Business category, Page 55
Westmoreland chamber looking along Route 30 for potential convention center location
The Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce plans to study the potential for a convention center and hotel in the county. “As we look at regrowing Westmoreland County, this is just one of many items where we’re looking to spur new economic growth,” said chamber President and CEO Dan DeBone. “We’re...
John Dorfman: Pfizer, Schlumberger are January Bounce candidates
Stocks that struggle during the first 10 months of the year often fall further during November and December, as some investors sell to realize a tax loss. Once the tax-motivated selling subsides, such stocks frequently bounce back in January. Each year, I offer a few January bounce candidates — ones...
Canadian cannabis company buying up American brewers
A Canadian cannabis company is tapping into a flailing American industry: craft beer. The cannabis company has purchased multiple United States craft breweries, thus becoming the fifth-largest craft brewer in the U.S. as a result. According to The Wall Street Journal, Tilray Brands has purchased a total of 18 craft...
Record number of travelers expected to take to skies, roads over Thanksgiving holidayVideo
Annette Santilli was pleasantly surprised when she arrived at Pittsburgh International Airport early Tuesday. With some forecasts calling for a record number of travelers over the Thanksgiving holiday, Santilli, 62, of Clarksburg, W.Va., had expected to see long lines at the Findlay airport. Instead, Santilli and her 20-year-old daughter, Stephanie...
What stores are open on Thanksgiving?
The National Retail Federation believes 34.3 million Americans may spend part of Thanksgiving shopping. Those in Southwestern Pennsylvania who choose to make purchases in person instead of online will find options limited, as many major retailers are planning to keep their doors closed on Thanksgiving Day. That includes Target, Walmart,...
What Black Friday’s history tells us about holiday shopping in 2024
NEW YORK — The holiday shopping season is about to reach full speed with Black Friday, which kicks off the post-Thanksgiving retail rush later this week. The annual sales event no longer creates the midnight mall crowds or doorbuster mayhem of recent decades, in large part due to the ease...
Auto industry’s shift toward EVs is expected to go on despite Trump threat to kill tax credits
DETROIT — If President-elect Donald Trump makes good on his threat to kill federal tax credits for electric vehicle purchases, it’s likely that fewer buyers will choose EVs. Yet tax credits or not, auto companies show no intention of retreating from a steady transition away from gas-burning cars and trucks,...
Renee Piatt creates and curates a collection of jewelry to empower women
For Renee Piatt, seeing earrings, necklaces, bracelets or rings from her collection on another woman is about more than noticing sparkling pieces of jewelry — it’s about a deeper shine. “I want to empower women with my jewelry,” said Piatt, founder of the Renee Piatt Collection. “When she walks into...
Walmart becomes latest — and biggest — company to roll back its DEI policies
NEW YORK — Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, is rolling back its diversity, equity and inclusion policies, joining a growing list of major corporations that have done the same after coming under attack by conservative activists. The changes, confirmed by Walmart on Monday, are sweeping and include everything from not...
Workers at Charlotte airport, an American Airlines hub, go on strike during Thanksgiving travel weekVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Workers who clean airplanes, remove trash and help with wheelchairs at Charlotte’s airport, one of the nation’s busiest, went on strike Monday during a busy week of Thanksgiving travel to demand higher wages. The Service Employees International Union announced the strike in a statement early Monday, saying...
Eggs are available — but pricier — as the holiday baking season begins
Egg prices are rising once more as a lingering outbreak of bird flu coincides with the high demand of the holiday baking season. But prices are still far from the recent peak they reached almost two years ago. And the American Egg Board, a trade group, says egg shortages at...
Macy’s says employee hid up to $154 million in expenses, delaying Q3 earnings
Macy’s reported stronger-than-expected sales for the third quarter and said it’s delaying the release of its full quarterly results after it discovered an employee intentionally hid up to $154 million of expenses over several years. The department store chain, which also operates Bloomingdale’s and Bluemercury cosmetics chain in addition to...
