New twist but the same old story: the American Tobacco Trail bridge over I-40 delayed again.

This time, the culprit is a wage dispute between the NCDOT and the U.S. Department of Labor. City Manager Tom Bonfield notified City Council members Thursday that the dispute won't be settled until after Jan. 1.

The dispute involves estimates the Labor Department uses to set wage rates for projects that use federal money, such as the long-awaited pedestrian/cyclist bridge near Southpoint Mall.

Durham had to put the project out for a second round of bidding after first-round bids came in $2 million over the available funding. After some months of budget juggling, city administrators came up with enough to cover the shortfall and advertised for bids again.

Second-round bids were to be opened Dec. 15. Now, Bonfield said, that's been pushed back until Jan. 25.

A new online job-searching tool, unveiled by U.S. Department of Labor
Thursday, is intended to assist job seekers and allow anyone to explore potential careers based on their interests.

The new website is aimed at providing visitors with information on more than 900 occupations, as well as local job openings and training opportunities in a simple and user-friendly format.

“This administration is committed to expanding opportunities for all Americans,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, in a prepared statement.

North Carolina cement truck drivers will get a share of more than $1.5 million in overtime back wages from Cemex, the country's largest supplier of cement and concrete.

The U.S. Department of Labor said today that it reached a settlement with the Houston company to pay 1,705 current and former drivers in eight states. The payments for back waages will average about $880 per driver and range from as low as $4.80 to as high as $3,554.24, the agency said.

The federal agency accused Cemex of systemic violations from the company's failure to pay overtime. The investigation spanned Arizona, California, Georgia, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas.

Cemex is responsible for locating and paying the truck drivers; their names are listed on the Dec. 20 consent judgment issued by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division.

Federal labor law requires that companies increase pay by at least 50 percent for work performed beyond 40 hours a week.

Four years ago, The Motley Fool spotted Law Enforcement Associates as a potential boon to investors — who were willing to bet against the company's fortunes.

Seth Joyner, a contributor to the investment advising web site, said the Raleigh company was making a lot of noise about hitting the big time with a new stun gun but he saw little reason to believe the hype.

He paid special attention to the company's then president, Paul Feldman, noting that when it came to investing stock in LEA, Feldman wasn't putting his money where his mouth was.

Feldman was recently ousted from the company and he is now making serious allegations of insider trading involving some of the state's top political officials, particularly state Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand, who is LEA's chairman of the board.

Read Joyner's take here.