Towns across the country plunging into debates on fluoride in drinking water
NEW YORK (AP) — The decision to add fluoride to drinking water rests with state and local officials, and fights are cropping up nationwide. Communities in Florida, Texas, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming and elsewhere have debated the idea in recent months — the total number is in the dozens, with several deciding to stop adding it [...]
Nordstrom to be acquired, taken private in $6.25B deal
Century-old department store Nordstrom has agreed to be acquired and taken private by Nordstrom family members and a Mexican retail group in a $6.25 billion deal. Nordstrom shareholders will receive $24.25 in cash for each share of Nordstrom common stock, or about $4 billion in all, representing a 42 percent premium on the company’s stock [...]
Many Southern farmers still reeling months after Hurricane Helene ravaged crops across region
LYONS, Ga. (AP) — Twisted equipment and snapped tree limbs still litter Chris Hopkins’ Georgia farm more than two months after Hurricane Helene made its deadly march across the South. An irrigation sprinkler system about 300 feet long lay overturned in a field, its steel pipes bent and welded joints broken. The mangled remains of [...]
Tax-loss selling may benefit some investors
The U.S. stock market gained more than 25 percent this year, a healthy showing by any measure. It doesn’t seem like it would be a market environment that’s conducive to tax-loss selling. Yet unless investors’ strategy is to buy only U.S. stocks, they may indeed have opportunities to realize tax losses in their portfolios, which [...]
Conference Board says consumers are less confident
American consumers are feeling less confident in December, a business research group says. The Conference Board said that its consumer confidence index fell in December to 104.7 from 112.8 in November. Analysts forecast a rise to a reading of 113.8. Consumers had been feeling increasingly confident in recent months, spending more in the run-up to [...]
Small business owners should be aware of coming changes
For small businesses, the biggest change in the new year will be the arrival of a presumably more business-friendly administration in Washington. Yet there are other shifts owners should keep on their radar. Among them: changes to state-level overtime and minimum wage rules, the delayed federal FinCEN registration, taxes on payments from third-party providers such [...]
Airports hiring musicians, curating playlists to bring music out of the background
SEATAC, Wash. (AP) — Background music is no longer an afterthought at many airports, which are hiring local musicians and carefully curating playlists to help lighten travelers’ moods. London’s Heathrow Airport built a stage to showcase emerging British performers for the first time this summer. The program was so successful the airport hopes to bring [...]
Container Store seeks bankruptcy protection
NEW YORK (AP) — The Container Store has filed for bankruptcy protection as the storage and organizational goods retailer with roots dating back to the 1970s grapples with mounting losses and cash flow shortages. The Texas company has faced increasing competition from retailers such as Target and Walmart at the same time that demand for [...]
Military orders new safety guidelines for key Osprey part
WASHINGTON (AP) — The military has ordered new safety guidelines for a key part in all Osprey aircraft after a recent accident revealed the same problem that caused a fatal crash in Japan last year. During a Nov. 20 flight involving a CV-22B Osprey in New Mexico, the crew received warnings that the metal gears [...]