General Business

There was "pettifogging" and Hamilton quotes, so yeah, you could say Wednesday was interesting.

Deaths resulting from overdoses of Heroin, Fentanyl or combination of the two drugs more than doubled in 2019, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on Wednesday.According to preliminary statistics compiled by city authorities, deaths from overdoses of Fentanyl, a synthetic painkiller 100 times more powerful than morphine, alone reached 234 in 2019, up from 90 in 2018. Total deaths resulting from overdoses of Fentanyl, Heroin or the two together hit 290, while in 2018 there were 134 such deaths."We had a feeling through the year that we were seeing more and more deaths, but this is really quite staggering," city chief forensic toxicologist Dr. Luke Rodda told the Chronicle. Rodda added that this was one of the reasons preliminary statistics on the deaths were being released this early into the new year: "We didn’t want to wait six months. That’s good for reports, but not public awareness."The data represents an exponential increase in overdoses since 2009, when 17 people in all were killed by heroin and Fentanyl overdoses."It’s devastating. It’s awful. It’s the most deadly epidemic that we’ve seen in our city since the HIV/AIDS crisis was killing thousands of people," said Supervisor Matt Haney, who represents the Tenderloin district where the opioid crisis has hit the city hardest. "It is painful that this is not something being talked about every day at City Hall."San Francisco, along with Los Angeles, has been struggling with a major homelessness crisis in addition to the opioid epidemic. Close to 30,000 people in the Bay Area are homeless, while 60,000 homeless people reside in Los Angeles County. President Trump highlighted the issue during a September visit to California."We can't let Los Angeles, San Francisco, and numerous other cities destroy themselves," Trump commented to reporters.Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, has recently proposed a $1 billion plan to alleviate the homelessness crisis.

Pace-O-Matic of Pennsylvania (POM of PA), the entity that markets Pennsylvania Skill games, once again received a decisive win in Commonwealth Court on Wednesday when this court blocked the Bureau of Liquor Control & Enforcement's (BLCE) appeal of its recent loss that the Gaming Act does not apply to skill games.

The Denver Post has fired the wrong person. It should can its incompetent opinion editor, Megan Schrader.The story (told by our Madeleine Kearns here) is this: Jon Caldara of the Denver-based Independence Institute had long written a weekly column for the Denver Post, but was fired over taking an objectionable view on a trans issue — an issue of transparency. In a column arguing for greater openness in public affairs, excoriating the Colorado legislature for avoiding the legally required referendum on a new state tax by repackaging it as a “fee” — and then prohibiting hospitals from listing the fee on patients’ bills. On the same theme, he criticized the state’s educational authorities for imposing a speech code forbidding speech considered “stigmatizing” by the self-appointed tribunes of the various sexual tribes. “In case you hadn’t noticed,” he wrote, “just about everything is stigmatizing to the easily triggered, perpetually offended.” Continuing on his theme of transparency, he also complained that the schools were not doing enough to make parents aware of the contents of their curricula.And so Megan Schrader of the Denver Post gave Jon Caldara the shoe.The alleged newspaper published a note in which it affirmed with po-faced sincerity that it wishes to cover a “variety of subjects and feature a variety of voices, even when some of our readers find them offensive,” which is a transparent and obvious lie, as is the subsequent disclaimer: “We believe it is both possible and desirable to write about sensitive subjects and about people with whom one disagrees using respectful language.” The Caldara column can be read in full here. The language is entirely unobjectionable. Caldara was not fired for using a slur — he was fired for affirming his belief that H. sap. is an animal that comes in two sexes.I know how he feels: After one of the familiar hysterias by the ridiculous ninnies who make their living and fill their empty hours in this way, the editors of the Chicago Sun-Times announced that they were severing their relationship with me — a relationship that I had not been aware of, as it turns out, because I’ve never had any kind of professional association with that newspaper, which simply reprinted work of mine from National Review on its own initiative. That was vexing: Normally, a respectable publication has to put up a few hundred thousand dollars for the privilege of firing me.I am not much of a believer in firing people for having unpopular views, even naughty ones. And I do not think that the Denver Post’s Megan Schrader should be fired for taking the wrong view here. She should be fired because she is incompetent, i.e., unable to do the thing that a newspaper editor is supposed to do. If the opinion pages of the Denver Post cannot be used to present and discuss the views of people in Denver, then what, exactly, is the point of those pages? She doesn’t belong in a newspaper job for the same reason she doesn’t belong in the National Football League: She can’t do the job.Lee Ann Colacioppo, the Denver Post’s editor, and Heath Freeman, the hedge-fund dork who ultimately is the money here, ought to be embarrassed of hiring such incompetents in the first place. But that is par for the course among American newspaper managements in the 21st century: Wall-to-wall cretins, cretins stacked high, cretins all the way down. (Freeman, I should note in the interest of full disclosure, acquired the wreckage of Journal Register, where I once worked and knew to be the largely collection of witless, gormless, gutless, clueless excuses for newspaper publishers in North America.) A newspaper that as a matter of editorial policy refuses to carry out the ordinary functions of a newspaper is not likely to be much of an asset in the long run.The culture of inconsolable childish hysteria that characterizes much social-media discourse and practically the whole of the transgender-rights movement is not new, although outlets such as Twitter have made it easier to communicate.Narrowminded stupidity and intolerance are human norms, not human outliers: See, for example, the current campaign to bully liberal defense lawyer Alan Dershowitz over his decision to take a case with a high-profile client: Donald Trump, in this case. “Why did Alan Dershowitz Say Yes to Trump?” demands the New York Times headline. Presumably for the same reason he said “Yes” to Claus von Bülow and O. J. Simpson: Because he’s good at his job, likes doing it, and is not in any obvious way averse to the money and attention and other rewards that go along with that. A presidential impeachment is a pretty interesting case to be on the defending end of, I would think. Why would he say anything other than “Yes”? Why would any comparable talent (his critics by and large and not comparable talents) decline such a case? He’s a defense attorney: Cooties are an occupational hazard.And that, of course, sheds some light on the fiasco at the Denver Post. The newspaper already has been gutted, and it is edited by third-rate journalists because the first-rate and second-rate have better offers. (Irrespective of Jon Caldara’s particular merits, as a former newspaper editor, I can tell you that filling your pages with the work of think-tankers and political hacks, who work for cheap or for free, is one of the things you do when you don’t have the money to hire top-notch columnists.) Maybe that’s a business plan that makes sense to somebody.But any sensible person (and there are a few of those left in Denver, under its dank cloud of marijuana smoke) would have to ask: What other political positions are mandatory as terms of employment at the Denver Post? What other thoughts are unthinkable? Perhaps Megan Schrader could publish a list for prospects.And if you’re wondering what the point of that might be, you might also ask yourself what, exactly, is the point of the Denver Post, which is at this moment far from obvious.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom is urging a federal judge to reject Pacific Gas and Electric's blueprint for getting out of bankruptcy and renewing his threat to lead a bid to turn the beleaguered utility into a government-run operation.

