Business category, Page 7
Papa Johns pizza chain will close 300 stores across U.S.
Papa Johns announced it plans to close about 300 stores across the United States by the end of 2027. The announcement was made by the Kentucky-based pizza chain during an earnings call on Thursday, USA Today reported. The company also said during the call that it has cut its corporate...
Intervala expands at former Westmoreland Sony site, plans to hire 45 workersVideo
The former Sony site in East Huntingdon once hummed with television production; today, it is finding new life as a high-tech anchor thanks to a $6 million expansion by electronics manufacturer Intervala. The company, which moved into the RIDC Westmoreland Innovation Center near New Stanton in 2021, announced Thursday it...
Holy fish fries: Fish consumption skyrockets during Lent
Lent becomes a feeding frenzy when it comes to fish fries. Tons of breaded or beer-battered cod and haddock are consumed in Southwestern Pennsylvania during the 40-day holiday period in which Catholics abstain from meat on Fridays leading to Easter. Imperial-based wholesaler Nappies Food Service exports to churches and restaurants...
‘Buyers of last resort’: Experts weigh in on Namdar’s Macy’s purchase
Despite owing Frazer and Allegheny County millions of dollars in fines, the owner of the Pittsburgh Mills mall campus is purchasing real estate there. It’s a practice that experts say is uncommon but not prohibited. “In general, I mean, if real estate’s for sale, and you have a buyer and...
Netflix walks away from Warner Bros. deal, clearing the path for Paramount
NEW YORK — Netflix is declining to raise its offer to buy Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming business, in a stunning move that effectively puts Paramount in a position to take over its storied Hollywood rival. On Thursday, after Warner’s board announced that Skydance-owned Paramount’s offer was superior to...
Surging natural gas prices in Pa. could mean higher utility bills
Wholesale natural gas prices in Pennsylvania surged 71% last year, according to a new report, likely leading to higher residential utility bills. The Independent Fiscal Office, a state agency that supplies lawmakers in Harrisburg with revenue projections and economic analysis, released its quarterly natural gas report Wednesday. It found the...
Cutting-edge BioInterphase moves into Troy Hill’s historic firehouse
When Noah Snyder walks into his new office and laboratory space at a historic firehouse in Pittsburgh’s Troy Hill neighborhood, he’s met with a “whimsical” mix of old and new. A fireman’s pole descends from a circular hole — now patched over with plywood — in the engraved black ceiling,...
Burger King testing AI headsets that will know if employees say ‘welcome’ or ‘thank you’
Burger King is testing AI-powered headsets that can recite recipes, alert managers when inventories are low and even track how friendly employees are to customers. Restaurant Brands International – the Miami-based company that owns Burger King, Popeyes and other brands – said Thursday it’s currently testing the OpenAI-powered headsets in...
U.S. moves to cut off a Swiss bank over alleged Iran and Russia money flows
WASHINGTON — The U.S. is moving to sever a small Swiss bank from access to the U.S. financial system for its alleged support for Iranian and Russian actors, as U.S. and Iranian officials hold indirect talks Thursday in Geneva over Tehran’s nuclear negotiations. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network proposed a...
Instagram says it will notify parents if teens ‘repeatedly’ search for terms related to suicide
Instagram said Thursday it will start alerting parents if their kids repeatedly search for terms clearly associated with suicide or self-harm. The alerts will only go to parents who are enrolled in Instagram’s parental supervision program. Instagram says it already blocks such content from showing up in teen accounts’ search...
New York sues Counter-Strike game developer saying ‘loot boxes’ promote gambling
NEW YORK — New York’s attorney general has sued video game developer Valve, claiming the “loot boxes” found in Counter-Strike and other popular video game franchises illegally promote gambling. State Attorney General Letitia James said in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in New York state court that games such as Counter-Strike...
U.S. filings for jobless aid rise modestly to 212,000 as layoffs remain at historically healthy levels
WASHINGTON — Slightly more Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week as layoffs remain at relatively healthy levels. The number of Americans filing for jobless aid for the week ending Feb. 21 rose by 4,000 to 212,000 from the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s in line with...
