WASHINGTON (AP) — At the RV Park he owns in a remote corner of southwestern Kansas, Jan Leonard is seeing the benefits of one of the federal government's most contentious programs.
Development is booming in tiny Hugoton, a town of roughly 3,900 people. The town is the site of a new cellulosic ethanol refinery that was funded in part by a loan guarantee from the Department of Energy. The same program funded high-profile flops like Solyndra, the California-based solar company that filed for bankruptcy and led to hearings over the Barack Obama administration's backing of unproven green-energy projects.
4. Automakers aim to drive away car computer hackers - Friday, November 21, 2014
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Against the team of hackers, the poor car stood no chance.
Meticulously overwhelming its computer networks, the hackers showed that — given time — they would be able to pop the trunk and start the windshield wipers, cut the brakes or lock them up, and even kill the engine.
5. US stock market drifts a day after setting record - Friday, October 31, 2014
NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market drifted in Thursday trading, a day after closing at a record high. In Europe, markets climbed after the head of the European Central Bank said he was ready to take more steps to revive the region's struggling economy.
6. Tesla's 'D' adds all-wheel drive, safety features - Friday, October 10, 2014
HAWTHORNE, Calif. (AP) — Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk unveiled a new version of the luxury electric car maker's Model S sedan that includes all-wheel drive and self-driving "auto pilot" features.
7. Iowa bars Tesla Motors from offering test drives - Friday, September 19, 2014
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Transportation Department has told Tesla Motors to stop offering test drives.
The Des Moines Register reports (http://dmreg.co/1sZhA2w ) that the department said the test drives were illegal because Tesla isn't a licensed auto dealer in Iowa and because Iowa law bars carmakers from retail sales.
8. Nevada governor enacts Tesla tax break package - Friday, September 12, 2014
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Calling it one of the most important pieces of legislation in Nevada history, Gov. Brian Sandoval signed into law an unprecedented package of incentives to seal a deal to bring Tesla Motors' $5 billion battery factory to the Silver State.
9. Nevada lawmakers considering $1.3B Tesla package - Friday, September 05, 2014
RENO, Nev. (AP) — Gov. Brian Sandoval has ordered the Nevada Legislature into a special session to consider $1.3 billion in tax breaks and other incentives for electric car-maker Tesla Motors as part of "an extraordinary opportunity" to seal the deal for its $5 billion battery factory and tens of thousands of jobs he says are needed to recover from the worst economic crisis in state history.
10. Tesla Motors dealing as states play factory poker - Friday, August 29, 2014
LOS ANGELES (AP) — From the start, little has been typical about Tesla Motors' plan for a $5 billion factory to make batteries for a new generation of electric cars.
It's not just the project's massive scale, the cutting-edge technology, or even the bonanza of 6,500 good-paying jobs.
11. Stocks end higher following strong run in August - Friday, August 29, 2014
The Standard & Poor's 500 index delivered its fourth record high in five days Friday, ending with the biggest monthly gain since February.
The milestone-crushing run capped a week when the S&P eclipsed the 2,000-point mark for the first time. And the index ended August with a gain of 3.8 percent.
12. Three-wheeled Elio gets closer to going on sale - Friday, August 15, 2014
ROYAL OAK, Mich. (AP) — Your next commuter car could have two seats, three wheels and get 84 miles to the gallon.
Elio Motors wants to revolutionize U.S. roads with its tiny car, which is the same length as a Honda Fit but half the weight. With a starting price of $6,800, it's also less than half the cost.
13. Toyota profit up nearly 5 percent on sales growth - Friday, August 01, 2014
TOKYO (AP) — Toyota Motor Corp. reported a 5 percent jump in quarterly profit Tuesday, outpacing expectations as vehicle sales grew in North America and Europe, offsetting a drop in Japan.
14. Panasonic, Tesla to build big US battery plant - Friday, July 25, 2014
TOKYO (AP) — American electric car maker Tesla Motors Inc. is teaming up with Japanese electronics company Panasonic Corp. to build a battery manufacturing plant in the U.S. expected to create 6,500 jobs.
15. After hybrid success, Toyota gambles on fuel cell - Friday, July 11, 2014
TOKYO (AP) — Rocket science long dismissed as too impractical and expensive for everyday cars is getting a push into the mainstream by Toyota, the world's top-selling automaker.
