In Brief
Car dealership group accused of discrimination in lawsuit
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Thursday said it filed a lawsuit, accusing Shack-Findlay Automotive and Findlay Automotive Group of discriminating against, harassing and retaliating against two black men.
The harassment included using a racial slur in referring to black men; telling jokes about African-Americans; and imposing adverse employment conditions on the men because of their race, the lawsuit said.
Findlay Automotive Chief Financial Officer Tyler Corder said the company conducted an internal investigation and was unable to find information supporting the federal agency's claim. The EEOC refused to say what information it had, Corder said.
The two former employees stopped working for the company more than three years ago, he said.
The EEOC filed the lawsuit on Wednesday in federal court on behalf of Sydney Robinson, Jason Grinstead and others affected by the "racially hostile work environment."
The lawsuit seeks back pay for the two men, reinstatement, a permanent injunction against further discrimination based on race and implementation of new policies at the company.
WASHINGTON
Jobless-benefits claims drop for third time in four weeks
Applications for jobless benefits dropped last week for the third time in four weeks, a sign that employers are cutting fewer jobs.
New claims for jobless benefits fell by 16,000 to a seasonally adjusted 453,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. Still, they are higher than they would be in a healthy economy and not low enough to signal rapid job growth.
In a separate report, the Commerce Department said that economic growth slowed in the second quarter, to a 1.7 percent annual rate from 3.7 percent in the January-March quarter.
Cannery Casino Resorts strikes
deal with firm advising tribes
Cannery Casino Resorts has entered a joint-venture agreement with a Southern California firm that specializes in advising American Indian tribes.
The goal of the relationship the operators of the two Cannery Casinos and Tribal Financial Advisors Inc. is to pursue agreements with American Indian tribes seeking managers or consultants on matters for new or existing tribal-owned casinos.
The chief executive officer of Tribal Financial is Jerry Turk, a former Las Vegas casino operator who helped build and manage the Pala Casino in northern San Diego County.
In addition to the Cannery in North Las Vegas and the Eastside Cannery on the Boulder Highway, Cannery Casinos operates the Rampart Casino and the Meadows Racetrack & Casino outside of Pittsburgh.
WASHINGTON
Rates for 15-year mortgages decline to 20-year low point
Rates on 30-year mortgages matched the lowest level in decades and rates on 15-year loans dropped to their lowest point in nearly 20 years.
Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average rate for 30-year fixed loans fell to 4.32 percent, the lowest on records dating back to 1971. That's down from 4.37 percent the previous week and equal to the average rate reached four weeks ago.
The average rate on 15-year fixed loans fell to 3.75 percent, the lowest on record dating back to 1991.
Rates have been at or near the lowest levels in decades since spring as investors poured money into the safety of Treasury bonds, lowering their yield.
