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Kushners buying 4th NJ property in tax-break zone

NEW YORK (AP) — Jared Kushner's family company is buying another property in a New Jersey beach town where developers can get big tax breaks thanks to a new federal program pushed by Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump. The Kushner Cos. is negotiating to buy land already approved for retail space and apartments in one of thousands of new Opportunity Zones offering tax breaks around the country, Long Branch Business Administrator George Jackson said Thursday. It would be the fourth Kushner purchase in an Opportunity Zone in the town since the program was included in the Republican-led ...

SDA moves to tighten work requirements for food stamp

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is setting out to do what this year’s farm bill didn’t: tighten work requirements for millions of Americans who receive federal food assistance. The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday proposed a rule that would restrict the ability of states to exempt work-eligible adults from having to obtain steady employment to receive food stamps. The move comes the same day that President Donald Trump signed an $867 billion farm bill that reauthorized agriculture and conservation programs while leaving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance ...

Open once more

MARSHALL — Not a day went by without someone popping their head into Mike’s Cafe during the three-week long closing for renovations to ask when is it re-opening. The answer is — today! “I’m 99 percent sure,” said owner Ross Taveirne, who has owned Mike’s since ...

Business Briefs for Dec. 17

Heemeyer is new human resources department manager for North Star Marcy Heemeyer recently began work as department manager of the Human Resources department for North Star Mutual Insurance Company, Cottonwood. Before coming to North Star, Heemeyer was the president and CEO of the United Way of Southwest Minnesota in Marshall. A Springfield native, Heemeyer graduated with a bachelor of science degree in human development and family studies with a minor in criminal justice. Heemeyer lives in Marshall with her husband, Adam, and their son, Cash.

China suspends tariff hikes on US cars, auto parts

BEIJING (AP) — China announced a 90-day suspension on Friday of tariff hikes on U.S. cars, trucks and auto parts following its cease-fire in a trade battle with Washington that threatens global economic growth. The suspension is China’s first step in response to President Donald Trump’s Dec. 1 agreement to suspend U.S. tariff hikes for a similar 90-day period while the two sides negotiate over American complaints about Beijing’s technology policy and trade surplus. China has indicated it plans to move ahead with the talks despite strains over the arrest of a Chinese ...

Stocks plunge to 8-month lows on growth fears; J&J nosedives

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks staggered to eight-month lows Friday after weak economic data from China and Europe set off more worries about the global economy. Mounting tensions in Europe over Britain's impeding departure from the European Union also darkened traders' moods. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped as much as 563 points. On the benchmark S&P 500 index, health care and technology companies absorbed the worst losses. Johnson & Johnson plunged by the most in 16 years after Reuters reported that the company has known since the 1970s that its talc Baby Powder sometimes ...