Business category, Page 11
New Kensington gift shop sells quirky, handmade 1-of-a-kind itemsVideo
Racks of quirky totes and custom tumblers now fill a small New Kensington storefront — but two years ago, The Bag Lady began with a single handmade Halloween trick-or-treat bag designed in honor of a deceased loved one’s birthday. Now, The Bag Lady owner Heather Naugle, a Penn Hills resident,...
Kalshi and Polymarket rush to ban insider trading as senators move to curb prediction markets
NEW YORK — Kalshi and Polymarket, the two biggest prediction market platforms, rushed to institute new industry guardrails on Monday after two key senators announced legislation that could severely curtail the industry’s prospects. Kalshi said it would ban political candidates from trading on their own campaigns, and it would preemptively...
Trump administration to pay French company $1B to walk away from U.S. offshore wind leases
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration will pay $1 billion to a French company to walk away from two U.S. offshore wind leases as the administration ramps up its campaign against offshore wind and other renewable energy. TotalEnergies has agreed to what’s essentially a refund of its leases for projects off...
Legal pressures mount on Namdar for Pittsburgh Mills mall maintenance
With spring weather could come accountability for Pittsburgh Mills mall owner Namdar Realty Group. At least that’s what Frazer Zoning Officer Bill Payne is hoping for. “Since all the roads and all the other code enforcement stuff were on the exterior of the property, and with all the weather and...
Despite spiking oil prices, there’s no talk of a boom in Texas oil country
MIDLAND, Texas — Drill rigs towered in dormant clusters along the main highway through Odessa, Texas. The bartender at a popular oil country bar complained of a noticeable slowdown. Workers in stained shirts from the nearby oil fields winced at the high price of diesel. “I’m not feeling good about...
Trump touted bigger tax refunds this year, but Americans will likely spend them on gas
WASHINGTON — The U.S. economy was supposed to start the year with a bang, fueled by an unusually large jump in tax refunds from President Donald Trump’s tax cut legislation. Yet spiking gas prices are on track to eat up those refunds, leaving most Americans with little extra to spend....
The middle-class suburbanites who sell their blood plasma to get by
WEBSTER, Texas — Joseph Briseño arrived at CSL Plasma around 8 a.m., just as the morning rush of donors was thinning out. He took a few small sips from his water bottle, preparing for what he ruefully described as his second job. Four days a week, Briseño, who lives in...
Nothing fake about Southwestern Pa.’s golf simulator boom
OnPar Now’s golf simulators fill up every other Friday during the winter with women of various skill levels. Some have steady swings, others swing and miss. The score isn’t the point for this virtual golf league built on real-world connection. “We have drinks and network and have a good time,”...
Meta targeted older workers in layoffs, lawsuit by former senior director for company claims
When Menlo Park, California, social media giant Meta executed a plan to slash 5% of its workforce last year, it laid off older workers at much higher rates than younger employees, a lawsuit by one of those workers claims. Nicolas Franchet alleged in his lawsuit that he was one victim...
Jury finds Elon Musk misled investors during Twitter purchase, absolves him of some fraud claims
SAN FRANCISCO — A jury has found Elon Musk liable for misleading investors by deliberately driving down Twitter’s stock price in the tumultuous months leading up to his 2022 acquisition of the social media company for $44 billion. But it absolved him of some fraud allegations, finding that he did...
Trump officials announce 10-gigawatt data center, gas plants for former Ohio uranium site
PIKETON, Ohio — The U.S. Department of Energy on Friday announced a public-private partnership to develop a major data center with its own power supply on the site of a decommissioned uranium enrichment plant in southern Ohio, as it pushes commercial development of artificial intelligence technology. The Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion...
In an always-on culture, employees try ‘microshifting’ to reclaim personal lives
NEW YORK — Before the house is humming and her teenagers ask her to whip up breakfast or chauffeur them to school, Jen Meegan reads her company emails and revisits ideas she drafted the night before. She works for an hour or so, then after the school run shops for...
Pittsburgh City Paper to relaunch under new ownershipVideo
A deal is in place that will allow Pittsburgh City Paper to relaunch under new ownership, restoring its online presence as well as a monthly print issue, its leadership said Thursday. “City Paper is a legacy free paper. I think alt-weeklies, even if they don’t print quite weekly, are a...
