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Apple highlights 2026 sales tax holidays for Macs, iPads, and more in 10 states
Apple published its 2026 sales tax holiday page this week, outlining when customers in 10 U.S. states can buy select...
Chico council OKs downtown, Meriam Park entertainment zones
With heavy emphasis on economic opportunities rather than “party time,” the Chico City Council approved an ordinance establishing entertainment zones in downtown Chico and Meriam Park, where customers could carry approved…
How Clean, Accessible Data Powers Agentic AI Workflows and Better Business Decisions
Over the past few months, conversations with customers, partners, and peers — including at the recent Databricks Data + AI Summit — have surfaced a consistent set of shifts happening across the analytics and data landscape.
Texas Democrats demand answers after two deadly ICE encounters
Two shooting deaths of men in cars by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents — one in Texas, the other in Maine — are bringing new attention to ICE’s tactics and training.
Alpharetta business owners slam road construction project delays
Alpharetta business owners say they are frustrated that a road construction project has been delayed for years, citing damaged driveways, lane closures and other issues that hinder customers from reaching them.
PPG introduces PPG AEROVIEW virtual aircraft painter for business, general aviation
Innovative digital tool enhances aircraft paint color selection, design experience PPG (NYSE: PPG) today announced the launch of the PPG AEROVIEW™ virtual aircraft painter, a digital tool designed to help business and general aviation customers explore and customize aircraft paint colors with precision and ease. This web-based tool provides an interactive platform where users can select from a variety of aircraft models and digitally apply colors from PPG’s comprehensive aerospace color library to visualize custom paint schemes in real time. The PPG AEROVIEW™ virtual aircraft painter is a digital tool designed to help business and general aviation customers explore and customize aircraft paint colors with precision and ease. The PPG Aeroview virtual aircraft painter is designed to increase the visibility and accessibility of PPG’s aerospace coatings, particularly for business and general aviation markets. The tool provides a digital alternative to traditional physical color brochures
Valve is “starting to sunset” replacement Steam Deck batteries, says iFixit, as it turns attention to alternatives
iFixit recently revealed to a customer that it is unlikely to receive more OEM Steam Deck LCD batteries from Valve moving forward.
NVIDIA is giving away a custom Gears of War: E-Day GeForce RTX 5080
NVIDIA is giving away a custom Gears of War: E-Day GeForce RTX 5080. The one-off Founders Edition card will go to a single winner.
Magazine Street businesses thrive during restaurant week despite summer heat
Magazine Street Restaurant Week is helping local eateries draw customers during the slow summer season, with owners and visitors sharing their excitement over the turnout.
Will UK Affordability Checks and Prediction-Market Scrutiny Change Flutter Entertainment's (FLUT) Regulatory Risk Narrative?
In recent days, UK gambling bosses, including Flutter Entertainment via the Betting and Gaming Council, have been weighing legal action against the Gambling Commission’s plan to introduce affordability checks for online customers spending over £1,000 within 24 hours, arguing the rules rely on weak evidence and could push bettors toward less regulated operators. At the same time, investor Michael Burry’s interest in Flutter, partly based on expectations that prediction markets may face...
At War With Iran Again, Trump Finds an Opponent He Cannot Easily Dominate
The president is accustomed to forcing other countries to bend to his will. But he is struggling to come up with a strategy to extract Iranian concessions as the cease-fire he brokered collapses.
Small Business Administration pop-up office opens in Janesville to provide aid after April floods
The federal Small Business Administration officially open a service center in Janesville on Wednesday, launching a set of services for residents and local organizations hit by flooding and storm damage
Lexington Business Owners Plead for Progress as Main Street Closure Drags On
Lexington Businesses Say Extended Main Street Closure Is Driving Away Customers
SonicWall warns of SMA1000 flaws exploited in zero-day attacks, patch now
SonicWall warns that threat actors have been exploiting two SMA1000 vulnerabilities, tracked as CVE-2026-15409 and CVE-2026-15410, in zero-day attacks and urges customers to install the newly released security updates.
IBM shares plunge as AI spending boom disrupts business
Shares in IBM plunged 24 percent on Tuesday after the US tech giant released disappointing preliminary second-quarter results, blaming a shift in spending by customers due to expected higher prices for memory chips and other AI-related infrastructure.A global rush by tech companies to build out artificial intelligence infrastructure has sent demand for servers, memory chips and storage soaring, driving up prices and creating supply shortages across the industry.