In a court filing Wednesday, Newsom's lawyers gave a sternly worded rebuke of PG&E's plan, escalating the intrigue in a year-old bankruptcy case that will determine the fate of the nation's largest utility. PG&E is trying to dig out of a financial hole created by more than $50 billion in claims stemming from a series of catastrophic wildfires that have been blamed on the San Francisco company.

Although he doesn't have the power to block PG&E's preferred route out of bankruptcy, the Democratic governor has tremendous leverage because the company's plan hinges on its ability to draw upon a special insurance fund California created last summer to help insulate utilities from potential wildfire losses in the future.

PG&E did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Newsom fired his latest salvo on the eve of a scheduled hearing before U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Dennis Montali that will cover a wide range of unresolved issues in the complex case.

Today at the World Economic Forum in Davos, IBM (NYSE: IBM) launched the IBM Policy Lab - a new global forum aimed at advancing bold, actionable policy recommendations for technology's toughest challenges - at an event hosted by IBM Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Ginni Rometty that explored the intersection of regulation and trust in emerging technology.

How far off is Yuzhou Properties Company Limited (HKG:1628) from its intrinsic value? Using the most recent financial...

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Memphis Meats, a developer of technologies to manufacture meat, seafood and poultry from animal cells, has raised $161 million in financing from investors including Softbank Group, Norwest and Temasek, the investment fund backed by the government of Singapore. The investment brings the company's total financing to $180 million. Previous investors include individual and institutional investors like Richard Branson, Bill Gates, Threshold Ventures, Cargill, Tyson Foods, Finistere, Future Ventures, Kimbal Musk, Fifty Years and CPT Capital.

Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life, called President Donald Trump and his administration “consistent champions” of the movement.

Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders continue to trade shots over Social Security.On Tuesday night, Sanders tweeted out an ad featuring an audio clip from a 1995 Biden Senate speech in which the future vice president touts his efforts to balance the federal budget: “When I argued that we should freeze federal spending, I meant Social Security as well. I meant Medicare and Medicaid. I meant veterans benefits. I meant every single solitary thing in the government. And I not only tried it once, I tried it twice, I tried it a third time, and I tried it a fourth time.”The Sanders spot then cuts to the Vermont senator promising at a campaign rally to expand Social Security benefits.“Let's be honest, Joe. One of us fought for decades to cut Social Security, and one of us didn't. But don't take it from me. Take it from you," Sanders said in his tweet.Biden on Wednesday was asked on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” whether he would cut Social Security benefits if he becomes president.“No, no, no, no,” he said. “And we weren’t talking about cutting them either then.”He went on to accuse the Sanders camp of taking his past statements about Social Security out of context. "My support for Social Security has been solid my entire career," Biden said. "I did join with a lot of other Democrats to make sure we ‘fix Social Security,’ made it solvent during the Reagan years." In an ad released Tuesday night, Biden’s team had accused Sanders of unleashing false negative attacks — in particular, a Sanders campaign charge that alleged Biden had supported Paul Ryan’s proposed cuts to Social Security. "As Democrats, we can't launch dishonest attacks against fellow Democrats," the ad said. "Bernie's campaign is not telling the truth."Biden’s ad points out that the former vice president fought attempts to privatize Social Security and proposes to expand the program and increase benefits if he wins the White House. “I've been fighting to protect — and expand — Social Security for my whole career,” Biden said in a tweet. “Any suggestion otherwise is just flat-out wrong.”In response, Sanders’ campaign manager, Faiz Shakir, said in a statement: “Joe Biden just released the first negative ad of the 2020 Democratic primary, and let’s be clear about why: he’s trying to distort his decades-long record of proposing and voting for cuts to Social Security benefits for millions of people. Joe Biden is no defender of Social Security, and a negative ad won’t help him outrun his record.” Why it matters: “The disagreement touches on one of the core questions of the Democratic primary: whether voters support a candidate like Sanders who wants a vast expansion of the social safety net, or a candidate like Biden who warns about moving too quickly to boost benefits and about ballooning budget deficits,” CNBC’s Jacob Pramuk writes.It's worth noting, though, that on the issue of Social Security, Biden isn’t proudly defending his record or his past willingness to consider cuts as part of efforts to forge difficult compromises for the sake of what he in the past likely would have called fiscal responsibility.“For the vast majority of his career, Biden has been a deficit hawk who’s willing to sacrifice Social Security and Medicare benefits for the sake of achieving smaller budget gaps.,” Vox’s Matthew Yglesias writes. “He’s even bragged about it to establish a rhetorical contrast with Republican fiscal irresponsibility. And unlike some Biden-related controversies, this isn’t ancient history. It’s a position Biden maintained as Barack Obama’s vice president — and that Sanders and Warren fought against.”Biden may be running, in large part, on a (questionable) promise of being able to restore some sense of bipartisanship to a country that’s as polarized as it’s ever been in recent history. But he has responded to the attacks from Sanders by insisting he’d protect and expand Social Security — not by saying that he’d be the best person to tackle a looming Social Security crisis by hammering out another bipartisan grand bargain.That’s an indication of how far the debates over Social Security and the federal budget deficit have shifted, even as the Social Security trust funds are projected to be depleted by 2035 and the deficit is rising above $1 trillion — and it’s a sign that Biden’s previous positions now represent a political vulnerability. As Slate’s Jordan Weissmann writes, “Biden’s past willingness to put popular entitlements on the table could be a serious political liability in a race against Donald Trump, who has repeatedly promised not to cut Social Security benefits for the elderly.”On the other hand, Trump has expressed an openness to making entitlement cuts in his second term, which could change the poilitical calculus.Like what you're reading? Sign up for our free newsletter.

In order to justify the effort of selecting individual stocks, it's worth striving to beat the returns from a market...

