Business category, Page 281
Ghosn’s journey: Star auto executive to masked suspect
Carlos Ghosn, the star auto executive credited with rescuing both Renault and Nissan, left a drab Tokyo detention center Wednesday after more than three months in custody, his identity obscured by a surgical mask, hat and construction worker’s outfit. The jet-setting turnaround wizard was pursued by TV news helicopters as...
UK airline says female flight attendants can drop makeup
DALLAS — Britain’s Virgin Atlantic has dropped a requirement that female flight attendants wear makeup, joining other major carriers that have eased their dress and grooming requirements after complaints about turning female employees into sex objects. Virgin Atlantic announced this week that female cabin crew members can skip the makeup....
Record trade deficit will put pressure on Trump in China talks
WASHINGTON — President Trump fell further behind in his goal of reversing the nation’s trade deficit as the gap in goods soared to an all-time high last year. That’s certain to add pressure on Trump to close a trade deal with China to boost U.S. exports and remove punishing tariffs...
FDA says asbestos found in cosmetics at teen chain Claire’s
The Food and Drug Administration said it found asbestos in certain cosmetics sold by teen chain Claire’s. A consumer alert issued Tuesday advised consumers not to use certain eye shadows, compact powders and contour palettes the agency said tested positive for asbestos, a carcinogen. Claire’s, based in Hoffman Estates, Ill.,...
Nevada cites U.S. warnings in bid to block plutonium shipments
RENO, Nev. — Nevada’s latest bid to block incoming shipments of weapons-grade plutonium points to the U.S. Energy Department’s own scientific warnings about the dangers of prematurely moving the highly radioactive material out of South Carolina. State lawyers say in briefs filed this week with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court...
The Cruze cruises: General Motors assembly plant closing, maybe for good
LORDSTOWN, Ohio — The last compact car rolled off the line Wednesday at General Motors’ massive assembly plant in Ohio as the automaker began moving toward its future while workers wondered about theirs. GM is eliminating all 1,700 hourly positions, perhaps for good, at the factory near Youngstown, the first...
Judge eases wildfire safety plan for California utility
SAN FRANCISCO — A U.S. judge overseeing a criminal case against Pacific Gas & Electric Co. called the California utility’s efforts to prevent trees from hitting its power lines and starting wildfires “dismal” but scaled back his proposals to prevent its equipment from causing more blazes. Judge William Alsup said...
Stocks slide a 3rd straight day with health companies showing the way
Health care companies led U.S. stocks broadly lower Wednesday, giving the market its third straight loss. Technology and energy stocks also bore the brunt of the selling, offsetting gains in materials and utilities companies. Several retailers also rose. Smaller companies fell more than the rest of the market. The latest...
#1 Cochran acquires former Kenny Ross dealerships in Butler County
Two Zelienople-area dealerships are again locally owned, as #1 Cochran announced its purchase of the Kenny Ross Chevrolet and Nissan stores on Perry Highway. The dealerships have been renamed #1 Cochran Chevrolet and #1 Cochran Nissan Cranberry. Both are on Perry Highway (Route 19) on the border of Zelienople and...
Mark Zuckerberg says he’ll reorient Facebook toward encryption, privacy
Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg announced sweeping changes to Facebook’s services on Wednesday, saying in a blog post that he would spend the next several years reorienting the company’s apps toward encryption and privacy. The moves — outlined in broad strokes rather than as a set of specific product changes —...
Net neutrality is back in play as Democratic lawmakers announce a bill
House and Senate Democratic leaders are expected to unveil new legislation Wednesday proposing to restore federal net neutrality rules on Internet providers such as AT&T and Verizon, in their latest attempt to countermand the Republican-led Federal Communications Commission. Here’s what you need to know. What’s in the bill? As written,...
Pittsburgh-based The Incline news website is for sale
Spirited Media officials announced Wednesday the company is selling its three online publications, including Pittsburgh-based The Incline. Chris Krewson, vice president of strategy at Spirited Media, announced on Medium that the company had already sold Denverite to Colorado Public Radio and is looking to sell The Incline and Philadelphia-based Billy...