Microsoft keeps proving you own NOTHING with them — it blocks another user's entire Xbox game library, including his OneDrive
Gamer Joshua Khane is yet another victim of Microsoft's apathy towards its customers, in yet another example of it banning a user for the crime of ... being hacked?
Many questions remain after an ICE officer's fatal shooting of a Maine driver
Immigrant rights groups are demanding answers and planning more protests Tuesday over an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer's fatal shooting of a Maine driver.
The new trust crisis: What fraud means for media and entertainment
To fight media and entertainment fraud, CTAM's Vicki Lins and AARP's Kathy Stokes recommend making proactive consumer education, empathetic customer support, clear communication and industry collaboration a priority.
IBM forecasts preliminary Q2 revenue below estimates as spending shifts to AI
IBM's preliminary second-quarter revenue forecast came below Wall Street estimate on Tuesday, as customers prioritized spending on AI infrastructure, including servers, storage and memory purchases, sending its shares slumping 17% in premarket trading.
Names in the News: People shaping the future of Lake Area business
Sunderbruch earns Star Award Sowela Technical Community College honored Annamarie Sunderbruch, assistant to the chancellor, with the college’s Customer Service Star Award for the spring 2026 semester during the annual […]
North Wichita restaurant closes after ICE officers patrol parking lot during business hours
The restaurant parking lot is where a bus stops on a route from Durango, Mexico all the way to Omaha, Nebraska and back. The restaurant’s owners said many customers and
Empire Towers shutdown leaves Glen Burnie businesses in limbo
The lack of information has residents, small business owners, their employees' clients and customers feeling unseen, frustrated, confused and worried.
Woodford Believes Sports Entertainment Gaming Global Corporation (Nasdaq:SEGG) 10-K Exposes Unexplained Borrowing, 1,145% Dilution and a Deep Corporate Crisis
SEGG acknowledges the Woodford agreements, security rights and LCIA arbitration, but does not explain how later borrowing, secured financing and share issuance complied with those protections
Opal’s Hallmark in St. Clair Shores is closing after nearly 50 years in business
A longtime small business in St. Clair Shores is preparing to close its doors after nearly five decades, prompting a rush of customers to stop in one last time to shop and share memories.
The Quintessential Trump-era Politician
In 2020, I wrote an article about collaboration and collaborators. The title was History Will Judge the Complicit, and it started with the story of two famous East Germans, Markus Wolf and Wolfgang Leonhard, who both landed in East Berlin just after the end of the war. Although they came from very similar backgrounds, the former stuck with the regime, eventually becoming its spy boss; the latter, horrified by the brutal reality of Soviet-style communism, escaped. By way of juxtaposition, I also wrote about Lyndsey Graham and Mitt Romney. These two men also made very different decisions when confronted by Donald Trump’s assault on the ideals that they had both grown up believing: A glance at their biographies would not have led many to predict what happened next. On paper, Graham would have seemed, in 2016, like the man with deeper ties to the military, to the rule of law, and to an old-fashioned idea of American patriotism and American responsibility in the world. Romney, by contrast, with his shifts between the center and the right, with his multiple careers in business and politics, would have seemed less deeply attached to those same old-fashioned patriotic ideals. Most of us register soldiers as loyal patriots, and management consultants as self-interested. We assume people from small towns in South Carolina are more likely to resist political pressure than people who have lived in many places. Intuitively, we think that loyalty to a particular place implies loyalty to a set of values. But in this case the clichés were wrong. It was Graham who made excuses for Trump’s abuse of power. It was Graham—a JAG Corps lawyer—who downplayed the evidence that the president had attempted to manipulate foreign courts and blackmail a foreign leader into launching a phony investigation into a political rival. It was Graham who abandoned his own stated support for bipartisanship and instead pushed for a hyperpartisan Senate Judiciary Committee investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden’s son. It was Graham who played golf with Trump, who made excuses for him on television, who supported the president even as he slowly destroyed the American alliances—with Europeans, with the Kurds—that Graham had defended all his life. By contrast, it was Romney who, in February, became the only Republican senator to break ranks with his colleagues, voting to impeach the president. “Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office,” he said, is “perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one’s oath of office that I can imagine.” In the wake of Graham’s unexpected death on Saturday, I wrote