Lucky's Market is closing the majority of its stores in nine states, including 20 in Florida, three in Colorado and additional locations.

"Have you ever thought of just calling their bluff?" a voter asked Biden in Iowa. "... that might just take the gas right out of them."

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(Bloomberg) -- Google engineers said a tool Apple Inc. developed to help users avoid web tracking is fundamentally flawed and creates more problems than it solves.The Intelligent Tracking Prevention feature on Apple’s Safari web browser, which is meant to block tracking software used by digital advertisers, can be abused to do the exact opposite, according to a paper released Wednesday by Google researchers. Google told Apple about the problem in August, and in December the iPhone maker published a blog post saying it had fixed the issues and thanking Google for its help.But Wednesday’s paper concluded that the problems go beyond the issues that Apple addressed. Instead of making a big list of cookies to block, Apple’s ITP continuously learns what websites users visit and which kinds of cookies try to hitch a ride. Over time, this creates unique cookie-blocking algorithms for each web surfer that can be used to identify and track them, according to the paper.“I can assure you that they still haven’t fixed these issues,” Justin Schuh, engineering director for Google’s Chrome browser, said on Twitter. Apple’s December blog post “didn’t disclose the vulnerabilities or appropriately credit the researchers,” he added. Apple said the bugs mentioned in the report were patched in December, but declined to comment further.This isn’t the first time the two tech giants have clashed over privacy. Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook has criticized internet companies for collecting too much personal information, and last year Google researchers reported a two-year long vulnerability in the iPhone maker’s software. Google’s Chrome and Apple’s Safari are two of the most popular web browsers, with Chrome used by more people overall but Safari dominating on iPhones. Apple has been touting Safari privacy features to persuade more consumers to use it. Apple first introduced Intelligent Tracking Prevention in 2017. The tool targets cookies, bits of code that let marketers follow people around the web and send them targeted ads.Google refused to block cookies for years, arguing that targeted ads help publishers and keep the internet free. But last week, the internet giant said it would eventually phase them out, setting off a race among advertisers to adapt. Privacy advocates have lauded Apple’s approach to tracking, and criticized Google for taking so long to do the same. But the paper suggests Apple may have to go back to the drawing board to find a new way to block tracking.“This bug is quite counter-intuitive, but rather very serious,” said Lukasz Olejnik, an independent cybersecurity researcher.To contact the reporter on this story: Gerrit De Vynck in New York at gdevynck@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Alistair Barr at abarr18@bloomberg.net, Jillian WardFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

SEATTLE (AP) — An election for a volunteer board in the Seattle area is so obscure that voter turnout is typically less than 1%. Officials are giving online voting a trial run this year to try to boost turnout and explore how it might work in a bigger election.

It will be the first election in the country in which every registered voter is eligible to vote online, using their phone or a touch-screen device, The Seattle Times reported Wednesday, citing Tusk Philanthropies. The nonprofit is partnering with King County on the pilot project during the race for the King Conservation District Board of Supervisors.

“This election could be a key step in moving toward electronic access and return for voters across the region,” said Julie Wise, county elections director. “My role here is to remove barriers to voting.”

Online voting trials also have been offered in a few other states for absentee and military voters, but many security experts have warned against expanding it, saying it could be vulnerable to hacking.

Wise acknowledged that many people may be leery about voting online.

“There’s a lot of things we do online — banking, health records — that are also of concern for people that are secure,” Wise said. “I’ve vetted this, technology experts in the region have vetted this to ensure that this is a safe, secure voting opportunity.”

Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman said she was not convinced. She said her office, which does not oversee conservation district elections, learned of the plan only this week. She said she is seeking to roll back electronic ballot returns in the state and would closely monitor what happens in the conservation district election.

“Cyber experts I have worked with, including the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Washington National Guard,...

It’s a vessel fit for all seasons and occasions.

Stone Harbor Emerging Markets Total Income Fund ("the Fund"), which is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "EDI", announced the declaration of monthly distributions of $0.1511 per common share, payable on the dates noted below. Based on the Fund's current share price of $12.02 and net asset value per share of $10.34 (as of close on January 21, 2020), the distributions represent an annualized distribution rate of 15.08% and 17.54% respectively.

Stone Harbor Emerging Markets Income Fund ("the Fund"), which is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "EDF", announced the declaration of monthly distributions of $0.17 per common share, payable on the dates noted below. Based on the Fund's current share price of $13.54 and net asset value per share of $9.05 (as of close on January 21, 2020), the distributions represent an annualized distribution rate of 15.07% and 22.54% respectively.

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BOSTON (AP) — The former head of drug company was sentenced Wednesday to two and a half years in federal prison in a bribery and kickbacks scheme that prosecutors say helped fuel the opioid crisis.

Michael Babich, a Scottsdale, Arizona, resident who was CEO of Insys Therapeutics, was sentenced Wednesday in Boston federal court after pleading guilty to conspiracy and fraud and serving as a key witness for prosecutors.

Employees for Arizona-based Insys paid millions of dollars in bribes to doctors nationwide to overprescribe Subsys, a powerful, addictive fentanyl-based painkiller for cancer patients, prosecutors argued.

They said the company paid doctors fees for participating in sham speaking events. It also misled insurers to get payment for the drug, which cost as much as $19,000 a month, prosecutors said.

The case was considered the first to hold an opioid maker and its executives criminally liable for a nationwide drug crisis that has claimed nearly 400,000 lives over two decades.

Prosecutors had sought two years in prison for Babich in recognition for his cooperation. Babich's lawyers had argued for no jail time.

As CEO, Babich had closely communicated with other company executives on the scheme before he was fired in 2015, about a year before he and others were arrested, prosecutors have said. He changed his plea to guilty shortly before his case went to trial.

Sunrise Lee, a former regional sales director at the Arizona company, was also sentenced Wednesday to a year and a day in prison.

Lee, the Bryant City, Michigan resident, was also ordered to serve three years of probation and pay restitution and forfeiture amounts to be determined later.

Prosecutors had sought a six-year prison sentence for Lee, who they say managed nearly a third of the company’s...

The days of passengers bringing their pets on airplanes as emotional-support animals could be ending.

The U.S. Department of Transportation on Wednesday proposed that only specially trained dogs qualify as service animals, which must be allowed in the cabin at no charge.

Airlines could ban emotional-support animals including untrained dogs, cats and more exotic companions such as pigs, pheasants, rabbits and snakes.

