Business

Oregon Live reports: A tow truck driver from an Oregon company has been disciplined after a post on social media said he refused service to a customer with a bumper sticker in support of President-elect Joe Biden. A customer on Monday posted a video on the social media app TikTok, which appeared to show a driver from The Dalles-based company …

USA Today reports: The global fast-food giant shared exclusively with USA TODAY Monday that it has developed a new plant-based platform dubbed McPlant with tests of the burger expected in some markets around the world next year. In a move that could kickstart a new round of the Chicken Sandwich War, McDonald’s also confirmed its new Crispy Chicken Sandwich would …

We now take a break from the election crazy and brace for the annual Christian meltdown about Starbucks cups: ‘Tis the season at Starbucks. The coffee chain introduced four fresh cup designs on Thursday ahead of the holiday season. Each of the new cups are predominantly green and red, and two of them feature this season’s slogan, “Carry the Merry.” …

The Washington Post reports: One day after announcing it had removed all guns and ammunition from store shelves because of fears of “civil unrest,” Walmart said Friday it had begun putting those items back on sales floors. The retail giant said it originally instructed store managers to move firearms and ammunition from in-store displays to a secure location in the …

AM New York reports: New York City small business owners will be able to sell their wares outdoors as part of the city’s new Open Storefronts Program, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today. The initiative is modeled after the city’s Open Restaurant’s program and will allow shop owners to set up space to sell merchandise on sidewalks directly in front …

The Hill reports: Walmart announced Thursday that it has removed ammunition and firearms from sales floors at its U.S. locations in anticipation of “civil unrest” in parts of the country. The retail giant said it was removing guns and ammunition to avoid thefts if its stores are broken into, though the company will still sell the products, The Wall Street …

CNBC reports: The number of first-time unemployment-benefits filers fell to the lowest level in the pandemic, declining for a second straight week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Initial weekly U.S. jobless claims came in at 751,000 for the week ending Oct. 24, down 40,000 from the previous week. Economists polled by Dow Jones expected initial jobless claims to come in …

From the Parliament House’s Facebook page: For over 45 years, The Parliament House has called Orange Blossom Trail our home. We have to announce that our home at its current location will be closing Monday, November 2, 2020. We put up a good fight over the last 11 months to secure financing and renovate our existing property. Unfortunately, that fight …

Politico reports: Traders in recent weeks have been piling into bets that a “blue wave” election, in which Democrats also seize the Senate, will produce an economy-juicing blast of fresh fiscal stimulus of $3 trillion or more that carries the U.S. past the coronavirus crisis and into a more normal environment for markets. Far from panicking at the prospect of …

West Virginia’s NPR affiliate reports: Robert E. Murray, the founder and former president and CEO of Murray Energy Corp., formerly the largest privately held underground coal company in the country, has died. He was 80 years old. Murray’s death was reported Sunday evening by television stations WTOV9 in Steubenville, Ohio, and WOWK in Huntington, West Virginia. According to the news …

The Washington Post reports: State and federal investigators are expected to file antitrust charges against Facebook as soon as November, according to four people familiar with the matter, embarking on a massive legal challenge against the tech giant and its perceived ironclad grip over social media. The timing reflects a frenzy of recent activity on the part of the Federal …

The New York Daily News reports: Santa Claus is not coming to town this year. Macy’s announced Thursday that jolly o’ Saint Nick wouldn’t be making the trip to its flagship location in Manhattan this holiday season, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. The company said it would be impossible to have visitors socially distance, given that over a quarter million …

The New York Times reports: Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, has agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges of defrauding federal health agencies and violating anti-kickback laws, and faces penalties of roughly $8.3 billion, the Justice Department announced on Wednesday. The company’s owners, members of the wealthy Sackler family, will pay $225 million in civil penalties. Still, it is …

NBC News reports: CVS Health said Monday it plans to immediately hire 15,000 employees to prepare for an expected rise in Covid-19 and flu cases this fall and winter. More than 10,000 of those will be full-time and part-time licensed pharmacy technicians who can help dispense medications and administer Covid-19 tests. The larger workforce could also help CVS prepare for …

Bloomberg News reports: Wells Fargo & Co. fired more than 100 employees for improperly getting coronavirus relief funds, according to a person with knowledge of the situation, Bloomberg News reports. The firm found staffers who it believes defrauded the U.S. Small Business Administration “by making false representations in applying for coronavirus relief funds for themselves,” according to an internal memo …

CNBC reports: Delta Air Lines on Tuesday posted another multibillion-dollar net loss after the coronavirus pandemic roiled what is usually the peak travel period of the year. The carrier warned it could take years to recover. Kicking off third-quarter reporting for the beleaguered airline sector, Delta said its net loss was $5.4 billion in the third quarter, compared with a …

The Washington Post reports: Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, announced Tuesday an additional $100 million in donations to local governments to pay for polling place rentals, poll workers, personal protective equipment and other election administration costs over the coming weeks. The donation, which follows a previous gift of $300 million for state and local governments …

USA Today reports: Hobbled by the pandemic and facing the same long-term challenges as other casual dining chains, Ruby Tuesday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection early Wednesday. The company hopes to use the debt-cutting process to improve its finances and stay in business, saying in a statement that it had “reached an understanding with its secured lenders to support …

Reuters reports: Cineworld, the world’s second-biggest cinema chain, will close its UK and U.S. movie theatres this week, leaving as many as 45,000 workers unemployed, as it fights a coronavirus-related collapse in film releases and cinema-going. The company said the reluctance of studios to go ahead with major releases such as the new James Bond film had left it no …

The Washington Post reports: Amazon said Thursday that nearly 20,000 of its U.S. employees had tested positive, or had been presumed positive, for the coronavirus since the pandemic started spreading through the U.S. this year. The retailer has faced harsh criticism this year as hundreds of workers and critics have said it hasn’t done enough to keep employees safe as …