Ozempic is about to go generic for billions of people
The blockbuster weight loss drug sold as Ozempic and Wegovy will soon go generic in countries that are home to 40% of the world’s population, significantly lowering the price of a costly medicine that had been largely unaffordable to nearly all but the wealthiest people. On Saturday, Novo Nordisk, the...
Uber to invest up to $1.25B in Rivian to help launch robotaxis
NEW YORK — Uber says it will invest up to $1.25 billion in Rivian Automotive to help launch up to 50,000 robotaxis. Uber, or its fleet partners, are expected to buy 10,000 fully autonomous Rivian R2 robotaxis, with the option to purchase up to 40,000 more in 2030. The companies...
U.S. applications for jobless benefits fall to 205,000 last week as layoffs remain historically low
WASHINGTON — U.S. applications for unemployment benefits fell last week, remaining in the same range of recent years despite a broadly tepid labor market. The number of Americans filing for jobless aid for the week ending March 14 fell by 8,000 from the previous week to 205,000, the Labor Department...
How much energy does AI really need? Anthropic official weighs in at CMU Energy Week
It’s obvious that energy industry leaders have been talking about artificial intelligence a great deal late, said Benjamin Della Rocca, national security lead at Anthropic, a leading AI company. But it’s still uncertain, Della Rocca said, exactly what AI’s energy needs are going to be in the upcoming years. “AI’s...
Don’s Appliances founder dies at 82
Donald Lee Hillebrand, founder of Pittsburgh-area appliance retail empire Don’s Appliances, died this week. He was 82. Hillebrand, who founded the store with his late wife, Jill Ann Hillebrand, in 1971, died “peacefully surrounded by his family” on Monday, an obituary said. He was born Aug. 24, 1943, in McKees...
John Dorfman: My Nasdaq stock picks have averaged 17.9% return
The turnaround in the Nasdaq Stock Market happened sooner than I expected. Each March, I write a column about the Nasdaq. A year ago, I wrote that Nasdaq stocks — flailing at the time because of President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs — probably would be a fertile buying ground...
Alcoa nears first sale of property for potential data center
Pittsburgh-based Alcoa is inching closer to a deal to sell the first of 10 former industrial sites for potential use as data centers. The aluminum manufacturer announced plans in February to offload closed or curtailed sites. The New Kensington Technical Center not among them, nor are any company properties in...
U.S. says Anthropic is an ‘unacceptable’ national security risk
SAN FRANCISCO — The U.S. government said Tuesday that it had deemed the artificial intelligence company Anthropic an “unacceptable risk” to national security because the startup could disable or alter its technology to suit its own interests, rather than the country’s priorities, in a time of war. In a 40-page...
Juniper Grill, Atria’s and 1930 Cigar Bar now open in Pittsburgh’s Strip District
Three restaurant concepts have opened in Pittsburgh’s Strip District. Juniper Grill, Atria’s and 1930 Cigar Bar opened on Tuesday at 2350 Railroad St. The two restaurants and cigar lounge occupy 11,000 square feet and replace the former Italian restaurants Osteria 2350 and Cioppino. The new establishments are operated by Restaurant...
Kraft Heinz seals deal as NFL official condiment partner ahead of draft in PittsburghVideo
Heinz ketchup is taking over the condiment stand as the exclusive topping for concessions at Acrisure Stadium. The same will apply across the NFL after a five-year agreement announced Wednesday named Kraft Heinz Co. as the league’s first-ever official condiment partner. The deal is expected to drive fan engagement with...
Trump’s tariffs are hurting American manufacturers instead of helping them
WASHINGTON — Jay Allen is a fan of President Donald Trump, and voted for him on the belief that the Republican would cut taxes and trim regulations, helping his manufacturing business in northeast Arkansas. But the tariffs at the core of Trump’s economic agenda have wreaked havoc on his company,...
Jet fuel prices and airfares are rising. Travelers are still booking flights, U.S. airlines say
Major U.S. airlines say they are not expecting a significant dent in quarterly profits despite soaring jet fuel costs tied to the war in the Middle East adding hundreds of millions of dollars in expenses. Executives from Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and United Airlines told investors Tuesday that strong...
