ECONOMY

Much of the oil industry is gathered in Houston this week for an annual conference that serves as a deal-making forum for producers large and small. Deals may be harder to reach this year because there is so much uncertainty about the price of oil.

Los Angeles is considering raising its minimum wage from $9 to $15 an hour in order to help its 800,000 residents in poverty. But no major city has yet raised its wage this dramatically or this fast.

With gas prices down, a growing number of states are turning to a gas tax increase. New Jersey looks at following suit to fund much-needed projects, but some drivers aren't eager to pay up.

Most union members won't benefit from a higher minimum wage because they already earn far more than that. With membership declining, some union leaders fear collective bargaining is dead.

In North Dakota, falling oil prices have barely caused a ripple. In Alaska, lawmakers are calling it a "fiscal apocalypse." Wyoming is neither panicking nor ignoring the decline in prices.

The big drop in oil prices is a gift to consumers that should propel the U.S. economy, analysts say. But those lower prices are hurting the energy sector, and consumers continue to be cautious.

The Labor Department provided more evidence Friday that the U.S. job picture is finally getting back to normal — nearly six years after the great recession ended. The monthly jobs report showed an increase more than a million jobs over the past three months. The unemployment rate did tick up to a notch, but even that is a positive signal.