Airlines say the number of support animals has grown dramatically in recent years. They lobbied the Transportation Department to crack down on what they consider a scam — passengers who call their pets emotional-support animals to avoid pet fees that generally run more than $100 each way.

“This is a wonderful step in the right direction for people like myself who are dependent on and reliant on legitimate service animals," said Albert Rizzi, founder of My Blind Spot, an advocacy group for people with disabilities. He said some people “want to have the benefits of having a disability without actually losing the use of their limbs or senses just so they can take their pet with them.”

The main trade group for large U.S. airlines praised the proposal. Nicholas Calio, president of Airlines for America, said, “The proposed rule will go a long way in ensuring a safer and healthier experience for everyone.”

Flight attendants had pushed to rein in support animals, and they too were pleased.

"The days of Noah’s Ark in the air are hopefully coming to an end,” said Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants. She said some of her union's members were hurt by untrained pets.

Veterans groups also sided with the airlines, arguing that a boom in untrained dogs and other animals threatens their ability to fly with properly trained...

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The cellphone of Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos was hacked in what appeared to be an attempt by Saudi Arabia's crown prince to "influence, if not silence" the newspaper's reporting on the kingdom, two U.N. human rights experts said Wednesday.

The U.N. experts called for an “immediate investigation” by the United States into a report commissioned by Bezos that showed the billionaire technology mogul's phone was likely hacked after he received an MP4 video file sent from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's WhatsApp account after the two men exchanged phone numbers during a dinner in Los Angeles in 2018.

The video file was sent to Bezos' phone five months before Saudi critic and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was killed by Saudi government agents inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey in October. At the time, the crown prince was being widely hailed for ushering in major social reforms to the kingdom, but Khashoggi was writing columns in the Post that highlighted the darker side of Prince Mohammed's simultaneous clampdown on dissent.

The Post was harshly critical of the Saudi government after Khashoggi's killing and demanded accountability in a highly public campaign that ran in the paper for weeks after his death.

“The information we have received suggests the possible involvement of the Crown Prince in surveillance of Mr. Bezos, in an effort to influence, if not silence, The Washington Post’s reporting on Saudi Arabia,” the independent U.N. experts said.

At a time when Saudi Arabia was “supposedly investigating the killing of Mr. Khashoggi, and prosecuting those it deemed responsible, it was clandestinely waging a massive online campaign against Mr. Bezos and Amazon targeting him principally as the owner of The Washington Post,” the...

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that moved heavily or traded substantially on Wednesday:

Netflix Inc., down $12.11 at $326.

The streaming video company gave investors a weak forecast for subscriber growth.

IBM (IBM), up $4.72 at $143.89.

The technology and consulting company's fourth-quarter profit and revenue beat Wall Street forecasts.

Eaton Corp., up $2.64 at $97.16.

The power management company is selling its hydraulics business to Danfoss A/S for $3.3 billion in cash.

Intel Corp., up $2.18 at $62.73.

The chipmaker said Andy Bryant stepped down as chairman and will be succeeded by Omar Ishrak.

Capital One Financial Corp., up $4.57 at $106.76.

The credit card issuer and bank reported surprisingly good fourth-quarter earnings.

Express Inc., up 86 cents at $5.01.

The retailer announced plans to cut costs and close 100 stores over the next two years.

Navient Corp., up $1.32 at $15.18.

The student loan company's fourth-quarter profit and revenue beat Wall Street forecasts.

Baker Hughes Co., down 5 cents at $22.68.

The oilfield services company reported disappointing fourth-quarter earnings as lower demand hurt the industry.

Major U.S. stock indexes closed essentially flat Wednesday after an early rebound rally faded in the final minutes of trading.

The topsy-turvy day came as health authorities around the world take steps to monitor and contain a deadly virus outbreak in China to keep it from spreading globally.

Gains in technology, financial and health care stocks were offset by losses in industrial, energy, real estate and other sectors. Bond yields rose.

On Wednesday:

The S&P 500 index rose 0.96 points, or less than 0.1%, to 3,321.75.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 9.77 points, or less than 0.1%, to 29,186.27.

The Nasdaq composite gained 12.96 points, or 0.1%, to 9,383.77.

The Russell 2000 index of smaller company stocks fell 1.44 points, or 0.1%, to 1,684.46.

For the week:

The S&P 500 is down 7.87 points, or 0.2%.

The Dow is down 161.83 points, or 0.6%.

The Nasdaq is down 5.18 points, or 0.1%.

The Russell 2000 is down 15.17 points, or 0.9%.

For the year:

The S&P 500 is up 90.97 points, or 2.8%.

The Dow is up 647.83 points, or 2.3%.

The Nasdaq is up 411.16 points, or 4.6%.

The Russell 2000 is up 15.99 points, or 1%.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla (AP) — Consumers who bought short-term health insurance thinking they had found a better deal than “Obamacare” during the open enrollment season may be in for a shock when they show up at their doctor’s office this year.

The low-cost plans aren't required to cover basics such as prescription drugs or maternity care.

The Trump administration rolled back restrictions on short-term plans in 2018. But critics quickly labeled them junk insurance, warning they come with gaps and don’t have to cover pre-existing medical conditions.

Trump said the plans will offer “great health care at a much lower price," at a White House event in 2018 when the changes were announced, describing them as “somewhat different, result the same."

With premiums about a third of the cost of comprehensive coverage, short term plans are significantly cheaper but don't meet requirements under the Affordable Care Act. And while they cover major catastrophes such as a car accident, they don't have to cover the law's “essential” benefits — including mental health and substance abuse treatment and they won't cover pre-existing conditions.

The latest enrollment season, which ended last month, saw a big promotional push for short-term plans. It marked the second year the plans were sold under loosened restrictions, and some insurance agents say they fielded calls from confused consumers fooled by low monthly premiums but who missed the fine print about limited benefits. Coverage on most plans was taking effect in January.

Insurance experts also complained about aggressive and misleading marketing tactics by some third-party sellers targeting Hispanics and low-income consumers.

Nonetheless, short-term plans represent a fraction of the overall market.

Short-term plans...

Major U.S. stock indexes ended little changed Wednesday after an early rebound rally faded in the final minutes of trading.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq composite eked out tiny gains, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished slightly lower. Gains in technology, financial and health care stocks outweighed losses in industrial, energy, real estate and other sectors.

