Business category, Page 2
Wendy’s closing hundreds of U.S. restaurants to focus on value amid falling sales
Wendy’s is closing several hundred U.S. restaurants and increasing its focus on value after a weaker-than-expected fourth quarter. The Dublin, Ohio-based company said Friday that its global same-store sales, or sales at locations open at least a year, fell 10% in the October-December period. That was worse than the 8.5%...
Aurora’s driverless trucks soon to be a common sight across the Sun Belt
Aurora Innovation plans to have more than 200 driverless tractor-trailers on the road by the end of the year as part of a rapid expansion across the Sun Belt. The anticipated growth would mark a new era of commercialization for the company, which is headquartered in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, after...
McDonald’s says focus on value is bringing back customers
McDonald’s focus on value is paying off. The fast food giant said this week that its global same-store sales — or sales at locations open at least a year — jumped 5.7% in the October-December period. That’s better than the 3.9% Wall Street was expecting, according to analysts polled by...
CBO: Federal deficits and debt to worsen over next decadeVideo
WASHINGTON — The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office’s 10-year outlook projects worsening long-term federal deficits and rising debt, driven largely by increased spending, notably on Social Security, Medicare, and debt service payments. Compared with the CBO’s analysis this time last year, the fiscal outlook has deteriorated modestly. Major developments over the...
U.S. Steel fined $118K for safety lapses in Clairton Coke Works fatal explosion
U.S. Steel is facing 10 violations and $118,000 in fines from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration related to last year’s deadly explosion at the Clairton Coke Works. The Pittsburgh-based company was cited nine times for inadequate safety procedures, employee training and equipment to isolate machines from energy sources. The...
Nemacolin named top hotel in Pennsylvania, 28th in the U.S. in annual report
Nemacolin, the exclusive Fayette County resort known for its luxury accommodations, fine dining and expansive grounds, was named Pennsylvania’s top hotel Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report. The Laurel Highlands destination earned the No. 28 spot nationwide — one of only two businesses in Pennsylvania to crack the top...
Applications for jobless benefits fell to 227,000 last week, remaining at recent healthy levels
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell last week, remaining within the historically healthy range of the past few years. Applications for jobless aid for the week ending Feb. 7 fell by 5,000 to 227,000 from the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s basically...
U.S. adds 130,000 jobs and unemployment falls after tepid 2025Video
U.S. payrolls rose in January by the most in more than a year and the unemployment rate unexpectedly fell, suggesting the labor market continued to stabilize at the start of 2026. Employers added 130,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate declined to 4.3%, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics...
Kingfly Spirits in Strip District abruptly closes
Distillery Kingfly Spirits has closed its doors for good after seven years of serving the Strip District. In a social media post on Wednesday, the distillery wrote “as of today, we are moving on to the next chapter of life,” stating that Kingfly would not be conducting future bottle sales,...
Kraft Heinz pauses split as new CEO calls challenges ‘fixable’
Kraft Heinz said Wednesday it’s pausing a planned split and launching a $600 million investment campaign to tackle what new CEO Steve Cahillane called “fixable” challenges. The company announced in September it will divide its roughly 200 brands into one firm focused on high-performing sauces and spreads and another made...
The economy is booming. So why is the job market lagging?
WASHINGTON — The U.S. economy is on a tear. So why is the American job market limping behind? The Labor Department is expected to report Wednesday that companies, government agencies and nonprofits added 75,000 jobs last month, according to a survey of forecasters by the data firm FactSet. That would...
Trump to direct Pentagon to buy coal in bid to revive industry
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will introduce plans to use government funding and Pentagon contracts to sustain U.S. coal-fired power plants as he seeks to drive domestic reliance on the fossil fuel. The marquee initiative, set to be announced Wednesday, will come through an executive order, as Trump directs Defense...
John Dorfman: Zoom, Duolingo are balance-sheet powerhouses
Many investors focus myopically on earnings growth. One factor they often neglect is balance-sheet strength. To correct this oversight, I compile an annual list of Balance Sheet Powerhouses. It’s an honor roll, not necessarily a buy list. Some of the powerhouse stocks are priced in the ionosphere. But most years...
