Whenever companies start hiring freely again, job-seekers with specialized skills and education will have plenty of good opportunities. Others will face a choice: Take a job with low pay – or none at all.

LONGMONT, Colo. — The investor saw potential in the scrubby 67 acres tucked away amid multimillion-dollar homes: He would turn the land into a vast pot farm and capitalize on the booming medical marijuana industry.

Dairy farmer Anthony Marco was compressing a long row of chopped hay beneath his tractor two weeks ago, preparing it as winter feed for his cows, when the 4-ton machine suddenly toppled over as he drove it along the pile's steep sides.

In a college pub 40 years ago, a friend wryly observed that every person lacks one word in what he labeled their “personal vocabulary.” Looking my way, Charlie explained.

Americans remain nervous about their job security and the strength of the economy, according to a survey by jobs website SnagAJob.com.

RICHMOND, Va. — Galen Kipe hasn't smoked a cigarette in more than three months.

In last week's column I discussed follow-up calls and potential scripts for job seekers to use when trying to connect with employers or networking contacts.

SEATTLE — Dell is walking away from a bidding contest with rival Hewlett-Packard Co. for data-storage maker 3Par. Dell said Thursday it won't match HP's offer to pay $33 per share for 3Par, or about $2.07 billion.

This is a consumer advice column written by the Better Business Bureau of Northern Indiana. It appears Thursdays in Business.

Today's multitalented cell phones can easily seduce you into texting, talking or downloading more than you planned. The result can be hundreds of dollars in unexpected penalty fees.

NEW YORK — Let’s say you find out the company that makes your favorite jeans supports a candidate you oppose. Do you still buy the jeans?

WASHINGTON — A government proposal may add letter grades to showroom window stickers on new cars and trucks to reflect a vehicle’s overall fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions.

NEW YORK — It's easy to overlook the cost of auto loans with mortgage rates grabbing all the attention.

Remember the old saying, “If you can't beat 'em, join 'em”? Officials at German automaker Volkswagen may be taking it to heart at long last.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. banking industry posted its highest quarterly earnings in nearly three years, even as the number of troubled institutions grew by more than 50 in the second quarter.