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Stocks end mixed on Monday after starting August off on a choppy note

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks gave back some of their recent gains Monday after a day of choppy trading on Wall Street led the major indexes to a mixed finish. The S&P 500 slipped 0.2% in the final hour of trading after holding a slight gain for much of the afternoon. The benchmark index is coming off a weekly loss, though it ended July higher, its sixth straight month of gains. It remains within 0.8% of the all-time high it set a week ago. A slide in technology, industrial, raw materials and communication companies weighed on the market. Energy stocks also fell in tandem with crude ...

Harrison Hills to hold rally to celebrate return to school

CADIZ — The Harrison Hills City School District will welcome students back to the classroom with its annual “Back to School Rally” on Aug. 20. The board of education discussed the rally during Thursday’s meeting. Superintendent Dana Snider said they will be providing school supplies such as pencil bags, pencils and notebooks to returning students. “Some of the businesses will give out fancy notebooks, cute pencils, fancy erasers to our students. We should have a good turnout, like we always do. I’m excited to get back to school and kick off the year,” she said. There ...

Memorial for McCort slated Saturday

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Family, friends and other loved ones of former Belmont County sheriff Tom McCort will remember his life and impact on the community during a Celebration of Life at 11 a.m. Saturday at Thoburn United Methodist Church. McCort, of Morristown, died in April 2020 at age 79 ...

Biden pushes federal workers — hard — to get vaccinated

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s millions of federal workers will be required to verify they’ve been vaccinated against the coronavirus or else face mandatory masking, weekly testing, distancing and other new rules, the Biden administration announced Thursday. The newly strict guidelines ...

U.S. economy surpasses pre-pandemic size with 6.5% Q2 growth

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fueled by vaccinations and government aid, the U.S. economy grew at a solid 6.5% annual rate last quarter in another sign that the nation has achieved a sustained recovery from the pandemic recession. The total size of the economy has now surpassed its pre-pandemic level. Thursday’s report from the Commerce Department estimated that the nation’s gross domestic product — its total output of goods and services — accelerated in the April-June quarter from an already robust 6.3% annual growth rate in the first quarter of the year. The latest figure fell well ...

Gamble: Interstate travel responsible for the rise in COVID numbers

WHEELING — In the last week, both of Ohio County’s metrics on the state COVID-19 map have nearly quintupled, indicating the rapid spread of the virus among the county’s unvaccinated population. According to the state Department of Health and Human Resources map, Ohio County reported an infection rate of 2.76 and 1.3 percent positivity last Thursday. By Thursday, the previous day’s figures had risen to 13.11 and 5.75, respectively. The county’s reported active cases had nearly doubled from 23 to 45, as well. Wheeling-Ohio County Health Administrator Howard Gamble said that ...