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Economy

Romney, GOP guvs have differing takes on economy

Bob Lewis, Phillip Rawls The Associated Press

Last updated Friday, May 18, 2012 - 4:59pm

DANVILLE, Va. -- In Virginia, Gov. Bob McDonnell runs TV ads hailing the state's business growth. Ohio Gov. John Kasich tells anyone who will listen that 100,000 jobs have been created or retained on his watch. And Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder promotes a state budget that's on solid ground for the first time in a decade.

All that optimism from Republican governors in key presidential election battlegrounds conflicts with the pessimistic message that Mitt Romney is spreading. The GOP presidential candidate is focused on the nation's fragile economic rebound as he works to persuade Americans to dump President Barack Obama.

Business, Economy, Mitt Romney, Politics, Republicans Read more Comments

Study tries to make Utah's KIDS COUNT, pushes for improvements

Mitch Shaw Standard-Examiner

Last updated Monday, May 14, 2012 - 11:05pm

OGDEN — There is a lot of room for improvement when it comes to the health and well-being of Utah kids, according to the Voices for Utah Children’s “Utah KIDS COUNT” study, released Monday.

The study, which has been released annually for the past 17 years, provides comprehensive data on a wide variety of child well-being indicators, including analysis of items ranging from prenatal care to high school graduation.

Education, Child Abuse, Child safety, Children, Demographics, Economy, Grandparents, Health, Poverty, Pregnancy, Study, Utah Read more Comments

Layton bids farewell to economic specialist

Bryon Saxton Standard-Examiner

Last updated Saturday, May 12, 2012 - 12:13am

LAYTON — The man who has had a hand in building Layton’s economic base, with 50 to 100 new businesses and business relocations to his credit, has taken a job with the state.

Ben Hart, the city’s former economic specialist, has been named the first-ever Department of Workforce Services director of employer initiatives.

City Government, Economy, Utah, Utah Department of Workforce Services Read more Comments

FILE - In this Nov. 21, 2011 file picture taken with a fisheye lens, flames from a fire set alight in a container by activists of the Frankfurt Occupy movement are seen in front of the European Central Bank and a sculpture of the euro symbol in Frankfurt, Germany. Austerity has been the main prescription across Europe for dealing with the continent's nearly 3-year-old debt crisis, brought on by too much government spending. (AP Photo/Michael Probst,File)

Brussels, Berlin tell Europe to stick to austerity

Raf Casert The Associated Press

Last updated Tuesday, May 8, 2012 - 9:10am

BRUSSELS -- Germany and the European Commission on Tuesday called on EU nations to stick to their agreed budget cuts despite mounting voter discontent, but promised some new efforts to boost growth to alleviate economic hardship.

Business, Economy, Europe, European Union, International Read more Comments

MATTHEW ARDEN HATFIELD/Standard-Examiner
The closed La-Z-Boy furniture plant in Tremonton is pictured on Tuesday. The plant closed in 2008, laying off over 600 people.

Box Elder official works to create jobs, fill empty buildings

Janelle Hyatt Standard-Examiner

Last updated Friday, May 4, 2012 - 4:29pm

BRIGHAM CITY -- Mitch Zundel hates to see empty buildings.

Like Tremonton's former La-Z-Boy plant, which in 2005 shifted its manufacturing operations to Mexico, leaving 630 residents of northern Utah out of a job.

Or the last few years' layoffs at Corinne's ATK. "ATK has some empty buildings," he says.

As Box Elder County's new director of economic development, that's his main responsibility: filling buildings. And jobs.

Business, ATK, Box Elder County, Economy, Employment, Jobs, Featured Read more Comments

Data on business licenses sheds light on state of economy

Mayor Steve Curtis Standard-Examiner

Last updated Thursday, May 3, 2012 - 11:54pm

The past five years have been a frustrating and challenging economic period for corporate America. Following the evolution of business during this era has provided interesting lessons on commerce either adapting or falling by the wayside.

The monitoring of business licensing at the municipal level provides a significant economic indicator for local city management. Businesses that have found their niche have weathered the storm, while other capital ventures have met misfortune.

Opinion, Business, City Government, Column, Economy, Small business Read more Comments

SLC foreclosure rates still falling fast

Contributed The Associated Press

Last updated Thursday, April 26, 2012 - 5:30pm

SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City has posted one of the nation’s biggest drops in foreclosure activity so far this year.

Data released Thursday by RealtyTrac shows Salt Lake City’s foreclosure rate fell 22 percent in the first three months of 2012, compared with the quarter earlier. That’s the fourth most dramatic drop among the 50 largest metro areas in the country, and puts the city behind Portland, Ore., Las Vegas, and Providence, R.I.

Economy, Foreclosures, Housing, Utah Read more Comments

Utah programs open the door to new homes for more people

Amber Wykstra Standard-Examiner

Last updated Wednesday, April 25, 2012 - 11:54pm

“Now is the time to buy.”

