Tag Archives: business

Solar Eclipse Tourism Spurs Surge In Hotel Bookings

Axios reports: A glimpse of next month’s once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse is already one of the country’s hottest attractions. Millions of people are planning to travel to areas with the best views, and businesses are cashing in on the hype by offering eclipse-themed goodies. Come April 8, as the moon’s shadow passes northeast across North America, it should completely engulf several …

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$60M Philly Bible Museum To Close After Three Years

The Christian Post reports: The American Bible Society will be closing down its Faith and Liberty Discovery Center, around three years after the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based museum, which cost around $60 million, had opened. In a press release emailed to The Christian Post on Monday morning, the ABS announced that the center was ending operations on April 1, with the last …

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Targets Takes 10-Item Self-Checkout Limit Nationwide

NBC News reports: Target is set to limit the number of items that can be purchased in its self-checkout lanes to 10 items or fewer. The retail giant said Friday that the change would take effect Sunday at most of its almost 2,000 stores nationwide. Some self-checkout lanes may also close entirely at certain hours depending on foot traffic patterns, …

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SpaceX Has $1.8 Billion Deal To Build US Spy Satellites

Reuters reports: SpaceX is building a network of hundreds of spy satellites under a classified contract with a U.S. intelligence agency, five sources familiar with the program said, demonstrating deepening ties between billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s space company and national security agencies. The network is being built by SpaceX’s Starshield business unit under a $1.8 billion contract signed in 2021 …

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Realtors Group Slashes Commissions, Settles Lawsuits

The New York Times reports: American homeowners could see a significant drop in the cost of selling their homes after a real estate trade group agreed to a landmark deal that will eliminate a bedrock of the industry, the standard 6 percent sales commission. The National Association of Realtors, a powerful organization that has set the guidelines for home sales …

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NYC Battles Thousands Of Unlicensed Weed Shops

Gothamist reports: A new boots-on-the-ground survey from Councilmember Gale Brewer’s office found more than twice as many illicit cannabis shops operating on the Upper West Side as in late 2022, the last time her staff canvassed the area. Brewer is one of city government’s biggest crusaders against NYC’s unlicensed cannabis shops, and the informal headcount comes as city and state …

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Family Dollar Announces Closure Of Nearly 1000 Stores

NBC News reports: The parent company of Family Dollar said it would close approximately 1,000 stores, citing market conditions, store performance and other factors. Shares of Dollar Tree fell as much as 13% in Wednesday trading as the company also posted financial results that missed analysts’ expectations, including a net loss of more than $1.7 billion for the fourth quarter. …

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Airbnb Bans Hosts From Using Indoor Security Cameras

Via press release from Airbnb: Airbnb is banning the use of indoor security cameras in listings globally as part of efforts to simplify our policy on security cameras and other devices and to continue to prioritize the privacy of our community. Historically, Airbnb allowed the use of indoor security cameras in common areas of listings, such as hallways and living …

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Texas Utility Admits Role In Sparking Record Wildfire

The Texas Tribune reports: Xcel Energy on Thursday acknowledged its involvement in the Smokehouse Creek fire, which started last week and quickly became the largest wildfire in state history, burning more than 1 million acres. “Based on currently available information, Xcel Energy acknowledges that its facilities appear to have been involved in an ignition of the Smokehouse Creek fire,” the …

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Biden Administration Caps Credit Card Late Fees At $8

NPR reports: The cost of a late payment on your credit card could soon be going down. Federal regulators issued a new rule Tuesday capping credit card late fees at $8, down from the current average of $32. The move is expected to save customers $10 billion a year. Consumer advocates praised the measure as providing welcome relief for millions …

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Analysis: 74% Of Americans Have Access To Legal Weed

Changing America reports: Although marijuana is illegal under federal law, 54% of Americans live in a state where recreational use of marijuana is legal, according to an analysis from the Pew Research Center. The analysis revealed that 74% of Americans live in a state where marijuana is legal for either medical or recreational use. Additionally, 79% of Americans live in …

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Apple Cancels Its Long-Running Electric Car Project

Bloomberg News reports: Apple Inc. is canceling a decadelong effort to build an electric car, according to people with knowledge of the matter, abandoning one of the most ambitious projects in the history of the company. Apple made the disclosure internally Tuesday, surprising the nearly 2,000 employees working on the project. The decision was shared by Chief Operating Officer Jeff …

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Macy’s To Shutter 150 Stores Over Next Three Years

CBS News reports: Macy’s on Tuesday said it plans to close roughly 150 underperforming stores over the next three years, the struggling retailer’s latest effort to energize its business as it seeks to fend off a proposed takeover by activist investors. The department store chain said it plans to focus on expanding its luxury brands, Bloomingdale’s and Bluemercury. Macy’s will …

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Kellogg CEO: The Poor Should Have Cereal For Dinner

The New York Post reports: Kellogg’s CEO Gary Pilnick advised shoppers chalking up more of their paychecks to soaring grocery bills than they have in the past three decades to just eat cereal instead. “The cereal category has always been quite affordable, and it tends to be a great destination when consumers are under pressure,” Pilnickan said in an interview …

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AT&T Blames Yesterday’s Outage On Software Update

Bloomberg News reports: “Based on our initial review, we believe that the outage was caused by the application and execution of an incorrect process used as we were expanding our network, not a cyber attack,” an AT&T spokesman said in a statement. AT&T said all wireless service was restored Thursday afternoon, capping a day of frustration that began in the …

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Traffic Has Plummeted For Right Wing Sites Since 2020

Mediaite reports: Major hard-right media outlets saw their online traffic plummet in January of 2024 when compared to January 2020, according to new data from The Righting. Townhall, Washington Free Beacon, and Breitbart have seen their digital traffic plummet a whopping 87% in the two years, according to the Comscore data set. Other major drops were registered by the Daily …

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New App Creates Digital Hub For LGBTQ Businesses

Mashable reports: A new app has just dropped for seekers of LGBTQ-owned businesses, queer-friendly artists and advisors, and inclusive community spaces — or for supporters seeking a tangible way to defy the current political tide. Launched by Everywhere is Queer, an LGBTQ business directory that gained popularity in 2022, it’s Yelp for the queer-led revolution. The just-released Everywhere is Queer …

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YouTube’s Ad-Free Plan Hits 100 Million Subscriptions After Warning To Users That Ad-Blockers Violate TOS

Ars Technica reports: Hot on the heels of Google’s “One” subscription plan obtaining 100 million users, YouTube is also hitting that big milestone, with 100 million people paying for Premium and YouTube Music. YouTube’s subscription data didn’t make it into the earnings call three days ago. Ad-free videos have been getting the most aggressive promotion lately, with Google cracking down …

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Amazon Launches AI Shopping Assistant Named Rufus

CNBC reports: Amazon on Thursday announced a new artificial intelligence assistant for shopping called Rufus. The tool is designed to help users search and shop for products. Shoppers type or speak a question into the search bar in Amazon’s mobile app and a chat window will appear at the bottom of their screen. Users can ask conversational questions such as, …

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DOJ: eBay To Pay $59 Million For Selling Pill Presses

From the Justice Department: eBay Inc., an e-commerce company headquartered in San Jose, California, has agreed to pay $59 million and to enhance its compliance program to resolve allegations that it violated the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) in connection with thousands of pill presses and encapsulating machines that were sold through its website. Pill presses and encapsulating machines can be …

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