about him again. He was, in many ways, the quintessential politician of Trump’s Washington, a man who shifted 180 degrees. Graham had been a fervent American patriot, proud reserve officer and military lawyer; he became one of the most important defenders of a president who believes soldiers are “suckers and losers” and shows no respect for law of any kind. As his politics changed, his language grew coarser and his behavior grew worse: He urged Israel to “level the place” in Gaza, and insulted the Danish prime minister in Munich, prompting a colleague, Senator Elissa Slotkin, to issue an apology. Here’s an excerpt from the article, which you can read in The Atlantic (gift link here) Like his close friend John McCain, Graham believed that America should stand at the center of a broad democratic alliance. The few times I met him were in that context, at the Munich Security Conference or at other European-American gatherings, which he once attended with great regularity. He also took seriously the practice of American democracy at home. In a 2014 conversation with The Atlantic, he described himself as a pragmatic politician who eschewed populist slogans. “I know Washington is broken, but what’s broken about it is everybody yelling and nobody trying to fix it,” he said. “I’m trying.” When Donald Trump first appeared in U.S. politics, Graham recognized him immediately for what he was: the spokesman for an alien ideology, one radically different from the idealistic patriotism that Graham had practiced and preached since childhood. Trump privately mocked the military that Graham loved as nothing but “suckers and losers.” He put falsehoods, cynicism, and personal greed at the center of his politics, while expressing disdain for transparency, accountability, and democracy itself. In 2015, Graham described Trump as a “race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot” who should “go to hell.” Also as a “nutjob.” When Trump won, Graham understood, as did so many others, that he would have to make some important choices. For a while, he went silent. In the spring of 2016, I saw him at one of those conferences in Europe. He seemed too depressed to speak. But then, like many other Republicans—and, more important, like many other people who have lived under political occupation or experienced radical regime change—he made the decision to abandon his previous ideals, to bury the patriotism that was once so important to him, and to become, instead, a loud, opportunistic collaborator. As I wrote in 2020, it’s very hard to look in to anyone’s heart and to understand their motivations from the outside. But it does seem that Graham had a deep need to be relevant, to be in the game, to be a player, at any cost. And that, rather than any particular achievement, is what he will be remembered for. Continuing to monitor conflicts of interest, ostentatious emoluments, outright corruption and policy changes that will facilitate outright corruption. (Read my original article, Kleptocracy Inc and check out the SNF Agora Institute chart) June 27 Trump diverted funds from more than 900 projects nationwide—including safety upgrades at national parks—to finance beautification projects around Washington, including $700,000 used to fix a White House walkway. June 28 After a years-long Department of Justice investigation into Abbott Laboratories over its management of a baby formula facility where potentially deadly bacteria turned up enough evidence to criminally charge the firm, top department officials instead opted for a financial penalty—illustrating the department’s move away from strict corporate enforcement under the Trump administration. June 29 Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stacked the Defense Policy Board—which is charged with providing independent national security recommendations to the Office of the Secretary of Defense—with Trump allies, including tech billionaire Marc Andreessen, who has invested in defense contractors like OpenAI and SpaceX, after purging the panel last year. Trump purchased between $1 million and $5 million worth of stock in Axon—which makes about 90% of US tasers—two weeks before ICE solicited bids for a $220 million taser contract. The White House unveiled limited-edition US passports for America’s 250th birthday, featuring a portrait of Trump overlaid on the Declaration of Independence. June 30 Trump made around $1.2 billion from his various crypto companies last year, including more than $500 million from World Liberty Financial and $600 million from sales of his meme coin. Trump is considering issuing 250 pardons to commemorate America’s 250th birthday. These are expected to be largely doled out through the Office of the Pardon Attorney’s informal network of intermediaries. White-collar defense attorneys say they can typically win pardons for clients for $2 million. Last year, Trump administration officials awarded a no-bid contract worth up to $500 million to Clark Construction for the White House ballroom—negotiations in which the president was directly involved. July 1 The Amazon MGM Studios documentary about Melania Trump earned the First Lady more than $10 million. Trump made hundreds of individual