Business

DALLAS (AP) — American Airlines wants to cut labor costs by 20 percent and eliminate 12,000 to 14,000 jobs at the nation's third-biggest airline. American's top labor-relations executive told employees at a closed-door meeting about the...... Full story

NEW YORK (AP) — Wendy's new CEO on Monday called the dour results of the past few years "self-inflicted wounds" and vowed to do better, laying out plans that included hiring top-tier workers and reclaiming market share from higher-end...... Full story

LOS ANGELES _ Ford Motor Co. reported a giant annual profit, but much of the gain came from a special tax allowance, and the company said its operating earnings were hurt by losses in Europe and Asia and rising commodity prices. The automaker...... Full story

AUSTIN (AP) — The Texas unemployment rate has fallen to 7.8 percent in December, the lowest figure in 2 1/2 years. The Texas Workforce Commission said Friday the jobless rate was down from 8.1 percent in November as the state added more...... Full story

LOS ANGELES — Head to 4th Street and Broadway in downtown Los Angeles and you’ll see signs of a labor market on the mend. At a Continental Currency Services Inc. branch, a check-cashing and money-transfer business, housekeeper Maria...... Full story

MERCEDES — License plates in the parking lot at the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show grounds in Mercedes Thursday ranged from Michigan and Wisconsin to Ohio to Illinois and provided a strong sampling of Midwestern states. Winter Texans and RV...... Full story

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Sure, today's phones can deliver the sound of a heartbeat. But how would you like to actually feel the throbbing? A few companies want to replace the crude vibration motors in today's phones and tablets with something that...... Full story

SAN BENITO — State laws that could prevent the city from charging higher water fees for RV park residents have their roots in a similar dispute about 10 years ago in Baytown. Keith Magill owns the 68-site CASA RV Park in Baytown. On...... Full story

RAYMONDVILLE — Heavy machinery is being used for road construction and site preparation for more giant windmill towers, these being built by E.ON Climate & Renewables of Austin. Construction began in mid-November on a site east of...... Full story

NEW YORK (AP) — The 2011 holiday shopping season will go down in the record books as the year the Grinch stole stores' profits. Many retailers sacrificed their bottom lines by pushing heavy discounts to shoppers bent on getting a good deal...... Full story

  NEW YORK (AP) — Yahoo Inc. has named Scott Thompson, president of eBay Inc.'s PayPal division, as its CEO, the fourth one in less than five years for the struggling Internet company. Yahoo, which announced its choice Wednesday, has...... Full story

None of the 79 Sears and Kmart stores that Sears Holdings Corp. announced would close are in the Valley or Texas. The Hoffman Estates-based retailer announced specific stores it would close on Thursday. Sears said earlier this week that it would...... Full story

NEW YORK — After a disastrous holiday shopping season, the parent company of Sears and Kmart will close at least 100 stores to raise cash — a move that sparked speculation about whether the 125-year-old retailer can avoid a death spiral...... Full story

NEW YORK (AP) — Sears Holdings Corp. plans to close between 100 and 120 Sears and Kmart stores after poor sales during the holidays, the most crucial time of year for retailers. The closings are the latest and most visible in a long series...... Full story

McALLEN —More than 110,000 counterfeit items valued at approximately $1.4 million were seized locally as part of an international crackdown on copyright infringement.The crackdown was part of Operation Holiday Hoax II, an international enforcement...... Full story