You’ve probably heard this phrase many times during the last four years regarding Utah’s housing market. But many homeowners may believe they’re stuck with their current housing situation because of the drop in home values.

Opinion, Business, Bank loan, Bank on It, Economy, Housing, Housing market, Loans, Utah Read more Comments

(NICHOLAS DRANEY/Standard-Examiner) A panel of GOP candidates for governor in Farmington last Friday.

Guv has to fend off five GOP contenders at convention

Charles F. Trentelman Standard-Examiner

Last updated Friday, April 20, 2012 - 12:28pm

After only three years in office, Gov. Gary Herbert has a bevy of GOP contenders nipping at his heels.

He easily won re-election two years ago after taking over from Jon Huntsman in 2009, but this time five Republicans have filed to unseat him.

In interviews with the Standard-Examiner, Herbert's opponents all said Herbert has been too slow to go after Utah ownership of federal land, too slow to change the way Utah education works and too slow to cut dependency on federal funds.

Education, Convention, Economy, Federal Lands, GOP, Gov. Gary Herbert, Republican Party, State government, Utah, Utah Legislature, Elections, Featured Read more Comments

Utah jobless rate slightly up at 5.8 percent

Contributed The Associated Press

Last updated Friday, April 20, 2012 - 12:21pm

SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah's unemployment rate has ticked up to 5.8 percent in March, a slight increase from February's 5.7 percent jobless rate.

Business, Economy, Jobs, Unemployment, Utah Read more Comments

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks at the closed National Gypsum drywall factory in Lorain, Ohio, Thursday, April 19, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Romney pushes economic message in Ohio

Maeve Reston Los Angeles Times

Last updated Friday, April 20, 2012 - 9:12am

LORAIN, Ohio -- Eager to show conservative Republicans that he's ready to take the fight to President Barack Obama, Mitt Romney campaigned Thursday at a dusty drywall factory that closed when George W. Bush was president -- making the case that Obama's economic policies have failed to revive the nation's economy.

Campaign, Economy, Mitt Romney, Politics, National Read more Comments

Utah's Mormon population holds steady over 3 years

Contributed The Associated Press

Last updated Monday, April 16, 2012 - 10:31am

SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah's Mormon population has held steady for the past three years following about two decades of slow decline.

Births, Economy, Migration, Mormons, Population, Religion, Utah, LDS Church Read more Comments

Cows feed at a dairy farm in West Weber recently. (MATTHEW ARDEN HATFIELD/Standard-Examiner)

Multigenerational dairy business suffers in West Weber; same across Utah

Michael McFall Standard-Examiner

Last updated Monday, April 16, 2012 - 6:09am

WEST WEBER — Ron Gibson grew up to become a fifth-generation dairy farmer, and he’s raising the sixth generation now.

He’ll be raising and milking his cows with his sons as long as he can — but the way the industry has been going, it has been a stressful and uncertain time for him and many others.

Business, Agriculture, Economy, Family, Farming, Gas Prices, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Utah, Utah Farm Bureau, Featured Read more Comments

(ERIN HOOLEY/Standard-Examiner) Ream’s has eight stores throughout Utah, and the Layton store at 1040 N. Main St. is the largest, with its wall of boots and jeans displaying more than 2,000 pairs of boots and thousands of jeans.

Ream's hits the mainstream: Western fashion gains in popularity

Dana Rimington Standard-Examiner

Last updated Friday, April 13, 2012 - 4:38pm

LAYTON – Western fashion has been around a long time, but those in the business are beginning to see more cross-over into regular fashion.

Jodi Jones, store manager at the Layton Ream’s Boots & Jeans, was surprised to see so many girls looking for boots to go with homecoming dresses, and even brides searching for boots to match their wedding dress.

It hasn’t always been like that, especially since Western wear has always been about a year-and-a-half behind the fashion world, according to Brian Hulce, regional manager for Ream’s. It wasn’t until the early 2000s that Western fashion seemed to catch up.

Business, Cowboys, Economy, Homecoming, Fashion, Featured Read more Comments

Bridgette Berkeley takes care of a patient in the ICU at Ogden Regional Medical Center recently. She graduated in July and says she knows she’s lucky to have gotten a job in her field so quickly. One thing that helped was that hospital officials knew her work ethic, as she worked as a secretary and a nursing assistant at the hospital while in school. (NICHOLAS DRANEY/Standard-Examiner)

Economy hides possible impending shortage of nurses

JaNae Francis Standard-Examiner

Last updated Thursday, April 12, 2012 - 9:14am

SOUTH OGDEN — When Bridgette Berkeley goes to work as an intensive care unit nurse at Ogden Regional Medical Center, she feels fortunate.

A July nursing graduate from Stevens-Henager College, Berkeley said she’s bucking the trend to already have the job she wants such a short time after graduation.