stock purchases worth as much as $12.8 million the day before his announcement pausing “Liberation Day” tariffs for 90 days sent the S&P 500 soaring nearly 10%—one of the largest single-day gains ever. Mar-a-Lago and Trump National Doral saw record surges in revenue during Trump’s first year in office, earning $77.5 million and $121.9 million respectively, compared to average annual revenues of $25 million and $75 million during Trump’s first term. Entities across the Persian Gulf paid more than $300 million to Trump’s businesses last year, including $263 million from the sale of half his stake in World Liberty Financial to a firm backed by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a top UAE royal and brother of the country’s president. Kash Patel failed to properly disclose his stock purchase of a Department of Justice contractor, MicroStrategy, worth up to $250,000 last year, despite laws requiring disclosure within 45 days of the trade. July 2 Trump has been directing administration officials to steer more government contracts—so far worth more than $2.4 billion—to Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin aerospace firm, after Amazon gave $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund, donated to the White House ballroom project, and reached a $40 million deal to license a Melania Trump documentary. Alongside the billions he made from cryptocurrency last year, Trump earned millions of dollars from real estate licensing fees, including $21 million from organizations in the UAE and $9.2 million in Saudi Arabia, along with smaller sums from merchandise sales, including $4.7 million from Trump Watches and $35,920 from 45 Guitar, a guitar brand endorsed by the president. House Democrats accused consultants tied to the Trump administration of financial fraud, alleging they gave prospective donors to America250—the bipartisan committee created by Congress to celebrate the nation’s semiquincentennial—the banking and routing numbers for Freedom 250, the White House’s fund for events like the UFC cage fight. Democrats also allege that Freedom 250’s CEO traveled to the World Economic Forum in Davos to solicit donations from foreign government officials and business leaders. The Trump administration’s proposed rollback of gun regulations would lift the prohibition on mailing handguns to individuals, a significant win for GrabAGun—the direct-to-consumer firearm retailer on whose board Donald Trump Jr. sits and in which he holds a 1.1% ownership stake. GrabAGun currently must rely on a middleman to transfer firearms to customers. Trump’s financial disclosure revealed that he made more than 21,000 securities trades during his first year back in office, growing his investment account to at least $858 million across stakes in around 1,600 companies, compared to the 13 total trades Joe Biden made during his entire presidency. July 4 Nearly 1 million people who bought the president’s meme coin—Trump Coin—collectively lost $3.8 billion on the token, while he walked away with $636 million. July 6 Shares of Dell closed up 4.4% after Trump recommended people buy the firm’s computers during a speech announcing the launch of Trump investment accounts for children, boosting the more than $1 million worth of shares the president owns in the company. July 9 Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh named crypto investor and Trump ally Marc Andreessen to a task force aimed at modernizing the Federal Reserve, including rethinking its approach to inflation—a key factor keeping interest rates elevated. Palm Beach International Airport has officially changed its name to Trump International Airport—a move that will require Florida to pay royalties to the president’s family for licensing his name. I was there a few months ago, during a trip to Barcelona. The sculptures were a revelation, I’d never seen so many together before. Each one has its own personality. Enjoy the good weather, if you are lucky enough to have it. History Will Judge the Complicit The Quintessential Politician Autocracy Inc Open Letters, from Anne Applebaum is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe
New paint-on health sensors are as fun as face paint
The colorful and customizable wearables can monitor heart rate, brain activity, and more.
Amazon Business Brings AI Spend Visibility Tools to Spanish Procurement Teams
Amazon Business now offers Prime Business customers in Spain some new artificial intelligence-powered features, according to a Monday (July 13) press
White-Glove FinTech Targets Small Business Cash Flow and Back-Office Pain
Small businesses do not need another financial dashboard. They need someone to notice that cash is running low before payroll is due, that a customer is
Governor Moore Announces Expanded, Redesignated Enterprise Zones in Maryland
Governor Moore Announces Expanded, Redesignated Enterprise Zones in Maryland
Waze adds new AI-powered features and customization updates
Some of the new features are powered by Google's Gemini AI assistant, which reflects the the tech giant's broader push to integrate Gemini across its products while also better positioning Waze to compete with rival services such as Apple Maps.