Buoyed by its success with electric-gasoline hybrid vehicles, Toyota is betting that drivers will embrace hydrogen fuel cells, an even cleaner technology that runs on the energy created by an electrochemical reaction when oxygen in the air combines with hydrogen stored as fuel.
16. Porsche is top brand in new car quality survey - Friday, June 13, 2014
DETROIT (AP) — The race to fill vehicles with the latest technology is hurting quality.
Buyers reported more problems in their new cars and trucks this year than last year, according to rankings released Wednesday by the consulting firm J.D. Power. It was the second straight increase since 2012, when the average number of problems in new cars and trucks hit an all-time low.
17. Elon Musk takes on carbon with solar, battery bets - Friday, June 13, 2014
NEW YORK (AP) — The energy world is not keeping up with Elon Musk, so he's trying to take matters into his own hands.
Musk, chairman of the solar installer SolarCity, announced Tuesday that the company would acquire a solar panel maker and build factories "an order of magnitude" bigger than the plants that currently churn out panels.
18. Tesla handing over the keys to its technology - Friday, June 13, 2014
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Electric car maker Tesla Motors is handing over the keys to its technology in an unusual effort to encourage other automakers to expand beyond gasoline-burning vehicles.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk promised Thursday to give away the company's entire patent portfolio to all comers, as long as they promised not to engage courtroom battles over intellectual property
19. As Alibaba prepares for IPO, tech stocks retreat - Friday, May 09, 2014
NEW YORK (AP) — It's a tough time for a tech debut. As e-commerce giant Alibaba gets ready for a blockbuster stock sale in the next few months, technology shares are retreating.
For two years, investors bid up biotechnology and internet companies, enticed by their strong growth prospects in an otherwise weak U.S. recovery. But they have sold off those stocks since late February, realizing they can find better value elsewhere. So-called growth stocks like Amazon and Groupon are out of favor. Companies that pay healthy dividends and have a long record of profitability, like utilities, are in.
20. As Alibaba prepares for IPO, tech stocks retreat - Friday, May 09, 2014
NEW YORK (AP) — It's a tough time for a tech debut.
As e-commerce giant Alibaba gets ready for a blockbuster stock sale in the next few months, technology shares are retreating. For two years, investors bid up biotechnology and internet companies, enticed by their strong growth prospects in an otherwise weak U.S. recovery. But they have sold off those stocks since late February, realizing they can find better value elsewhere. So-called growth stocks like Amazon and Groupon are out of favor. Companies that pay healthy dividends and have a long record of profitability, like utilities, are in.
21. Tech companies, Citigroup tug US stocks lower - Friday, March 21, 2014
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks were mostly lower Thursday as further declines in technology companies outweighed encouraging economic news. Citigroup fell 6 percent after the Federal Reserve denied the bank's plan to raise its dividend and buy back more stock. Most other major banks won approval to raise their dividends.
22. Deal allows Tesla to sell cars in Ohio - Friday, March 21, 2014
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio auto dealers have struck an agreement that will allow Tesla Motors to sell its electric cars in the state.
The agreement with the Ohio Automobile Dealers Association was negotiated on Tuesday and approved by a Senate panel.
23. Stocks rise after US report offsets China weakness - Friday, February 14, 2014
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks rose Thursday after a survey showed that U.S. manufacturing expanded at the fastest pace in almost four years. The report helped offset a weak survey on Chinese manufacturing.
24. Tesla's shares soar on results, sales outlook - Friday, February 14, 2014
PALO ALTO, Calif. (AP) — Tesla Motors' stock is soaring after the electric car maker reported strong sales and improved profit margins for the fourth quarter.
The Palo Alto, Calif., company says it earned 33 cents per share on an adjusted basis, far surpassing analyst expectations of 23 cents per share.
25. Google's top searches peer into society's mindset - Friday, December 13, 2013
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Death, devices and celebrity drove the quest for more information on Google's search engine this year.
Three of the world's four fastest-rising search requests on Google were triggered by the deaths of famous men.
26. US safety agency opens probe into Tesla fires - Friday, November 15, 2013
DETROIT (AP) - The U.S. government's auto safety watchdog is investigating whether Tesla's Model S electric car is vulnerable to fires because roadway debris can pierce the car's underbody and battery.
