AAA predicts best Labor Day since mid-recession

With Americans buoyed by an improving housing market, the AAA auto club is predicting the highest turnout for travel over the Labor Day weekend since the depths of the Great Recession. An estimated 34.1 million Americans are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home during the holiday, which AAA defines as starting Thursday, Aug. 29, and ending on Monday, Sept. 2. More at the Orlando Sentinel.

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Obamacare, tepid U.S. growth fuel part-time hiring

U.S. businesses are hiring at a robust rate. The only problem is that three out of four of the nearly 1 million hires this year are part-time and many of the jobs are low-paid. Faltering economic growth at home and abroad and concern that President Barack Obama's signature health care law will drive up business costs are behind the wariness about taking on full-time staff. More at Reuters.

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NASA sells shuttle launch platforms

Business Profile Consulting for savings at North Highlands While global consulting company North Highland's top client — government — has been cutting back, Barbara Ray, Tallahassee vice president, says the 10-year-old Tallahassee office has been able to grow. Last year, the Tallahassee branch boosted its work force 15%, adding three consultants for a total of 23, and is expected to add one or two more this year. » Full story

NASA is selling three huge mobile platforms used to launch the Apollo moon missions and the space shuttle – adding to the list of historic facilities and equipment it wants private industry to take over, including a shuttle launchpad and its landing runway. More at the Guardian.

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There’s help for busy moms who can’t do it all

Working parents today are paying others to do things for our children that our parents did themselves — drive our kids to school, help them with homework, cook for our families and take them to baseball practice. The services are needed because things have changed dramatically for working mothers in the last few decades. More at the Miami Herald.

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Contracts for construction in South Florida rise 38 percent

Contracts for future construction in South Florida rose 38 percent in July to $597.3 million from $431.3 million a year earlier, according to McGraw Hill Construction. Of that, new residential construction contracts rose 52 percent in July to $352.2 million from $232 million a year earlier for the metropolitan area encompassing Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. More from the Miami Herald.

Animal Business Dog-e-Glow Products from Dog-e-Glow, a young Fort Lauderdale company that creates and sells pet leashes and collars that light up, rolled into more than 1,250 PetSmart stores nationwide this week. “This is really the first time we’re going to be out in the public eye on a massive level,” said Brandon Bal, COO and co-founder. More from the Miami Herald

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