Mark Madden: Fans keep paying for sports’ biggest bait-and-switch
“The customer is always right.” That’s a business model to adhere to. But sports have chosen one provided by circus impresario P.T. Barnum: “There’s a sucker born every minute.” Sunday’s game between the Pirates and Milwaukee was supposed to be a classic pitching matchup: Paul Skenes vs. Jacob Misiorowski. Misiorowski
'Jurassic Park' actor Sam Neill dies at 78
In this Oct. 11, 2019, file photo, actor Sam Neill attends a press conference at the Sitges Fantastic Film Festival in Sitges, Spain. (Borja B. Hojas/Getty Images, FILE)
Energy efficiency that delivers measurable business results
Lower costs, improve reliability and boost productivity with DTE Energy rebates, financing and customized energy efficiency solutions.
How businesses can improve service animal access and ADA compliance
Learn how businesses can support service dog access, meet ADA requirements and create more inclusive customer experiences.
Value Creators Or Self-Dealers? The Choice Facing Business And Society
Businesses & society must choose: Value Creators like Henry Ford (real innovation for customers) or Self-Dealers like Claude Hopkins. Data favor the Value Creators
10 Essential Apple Watch Features You Have To Enable Yourself
Customizing workouts, changing your Control Center, and setting up a sleep schedule are essential Apple Watch features you should enable and test.
This Philly business started by making dinners for doctors. Now it’s selling thousands of meals a week.
Meal kit companies have struggled to retain customers. Home Appétit is competing in a different league of food delivery.
Winner and Loser of the Week in Florida politics
Taylor Hatch exits DCF, FPL customers get refunds, and Jay Collins has another brutal week.
ServiceTitan (TTAN) Wins TrussPoint Business, Is The Stock Still Below Fair Value?
ServiceTitan (TTAN) is back in focus after TrussPoint Roofing & Exterior Renovations chose its cloud platform as the operational backbone for an expanding portfolio of roofing brands, highlighting the software’s role in multi-brand growth. See our latest analysis for ServiceTitan. ServiceTitan’s recent customer wins, including TrussPoint and the June rollout data for its Max software, come against a mixed backdrop where the share price closed at US$77.69 and is up 35.47% over 90 days, but the...
TD Summit Shares What the Business World Can Teach Student Transporters
Explore valuable business advice for student transporters and learn how to enhance customer focus in your services.
T-Mobile takes the lead on a new breed of networks
T-Mobile wants AI to orchestrate its network to deliver a seamless experience for its customers.
This Week in Texas: $1500 for every Texas Household, ICE accountability, politics in sports
This Week in Texas, we talk about the fatal shooting in Houston involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as Gina Hinojosa's proposal for $1500 for every Texas household.
A niche MacBook idea. Five minutes. One Codex app.
Business Insider's Stephen Council used OpenAI Codex to build a custom Mac clipboard app in minutes—no coding required.
Inside Rolls-Royce's factory, where custom 6-figure cars are made
At Rolls-Royce's factory in Goodwood, England, customers have tens of thousands of customizations to choose from. For some, it's not enough.
IS YOUR BUSINESS SIGNAGE ADA COMPLIANT? A PLAIN-LANGUAGE GUIDE FROM FASTSIGNS
Many business owners assume their signage is compliant simply because it looks professional. In reality, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) sets specific, measurable standards for text height, contrast, braille placement and mounting location, and that's why FASTSIGNS®, a global leader in custom sign and visual graphics solutions, has published a plain-language guide so business owners can quickly check whether their existing signage meets these requirements.
Troost Avenue businesses miss out on World Cup bump
But owners didn't expect a surge of customers anyway.
MORNING BUSINESS REPORT: Grocery prices stress, Costco app
Families say grocery prices cause them the most financial stress and Costco allows customers to pay through its app. Here's the Morning Business Report for July 10.
Rancho Cordova BBQ restaurant customers keep stealing , business says
How Beauty Brands Can Build Intuitive Customer Journeys
At The Business of Beauty Global Forum 2026, BoF’s Annabel Bolton sat down with Klaviyo’s vice president of product marketing Kelly Thacker to unpack the ever-evolving customer path to purchase, and how brands can future-proof their strategies for both discoverability and, ultimately, loyalty.
Some Kansas City small businesses are ready for life after the World Cup
Some Kansas City businesses say World Cup crowds never translated into sales. Now they're hoping regular customers return after Saturday's final match in Kansas City.
