Wire stories category, Page 17
Hanging out at Starbucks will cost you as company reverses its open-door policy
If you want to hang out or use the restroom at Starbucks, you’re going to have to buy something. Starbucks on Monday said it was reversing a policy that invited everyone into its stores. A new code of conduct — which will be posted in all company-owned North American stores...
Kohl’s to close 27 stores by April as struggling department stores works to improve sales
NEW YORK — Kohl’s said Friday it was closing 27 underperforming locations in 15 states by April — a fraction of its 1,150 store base — as the struggling department store chain aims to boost profitability and improve sagging sales. The announcement comes as the Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin-based chain has...
Latest NFL season highlights financial risks for sports betting companies when so many favorites win
NEW YORK — It’s been a tough football season for sports books. FanDuel and its key rival DraftKings have both showed investors that the house can indeed lose, or at least lose more than anticipated. Flutter Entertainment, which operates FanDuel and dominates the sports betting industry with a market value...
Honda Civic hybrid, Ford Ranger and Volkswagen ID. Buzz win 2025 North American vehicle awards
DETROIT — The Honda Civic hybrid won the 2025 North American Car of the Year award, while the Ford Ranger took the crown for the truck honors, and Volkswagen ID. Buzz won the utility award. The honors, announced Friday morning during an Automotive Press Association event kicking off the North...
Service workers union rejoins AFL-CIO after 20 years just ahead of Trump’s inauguration
WASHINGTON — The Service Employees International Union is returning to the AFL-CIO after 20 years, betting that a united labor movement will do more to help workers overcome legal challenges to organize and join unions. The union groups’ executive boards each unanimously approved the combination on Wednesday, with plans to...
Longshoremen reach tentative agreement with ports, shippers, averting potential strike
U.S. longshoremen reached a contract agreement with ports and shippers Wednesday, averting a potential strike that could have damaged the American economy. The International Longshoremen’s Association union and the U.S. Maritime Alliance of ports and shipping companies said they had reached a tentative agreement for a six-year contract, a week...
Oil, gas lease sale for Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge again receives no bids
JUNEAU, Alaska — The U.S. Interior Department on Wednesday said no bids were submitted for this week’s oil and gas lease sale in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge — a sale the state has challenged as too restrictive and at odds with a 2017 law aimed at opening the refuge’s...
How removing unpaid medical bills from credit reports could help consumers
NEW YORK — Lenders will no longer be able to consider unpaid medical bills as a credit history factor when they evaluate potential borrowers in the U.S. for mortgages, car loans or business loans, according to a rule the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized Tuesday. Removing medical debts from consumer...
McDonald’s the latest company to roll back diversity goals
McDonald’s is ending some of its diversity practices, citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision outlawing affirmative action in college admissions. McDonald’s is the latest to shift its tactics in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling and the conservative backlash that followed. Walmart, John Deere, Harley-Davidson and others have...
US new vehicle sales rose 2.7% last year as prices and interest rates dropped a little
DETROIT — New vehicle sales in the U.S. rose 2.7% last year as prices and interest rates eased a bit, making SUVs, cars and trucks a little more affordable. Industry analysts say discounts such as rebates and low-interest financing should get even better as 2025 rolls along, with the biggest...
A data company has figured out which airlines fly on time most often
Mexican airline Aeromexico had the world’s best record for on-time arrivals in 2024, according to an annual ranking released Thursday. Delta Air Lines scored the highest among U.S. carriers despite a computer outage that caused thousands of flight cancellations in July. Aviation-data provider Cirium said in a report that nearly...
