Clatsop County commissioners have again given land-use approval for a liquefied natural gas terminal along the Columbia River. Opponents say they’ll appeal again.

A scented candle company in southwest Idaho is lighting up the local economy by sending out some 1,000 employees, suppliers and their family members with $100,000 and orders to spend, spend, spend.

Thousands of jobless Pennsylvanians are joining the growing ranks of people around the country who are exhausting unemployment benefits, as some experts worry about another blow to a stumbling economy.

U.S. Department of Agriculture officials say drought-stricken Texas farmers and ranchers will have to wait until the fall for their share of $3 billion in federal assistance.

A drug deal plays out, California-style: A conservatively dressed courier drives a company-leased Smart Car to an apartment on a weekday afternoon. Erick Alvaro hands over a white paper bag to his 58-year-old customer, who inspects the bag to ensure everything he ordered over the phone is there.

A deal to solve California’s $26.3 billion budget deficit could come as early as this weekend after legislators and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger made “huge progress” during hours of closed-door negotiations, state lawmakers said.

Regulators on Friday shut two banks in California and two smaller banks in Georgia and South Dakota, boosting to 57 the number of federally insured banks to fail this year.