “Again, some bad news that pandemic relief aid is going to expire in 2024, and then the prices for child care might skyrocket.”

Miksic emphasized outcomes did not differ based on demographics or income, and kids from low income families will not suffer more developmental issues.

FILE – A Tesla logo is seen at the company’s store in Denver’s Cherry Creek Mall on Feb. 9, 2019. Owning Tesla stock in 2022 has been anything but a smooth ride for investors. Shares in the electric vehicle maker are down nearly 70% since the start of the year, on pace to finish in the bottom five biggest decliners among S&P 500 stocks. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Owning Tesla stock this year has been anything but a smooth ride for investors. Shares in the electric vehicle maker are down nearly 70% since the start of the year, on pace to finish in the bottom five biggest decliners among S&P 500 stocks. By comparison, the benchmark index is down about 20%. While Tesla has continued to grow its profits, signs of softening demand and heightened competition have investors increasingly worried. Meanwhile, CEO Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter has stoked concerns on Wall Street that the social media company is taking too much of the billionaire’s attention, and possibly offending loyal Tesla customers.

(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP) — In courtrooms across America, defendants get additional prison time for crimes juries found they didn’t commit. The Supreme Court is being asked to put an end to the practice. Dayonta McClinton’s case and three others like it are scheduled to be discussed when the justices next meet in private Jan. 6. A jury convicted McClinton of robbing a CVS pharmacy in Indianapolis but acquitted him of murder. A judge gave McClinton an extra 13 years in prison for the killing anyway. McClinton’s lawyers say the Supreme Court’s intervention is past due. It’s possible the pivotal vote could be Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who’s the court’s newest member and a former federal public defender.