>>Oil Jumps On Israeli Attack

(Undated)  --  Oil priced surged three dollars a barrel overnight after Israel launched an attack on Iran before easing a bit.  Concerns over the potential disruption of Middle East oil was behind the jump.  Israel's action was in retaliation for an Iranian attack on the Jewish state last weekend, itself a retaliation for an Israeli strike on an Iranian diplomatic compound in Syria.

 

>>UAW Vote Ends Today AT VW Plant

(Chattanooga, TN)  --  Thousands of employees at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee are wrapping up voting today for unionization.  Governor Bill Lee has joined governors from five other states opposing the union.  Pro-union supporters believe the UAW will help improve safety and wages.  This is the third attempt at the plant in recent years to unionize.  Forbes, meanwhile, is reporting the UAW has also received approval for a union vote at two Mercedes-Benz plants in Alabama.  

 

>>Mortgage Rates Rising

(Minneapolis, MN)  --  Prospective homebuyers are feeling the squeeze as mortgage rates rise.  The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate jumped above seven-percent, its highest level in nearly five months.  Rising rates can add hundreds of dollars a month for borrowers.  The timing couldn't be worse with spring being the housing market's busiest time of the year.

 

>>New York Governor Says Budget Will Prevent Retail Theft

(New York, NY)  --  New York Governor Kathy Hochul says the state's soon-to-be passed budget will help crackdown on retail theft.  She said yesterday that 40-million-dollars of the fiscal plan will go towards dedicated retail theft investigation teams on the state and local level.  The budget also includes legislation that makes it illegal to foster the sale of stolen goods and increases the penalties for criminals who attack retail workers.  Business owners will also have access to a tax credit to cover the cost of security cameras.