Investors had their eye on an international effort by health authorities to monitor and contain a deadly virus outbreak in China that has spread to the U.S. and three other countries.

China and other nations ramped up screenings for fever on aircraft and at airports. The measures appeared to provide some reassurance to Wall Street a day after financial markets sold off over fears that the outbreak in the world's second-largest economy could spread, hurting tourism and ultimately economic growth and corporate profits.

“The coronavirus fear that permeated stocks yesterday has subsided some, and you see some of those stocks that were affected negatively yesterday rebounding,” said Keith Buchanan, portfolio manager at Globalt Investments.

The S&P 500 index rose 0.96 points, or less than 0.1%, to 3,321.75. The index had been up by as much as 0.5% earlier in the day.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average reversed an early gain and fell 9.77 points, or less than 0.1%, to 29,186.27.

The Nasdaq composite gained 12.96 points, or 0.1%, to 9,383.77. The Russell 2000 index of smaller company stocks slipped 1.44 points, or 0.1%, to 1,684.46.

Bond prices fell. The 10-year Treasury yield rose to 1.77% from 1.76% late Tuesday.

The coronavirus has been confirmed in five countries, including China, the U.S., Thailand, Japan and South Korea. As of Wednesday, more than 500 people were confirmed infected with the virus...

PARIS (AP) — John Galliano put on a tongue-in-cheek show for Maison Margiela on the final day of Paris Fashion Week, as Jean Paul Gaultier bid adieu to the Paris couture runway with a fashion show and surprise guest singer Boy George at the Chatelet Theater.

Gaultier on Wednesday retired from runway couture collections — the designer’s only remaining runway show outlet since ending his ready-to-wear collections in 2014. Hanging up his couture pin cushion — and with it effectively his catwalk career — is a big moment for the industry, but also a logical step for the onetime enfant terrible of French fashion, who had acknowledged his disillusionment with the frenetic pace of the modern fashion industry.

Here are some highlights of Wednesday's spring-summer 2020 haute couture displays.

BRUNI BIDS GAULTIER’S GOODBYE BUT NOT ADIEU

Former French First Lady and ex-supermodel Carla Bruni joined hundreds of veteran Gaultier aficionados, who pushed and shoved in the iconic Chatelet Theater, for the final-curtain-call couture collection of Paris’ inimitable fashion artiste.

“Life is always the end of an era,” Bruni told Associated Press, striking an upbeat tone. “Jean Paul can never really stop.”

In a tweet, the 67-year-old Gaultier said that the Wednesday night couture show “celebrating 50 years of my career will also be my last.” He added: “But rest assured, haute couture will continue with a new concept,” without elaborating how.

For the relatively small Paris couture industry, having last year lost a towering figure in Karl Lagerfeld, the decision for Gaultier to quit, one more lost voice, has marked it deeply.

The difference is: “Jean Paul is alive. He’s well and alive,” Bruni said, smiling.

THE FINAL GAULTIER SHOW

Dealing head-on with...

Boeing's new CEO said Wednesday that production of the 737 Max will resume this spring, months before the company expects federal regulators to certify the grounded plane to fly again.

David Calhoun also said he believes passengers will fly on the Max when federal regulators say it is safe and they see airline pilots getting on the plane.

Calhoun dismissed the idea that Boeing's best-selling jet might never fly again or that the company should change the plane's name.

“I'm all in on it, the company is all in on it, and I believe the FAA is all in on it,” he said, referring to the Federal Aviation Administration, which is reviewing changes that Boeing is making to the Max after two crashes that killed 346 people.

An FAA spokesman said in a statement that the agency is being thorough and deliberate as it checks Boeing's proposed changes to the Max, and the agency has no timetable for finishing that review.

Calhoun, who replaced fired CEO Dennis Muilenburg this month, spoke to reporters on a conference call after meeting with Boeing employees in Seattle.

Calhoun defended the company's culture and denied that it had placed profit above safety. He did not defend internal Boeing communications in which employees involved in developing the Max ridiculed the plane and regulators and tried to convince airlines not to use flight simulators to train pilots for the Max.

“It is totally appalling,” he said of the messages.

Calhoun's comments came one day after Boeing announced that it doesn't expect the FAA to certify the Max until this summer — Calhoun repeatedly referred to June.

Boeing forecasts about the plane's return have proven too optimistic several times since the plane was grounded last March. The president of United Airlines, Scott Kirby, said Wednesday that...

DETROIT (AP) — The meteoric rise of Tesla shares that recently pushed the company's value over $100 billion could turn into a supercharged payday for CEO Elon Musk.

Stock in Tesla Inc. rose another 4.1% Wednesday, pushing the market value of the electric vehicle and solar panel maker past a critical milestone in Musk's pay package. He could get a stock options package worth over $371 million.

Tesla shares closed at $569.56 on Wednesday, giving the company a market capitalization of $102.7 billion.

Shares have tripled in value since May, meaning Tesla's market capitalization now exceeds the value of Ford and General Motors, combined.

For Musk, hitting $100 billion in market value triggers an option to buy 1.69 million shares of Tesla stock for $350.02 per share. If he sells the shares, he would make just over $371 million.

But for the options to vest, the market capitalization has to average above $100 billion for the next six months, and it has to be above $100 billion for the next 30 business days, according to the compensation packages detailed in company filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Musk could get more stock payouts for every additional $50 billion increase in market capitalization. By meeting ambitious market capitalization and operational milestones, he could earn more than $50 billion over the next decade if that value hits $650 billion.

In the third quarter, Tesla posted a surprising $143 million profit, raising hopes that the company, which also makes battery storage units, could finally be turning the corner to profitability.

But Tesla has posted mostly losses during its first decade as a publicly held company, and it lost $1.1 billion during the first half of last year. The company reports fourth-quarter results on Jan. 29.

..

NEW YORK (AP) — It's no secret, sports fans. Better games produce better ratings.

That was the simple lesson for the NFL this week, after a dip in viewership for its conference championship games, compared to 2019. The Nielsen company said 42.8 million people watched the San Francisco 49ers beat the Green Bay Packers to punch their Super Bowl ticket, and 41.1 million people watched Kansas City beat Tennessee.

Both conference championship games went into overtime last year, and the audiences were 44.2 million and 53.9 million, Nielsen said. By contrast, this year's games were one-sided.

