Wire stories category, Page 115
Russian company to invest in Kentucky aluminum mill
FRANKFORT, Ky. — An aluminum company planning to build a $1.7 billion plant in Appalachia said Monday it’s forging a partnership with a Russian company that until recently faced U.S. sanctions. Russian aluminum giant Rusal wants to invest $200 million in a Kentucky taxpayer-backed aluminum rolling mill that Braidy Industries...
GM to reveal next-generation Corvette in July
FRANKFORT, Ky. — It’s just the thing to make the hearts of Corvette fans race: A new rendition of the classic sports car is coming. And General Motors has a big change in store for the eighth generation Corvette being revealed July 18. The engine in the new model is...
China’s auto show highlights electric ambitions
BEIJING — This year’s Shanghai auto show highlights the global industry’s race to make electric cars Chinese drivers want to buy as Beijing winds down subsidies that promoted sales. Communist leaders are shifting the burden to automakers by imposing mandatory sales targets for electrics, adding to financial pressure on them...
As cashless stores grow, so does the backlash
NEW YORK — Hembert Figueroa just wanted a taco. So he was surprised to learn the dollar bills in his pocket were no good at Dos Toros Taqueria in Manhattan, one of a small but growing number of establishments across the U.S. where customers can only pay by card or...
Uber to go public at last in what could be one of the biggest IPOs
The biggest IPO of the year is on its way. Uber’s initial public offering, expected to value the company at about $100 billion, could be among the largest in history, and will likely compete with Alibaba for the biggest tech IPO ever. Uber’s debut also would dwarf Facebook’s as the...
Amazon workers are listening to what you tell Alexa
Tens of millions of people use smart speakers and their voice software to play games, find music or trawl for trivia. Millions more are reluctant to invite the devices and their powerful microphones into their homes out of concern that someone might be listening. Sometimes, someone is. Amazon.com employs thousands...
Who’s winning, losing from coffee’s drop to a 13-year low
Coffee has been among the worst-performing commodities in the past few years as the world became awash with beans, and there are few signs of a meaningful rebound any time soon. With arabica languishing near a 13-year low and robusta futures also performing poorly, there are concerns that the industry’s...
Apple takes step toward curbing climate-warming emissions from its supply chain
Apple announced Thursday that 21 manufacturers in its supply chain have recently vowed to obtain all their electricity from renewable sources, bringing to more than 5 gigawatts the total amount of renewable energy that will be used by the company and its suppliers by 2020. That would bring the use...
Boeing makes 96 flights to test software on troubled Max jet
DALLAS — Boeing has made 96 flights to test a software update for its troubled 737 Max jet, according to the company’s CEO. Dennis Muilenburg said Thursday that more test flights are planned in the coming weeks as Boeing attempts to convince regulators that the plane is safe. The Max...
Jeff Bezos challenges retail rivals to match Amazon’s $15 minimum wage
Just five months after Amazon moved to a $15 minimum wage, chief executive Jeff Bezos has called on other retailers to match it. “Today I challenge our top retail competitors (you know who you are!) to match our employee benefits and our $15 minimum wage,” Bezos said in a letter...
Amazon, Microsoft finalists for Pentagon contract; ‘potential ethical violations’ noted
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has narrowed the field of potential awardees for its $10 billion cloud computing contract to two companies: Amazon and Microsoft, Defense Department spokeswoman Elissa Smith said Wednesday. The Pentagon separately determined that alleged conflicts of interest on the part of Amazon Web Services did not adversely...
National Enquirer parent explores possible sale of tabloid
NEW YORK — The supermarket tabloid under fire for paying hush money to a former Playboy model to help Donald Trump in his 2016 presidential campaign is on the auction block. The parent of the National Enquirer said Wednesday that it is exploring a possible sale as part of a...
U.S. budget deficit running 15% higher than a year ago
WASHINGTON — The federal government reported a $146.9 billion deficit in March, causing annual debt to rise 15% for the first half of the budget year compared to the same period in 2018. The Treasury Department said Wednesday in its monthly report that the fiscal year deficit has so far...
