WASHINGTON — The number of new jobs is the fewest in nine months and a sharp retreat after a period of strong hiring. The slowdown is a reminder that the job market’s path back to full health will be uneven.

BOSTON — Lenders filed 856 foreclosure petitions in February in Massachusetts, down from 1,394 the previous February.

BOSTON — The size of the proposed cuts have been known for weeks, but are now open for public comment until April 15. The 2013 fishing season starts May 1.

WASHINGTON — Big business and labor have struck a deal on a new low-skilled worker program, removing the biggest hurdle to completion of sweeping immigration legislation allowing 11 million illegal immigrants eventual U.S. citizenship, a person with knowledge of the talks said Saturday.

BOSTON — Peter Meade, who leads the Boston Redevelopment Authority, says young people are the future of Boston.

BOSTON — The 13-month string of rising home sales in Massachusetts skidded to a halt in February, as sales dipped 5 percent.

BOSTON — Tax incentives authorized under a 2008 law to grow the Massachusetts life sciences sector created more than 2,500 jobs through June 2012, the report found.

BOSTON — Mayor Thomas Menino touted Boston’s recent accomplishments and outlined several new proposals, including a plan for 30,000 new housing units by the end of the decade.

Bernanke staunchly defended the Fed’s policies and similar stimulus efforts pursued by other central banks since the 2008 financial crisis.

NEW YORK — Optimism about a deal to prevent financial collapse in Cyprus had briefly pushed the Standard & Poor’s 500 index to within a half-point of its record closing high, but the indexes soon turned negative, scuttling a rally in Europe.

BRUSSELS — Cypriot politicians turned to the European Union in an effort to help their island nation forge a viable plan to secure an international bailout after failing for a week to find a solution to a crisis that could force their country into bankruptcy.

BOSTON — The towers at airports in Beverly, New Bedford, Lawrence, Worcester and Norwood will shut down early next month.

CHICAGO — Under orders to trim hundreds of millions of dollars from its budget, the Federal Aviation Administration said 149 air traffic control facilities will close at small airports around the country starting early next month.

BOSTON — Of the country’s 30 biggest metro areas, Boston has the most responsible consumers, according to a new report from a credit card comparison website.