Business category, Page 133
Fortnite maker to pay $520M for privacy, e-commerce abuses
The maker of the popular Fortnite video game will pay $520 million in penalties and refunds to settle complaints revolving around children’s privacy and its payment methods that tricked players into making unintended purchases, U.S. federal regulators said Monday. The Federal Trade Commission reached the settlements to resolve two cases...
Environmental group finds high benzene levels at homes near U.S. Steel plants in Mon Valley
Dave Meckel’s Glassport home is Ground Zero for air pollution in the Mon Valley. Sitting on a quiet back road about 850 yards from U.S. Steel’s Irvin Works on the Monongahela River, the home accumulates its share of black, sooty particulate matter from the plant, as well as from U.S....
Wall Street looks to rebound after 2 down weeks
Wall Street started off the week with more losses for stocks Monday, as investors brace for higher interest rates from central banks to fight inflation. The S&P 500 fell 0.9%, with most of the sectors in the benchmark index closing in the red. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.5%...
1.2 million Ram pickups recalled because tailgates may open while driving
Chrysler has recalled more than 1.2 million Ram pickup trucks because the tailgates may not latch properly. The 1,234,657 model years 2019-2022 Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 trucks have “misaligned tailgate strikers” that cause the latch to fail and “could result in the tailgate opening while driving,” according to documents...
Twitter poll closes with users voting for Musk exit as chief
Millions of Twitter users asked Elon Musk to step down as head of Twitter in a poll the billionaire created and promised to abide by. When the poll closed Monday, however, it still wasn’t clear if there would be a new leader for the social media platform, which has grown...
Twitter bans linking to Facebook, Instagram, other rivals
Twitter users will no longer be able to link to certain rival social media websites, including what the company described Sunday as “prohibited platforms” Facebook, Instagram and Mastodon. It’s the latest move by Twitter’s new owner Elon Musk to crack down on certain speech after he shut down a Twitter...
Journalist suspensions widen rift between Twitter and media
Elon Musk’s abrupt suspension of several journalists who cover Twitter widens a growing rift between the social media site and media organizations that have used the platform to build their audiences. Individual reporters with The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, Voice of America and other news agencies saw...
Twitter suspensions raise alarm in and outside media circles
Elon Musk’s abrupt suspension of several journalists who cover Twitter is adding to a growing rift between the social media site and media organizations that have used the platform to build their audiences. Accounts of reporters with The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, Voice of America and other publications,...
Shell issued violation notice for exceeding emission limits during startup of Beaver County cracker plant
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has issued a notice of violation against Shell’s multibillion-dollar ethane cracker plant in Beaver County, which became fully operational last month. Shell was hit with the violation notice on Wednesday after the DEP said it exceeded the emission standards set between the company and...
U.S. puts 3 dozen more Chinese companies on trade blacklist
BANGKOK — The U.S. Department of Commerce is adding 36 Chinese high-tech companies, including makers of aviation equipment, chemicals and computer chips, to an export controls blacklist, citing concerns over national security, U.S. interests and human rights. The inclusion of the companies in the trade “Entity List” means that export...
Pittsburgh Starbucks stores among those affected by nationwide 3-day worker strike
Starbucks workers around the U.S. are planning a three-day strike starting Friday as part of their effort to unionize the coffee chain’s stores. More than 1,000 baristas at 100 stores are planning to walk out, according to Starbucks Workers United, the labor group organizing the effort. The strike will be...
Westmoreland Mall seeing strong holiday turnout
It seems as if — at least this holiday season — what was old is new again at Westmoreland Mall. On a December afternoon, the mall is buzzing with happy shoppers, hungry food court patrons and cheerful Christmas tunes. Children wave to their parents from the Christmas train, a kiosk...
Twitter suspends journalists who wrote about owner Elon Musk
Twitter suspended the accounts of several journalists who cover the social media platform, the latest battle over what can and cannot be said on the site since billionaire Elon Musk took control of it. Accounts of reporters with The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, Voice of America and other...
Medical marijuana company to lay off workers at McKeesport growing facility
Trulieve, a medical marijuana company with locations throughout Pennsylvania, is laying off an unspecified number of people at its growing facility in McKeesport. The company said in a statement the cuts are the “result of greater efficiencies throughout our supply chain and retail operations in the state.” “Where possible, we...
New York bans pet stores from selling cats, dogs, rabbits
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York on Thursday became the latest state to ban the sale of cats, dogs and rabbits in pet stores in an attempt to target commercial breeding operations decried by critics as “puppy mills.” The new law, which was signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul and takes effect...
Tesla stock rises despite Musk selling $3.58B of its shares
Shares of Tesla rose slightly in midday trading Thursday despite news that CEO Elon Musk sold another $3.58 billion worth of the electric vehicle maker’s stock this week. The stock traded at $157.06 at midday, near its two-year lows, but it was faring better than the broader markets. Musk, the...
Group casts doubt on Amazon’s claims of reducing plastic
NEW YORK — A report by environmental group Oceana has found that plastic waste from Amazon packages went up by 18% last year, but Amazon says it has reduced its use of single-use plastic across its network. According to the Oceana’s estimates, released Thursday, Amazon’s plastic waste jumped from 599...
Organic livestock farmers, hit by rising prices, seek help
WHITINGHAM, Vt. — Organic dairy and other livestock farmers are seeking emergency federal aid as they grapple with skyrocketing organic feed costs, steep fuel and utility expenses as well as the consequences of drought in many parts of the country. Two dozen U.S. senators and representatives wrote to U.S. Agriculture...
How Fed’s series of rate hikes could affect your finances
NEW YORK — The Federal Reserve’s move Wednesday to raise its key rate by a half-point brought it to a range of 4.25% to 4.5%, the highest level in 14 years. The Fed’s latest increase — its seventh rate hike this year — will make it even costlier for consumers...
Report: TikTok boosts posts about eating disorders, suicide
TikTok’s algorithms are promoting videos about self-harm and eating disorders to vulnerable teens, according to a report published Wednesday that highlights concerns about social media and its impact on youth mental health. Researchers at the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate created TikTok accounts for fictional teen personas in the...
Stocks stumble after Fed hikes rates, signals more to comeVideo
A bumpy day of trading on Wall Street ended with stocks broadly lower Wednesday after Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate in its fight against inflation and signaled that more hikes lay ahead. As expected, the central bank raised its key short-term rate by 0.50 percentage points, marking its...
Gaming Control Board gives green light to proposed State College mini-casino license hearings
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board voted unanimously Wednesday to allow the licensing hearing process for a proposed $123 million mini-casino in State College to move forward as normal, despite the objections of a Philadelphia-based competitor. Bally’s Corp., in partnership with SC Gaming LLC, led by former Penn State trustee Ira...
Senate crypto hearing yields big claims, possible regulation
Whether increased regulation would have prevented the spectacular collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX was fiercely debated at a hearing of the Senate’s banking committee Wednesday. However, new legislation is potentially on the way. Sen. Elizabeth Warren announced at the hearing bipartisan legislation aimed at cracking down on cryptocurrencies being used...
Fed raises key rate by half-point and signals more to come
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve reinforced its inflation fight Wednesday by raising its key interest rate for the seventh time this year and signaling more hikes to come. But the Fed announced a smaller hike than it had in its past four meetings at a time when inflation is showing...
Twitter changes rules over account tracking Elon Musk’s jet
Twitter on Wednesday suspended an account that used publicly available flight data to track Elon Musk’s private jet, despite a pledge by the social media platform’s new owner to keep it up because of his free speech principles. Then, hours later, Musk brought back the jet-tracking account after imposing new...