Hormel lawsuit reveals what ‘natural’ meat really means
Consumers want “natural” meat — and the biggest meat companies want to sell it to them. American shoppers are reaching for healthier, more environmentally and animal-friendly meat products, with 39 percent saying “all-natural” is the most important claim when purchasing red meat, according to a recent survey by Mintel. But...
Ghost of Toys R Us still haunts toy makers
NEW YORK — This year, children will have a hard time finding Uncle Milton’s glow-in-the-dark ant farm, or the gel and ant village version. Basic Fun, the parent company behind the brand, has stopped producing them and now makes just three versions — basic, giant and retro. Who’s to blame?...
Delta tops long-running ranking of U.S. airlines
Delta Air Lines comes in first in a long-running study that ranks U.S. airlines by how often flights arrive on time and other statistical measures. Researchers who crunch the numbers also say that as a whole, U.S. airlines are getting better at handling baggage and overcrowded flights and are getting...
Forget kibbles: U.S. sales of fresh pet food are soaring
DETROIT — Kibbles for Fido? Nope. These days he’s getting diced chicken with sweet potatoes and spinach. U.S. pet owners are increasingly feeding fresh food to their dogs and cats. Some order pre-proportioned meals of meat and vegetables or frozen raw meat online. Others find them in refrigerators at big...
Aldi sets sustainability goals with consumers calling for less waste
Aldi is the latest supermarket chain to announce a sustainability push - an effort the company says will help it trim costs and stand out in a crowded field. The low-cost grocer, known for its spartan approach to retailing, plans to make all of its private-label packaging reusable, recyclable or...
High prices, interest rates push 1Q U.S. auto sales down 2%
DETROIT — Automobile sales in the U.S. fell 2% in the first quarter, another sign the nation’s economy is starting to slow. Automakers sold just over 4 million vehicles from January through March, according to Ward’s Automotive Intelligence, and industry analysts blame the decline on rising vehicle prices, competition from...
Family behind OxyContin calls opioid suit false, misleading
BOSTON — Massachusetts authorities created a false picture of the Sackler family’s role in promoting OxyContin, the Sacklers said Tuesday in their first court response to allegations that individual family members — not just their company, Purdue Pharma — helped fuel the deadly opioid epidemic. The Sackler family says a...
Registration open for North Allegheny’s 19th annual Pump House Run
Registration is open for the 19th annual Pump House Run on Saturday, May 18 at North Allegheny Intermediate High School. The run will include four separate races: A 5K, a 1-mile run/walk, a 1/2-mile run for people 9 and older; and a 50-yard dash for preschoolers. Money raised from the...
U.S. stock indexes cap listless trading day with mixed finish
A day of listless trading on Wall Street ended with an uneven finish for stock indexes as the market lost some of its momentum after a three-day winning streak. After a brief early slide, U.S. stocks mostly wavered between small gains and losses through the rest of the day, as...
AP: Most states’ sports betting revenue misses estimates
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — When the Patriots won the Super Bowl again — and covered the spread, too — all of New England was delirious, with the possible exception of Rhode Island’s tax collectors. The state’s sportsbooks lost $2.35 million because, come on, really, who’s going to bet against Tom Brady...
Thinking ahead: How to prepare next year’s tax filing now
If you weren’t happy with your tax bill this year, or you’re worried about next year’s, this is the time to take action. CHECK YOUR WITHHOLDINGS If you do only one thing, review the withholdings on your paycheck. The tax overhaul changed how much employers withhold from paychecks. If you...
Lyft’s shares soar as investors bet on ride-hailing future
Lyft’s shares soared as the company went public Friday, giving investors their first chance to bet on the future of the ride-hailing industry. The stock opened at $87.24, up 21 percent from its offering price of $72. Lyft won the race with its much larger rival Uber to go public,...
