WASHINGTON — U.S. employers added a scant 74,000 jobs in December, the fewest in three years. The disappointing gain ends 2013 on a weak note after recent economic reports had raised hopes for a strong finish.

The Labor Department says the unemployment rate fell from 7 percent in November to 6.7 percent, the lowest level since October 2008. But the drop occurred partly because more Americans stopped looking for jobs. The government counts people as unemployed only if they are actively searching for work.

Cold weather may have slowed hiring. Construction firms cut 16,000 jobs, the biggest drop in 20 months.

December's hiring is far below the average gain of 214,000 jobs a month in the preceding four months. But monthly gains averaged 182,000 last year, nearly matching the previous two years.

HOUSTON — An off-duty Houston firefighter made the best of his resources when trying to put out a truck tire fire: He used beer the rig was hauling.Fire Capt. Craig Moreau and his wife were driving home Monday night after a trip to Austin when they came upon an 18-wheeler on fire. Moreau and the trucker, whose brake problems started the fire, tried using a small extinguisher.Moreau says he thought the fire was out, but then noticed the blaze had flared up after crawling under the truck to check.The firefighter then asked the driver what he was hauling. When he learned it was beer, he had his solution.Both men began shaking and spraying cans of beer on the blaze, and the fire went out.No injuries were reported.

NEW YORK — Target says that personal information — including phone numbers and email and mailing addresses — was stolen from as many as 70 million customers in its pre-Christmas data breach. That was substantially more customers than Target had previously said were affected.The chain also cut its fourth-quarter adjusted earnings forecast and outlook for a key sales barometer.Target had announced in December that about 40 million credit and debit cards may have been affected by a data breach that happened between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15 — just as the holiday shopping season was getting into gear.The retailer said Friday that the personal information stolen is not a new breach, but was discovered during its ongoing investigation.

SALT LAKE CITY — Local clerks in Utah can finish paperwork for same-sex marriages completed before the U.S. Supreme Court issued a temporary halt on Monday, the state's attorney general said Thursday.Attorney General Sean Reyes' office issued the legal advice to county clerks Thursday afternoon.The directive comes as Utah officials struggle with the knotty legal mess that gay marriage created in the state in recent weeks.More than 1,000 gay and lesbian couples took home marriage licenses from local clerks after a federal judge overturned Utah's same-sex marriage ban on Dec. 20.