U.S. trade deficit jumps to 10-year high, including record gap with China
WASHINGTON — The U.S. trade deficit jumped nearly 19 percent in December, pushing the trade imbalance for all of 2018 to widen to a decade-long high of $621 billion. The gap with China on goods widened to an all-time record of $419.2 billion. The Commerce Department figures released Wednesday undermined...
Saint Vincent College in Unity hosting small business information session
The U.S. Small Business Administration is inviting local small-business owners to apply for its Emerging Leaders Initiative during an information session on March 12. The session at Saint Vincent College, Aurelius Hall, open from 10:30 a.m. to noon March 12, will give business owners an opportunity to learn more about...
Last car to roll off assembly line at Lordstown GM plant
LORDSTOWN, Ohio — A sprawling General Motors’ assembly plant near Youngstown will be idled on Wednesday after more than 50 years producing cars and other vehicles, a move that will eliminate nearly 1,700 hourly positions by months’ end. GM announced in December that Lordstown along with three plants in the...
Las Vegas bets on Elon Musk for tunnel transit system
LAS VEGAS — Entrepreneur Elon Musk’s dream of an express tunnel transit system could finally become a reality in Las Vegas after major setbacks in other cities. Las Vegas’ tourism agency announced Wednesday it is recommending that an enterprise backed by the divisive billionaire receive a contract to build and...
GM’s job cuts in Ohio show hot economy leaves parts of America behind
LORDSTOWN, Ohio — Scott Mezzapeso had to do something last month he never imagined: call his ex-wife and warn her that he might not be able to pay child support on time. Mezzapeso has a tattoo of his daughter on his left arm and rarely misses her high school softball...
Major brands avoid Trump even as he promotes them from the White House
In a scene likely worth millions of dollars in free advertising, President Trump displayed a spread of burgers from some of the country’s biggest fast-food chains inside the State Dining Room of the White House on Monday as hungry football players looked on. With cameras rolling, he offered a presidential...
Southwestern Pa. banks among Forbes’ ‘World’s Best’
Four banks based in Southwestern Pennsylvania are included among the 60 U.S. financial institutions that made Forbes magazine’s 2019 list of the World’s Best Banks. For this inaugural listing, the magazine partnered with research firm Statista, which surveyed more than 40,000 customers in order to rate banks in 23 countries...
Trader Joe’s customers (91,000 of them) petition store to reduce plastic packaging
Customers love Trader Joe’s for the company’s innovative products and affordable prices. All that plastic encasing cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes and cherries? Not so much. As of Tuesday, more than 91,000 people have signed a Change.org petition urging the Southern California-based chain to reduce its plastic packaging. “Trader Joe’s, I love...
Kraft Heinz keeps 5 test kitchens busy to stay relevant
GLENVIEW, Ill. — Robin Ross, director of culinary at Kraft Heinz, doesn’t need data to know how much consumer tastes have changed since processed food reigned supreme. When she was growing up, dinner often meant heating up a can of something on the stove, and when she was raising kids...
The federal deficit ballooned at start of new fiscal year, up 77 percent from a year before
WASHINGTON — The federal budget deficit ballooned rapidly in the first four months of the fiscal year amid falling tax revenue and higher spending, the Treasury Department said Tuesday, posing a new challenge for the White House and Congress and they prepare for a number of budget battles. The deficit...
Study examines how health consumers respond to surprise medical bills
WASHINGTON — When it comes to having a baby, that bundle of joy may bring an unexpected price tag that can affect parents’ future health care choices. At least that was the finding of a study published this week in Health Affairs. It examined how consumers respond to surprise medical...
Holiday season defines winners, losers in retail
NEW YORK — The 2018 holiday season turned out to be a mixed bag for retailers, with some of them defying a gloomy government report in December that raised concerns that shoppers were hunkering down everywhere. Retailers including Walmart, Target and Best Buy that have been responding faster to a...
Papa John’s, founder reach settlement agreement
Papa John’s has reached a settlement agreement with founder John Schnatter that will see him step down from the pizza chain’s board once an independent director that is mutually acceptable replaces him. If a new director isn’t named prior to Papa John’s 2019 annual shareholders meeting, Schnatter’s term will expire...