LSU's win over Clemson in the college football national championship game was seen by 25.6 million on ESPN, Nielsen said. That's a little over a million more than last year's game reached.

With the benefit of an NFL game in prime time, Fox led all the broadcast networks in ratings last week, averaging 9.9 million viewers. CBS had 4.9 million viewers in prime time, NBC had 4.2 million, ABC had 3.8 million, Univision had 1.6 million, ION Television had 1.3 million, Telemundo had 890,000 and the CW had 790,000.

ESPN led the cable networks, averaging 4.28 million viewers in prime time. Fox News Channel averaged 2.75 million, MSNBC had 1.86 million, CNN had 1.46 million and TLC had 1.18 million.

ABC's “World News Tonight” led the evening news ratings race, averaging 9.3 million viewers last week. NBC's “Nightly News” had 8.1 million viewers and the “CBS Evening News” had 5.9 million viewers.

The top 20 programs as measured by Nielsen last week, their network and viewership:

1. NFC Championship: Green Bay at San Francisco, Fox, 42.79 million.

2. “NFL Post-Game” (9:44 to 9:49 p.m. Eastern), Fox, 31.29 million.

3. College Football Championship: Clemson vs. LSU, ESPN, 25.58...

NEW YORK (AP) — Express, a staple in U.S. malls, will close about 100 stores as part of a restructuring plan as the chain grapples with drastic changes in where people spend their shopping dollars.

The retailer that caters to younger shoppers said earlier this month that it was laying off 10% of the staff at its Columbus, Ohio, headquarters and its New York City design studio.

Express Inc. said Wednesday that it can cut its costs by $80 million annually, partially through the store closures, nine of which took place in 2019. It plans to close another 31 stores this year, and 35 more by the end of next year.

It was not immediately clear how that would affect the employees at those stores. Staff in Columbus and New York were provided severance pay and ongoing benefits.

Express also said it would relaunch its loyalty program and its private label credit card this fall as part of its effort to reinvigorate the brand.

Express operates about 600 stores. Its sales and profit growth have slid over the past three years.

Clothing retailers, particularly those in malls, have been devastated by changing consumer behavior. More than 9,000 store closures were announced last year, according to Coresight Research, a research and advisory firm.

Shares jumped 20% to close at $5.01 on Wednesday.

Experts at the United Nations said Wednesday that the phone of Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos was likely hacked through a file sent from an account used by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The experts called for an "immediate investigation" by the United States.

A forensic report commissioned by Bezos and shared with the U.N. experts found with “medium to high confidence” that his phone was infiltrated in 2018. The independent U.N. experts allege that the hacking was an “effort to influence, if not silence, The Washington Post’s reporting on Saudi Arabia.”

Below is a timeline of events:

___

Sept. 18, 2017: Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi publishes his first column in The Washington Post: “Saudi Arabia wasn’t always this repressive. Now it’s unbearable.”

___

April 4, 2018: Bezos and the Saudi prince meet at a dinner in Los Angeles and exchange phone numbers, according to the U.N. experts.

___

May 1, 2018: An encrypted video file is sent to Bezos’ iPhone from the Saudi prince's WhatsApp account, according to U.N. experts. Within hours, there is a spike in data exiting Bezos' phone. In the following two months, the phones of three Saudi dissidents and an Amnesty International official working in the country are either targeted or infected by commercial spyware.

___

Oct. 2, 2018: Khashoggi is killed by Saudi agents inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

___

Nov. 8, 2018: According to the U.N. experts' statement, a photograph is texted to Bezos from the Saudi prince’s WhatsApp account resembling a woman Bezos was having an affair with. ___ November 2018 and February 2019: The U.N. experts cites a forensic analysis alleging that the Saudi prince revealed in WhatsApp messages sent to Bezos private and confidential information...

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — The death of a worker who fell into a chemical vat at an Ohio business was an accidental drowning, a coroner ruled Wednesday.

Dana Swisher, 60, of Union, fell into the vat at Techmetals Inc. on Tuesday, Montgomery County Coroner Dr. Kent Harshbarger said.

District Chief Mike Fasnacht of the Dayton Fire Department said it was unclear whether the cause might have been an industrial accident or medical emergency.

Swisher had worked for the company for several years, Fasnacht said.

The tank contained liquid chromic acid, Dayton fire officials said. Techmetals works with chemicals that are used for metal plating and coating for different industries.

Dayton police were investigating, along with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

A man answering the phone at Techmetals on Tuesday said the company had no comment other than to say “all of the appropriate” people had been contacted.

NEW YORK (AP) — The head of Hallmark's media business is leaving the company after 11 years, just a month after its flagship Hallmark Channel faced an outcry over a decision to pull an ad with a lesbian couple kissing.

No reason was given for Bill Abbott's departure, and no replacement was immediately named.

In a statement, Mike Perry, president and CEO of Hallmark Cards Inc., said that with immense competition from TV networks and streaming services, it is important for the company to find “relevant new ways to grow our business.”

Abbott was CEO of Crown Media Family Networks, a company controlled by Hallmark Cards. Crown Media's flagship cable channel is The Hallmark Channel, known for family-friendly programming, particularly made-for-TV Christmas-themed movies.

In December, the Hallmark Channel's decision to pull an ad featuring the same-sex couple led to an outcry online. The company later reversed the decision.

Crown Media also operates the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, Hallmark Drama networks, subscription streaming service Hallmark Movies Now and e-book publishing division Hallmark Publishing.

ROMULUS, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan woman who says she was groped by a male passenger on a Spirit Airlines flight says airline staff asked her to move to another seat after she reported the assault, rather than moving the man.

Tia Jackson, 22, said she was on a flight from Atlanta to Detroit on Tuesday morning when she was groped as she was sleeping. The Westland woman told CNN she was sitting in a middle seat with a friend seated by the window when a man seated in the aisle seat assaulted her just before landing.

Jackson said she jumped up when she felt the man's hand inside the back of her pants, and she told him to stop. She said she immediately pushed the call button and alerted airline staff, but a flight attendant asked her to move.

"I said, ‘You have to get him away from me,'" Jackson told WJBK-TV. "They said, 'If it was such a problem or it was bothering you so much, why didn't you move?'"

Spirit Airlines said it takes Jackson's allegation seriously and explained that the staff's rationale in asking her to move was to isolate the man, who would have then not been seated next to anyone.

