Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim is the world's richest person, jumping past Americans Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to become the first person from a developing nation to top the list, according to Forbes magazine.

The government ran up the largest monthly deficit in history in February, keeping the flood of red ink on track to top last year's record for the full year.

Unemployment rose in 30 states in January, the Labor Department said Wednesday, evidence that jobs remain scarce in most regions of the country.

New statistics released Wednesday from Iowa Workforce Development show Iowa's unemployment race increased slightly in January.

California consumers will be eligible for rebates on new energy efficient appliances starting on Earth Day, April 22.

The Treasury Department has received $15.39 million from the sale of warrants it received from Washington Federal Inc. as part of the support it provided from the government's $700 billion bailout program.

Boston Beer Co.'s fourth-quarter profit more than doubled as it shipped out more beer and its profit margin grew and write-downs fell, the company says.

An Amish livestock farmer who refused to follow a 2005 Wisconsin law requiring him to register his land and livestock has won a legal battle with state regulators.

The driver of a Toyota Prius tells police in suburban New York that her car accelerated on its own, then lurched down a driveway, across a road and into a stone wall.

Google Inc. will sell the online services of other business software makers in an effort to fill its own product gaps and persuade more companies to rely on applications piped over the Internet.

One bank wants to help its customers save money by giving them coupons from other clients.

Bank of America customers will soon be unable to spend more than they have in the accounts linked to their debit cards. It's a step that may become a common move ahead of new regulations limiting overdraft fees.

Hundreds of construction workers raised a rallying cry of "Build it now!" as they and elected officials at the World Trade Center urged a quick rebuilding of the complex.

As tax day approaches, the Internal Revenue Service is giving agents more flexibility to work with taxpayers who have seen their incomes drop during the recession.

The state plans to eliminate at least 13 boards and commissions as part of a cost-cutting government reorganization measure, but don't look for that move to pay off in much savings.

Young adults are financially anxious, worried that they can't meet their educational, housing and health care needs, according to a new poll that exposes a growing pessimism about achieving the American Dream.

Joe Hrdlicka has stepped down after serving as Iowa Lottery's vice president of marketing for more than a decade.

The prolonged recession is making it harder for many workers to set aside money for retirement.

Job openings rose sharply earlier this year, evidence that employers are slowly ramping up hiring.

A Web site that claims it found $1.3 billion in cash saved by convicted scammer Bernard Madoff tries to get personal information from his victims, a government agency says.