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Will a $15.50 minimum wage hurt or help California's economy?
California's minimum wage is likely to rise to $15.50 an hour in January because of inflation, said Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday.
Some business leaders have argued they are struggling with rising costs and can't handle another 50 cents an hour. Worker advocates say the increase is needed to combat rising prices. Other advocates argue the ...Read more

After billion-dollar acquisition of MGM, Amazon inherits a foe: Starz
Two years into a lawsuit involving premium cable network Starz and entertainment giant MGM, a new player has entered the game: Amazon.
In March 2022, Amazon completed a $8.5 billion acquisition of MGM, a storied movie studio and one of Hollywood's biggest players. More than 4,000 films and 17,000 TV shows owned by MGM will be available on ...Read more

Henry Payne: How Ford aims to change your truck, electric bill and generator
San Antonio — Ford birthed its electric vehicle program in late 2017. It’s no coincidence the date dovetailed with first deliveries of the Tesla Model 3.
The Silicon Valley startup had changed the electric game with its $40,000, 220-mile range electric sedan. Delivered less than two years since it was first introduced by CEO Elon Musk in ...Read more
Hyundai electric vehicle factory to be built in Georgia
ELLABELL, Ga. — South Korean automotive giant Hyundai Motor Group on Friday confirmed plans to build a multi-billion-dollar electric vehicle assembly and battery plant in Bryan County near the Georgia coast.
In a ceremony at the factory site near Savannah with Gov. Brian Kemp, company officials outlined sprawling future operations on nearly 3...Read more

How did Colorado become one of the worst states for vehicle theft? Auto theft task force officials, reformers disagree.
Motor vehicle thieves have been on a tear in metro Denver, more than doubling their haul over the last couple of years — from just under 13,000 automobiles stolen in 2019 to more than 27,000 last year.
The sharp spike in vehicle heists has landed Colorado at the top of the list of all states for per capita auto thefts, with just over 500 ...Read more

Your phone just got more protection against spam calls. But it's not safe yet
If you haven't been warned recently that your car warranty has expired, that something has gone badly wrong with your Social Security account or that you are in big trouble with the Internal Revenue Service, then you must not have a phone.
Those are just a few of the most popular messages delivered by robocallers, who often hide behind spoofed ...Read more

The Week Ahead: No place to hide from the bear market
Wall Street loves acronyms and nicknames. Consider the "TINA trade," which came into currency as governments struggled to mitigate the fallout of COVID-19.
With interest rates low, the Federal Reserve and federal government pumping trillions of dollars into the economy, and the job market snapping back from its pandemic-induced but short-lived...Read more

Auto review: In a sea of German, Asian and American competitors, a sports sedan with a heart of a Ferrari
Maserati is among the most legendary names in Europe, yet for most Americans, its name elicits vague notions of its heritage or, more commonly, blank stares — and with good reason.
Much of its history in recent decades reflects bad decisions made under a myriad of owners. Alejandro de Tomaso, and his Italian car manufacturing company, De ...Read more

Auto review: Goin' topless in the big-power, big-kidney BMW M4 convertible
MONTEREY, California — Seventeen Mile Drive along the California coast is paved with testosterone.
The route is not only one of the most beautiful stretches of road in America, it’s also home to Pebble Beach Golf Links and high-priced homes with big garages and spectacular views of the Pacific. Cool cars and trucks come out to strut their ...Read more

Auto review: '22 Subaru Ascent ready for dirt roads and a thirsty family
Subaru's largest SUV has a daring new look for 2022. The Onyx edition offers a cool aesthetic, with blacked-out grille and darkened 20-inch wheels. Inside, washable synthetic leather seats are quickly ready for the next adventure.
Still, most folks shopping the three-row midsize are more focused on Subaru's signature feature, standard all-wheel...Read more

