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Retail Sales Rise A Meager 0.1% In May From April As still High Inflation Curbs Spending

NEW YORK (AP) — Consumers barely increased spending in May from April as still high prices on groceries and other necessities and high interest rates curbed spending. Retail sales rose 0.1% in May, below the pace that economists projected, the Commerce Department said Tuesday. And April sales were revised downward — a 0.2% decline, from unchanged. Sales rose 0.6% in March and 0.9% in February. That comes after sales fell 1.1% in January, dragged down in part by inclement weather. Excluding gas prices and auto sales, retail sales rose the same amount. Retail sales in May, in ...

‘Vast Majority’ Of 1 Million Pandemic- Era Credit Claims Show A Risk Of Being Improper

NEW YORK (AP) — The Internal Revenue Service said Thursday a review of 1 million claims for the Employee Retention Credit representing $86 billion shows the “vast majority” are at risk of being improper. The ERC was designed to help businesses retain employees during pandemic-era shutdowns, but it quickly became a magnet for fraud. Its complex eligibility rules allowed scammers to target small businesses, offering help applying for the ERC for a fee — even if they didn’t qualify. About 10% to 20% of the 1 million claims show “clear signs of being erroneous” and tens of ...

‘Sincerely Appreciative’

The Southern Chautauqua Federal Credit Union has made a $15,000 corporate sponsorship contribution to The Resource Center and Filling the Gap Inc., a Jamestown-based non-profit organization that works with The Resource Center to support people with disabilities and other socioeconomic ...