“The cabin crew wanted to move her, as opposed to him, because the move would have left him with an empty seat on one side and an aisle on the other," the airline said in a statement.

Jackson said she refused to move because she didn't want to leave her friend and she felt like she was being punished for what the man had done. She filed a report with the police at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, which is located in the suburb of Romulus, after the flight landed.

“He needs to be held responsible. He is a predator,” Jackson said.

It wasn't immediately clear whether the man was taken into custody after the flight. The FBI is investigating the alleged assault, said Lisa Gass,...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — The Rhode Island public pension fund will stop investing in companies that either operate private for-profit prisons or make assault-style weapons that are sold to civilians, General Treasurer Seth Magaziner announced Wednesday.

“We don't want to be associated with businesses that we think are fundamentally immoral,” Magaziner, a Democrat, said at a news conference attended by representatives of several gun control groups including Moms Demand Action and the Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence.

Several state lawmakers working on stricter guns laws, including Democratic Sens. Cynthia Coyne and Josh Miller, also attended, as did Erica Keuter, an East Greenwich woman who survived the October 2017 shooting at a country music festival in Las Vegas that killed 58 people.

The state public pension system has less than $250,000 invested in two gun companies and two prison companies, he said. That represents 0.003% of the state's $8.7 billion pension fund.

“This move will not have a material impact on our financial performance,” he said.

After the shares of the four companies are sold, the proceeds will be reinvested across the broader market.

He acknowledged that the move, already approved by the State Investment Commission he chairs, is largely symbolic but said symbolic gestures are important.

Rhode Island is the fourth state pension system to drop its investments in private for-profit prisons, and also the fourth state to end its investments in the manufacture of certain firearms for civilian use, Magaziner's office said in a statement.

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — President Donald Trump held court in the snow-capped Alps for two days, showcasing the American economy to world leaders and global elites. But he kept one eye firmly fixed on the impeachment drama back home.

As he hobnobbed with the bold-faced names at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump interrupted his economic cheerleading to unleash scathing attacks on the process unfolding half a world away in Washington. He denounced the U.S. Senate trial, mocked his Democratic rivals and entertained legal strategies that ran contrary to White House plans.

West Wing aides had hoped to keep the president centered on the economy at the forum in this resort town that has become synonymous with a brand of globalism that Trump rejects. For the first day, Trump largely complied, spending most of Tuesday talking up a solid economy that advisers believe is the president’s best argument for reelection in November.

But on Wednesday, just before he was scheduled to head for home, Trump called for an impromptu news conference. At first, he stayed on message and on the economy. Then, less so.

He turned his anger on two major players in the impeachment trial. He called U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., a "sleazebag” and asserted that U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, was a “con job” and a “corrupt politician.”

The news conference soon morphed to an in-person version of the president’s Twitter feed, which features regular broadsides against the process that led to Trump's impeachment for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress as it investigated Trump’s push for Ukraine to probe one of his political rivals, former Vice President Joe Biden.

As many of his top economic advisers silently stood by, Trump declared that he would...

Remote work in the United States has grown 159% in the last 12 years.

Organizing a remote team can be challenging and requires non-traditional methods like telephone meetings and video conferences. If you’re confronted by this, keep reading because here are some tips you can use in your telephone meeting.

Telephone Meeting

Using a telephone or computer to host meetings is becoming the new normal.

If you’re a remote manager, you may feel overwhelmed and miss the days when the entire team gathered in a conference room. Telephone meetings can be just as good as traditional meetings, and here’s how.…

The post Managing a Remote Team? 6 Tips on Hosting an Effective Telephone Meeting appeared first on SMALL BUSINESS CEO.

While we now associate “guerrilla marketing” with the internet, entrepreneurs have long been trying different low-cost ways to bring attention to their businesses without spending the cash. Even before Conrad Jay Levinson popularized the term in 1984 with his seminal book Guerrilla Marketing, business owners and managers have long struggled with making limited marketing budgets go further.

Novel ideas ranging from viral videos and one-off pop culture events to cheap custom wristbands and sidewalk ads drawn with chalk have managed to score big marketing wins without the multimillion-dollar expenses associated with television and other mass marketing techniques.

Here are just a few guerrilla marketing methods that have been successfully tried that can still be a potent tool for your small business.…

The post 7 Tried and Tested Guerrilla Marketing Ideas for Your Small Business appeared first on SMALL BUSINESS CEO.

For small businesses and startups everywhere, sustainability is a hot topic. In fact, as our impact on the planet becomes ever more evident, there’s increasing calls for businesses of all sizes to step up their efforts to reduce waste and push for a more sustainable economic model. Our existing practices of “take, make, and dispose” have been called out, and today its less acceptable than ever before to simply profit with little regard for the resources used and the waste it creates.

But what does this mean for small businesses in reality? And how can we redesign our existing economy to be more sustainable?…

The post Startups and the Circular Economy appeared first on SMALL BUSINESS CEO.

Starting a business can be both an exciting and nerve-racking endeavor. Finding the perfect location, though, can help ease your worries by providing your company with better long term prospects. Based on commentary from various small business owners, economic research, an expansive data collection effort, we’ve compiled six of the best cities to start a small business in.

Many business owners know the old saying: “Location! Location! Location!” But take it from a (once) small business owner, Michael Nemeroff, founder of RushOrderTees, “When we founded RushOrderTees in 2002, we were just serving our city. We didn’t know we would be a nationwide company.…

The post 5 Best Cities for Starting a Business appeared first on SMALL BUSINESS CEO.

So you’ve graduated college and are ready to start your own business. You’ve got a lot of new knowledge about the workforce, the marketplace, and what you want. But with a heaping load of student loans, how can you afford to make it all happen?

With precise planning, managing your student loan debt isn’t as difficult as it sounds. We’ve collected data, tips, and solutions from all across the spectrum to help you determine the first steps into achieving your dream of being a business owner.

Here are a few key steps you should follow:

Know What You Owe

This is an important first step!…

The post How to Start a Business When You Have Student Debt appeared first on SMALL BUSINESS CEO.

Pay-Per-Click or PPC marketing is a preferred form of online advertising for many service-based businesses, and it’s easy to see why. It can bring in instant traffic and a good ROI if implemented properly. But even though it’s not a remote concept for most business owners, PPC mains shrouded in mystery. How exactly can you use it to bring more clients into your service-based business?

A good first step toward understanding the different aspects of PPC is understanding how to use the king of pay-per-click: the almighty Google Ads.

