Business category, Page 3
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...
Gas prices near $4: What’s driving the spike in Pa.Video
Gas prices surged again Tuesday, climbing to just shy of $4 a gallon across Southwestern Pennsylvania — a fresh hit for motorists already bracing for higher costs. Lynda Lambert, a spokesperson for AAA East Central, said the spike is being driven by the escalating war in Iran, which has rattled...
Bank of America settles claims over lawsuits by Jeffrey Epstein victims
NEW YORK — Bank of America has tentatively settled a lawsuit claiming it ignored suspicious financial transactions involving Jeffrey Epstein while he was sexually abusing hundreds of girls and women. The proposed settlement was revealed in filings in Manhattan federal court on Monday, the same day that billionaire financier Leon...
Oil prices resume their rise, but stocks hold steadier this time around
NEW YORK — Oil prices resumed their rise on Tuesday because of the war with Iran, but U.S. stocks held steadier this time around. The S&P 500 rose 0.2% to add to its gain from the day before, which was its biggest since the war began. The Dow Jones Industrial...
Amazon launches 1-hour, 3-hour delivery options
If there’s something on Amazon you need today, you might be in luck. The company announced new one-hour and three-hour delivery options across the United States for over 90,000 products — including everyday household essentials. In a release Tuesday, Amazon said the new delivery options build on the same-day delivery...
Trump officials weigh new $1 billion deal to stop offshore wind farms
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is considering a new strategy for throttling the country’s offshore wind industry, after federal judges blocked its five previous attempts to stop wind farms under construction off the East Coast. Senior administration officials are drafting settlement agreements that would pay nearly $1 billion to TotalEnergies,...
Macy’s at Pittsburgh Mills selling off fixtures, shelves as clearance sale continuesVideo
A new closing sale of sorts has started at Macy’s at Pittsburgh Mills. The anchor store, which announced its plans to leave the Frazer mall this spring, is selling its store fixtures, shelving units and more. A post on Facebook marketplace lists tables, holiday decor, art, clothes and accessory racks,...
Iran war pushes countries into energy triage as they conserve power and curb soaring prices
BANGKOK — The escalating war with Iran is pushing parts of the world into energy triage, forcing governments to choose where to cut demand or absorb costs, while prioritizing dwindling supplies. Asia is the most exposed since it relies heavily on imported fuel, much of it shipped through the now-blocked...
Bank of America agrees to settle claims it aided Epstein sex crimes
NEW YORK — Bank of America Corp. has agreed to settle a proposed class action lawsuit on behalf of Jeffrey Epstein victims who accused the bank of aiding in the deceased financier’s sex-trafficking, according to a court record. The agreement in principle was noted Monday in the court docket in...
Stocks climb to their best day since the Iran war began after oil prices ease
NEW YORK — A drop in oil prices on Monday helped send the U.S. stock market to its best day since the war in Iran began. The S&P 500 climbed 1% for its biggest gain in five weeks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 387 points, or 0.8%, and the...
Antitrust trial against Live Nation and Ticketmaster continues with states leading the charge
NEW YORK — The antitrust trial of Live Nation and Ticketmaster resumed Monday in a New York federal court with three dozen states remaining in the case a week after the Justice Department settled its claims and withdrew. Judge Arun Subramanian greeted jurors in Manhattan federal court by asking them...
Thousands of workers strike at one of the largest meatpacking plants in the country
GREELEY, Colo. — Thousands of workers for the world’s largest meatpacking company began a two-week strike Monday in Colorado, threatening to make already costly beef even more expensive for U.S. consumers. As the sun rose, employees picketed outside the Swift Beef Co. plant in Greeley, one of the largest slaughterhouses...
Canonsburg’s Coen Markets eyes sale to U.K.-based convenience store giant
Canonsburg-based Coen Markets could soon be part of a convenience store empire. Coen’s 50-plus stores in and around Southwestern Pennsylvania are being acquired by United Kingdom- based EG Group, the companies announced Thursday. EG Group owns more than 1,500 U.S. convenience stores across 10 brands, including Turkey Hill, Minit Mart and...
‘It’s just crazy’: High car payments make ownership feel impossible
An $830-a-month car payment. Auto insurance for $280 each month. Thousands more for tire and maintenance repairs. For almost three years, those bills have followed Davine Greene, a nursing student who hasn’t missed or been late on a payment since buying her Kia K5 GT in November 2023. But keeping...
Tricky negotiations begin Monday to renew a trade pact between the United States, Mexico and Canada
WASHINGTON — Every day more than $4 billion worth of goods cross the United States’ borders with Canada and Mexico — U.S. auto parts headed for car factories in northern Mexico, cartons of Mexican avocados bound for California supermarkets, Canadian aluminum destined to become cans of Campbell Soup. Much of...
CEOs of top airlines demand Congress restore funding to Homeland Security and pay airport workers
NEW YORK — The CEOs of the nation’s top airline companies, including American, Delta, Southwest and JetBlue, are imploring Congress to restore funding to the Department of Homeland Security and embrace a bipartisan solution to pay federal aviation workers including airport security officers during the partial government shutdown. “Once again,...
It’s good to be a billionaire, even at tax time
If you’ve been thinking about your tax bill, here’s something else to stew about. Scores of people with enormous wealth are paying relatively little, if anything, in taxes. Billionaires — and those with fortunes that are merely in the hundreds of millions — can avoid taxes legally, using loopholes that...
