A Las Vegas man who bound and gagged his girlfriend's two toddlers and left them in a garage while he went to a bar to watch a televised basketball game with friends has been sentenced to two to six years in prison.

Clark County District Court Judge James Bixler said at Tuesday's sentencing that Jonathan Weaver's actions were "stupid," and said he couldn't imagine anything more frightening for the children.

"But for a neighbor who heard them crying in the garage, they could have easily have died in there," the judge said.

Neighbors summoned police and firefighters broke into an apartment complex garage to get to the boys, ages 1 and 2. Police said they were found tied to car seats, each with a piece of clothing in his mouth.

The toddlers' mother left the boys with the 22-year-old Weaver while she was at night school, Las Vegas police said.

Weaver apologized at the sentencing hearing and the Las Vegas Sun reported that deputy public defender Amy Porray called his remorse genuine. Both told the judge that Weaver wasn't trying to hurt the boys — they said he bound them so they wouldn't hurt themselves.

Stocks fell in morning trading Thursday and bond yields hit a low for the year after disappointing reports about the U.S. jobs market and economic growth.

The Labor Department said more people applied for unemployment benefits last week, the first increase in three weeks. The number of people seeking benefits rose by 10,000 to 424,000, more than analysts were expecting.

Applications are above the 375,000 level that indicates sustainable job growth. Applications peaked at 659,000 during the recession. Employers stepped up hiring this spring, but some economists worry that rising applications indicate a slowdown in hiring.

The Commerce Department said the economy grew at a sluggish 1.8 percent in the January-March quarter as surging gasoline prices and sharp cutbacks in government spending overshadowed strong corporate earnings. Consumer spending grew at just half the rate of the previous quarter, and less than previously estimated. A surge in imports widened the U.S. trade deficit.

In early trading, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 68 points, or 0.6 percent, to 12,326. The Standard & Poor's 500 fell 5, or 0.4 percent, to 1,315. The Nasdaq composite dropped 4, or 0.1 percent, to 2,759.

The weak economic news drew investors toward safer assets, pushing the yield on the 10-year Treasury note to 3.08 percent, its lowest level this year. It was trading at 3.15 percent shortly before the economic reports came out. Bond yields fall when their prices rise.

The Supreme Court says the time used to deal with pretrial motions cannot be used to automatically extend the required deadline for a suspect's speedy trial.

The high court on Thursday refused to grant the government's request to reinstate Jason Louis Tinklenberg's conviction of gun possession by a felon and possession of material used to manufacture methamphetamine.

The Speedy Trial Act says a defendant's trial should begin within 70 days of his indictment or his initial appearance before a judicial officer.

The high court ruled that the time used to dispense with pretrial motions cannot be counted toward the Speedy Trial deadline, upholding the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision to throw out Tinklenberg's conviction.

The appeals court had said that pretrial motions count as an exception when they cause actual delays. But "the filing of a pretrial motion falls within this provision irrespective of whether it actually causes, or is expected to cause, delay in starting a trial," Justice Stephen Breyer wrote the opinion for the court.

He was joined by Justices Anthony Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Samuel Alito and Sonia Sotomayor. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas joined the decision only in part.

Justice Elena Kagan did not participate in the decision because she worked on it while serving as solicitor general.

More people applied for unemployment benefits last week, the first increase in three weeks and evidence that the job market is still sluggish.

The number of people seeking benefits rose by 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 424,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. No states cited extreme weather as a factor in the increase, a department spokesman said. Tornadoes and floods have devastated several states in the Midwest and South in the past month.

Applications are above the 375,000 level that is consistent with sustainable job growth. Applications peaked at 659,000 during the recession.

"The job market isn't exactly improving with leaps and bounds," Jennifer Lee, an economist at BMO Capital Markets, said in a note to clients. "Businesses are hiring but are likely holding back until they're more comfortable and confident with the current economic environment."

Still, the four week average, a less volatile measure, declined for the first time in seven weeks to 438,500.

Employers stepped up hiring this spring, but some economists worry that rising applications indicate hiring is slowing.

A separate report showed that the economy grew 1.8 percent in the January-March quarter, a slowdown from the 3.1 percent annual pace recorded in the October-December period. Consumer spending grew at a much slower pace, as shoppers were held back by high unemployment and $4 a gallon gas.

A regulatory filing shows that 3M Co. chief executive George Buckley plans to sell almost one-third of his company stock, worth more than $33 million.

The prearranged plan would have Buckley sell about 350,000 shares of 3M common stock over the next two months. The shares were acquired through stock-option exercises and will be sold in accordance with minimum price thresholds.

The plan was described in a Wednesday filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Shares of 3M were up 39 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $94.33 in morning trading Thursday.

Buckley became CEO of the St. Paul-based company five years ago. In February he will turn 65, which is 3M's mandatory retirement age.