27. Third fire in Tesla Model S reported - Friday, November 08, 2013
DETROIT (AP) — A Tesla Model S electric car caught fire this week after hitting road debris on a Tennessee freeway, the third fire in a Model S in the past five weeks.
The blaze on Wednesday afternoon near Smyrna, Tenn., engulfed the front of the car. A spokeswoman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol says the Model S ran over a tow hitch, which hit the undercarriage of the car, causing an electrical fire.
28. Tesla falls most in 2 years on battery shortage - Friday, November 01, 2013
Electric car maker Tesla Motors has a battery problem. It doesn't have enough of them.
That's one reason the high-flying company's shares fell 14.5 percent Wednesday, their sharpest drop in almost two years.
29. Tesla shares fall further on Model S fire - Friday, October 04, 2013
Shares of Tesla Motors fell another 5 percent Thursday as investors in the high-flying company assessed the fallout from a fire in one of its $70,000 electric cars.
The fire began in the car's battery after the driver hit metal debris. Firefighters extinguished the flames and no one was hurt.
30. Tesla shares fall further on Model S fire - Friday, September 27, 2013
Shares of Tesla Motors are down another 5 percent as investors in the high-flying company assess the fallout from a fire in one of its $70,000 electric cars.
The fire began in the car's battery after the driver hit metal debris. Firefighters extinguished the flames and no one was hurt.
31. Stocks fall on third day of government shutdown - Friday, September 27, 2013
NEW YORK (AP) — The stock market sank to its lowest level in nearly a month Thursday as a partial U.S. government shutdown dragged into a third day.
President Barack Obama and Congressional leaders spoke late Wednesday but the meeting appeared only to harden their stances.
32. GM working on 200-mile electric car, exec says - Friday, September 13, 2013
WARREN, Mich. (AP) — As automakers race to make cheaper electric cars with greater battery range, General Motors is working on one that can go 200 miles per charge at a cost of about $30,000, a top company executive said.
33. Musk's 'Hyperloop' transport idea has sci-fi feel - Friday, August 09, 2013
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The concept sounds like something from the comic books that billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk read religiously as a boy: a capsule that speeds along as fast as sound, carrying people between major cities, never troubled by bad weather or turbulence.
34. An early gain fades on Wall Street - Friday, August 02, 2013
NEW YORK (AP) — An early rally on Wall Street fizzled, leaving the stock market slightly higher in midday trading Thursday.
Miners and other companies that make basic materials surged after news that China's trade rebounded in July, signaling the end of a six-month slowdown for the world's second-largest economy.
35. Tesla shares jump on narrowed 2Q loss - Friday, August 02, 2013
DETROIT (AP) — Electric car maker Tesla reported a narrower loss for the second quarter on Wednesday, sparking an after-hours rally in its stock.
The Palo Alto, Calif., company reported after the close of trading on Wall Street that it lost $30.5 million, or 26 cents per share, in the April-June period. That compares with a loss of $105.6 million, or $1 per share, a year earlier.
36. New Impala tops sedans in Consumer Reports tests - Friday, July 19, 2013
DETROIT (AP) — The Chevrolet Impala, long the standard-bearer for mediocre cars from Detroit, has made an amazing turnaround.
A completely reworked version of the full-size car has taken Consumer Reports magazine's top spot for all sedans, deposing German and Japanese cars for the first time in at least 20 years.
37. Tesla promises to add charging stations - Friday, May 24, 2013
DETROIT (AP) — Electric car maker Tesla Motors Inc. is promising to boost the number charging stations during the next year so its customers can drive across North America.
38. Cheap leases offered to spur electric car sales - Friday, May 24, 2013
DETROIT (AP) — Auto companies are hoping lower lease prices can put a charge into sluggish sales of electric cars.
Honda announced Thursday that it's slashing the monthly lease cost of its tiny Fit EV by one third, following similar moves by other automakers. Honda also is throwing in other goodies, such as a free home charging station and unlimited mileage.
39. Stocks jump after home prices, confidence surge - Friday, May 24, 2013
NEW YORK (AP) — A rally that brought the stock market to record highs this year came back to life after U.S. home prices rose the most in seven years and consumer confidence reached a five-year high. As stock prices rose investors sold bonds, sending interest rates higher.
40. Automaker Tesla takes fight to North Carolina - Friday, May 24, 2013
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Tesla Motors is fighting a bill in North Carolina that would effectively ban the company from selling its electric cars in the state, pitting it against auto dealers who say the car maker has an unfair advantage selling directly to consumers online.