Computer science majors and professors grapple with AI advancements
These are not your father’s computer science students. And for good reason. To find a job in the fast-growing, fast-moving field, college graduates are required to possess more than simple coding skills and the ability to troubleshoot. Artificial intelligence is driving a demand for a more advanced, polished graduate who...
Steel City Pediatric Dentistry removes the ‘scary’ along with the plaque
Do you like going to the dentist? Many adults don’t, often due to uncomfortable memories from their childhood experiences in the dentist’s chair. So when it’s time to take their own children to a dental checkup, parents sometimes struggle to help their kids cope with feelings of fear or resistance....
DoorDash exits 4 markets, including Japan, to focus on growth elsewhere
DoorDash said Wednesday that it’s ending operations in Qatar, Singapore, Japan and Uzbekistan. The San Francisco-based delivery company said the decision comes after a monthslong review of country-specific conditions. DoorDash said it wants to focus its investments on places where it can build sustainable scale and long-term market leadership. “Our...
Discord postpones age verification rollout amid criticism, promises transparency
Discord, the popular platform for gamers to communicate online, is postponing its controversial age verification policy after receiving swift backlash from users with concerns about their privacy. The global rollout of the system is now delayed to the second half of 2026, Discord’s Chief Technology Officer and co-founder Stanislav Vishnevskiy...
Jean-Marc Chatellier retiring, closing eponymous French bakery in Millvale
It’s last call for croissants in Millvale this weekend. After more than 30 years, Jean-Marc Chatellier is retiring and closing his pastry shop on North Avenue. “It’s time to go,” said Chatellier, 64, the son of a bread baker from the village of Couffé in western France. “It’s the new...
Spirit Airlines expects to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy by summer
Spirit Airlines’ parent company says it expects to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the late spring or early summer, after striking a preliminary deal with its lenders and secured creditors that provides the support needed to finish its restructuring. The early-stage agreement would help Spirit finalize changes to its fleet,...
Warner Bros gets a higher offer from Paramount in heated fight for the storied Hollywood studio
NEW YORK — Warner Bros. Discovery said that Paramount has raised the price of its takeover offer to $31 per share, potentially setting the stage for a fresh bidding war with Netflix over the future of the Hollywood giant. The company previously offered $30 per share when it first went...
Breeze Airways to begin nonstop Myrtle Beach flightsVideo
Pittsburgh International Airport continues to expand its roster of destinations. The latest addition comes from budget carrier Breeze Airways, which will launch seasonal nonstop service to Myrtle Beach beginning July 3. “We are excited to now offer Myrtle Beach as a destination for our Pittsburgh guests,” Breeze Airways founder and...
U.S. consumer confidence improves modestly in February
WASHINGTON — The American consumer’s confidence in the U.S. economy improved slightly in February after cratering a month earlier. The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index rose to 91.2 in February from an upwardly revised 89 last month. A measure of Americans’ short-term expectations for their income,...
CMU scores 1st tenant for $100M Hazelwood Green robotics center
Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Innovation Center has secured its first tenant ahead of the $100 million facility’s opening celebration Friday. California-based FieldAI will establish a small lab and office suite in the 150,000-square-foot building, the university announced Monday. The Robotics Innovation Center is located at Hazelwood Green, site of a...
Waymo’s robotaxis now being dispatched in 10 major U.S. markets with expansion in Texas and Florida
Waymo will begin dispatching its robotaxis in four more cities in Texas and Florida, expanding the territory covered by its fleet of self-driving cars to 10 major U.S. metropolitan markets. The move into Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Orlando, Fla., announced Tuesday, widens Waymo’s early lead in autonomous driving while...
Trump faces tough legal landscape to oppose tariff refunds
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is likely to face legal obstacles if it argues against refunds for the tariffs struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court — thanks to statements by Justice Department lawyers. In a 6-3 decision last week, the justices declared President Donald Trump’s use of an economic...
FedEx joins other US companies in seeking a refund after Trump tariffs are ruled illegal
FedEx is suing the U.S. government, the latest company to request a refund on what it paid for tariffs set by President Donald Trump last year after the Supreme Court ruled that the tariffs are illegal. More than 1,000 companies have filed suit in the U.S. Court of International Trade...
