Business

/

ArcaMax

Genesis/Genesis/TNS

Larry Printz: America's fourth most-popular automaker reveals its aggressive product plan

Business / Business News /

NEW YORK — Call it a rite of spring, the New York International Auto Show, where the latest and greatest in automotive fashion is revealed in one of the fashion capitals of the world. Certainly, Hyundai Motor Group, which includes the Hyundai, Kia and Genesis brands, knows it, and uses it to great advantage.

And it works.

Need proof? Hyundai...Read more

The IRS wants to give California taxpayers $94 million in refunds -- if they file returns

Business / Business News /

As hard as it may be to imagine, Californians have left millions of dollars in unclaimed tax refunds with the Internal Revenue Service. And if they don't act soon, that money will go to the federal treasury.

The money was left behind by taxpayers who didn't file tax returns, mainly because they earned so little in their jobs that they weren't ...Read more

How will the Baltimore bridge collapse affect prices and the West Coast?

Business / Business News /

The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and the closure of the Port of Baltimore this week could have far-reaching implications all the way across the country for the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, according to several experts.

The bridge collapsed Tuesday about 1:30 a.m. when the Dali, a 985-foot-long cargo ship en route to Sri ...Read more

Dungeness crab season in Bay Area, Central Coast will come to an early end

Business / Business News /

The already-shortened 2023-2024 Dungeness crab season in the Bay Area and central California will come to an end early, in just over a week.

California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials on Thursday ordered an April 8 close to the commercial season to minimize the risk of humpback whales becoming entangled in fishing gear as they return ...Read more

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Fisker had big dreams to compete with Tesla. What went wrong?

Business / Business News /

A decade ago, respected automobile designer Henrik Fisker was coming off the bankruptcy of his first car company when he contemplated his comeback. Instead of a luxury hybrid sedan, what he envisioned was an all-electric SUV that would appeal to the masses with its lower price and California beach-inspired design.

The Danish native put the car ...Read more

Nathan Leach-Proffer/Toyota/TNS/TNS

Is a plug-in hybrid better than a fully electric vehicle?

Business / Business News /

Like most things, the answer to whether one car is better than another depends on what you’re looking for.

That’s probably disappointing to hear. So it goes. This isn’t a cut-and-dry issue.

What’s the problem in the first place, you might ask? Internal combustion engines. You put in gasoline (or diesel), the fuel combusts, pushing ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Karlie Kloss' Bedford Media will resuscitate Life magazine as a print product

Business / Business News /

Print may be dying, but Bedford Media believes it can bring back Life.

The New York-based media holding company owned by fashion model Karlie Kloss and her husband Joshua Kushner announced Thursday it will relaunch the famed magazine as a regular newsstand publication. The title was long one of the anchor publications of Henry Luce's Time Inc. ...Read more

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/TNS

Instacart settles over alleged labor violations for nearly $750K

Business / Business News /

Grocery delivery company Instacart will pay nearly $750,000 to settle allegations it failed to comply with Seattle's law mandating gig workers receive paid sick and safe time.

The settlement came following an investigation by Seattle's Office of Labor Standards.

App-based companies like Instacart, DoorDash, Uber and Lyft were required for the ...Read more

Téa Kvetenadze/New York Daily News/TNS

Landlord incomes climb in NYC, touching off annual battle over rent increases

Business / Business News /

The board that decides on lease adjustments for millions of rent-stabilized New Yorkers held its first public meeting of the year on Thursday in which they set the stage for the fraught annual battle between landlords and tenants over rent hikes.

The nine-person Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) — whose members are appointed by the mayor — met to...Read more

Howard Lipin/The San Diego Union-Tribune/TNS

AMC Theatres shares plummet as theater chain reels from box office struggles

Business / Business News /

AMC Entertainment shares plummeted Thursday after the theater chain indicated in an SEC filing that it might sell up to $250 million worth of its stock.

