S&P Global Market Intelligence interviewed more than a dozen past and present female executives, senior leaders, academics and C-suite recruiters to talk about why so few women rise to the top ranks of oil and gas companies. They painted a picture of an industry that is growing more welcoming to female employees' success but still lacks a clear and well-traveled path to the top.

As President Donald Trump and a group of energy executives arrive in China, the U.S. natural gas industry awaits its first long-term deals with the country, hoping to gain a stake in what is expected to be a booming market for the fuel.

The bulk of multibillion-dollar projects to export super-cooled U.S. natural gas have been built along the Gulf Coast. One company, seeking to reach key markets in Asia, is changing that, proposing a $10 billion project in Oregon. There's just one problem: residents say they fear the consequences when the unprecedented tsunami experts expect to his the West Coast this century reaches the facility.

API-EIA figures diverge by 2+ million barrels in 6 of 10 weeks. Prices flip as traders seek edge on government supply number. Weekly inventory reports that help set prices for crude futures come primarily from two sources: The industry-funded American Petroleum Institute and the U.S. government’s Energy Information Administration.

There’s a downside to the relative freedom and lack of gatekeepers on the Internet, including that most anyone can buy a Web address that ends in “.com.”. Online, scammers can pay $10 for an address that looks like that of your bank, your favorite clothier, or your auto dealer and create a site that looks enough like the original to trick you into buying phony merchandise or revealing your login and password.

Above: Jolina Goad, assistant manager at Polished by Claire V., a nail boutique and spa on Starkey Road in Roanoke County, gets Susan Creekmore’s signature on a Samsung tablet using the Square Register point-of-sale app. Creekmore used her finger to sign her name electronically. Local business owners have traded traditional credit card readers for a small white square that employees can attach to a tablet or smart phone.

“Welcome to Buena Vista: 6002 happy citizens and 3 old grouches.”. That’s the sign that greets visitors when they enter this little community nestled at the foot of the Blue Ridge. David Meisky, who moved to Buena Vista two and a half years ago, says he’s met only one of the grouches. “I retired, and I wanted to get to some place where a traffic jam meant there were four cars waiting for the light to turn green,” said Meisky, who moved from Fairfax County.

Broadway moguls are crying “Mamma Mia!”. over a federal regulator’s plan to assign less desirable frequencies to cordless microphones actors wear, saying the switch could result in static. “Interference is not acceptable for a live performance in front of a live audience,” said Tom Ferrugia, director of government affairs for the Broadway League, a New York-based trade group for theater owners and producers.

The Federal Aviation Administration is issuing permits for the commercial use of drones at a rate of about 250 a month as it tries to meet the growing demand for unmanned aircraft while it develops rules for their use. Through the end of June, the agency had approved 714 permits, a 14-fold increase from 51 at the end of March, according to a database compiled by Bloomberg News using federal data.

Small businesses in Charlotte are using drones to take pictures of houses, golf courses and even weddings – and they’re not waiting for the Federal Aviation Administration to draw up a final set of rules. Ranging from the size of a tennis ball to that of a helicopter, commercial drones are drawing attention across the country as photographers, insurance companies and marketers see the technology providing a competitive edge.

Charlotte Athletic Club: $98/month, plus optional locker and laundry service starting at $20/mo.; drop-in rate: $24. Flywheel: $175/month for a three-month unlimited membership; drop-in rate: $18 (rates are for both Flywheel and Flybarre). Metro Fitness Club: $175/month for six-month unlimited club access and group classes (including CrossFit); drop-in rate: $15.

Here’s how Amanda Glenn says she has kept customers coming back for years: Know your customers: Glenn said knowing customers’ names helps make the soda shop a community. Remembering who went on vacation or asking how the kids are also makes the atmosphere more inviting, she said. Glenn said she bakes one of her customers a homemade custard every year for his birthday.