Baby formula shortage shows risk of US industry concentration
Formula isn’t just for babies. April Crohare desperately needs it for her 14-year-old son, Charlie. Due to medical complications from a rare brain disorder called lissencephaly, his only source of nutrition comes from infant formula through a feeding tube.
The Crohares, who live in Maryland, had relied on Abbott Laboratories’ hypoallergenic...Read more

Is it time to freak out about the stock market and the economy?
With inflation surging, the war in Ukraine roiling global markets and the after-effects of the pandemic still clogging supply chains, everyday investors have been jittery. But some had their nerves pushed to the edge this week after the Dow Jones Industrial Average took a swoon on Wednesday of more than 1,100 points, followed by a loss of ...Read more

Michael Hiltzik: Why don't regulators stop Elon Musk from breaking the law?
In his takeover adventure with Twitter, it seems more likely than not that Elon Musk has broken the law.
In some respects, his lawbreaking is easily documented. According to Musk's own disclosure, his purchases of Twitter shares brought him to 5% ownership of the company stock on March 14.
Securities law requires that any such holding be ...Read more

A worker shortage is driving US nursing homes to the brink of collapse
Chippewa Manor’s beds could be full. The nursing and rehabilitation home is seeing plenty of demand from potential patients, after two nearby facilities recently closed. But there’s one problem: There’s no one to care for residents.
Staffing has always been a challenge, but “it’s reached a boiling point” in the last six months, ...Read more

Lawsuit: Tesla autopilot feature accelerated on its own, causing crash
A 2017 Tesla Model S sedan on autopilot mode suddenly began to accelerate on its own as it headed toward a highway offramp, ran off the road and crashed into a tree, according to a lawsuit filed by the driver.
Tesla’s autopilot mode, which the electric carmaker claims allows its vehicles to steer, accelerate and brake automatically in their ...Read more

Amazon threatened workers over union vote, labor officials find
U.S. labor board prosecutors plan to accuse Amazon.com Inc. of threatening staff that if they unionized it could propose paying them minimum wage and of punishing an employee for seeking a paid Juneteenth holiday.
Unless the company settles, the National Labor Relations Board will issue a complaint, agency spokesperson Kayla Blado said Thursday...Read more

Georgia's Rivian deal a political wedge near future plant
RUTLEDGE, Georgia --- Going into 2022, many voters in rural Walton and Morgan counties expected zoning and spending issues to dominate local government races.
Then came the December announcement of Rivian’s $5 billion electric vehicle plant that has shaken the political landscape around the farms and pine forests an hour east of Atlanta that ...Read more
Grants for restaurants, small businesses blocked in Senate
WASHINGTON — Deficit-concerned senators blocked the Senate from considering a $48 billion aid package for restaurants and other small businesses Thursday, likely dealing a fatal blow to a months-long effort to provide a final round of relief for industries that suffered major revenue losses during the pandemic.
The Senate did not invoke ...Read more

Governance dominates corporate shareholder votes, ahead of environmental, social issues
Governance proposals heavily dominate annual shareholder meetings despite activist investors’ concerns about material risks from environmental and social issues, according to an analysis from a financial think tank.
The number of proposals submitted globally at annual shareholder meetings increased by over 80 percent since 2012, to nearly 12,...Read more

Real estate Q&A: Are homeowners who want to paint bound by obsolete rules?
Q: The guidelines in our homeowners association have not been revised for decades. A question came up about exterior paint colors. Are the homeowners still bound by the most recent, although antiquated, guidelines? — Ken
A: If the rules and guidelines were valid back then and nothing invalidated them, they are still enforceable.
Community ...Read more
Popular Stories
- Baby formula shortage shows risk of US industry concentration
- After billion-dollar acquisition of MGM, Amazon inherits a foe: Starz
- The Week Ahead: No place to hide from the bear market
- How did Colorado become one of the worst states for vehicle theft? Auto theft task force officials, reformers disagree.
- Will a $15.50 minimum wage hurt or help California's economy?