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WASHINGTON — U.S. consumer confidence rose in December as Americans shrugged off concerns about rising prices and COVID-19’s highly contagious omicron variant.

In the coffee trading world, a ship steaming across the Atlantic Ocean is garnering a lot of attention.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. economy grew at a 2.3% rate in the third quarter, slightly better than previously thought, the Commerce Department said Dec. 22. But prospects for a solid rebound going forward are being clouded by the rapid spread of the latest variant of the coronavirus.

State Environmental Protection officials adopted Advanced Clean Truck rules Dec. 20 that would make New Jersey the first East Coast state to require phasing in of electric commercial trucks to reduce air pollution and the diseases it causes.

Federal programs aimed at improving safety along the country’s highways will receive a boost in funding, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently indicated.

The trucking industry will look back on 2021 as a year of important victories for infrastructure improvement and workforce development, and now can look ahead to the opportunities those victories present, leaders from American Trucking Associations said.

FMCSA Deputy Administrator Meera Joshi has been selected by New York City Mayor-elect Eric Adams to be that city’s deputy mayor for operations, a move that spells the end of Joshi’s nomination to become leader of the federal safety agency.

WASHINGTON — In a major step to fight climate change, the Biden administration is raising vehicle mileage standards to significantly reduce emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases.

Severe weather disruptions hit Malaysia and the Philippines, leaving a trail of destruction among nations most prone to natural disasters.

A federal appeals court panel on Dec. 17 allowed President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for larger private employers to move ahead.