41. INFLUENCE GAME: Tech, labor spar on immigration - Friday, May 10, 2013
WASHINGTON (AP) — To the U.S. technology industry, there's a dramatic shortfall in the number of Americans skilled in computer programming and engineering that is hampering business. To unions and some Democrats, it's more sinister: The push by Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg to expand the number of visas for high-tech foreign workers is an attempt to dilute a lucrative job market with cheap, indentured labor.
42. Tesla Model S gets Consumer Reports' top score - Friday, May 03, 2013
DETROIT (AP) — The Tesla Motors Inc. Model S electric car has tied an older Lexus for the highest score ever recorded in Consumer Reports magazine's automotive testing.
43. Stocks dip below record levels on Wall Street - Friday, May 03, 2013
NEW YORK (AP) — The stock market pulled back early Thursday after surging to record levels during the past week as investors judged that recent gains already reflect much of the improvement in the economy.
44. GM says Chevy Spark EV can go 82 miles per charge - Friday, April 19, 2013
DETROIT (AP) — General Motors said Wednesday that the battery-powered version of its Chevrolet Spark mini-car can travel up to 82 miles on a single charge, putting it among the leaders in mass-market electric vehicles sold in the U.S.
45. Toyota chief stresses safe growth - Friday, March 01, 2013
TOKYO (AP) — After four tumultuous years bookended by an unprecedented recall crisis and a return to the top of the global auto industry, Akio Toyoda is refashioning Toyota Motor Corp. into a leaner company that's more imbued with the venture spirit of founder Kiichiro Toyoda, his grandfather.
46. US stocks keep sliding on weak data, Fed qualms - Friday, February 15, 2013
U.S. stocks continued a two-day slide Thursday on weak economic data and concern about the Federal Reserve's resolve to keep juicing the market.
European stocks were sharply lower a day after U.S. stocks sustained some of their steepest declines this year. A monthly survey of European executives showed that business activity in the European Union slowed in February, a strong signal that a downturn that began last year will continue into 2013.
47. Stocks lower as investors watch Washington - Friday, December 07, 2012
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks slipped Thursday on Wall Street after more signs of tension emerged from federal budget talks in Washington.
The Dow Jones industrial average was down 70 points at 13,174 just after 1 p.m. EST. The Standard & Poor's 500 index was down 10 points at 1,418. The Nasdaq composite index was down 24 points at 2,989.
48. Stock market edges up a day ahead of election - Friday, November 02, 2012
NEW YORK (AP) — On the day before the U.S. presidential election, stock indexes managed slight gains in thin trading.
After wavering between small gains and losses, the Dow Jones industrial average ended with a gain of 19.28 points to start the week, closing at 13,112.44 on Monday.
49. Tesla unveils faster electric car charging station - Friday, September 21, 2012
HAWTHORNE, Calif. (AP) — Tesla Motors Inc. unveiled a solar-powered charging station on Monday that it said will make refueling electric vehicles on long trips about as fast as stopping for gas and a bathroom break in a conventional car.
50. Toyota plans expanded range of hybrids - Friday, September 21, 2012
TOKYO (AP) — Toyota Motor Corp. is boosting its green vehicle lineup, with plans for 21 new hybrids in the next three years, a new electric car later this year and a fuel cell vehicle by 2015 in response to growing demand for fuel efficient and environmentally friendly driving.
51. Electric cars risk losing green sheen in Japan - Friday, March 23, 2012
TOKYO (AP) — Electric car owners who prided themselves on being green now find themselves in a bind as Japan's government maneuvers to restart dozens of nuclear power plants idled after last year's meltdowns.
52. Events - Friday, March 09, 2012
Happy Birthday, President Jackson! President Andrew Jackson’s 245th birthday is celebrated at The Hermitage. A ceremony honoring the President and general will take place at 10 a.m. at Jackson’s tomb featuring Gov. Bill Haslam as keynote speaker. The ceremony will include the Tennessee Army National Guard Color Guard, music, speakers, and the laying of a wreath on General Jackson’s tomb sent by the President of the United States. Additional educational activities, living history demonstrations, and other activities will follow throughout the day. Public admission is half price on Jackson’s birthday. Information: theheremitage.com.