Business

FDA: Dogs Okay At Restaurants In Outdoor Seating

CBS News reports: Do you like taking your dog to restaurants? Go ahead, it’s fine, according to the Food and Drug Administration which now says it’s safe to bring dogs to restaurants with outdoor seating. The new guidance came in an update to the 2022 FDA food code. The FDA stated that its health rules “allow for pet dogs in …

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Cashless Retailers Increasingly Turn To “Reverse ATMs”

Axios reports: As stores and restaurants attempt to go cashless, they’re installing “reverse ATMs” that dispense stored-value cards in exchange for greenbacks. More businesses are eschewing cash — a trend accelerated by the pandemic — but states and cities are passing laws banning them from doing so, in deference to people who don’t have bank accounts or credit cards. Reverse …

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Bud Light Parent Puts Two Marketing Execs On Leave

The Wall Street Journal reports: Anheuser-Busch InBev said it had placed on leave two executives who oversaw a Bud Light collaboration with a transgender activist. Alissa Heinerscheid, Bud Light’s vice president of marketing, had come under fire from some customers and media outlets over the company’s decision to send a personalized Bud Light can to transgender activist and influencer Dylan …

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Disneyland Animatronic Dragon Fire Forces Evacuation

Los Angeles’ ABC affiliate reports: An intense fire broke out at Disneyland in Anaheim on Saturday night as packed crowds were enjoying a show at the theme park. The fire ignited on Tom Sawyer Island during the Fantasmic! nighttime water and fireworks show held on the Rivers of America. Citizen video captured by parkgoers shows massive flames fully engulfing Maleficent’s …

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Bed Bath & Beyond Files For Bankruptcy Protection

CNBC reports: Bed Bath & Beyond on Sunday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after a series of last-ditch efforts to raise enough equity to keep the business alive failed at the eleventh hour. The struggling home goods retailer has been warning of a potential bankruptcy since early January, when it issued a “going concern” notice that it may not …

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Elon Musk Forces Blue Checks Onto Prominent Critics

The Huffington Post reports: Twitter billionaire owner Elon Musk faced mockery after he boasted about paying from his own pocket for NBA superstar LeBron James, horror author Stephen King and “Star Trek” legend William Shatner to be verified on his social media platform. James, King and Shatner had all publicly rejected the idea of signing up for the website’s new …

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NC Dems Intro Bill Seeking To Lure Disney To State

Winston-Salem’s Fox affiliate reports: If Walt Disney World needs a place to land after a fallout with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, state Sen. Michael Garrett has an idea: come on up to North Carolina. Garrett, a Democrat from Guilford County, has filed Senate Bill 594, the “Mickey’s Freedom Restoration Act,” to give Disney a place to move the Magic Kingdom, …

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DeSantis Board Unveils New Anti-Disney Attack Plans

The Associated Press reports: The new chair of Disney World’s revamped governing body said Wednesday that new supervisors had good intentions about collaborating with the company after they were appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, so it was “shameful” when Disney signed agreements with their predecessors stripping them of most of their authority. Among the changes board members made Wednesday …

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Musk Threatens To Sue Microsoft Over Data Usage

The Verge reports: Elon Musk is threatening to take legal action against Microsoft over claims that the company “trained illegally using Twitter data.” The billionaire’s statement came in response to a tweet noting that Microsoft’s advertising platform announced it would stop supporting Twitter, reportedly due to Twitter’s changes requiring payment to access its API. Musk’s threat is vague but appears …

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FL Seafood Chain: The Bible Tells Us To Boycott Bud

From the Facebook page of Grills Seafood: Dear Customers and Employees of Grills, Please forgive me for not responding sooner to these allegations (post below) as I was unavailable till now to do so. This was posted on a personal FB account that has since been deleted but continues to be recycled by outlets with differing views than ours. I …

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Elon Musk Bemoans “Terrible Timing” In Buying Twitter

“It remains to be seen as to whether this was financially smart. Currently, it is not. We just revalued the company at less than half of the acquisition price. My timing was terrible for when the offer was made because it was right before advertising plummeted. “So I must be a real genius here. My timing is amazing since I …

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DeSantis Seeks To Harass Disney With Ride Inspections

The New York Post reports: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to announce plans by the state Legislature to void a controversial move by Disney that effectively stripped the governor’s newly installed oversight board of authority, sources said. Officials called Disney’s tactic an illegal “poison pill” intended to undercut state supervision of its special tax district — and argued that …

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Retailers Worldwide To Transition To “2D Barcodes”

Axios reports: In a worldwide push called “Sunrise 2027,” the retail industry is transitioning from the standard 12-digit barcode — that square of vertical lines that’s printed on a package and makes it go “beep” at the checkout scanner — to a two-dimensional web-enabled version. The effort is being orchestrated by GS1 US, the nonprofit standards organization that oversees the …

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Musk Claims Feds Had Access To Twitter Users’ DMs

The Daily Beast reports: A teaser trailer of Twitter CEO Elon Musk’s upcoming interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson was released Sunday—which features Musk making the extremely serious (and currently unsubstantiated) allegation that various unnamed government agencies had full access to Twitter users’ direct messages before his takeover. “The degree to which various government agencies effectively had full access …

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FL Restaurant Chain Tosses Out “Faggot Beer” Bud Light

The Space Coast Rocket reports: Several social media post appeared yesterday from local patrons who went to Grills Seafood at the Cape Canaveral and Melbourne locations. The post all shared the same theme; being refused to be served Bud Light. The decision seemed to be sudden and immediate as one diner described being served Bud Light at the beginning of …

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Robotics Firm Debuts Humanoid Warehouse Worker

Axios reports: The first commercially available human-shaped robots designed for warehouse work were unveiled last week by a company called Agility Robotics, for delivery in 2025. Digit, which is built to work alongside humans, can lift and move plastic bins in a warehouse or distribution center. Fully self-charging, Digit — who is a slim 5’9″ and 140 pounds — will …

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E-Cigarette Maker Juul Settles With 6 States For $462M

Reuters reports: E-cigarette maker Juul Labs Inc has agreed to pay $462 million to settle claims by six U.S. states including New York and California that it unlawfully marketed its addictive products to minors, a person familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. With the deal, Juul will have settled with 45 states for more than $1 billion. The company …

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NYC Comedy Club Loses $3M Suit Over Anti-Vax Post

Upper East Site reports: In a victory for free speech, a Manhattan judge has dismissed a $3 million lawsuit against Upper East Site brought by The Comic Strip, the iconic Upper East Side comedy venue whose antisemitic and anti-vaccination social media post last year embroiled the venue in controversy. The judge even went as far to say that allowing the …

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Whole Foods Closes Flagship SF Store Over Thefts

SF Gate reports: After a short stint in downtown San Francisco, the Whole Foods at 1185 Market St. is closing this week. The Whole Foods at Trinity Place is set to close on April 11, a Whole Foods Market spokesperson confirmed with SFGATE. “To ensure the safety of our Team Members, we have made the difficult decision to close the …

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Tupperware Warns It May Soon Go Out Of Business

The New York Daily News reports: Food-storage company Tupperware’s stock tumbled on Monday after warning it could be on the brink of going out of business after nearly 80 years. The 45% slide came after the company announced it had hired financial advisers to help keep the company solvent amid “substantial doubt about the company’s ability to continue as a …

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