The Leawood, Kansas-based exhibition giant said it was considering selling the stock to offset its poor box office revenue during the first fiscal quarter of 2024. Hours after the filing came ...Read more

Real estate Q&A: How can I protect myself against wire transfer scams?

Business / Business News /

Q: I am buying a house and have been warned about the various scams, especially those involving wires. I spoke with the closing agent, and they will not accept a check to buy my new home. How can I protect myself when sending a wire? — Nick

A: Whenever large sums of money are involved, scammers seem to come out of the woodwork. Throughout my ...Read more

Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Chicago Water Taxi to return to daily service for the first time since pandemic

Business / Business News /

The Chicago Water Taxi’s bright yellow boats will return to the city’s waterways every day of the week this summer, a vote of confidence in downtown Chicago’s ability to draw office workers and tourists.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the yellow water taxi service, once a harbinger of summer to the city’s downtown commuters, ...Read more

Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun/TNS

Port of Baltimore businesses pivot after Key Bridge collapse: 'We're already making alternative plans'

Business / Business News /

Soon after the container ship Dali struck and toppled the Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday, Paul Brashier was among many in the shipping industry who shifted into overdrive.

From Texas, Brashier turned his attention to the cargo — tires, dog food, home goods, cookware — packed into containers on ships headed to the Port of Baltimore ...Read more

Christian Marquardt/Getty Images Europe/TNS

Tesla's $25,000 car means tossing out the 100-year-old assembly line

Business / Business News /

Tesla Inc. has a plan to fend off cheaper competition from China with a $25,000 electric car. But first it has to overhaul a 100-year-old manufacturing process pioneered by Henry Ford.

The company is moving to what it calls an “unboxed” approach, which is more like building Legos than a traditional production line. Instead of a large, ...Read more

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/TNS

Key gauges of US economy advanced at healthy clip to end 2023

Business / Business News /

The government’s two main measures of U.S. economic activity posted strong advances at the end of last year, pointing to an economy that’s still expanding at a healthy clip.

Gross domestic product rose at an upwardly revised 3.4% annualized pace in the fourth quarter on the back of stronger household demand and business investment, ...Read more

Monica Herndon/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

Amazon bets $150 billion on data centers required for AI boom

Business / Business News /

Amazon.com Inc. plans to spend almost $150 billion in the coming 15 years on data centers, giving the cloud-computing giant the firepower to handle an expected explosion in demand for artificial intelligence applications and other digital services.

The spending spree is a show of force as the company looks to maintain its grip on the cloud ...Read more

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/TNS

Key bauges of US economy advanced at healthy clip to end 2023

Business / Business News /

The government’s two main measures of U.S. economic activity posted strong advances at the end of last year, pointing to an economy that’s still expanding at a healthy clip.

Gross domestic product rose at an upwardly revised 3.4% annualized pace in the fourth quarter on the back of stronger household demand and business investment, ...Read more

How record cocoa prices could affect your wallet and your Easter basket

Business / Business News /

In candy aisles this week, last-minute Easter shoppers are in for another round of sticker shock as cocoa prices skyrocket to historic levels.

The commodity's price has more than doubled since January as lackluster harvests in West Africa contribute to a cocoa bean shortage. Closer to home, companies are upping prices.

Last month, Hershey ...Read more

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images North America/TNS

Morningstar drops investment service at library after landing on Florida's anti-Israel list

Business / Business News /

TALLAHASSEE — Retiree MaryAnn Kaesberg went to her library in Seminole County recently to research stocks and mutual funds like she usually does, only to find the popular Morningstar Sustainalytics research website was blocked.

A librarian told her it was because the state had added Morningstar to a list of companies prohibited from doing ...Read more

Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Higher prices on the menu as fast-food chains brace for California's big minimum wage jump

Business / Business News /

Chipotle, McDonald’s, Starbucks, Jack in the Box and Shake Shack are planning to raise menu prices. Fast-food franchisees are laying off employees or cutting their hours. Smaller independent business owners, meanwhile, worry their workers will bolt unless they also increase wages.

With California’s mandatory minimum wage for fast-food ...Read more