New Palmer Regional airport exec hopes to increase airline traffic with new terminal
A longtime employee at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport will be the new executive director of the Westmoreland County Airport Authority, which manages the airport in Unity and the Rostraver Airport. Maurice “Moe” Haas, 60, the airport authority manager, was unanimously promoted to executive director by the authority board on Tuesday,...
Retail operator of outdoor sportswear pioneer Eddie Bauer files for bankruptcy
NEW YORK — The operator of roughly 180 Eddie Bauer stores across the U.S. and Canada has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, blaming declining sales and a litany of other industry headwinds. The bankruptcy filing marks the third time in a little over two decades for the storied-but-now-tired brand...
Sly Fox Brewing space at Highline on South Side available, equipment up for sale
A realty company is looking for someone to serve out the remainder of Sly Fox Brewing’s lease in Pittsburgh’s South Side, suggesting the Pottstown-based company’s only production facility in Western Pennsylvania is winding down. Legacy Realty Partners announced last week the nearly 6,000-square-foot space in the neighborhood’s Highline complex —...
Landmark trial accusing social media companies of addicting children to their platforms begins
LOS ANGELES — The world’s biggest social media companies face several landmark trials this year that seek to hold them responsible for harms to children who use their platforms. Opening statements for the first, in Los Angeles County Superior Court, began on Monday. Instagram’s parent company Meta and Google’s YouTube...
Super Bowl ads try to overcome tough times with health, caring and the usual laughsVideo
At a difficult time for America, Super Bowl advertisers ask viewers to take care of themselves and others — and maybe even crack a smile. Ring shows how neighbors can use their doorbell cameras to find lost pets. A Budweiser Clydesdale protects a bald eagle chick from the rain. Novartis...
Maryland oyster season collapse prompts calls for federal disaster aid
Maryland officials are asking for federal help after what they describe as one of the worst oyster seasons in state history, a collapse they say threatens both watermen and a cornerstone of the Chesapeake Bay economy. U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., this week asked the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration...
Voters are worried about the cost of housing. But Trump wants home prices to keep climbing
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump wants to keep home prices high, bypassing calls to ramp up construction so people can afford what has been a ticket to the middle class. Trump has instead argued for protecting existing owners who have watched the values of their homes climb. It’s a position...
Valentine flower imports increase at Miami airport, despite tariffs and higher costs, officials say
MIAMI — Winged babies shooting heart-shaped arrows might get most of the credit on Valentine’s Day, but the real magic behind millions of romantic bouquets happens in a cargo warehouse at a South Florida airport. Agricultural specialists at Miami International Airport will process about 990 million stems of cut flowers...
Independence Health continues to narrow operating losses
Hefty losses have slowed for Independence Health System in the months leading up to its acquisition by West Virginia University Health System. The five-hospital network said Wednesday its operating losses fell to $7.3 million in the second half of last year, down from $16.3 million over the same span in...
Pizza Hut closing 250 stores as parent company considers selling the brand
Pizza Hut plans to close 250 U.S. restaurants in the first half of this year as its parent company considers a sale of the chain. Yum Brands said Wednesday it’s targeting underperforming Pizza Hut restaurants in its system. Pizza Hut has more than 6,000 locations in the U.S. Louisville, Kentucky-based...
Sprawling data center campus proposed next to old Bruce Mansfield power plant in Beaver County
The data center boom has arrived in small-town Beaver County with little of the fanfare that’s accompanied similar proposals across Southwestern Pennsylvania. Shippingport Council granted several zoning modifications last week that allow Texas-based Aligned Data Centers to build a sprawling campus — dubbed “Project Phoenix” — next to the old...
U.S. applications for jobless benefits jump by 22K to 231K last week, the most in 2 months
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits jumped last week but remains in the same historically low range of the past few years. Applications for jobless aid for the week ending Jan. 31 rose by 22,000 to 231,000 from the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday....
