MINNEAPOLIS — Alphonso Lewis, a city driver for Roadway Express in Montgomery, Ala., was named grand champion at the National Truck Driving Championships, the first African American to earn the honor.

Manufacturing activity in the Chicago region saw a modest gain in August, the National Association of Purchasing Management said Friday.

MINNEAPOLIS — Some of the nation’s best truck drivers arrived here last week ahead of the 70th annual National Truck Driving Championships to discuss the importance of safety on the nation’s highways and to express their sympathies as the city recovers from the deadly bridge collapse earlier this month.

American Trucking Associations said it is taking this week to extend a national “pat on the back” to the 3.4 million U.S. professional truck drivers.

Existing homes sales fell in July for a fifth straight month, the National Association of Realtors said Monday.

The Department of Defense last week awarded its controversial $1.6 billion logistics contract to Menlo Worldwide Government Services.

The national average prices of retail diesel and gasoline rose last week, even as crude oil futures fell to an eight-week low after Hurricane Dean passed without any significant disruption to U.S. oil production.