Spirit Airlines plans normal operations out of Pittsburgh through bankruptcy filing
Passengers at Pittsburgh International Airport can expect Spirit Airlines to operate normally despite the company’s recent Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, officials said. Bryan Dietz, senior vice president for air service and commercial development at Pittsburgh International, said that Spirit’s financial situation will not have an immediate impact on its operations....
As Amazon expands use of warehouse robots, what will it mean for workers?
Amazon has introduced a handful of robots in its warehouses that the e-commerce giant says will improve efficiency and reduce employee injuries. Two robotic arms named Robin and Cardinal can lift packages that weigh up to 50 pounds. A third, called Sparrow, picks up items from bins and puts them...
Overhauls of ‘heritage brands’ raise the question: How important are our products to our identities?
LONDON — When Katja Vogt considers a Jaguar, she pictures a British-made car purring confidently along the Italian coastline — a vision of familiarity that conveys “that dreaming, longing feeling we all love.” She’s not sure what to think about Jaguar now after the 89-year-old company announced a radical rebranding...
Amazon to invest an additional $4 billion in AI startup Anthropic
Amazon is investing an additional $4 billion in the artificial intelligence startup Anthropic as major technology companies rush to fund generative AI. This will bring Amazon’s total investment in Anthropic — which began last year — to $8 billion. Anthropic said the Seattle-based tech giant will maintain its position as...
Tariff hikes will backfire, and China can manage such ‘external shocks,’ a senior official says
HONG KONG — Higher tariffs on Chinese exports will backfire, just increasing prices paid by consumers, while China can manage to weather the impact of such “external shocks,” a senior Commerce Ministry official said Friday in Beijing. Responding to a reporter’s question about U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to impose...
DirecTV calls off acquisition of rival Dish, possibly ending a yearslong pursuit
DirecTV is calling off its planned acquisition of rival Dish after the offer was rejected by bond holders at that company. The deal was reliant on Dish bond holders agreeing to trade in the debt they held for debt in the new company, a swap that would have cost them...
McDonald’s to expand U.S. value menu as fast food chains battle for bargain seekers
McDonald’s will expand its U.S. value menu early next year as it continues to try to win back inflation-weary customers. Starting Jan. 7, the burger chain will let customers buy one full-priced item from a limited value menu and get another item on that menu for $1. Items on the...
Steelworkers union boss rips PR blitz pushing U.S. Steel-Nippon deal
United Steelworkers International President David McCall is well aware of the cracks forming in his union’s opposition to a sale of U.S. Steel to Japan-based Nippon Steel as the companies press their advertising blitz, but he is not backing down. McCall swiftly came out against the $14.9 billion acquisition when...
One Tech Tip: How to get started with Bluesky
LONDON — Looking for a new social media platform because X, Threads and Mastodon just aren’t cutting it? You could try Bluesky. People seeking to avoid chaos, noise and political bluster in the aftermath of the U.S. elections are noticing a different mood on the Bluesky social platform, where the...
Bitcoin is at the doorstep of $100,000 as post-election rally rolls on
NEW YORK — Bitcoin topped $98,000 for the first time Thursday, extending a streak of almost daily all-time highs since the U.S. presidential election. The cryptocurrency has rocketed more than 40% in just two weeks. Now, bitcoin is at the doorstep of $100,000 and investors do not appear to be...
U.S. home sales rose in October, notching their 1st annual gain in over 3 years
LOS ANGELES — Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes rose in October, the first annual gain in more than three years, with home shoppers encouraged by easing rates and a pickup in properties on the market. Existing home sales rose 3.4% last month, from September, to a seasonally adjusted annual...
U.S. regulators seek to break up Google, forcing Chrome sale as part of monopoly punishment
U.S. regulators want a federal judge to break up Google to prevent the company from continuing to squash competition through its dominant search engine after a court found it had maintained an abusive monopoly over the past decade. The proposed breakup floated in a 23-page document filed late Wednesday by...
Delta to serve Shake Shack burgers in first class on some flights
Delta Air Lines will soon serve Shake Shack cheeseburgers to first-class customers on certain flights out of Boston. The first-class meal option will be offered starting Dec. 1 on routes of more than 900 miles out of Boston Logan International Airport. The airline said it “plans for expansion to other...