Google Ads is a paid advertising platform and channel that falls under PPC marketing.…

The post How Service-Based Businesses Can Use a PPC Campaign appeared first on SMALL BUSINESS CEO.

Think your business is too small to benefit from SEO? Think again.

If you think SEO is only for large companies, we’re happy to finally put that myth to rest. Absolutely every business, no matter how small, can and should reap the benefits of SEO.

You don’t believe us? Of course you don’t! And we didn’t expect you too—not yet, anyway.

That’s why we wrote you this list of all the wonderful ways SEO can help your small business. Read on and check out these SEO benefits for yourself.

1. Happier Customers

One of the most important requirements for SEO is providing a superior user experience (UX).…

The post 7 Awesome SEO Benefits for Your Small Business appeared first on SMALL BUSINESS CEO.

It is not long ago; I was heading to California for a vacation with my family on the holidays. We decided to take the road because of all the fun that comes with it, all the singing in the car and the excitement of road trips.

Driving in turns, resting, and the motel nights.

We all know the weather during the Christmas holiday can be very chilly and unbearable. All the snowing and the snow blocking the road, we still took the road anyway. On the way, we had a significant breakdown. We stood for a while, hoping the vehicle will come by and save us.…

The post Bryan REO CarGuard Is Changing Auto Protection Plans appeared first on SMALL BUSINESS CEO.

Wave Division Capital to buy company’s Washington operations for $1.4 billion Frontier Communications customers may submit comments to state regulators on the proposed sale of the company. The company announced in May 2019 that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its operations and all associated assets in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana…

The post Public comment sought on proposed Frontier sale appeared first on Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.

Pasco and Richland are beginning the new decade with new mayors, while Kennewick opted to retain its veteran. The three city councils each voted for a new mayor and mayor pro tem at their first meetings in January. The three cities have a council-manager form of government. The councils elect mayors to serve two-year terms…

The post Tri-Cities begin new decade with two new mayors, one incumbent appeared first on Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.

Social media has definitely caused a lot of headaches for parents over the years that it has come to dominate the lives of youth. Probably the chief perpetrator of these headaches has been Snapchat. This is because of the unique approach which the Snapchat app takes; it is the only social media application which automatically deletes the messages which are sent between users. This approach causes so many problems for parents who want to monitor Snapchat.

Other applications make it much easier to track message which are exchanged because it is always possible to go back and view them. However, Snapchat removes this approach as an option.…

The post Learn Your Options for How to Monitor Snapchat appeared first on SMALL BUSINESS CEO.

MOD Pizza confirms it will open its second Tri-City location this summer.  MOD, specializing in made-to-order pizza and salads, will be one of three businesses housed in a new strip mall taking shape in the parking lot of Columbia Center mall, the region’s largest retail center.   Charlotte Wayte, spokeswoman for Seattle-based MOD Pizza, said the chain will lease 2,500-square-feet and…

The post UPDATE: MOD Pizza coming to Kennewick this summer appeared first on Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.

Advanced technology helps architects better communicate with clients By Natasha Nellis The flood of technology over the past 10 years has changed the day-to-day operations of Inland Northwest architecture firms, and up-and-coming technology advances have the potential to change the industry even more, experts say. A growing industry of design and building information modeling software,…

The post Northwest firms explore 3D, virtual reality, drones appeared first on Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.

Steve Lee is probably the only small business owner in the Tri-Cities who isn’t complaining about government regulation.  Well, he’s not complaining about the rules governing his newest venture, Green2Go Wellness, the CBD retail and delivery business he opened in the former Franz Bakery Outlet, 419 W. Columbia Drive, in December.  That’s because Lee and his wife, Jessie, also operate Green2Go Recreational, a legal cannabis retailer with stores in…

The post Kennewick marijuana retailer wants to professionalize the CBD industry appeared first on Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.

Employers might be tempted to take a wait-and-see attitude toward Washington’s new overtime rules that will dramatically increase pay for some salaried workers.  Unlike the new minimum wage rate and paid family leave, which took effect on New Year’s Day, the overtime rules don’t change until July 1. Between now and then is the short…

The post Employers brace for ‘monumental’ changes in 2020 appeared first on Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.

Columbia Industries has added another business to its portfolio of profit-making enterprises to support its mission to serve hundreds of Tri-Citians with disabilities.  The Kennewick nonprofit announced it purchased Harmon Express, a Lewiston, Idaho-based FedEx Ground independent provider. The deal closed on Nov. 10. Terms were not disclosed.  Harmon Express is now rebranded as CI Express Inc. and services delivery routes in Pullman, Moscow,…

The post Columbia Industries buys Idaho delivery business appeared first on Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.

The Tri-City Development Council is expected to name a chief executive officer to succeed its longtime leader Carl Adrian by the end of January.  The TRIDEC search committee interviewed five candidates and narrowed the field to two finalists by early January.  It was expected to make a final decision on Jan. 9, after the deadline for this edition of the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business. The online version of this story…

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By LoAnn Ayers Census 2020 is unlike any of the 23 that came before it. For the first time, in addition to mail or phone, people will be able to respond online from any device. The U.S. Constitution requires this once-a-decade snapshot of how many people live in each community. A high response rate means…

The post Census 2020: 10 questions to influence the next 10 years appeared first on Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.

Lamb Weston Inc., the Northwest potato giant with a substantial Mid-Columbia footprint, reported significant revenue growth in a quarterly report released in early January.  It also suggested it could be on the cusp of announcing a new production facility.   Eagle, Idaho-based Lamb Weston (NYSE: LW) reported net income of $140.4 million on more than $1 billion in revenue in the second quarter of its 2020 fiscal year, which…

The post Lamb Weston raises dividends, suggests an expansion is coming appeared first on Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.

“Starting is easy; persistence is an art.” It’s an old German proverb, but one that fully encapsulates what often occurs with content marketing today. You start out publishing one piece after another — maybe daily, weekly, whatever. Then, the tides slowly turn, and the frequency lessens so much that you’re lucky if you put out content once a month. Come the second year of the endeavor, you find yourself unfortunately having abandoned it altogether.

Content marketing works best when there’s a consistent cadence. If you can produce content on a regular basis, the effort will likely be three times more effective than some random ad.…

The post 4 Steps to Reinvigorating Your Content Marketing in 2020 appeared first on SMALL BUSINESS CEO.