Microsoft warns customers AI will mean busier Patch Tuesdays
More patches mean more reasons to buy Redmond’s auto-patching tools
BlueTrace continuing to expand seafood business platform, targeting international customers
BlueTrace has evolved from an app for shellfish tags to a full-scale system to help mid-sized seafood companies track inventory and margins
The Brutal Truth About Customer Loyalty That Most Business Owners Realize Too Late
Here's how to prevent customer loyalty from disappearing overnight.
AT&T Ranked #1 in Customer Satisfaction for Small Business Internet Service by JD Power
Following recognition as #1 in Customer Satisfaction for Small Business Wireless Service in 2025, AT&T was rated highest among internet providers for small...
Business Brief: Community Bank names Gregory business development officer
Community Bank has welcomed Bart Gregory as business development officer, a role in which he will focus on connecting customers with financial solutions and reinforcing the bank’s commitment to local communities.
CT restaurant team launches statewide catering business. Food called ‘absolutely incredible.’
One customer said her guest raved about the food and went on to say the the cannoli bar was ‘the perfect final touch—truly the crown jewel of the night.’
Porsche delivers 122,306 sports cars in the first half of the year
Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG delivered a total of 122,306 vehicles to customers in the first half of 2026 (previous year: 146,391), representing a decline of 16 per cent.
Business owners say prolonged Decatur Street construction has cost them millions
Several French Quarter business owners have filed a lawsuit against the Sewerage and Water Board, saying nine months of construction along Decatur Street has driven away customers and pushed their businesses toward closure.
Oregon data centers face sharp electricity rate hike under new law
Oregon's PUC approved a 29% rate hike on data centers under the POWER Act, while residential customers will see bills drop by an average of 1.3%.
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: Meet Marblehead Custom Jewelry
The following is an interview with Steven Manchini, co-owner and jeweler of Marblehead Custom Jewelry. Marblehead Custom Jewelry is a local studio located at 66 Washington St. Specializing in custom jewelry design, in-house gemstone cutting and expert repairs, the team works closely with clients to bring meaningful, personal designs to life. With everything done under one
Small Business Spotlight: Business blooms beyond bouquets
BUSINESS: The Busy Bloom OWNERS: Amanda and Walter Adkins ADDRESS: 708 S. 17th St., Wilmington EMAIL: thebusybloomco@gmail.com WEBSITE: thebusybloomco.com PHONE NUMBER: (910) 742-0790 YEAR FOUNDED: 2024 NO. OF EMPLOYEES: 4 WHAT IS THE BUSY BLOOM? AMANDA ADKINS: “The Busy Bloom is a flower shop with a spin – a creative experience shop located in Wilmington’s Cargo District. Founded in 2024 by husband-and-wife team Amanda and Walter Adkins, we offer fresh flowers, botanical teas, a build-your-own bouquet bar, candle-making experiences, gifts, workshops, wedding florals and event services. Our mission is simple: to make flowers accessible, approachable and enjoyable for everyone – not just for special occasions.” WHY DID YOU START THE BUSINESS? AMANDA ADKINS: “The Busy Bloom was born from a lifelong connection to flowers and a desire to create meaningful experiences for people. After doing my own wedding florals and after years of working in healthcare management, I found myself returning to gardening and floral design as a creative outlet and source of healing. The loss of my mother-in-law, who always shared flowers from her garden, inspired me to pursue floristry full-time. My husband encouraged me and built a small flower cart for us to grow, and fast forward to now, two years later, it has grown into a community-centered business focused on bringing joy, connection and creativity through flowers.” WHAT KIND OF GROWTH ARE YOU HOPING FOR? AMANDA ADKINS: “We’re focused on sustainable growth that allows us to continue serving our community while expanding creative experiences. We hope to grow our wedding and event services, expand our educational workshops and creative programming and become a destination where people can gather, create and connect. We’re also passionate about creating opportunities that showcase floral design as an art form, such as our Fleur Couture fashion show and other community collaborations.” WHAT PAST EXPERIENCE HAVE YOU HAD WITH STARTING/WORKING IN BUSINESS? AMANDA ADKINS: “Before opening The Busy Bloom, I worked as a clinical manager in healthcare and spent years building leadership, operations and customer service skills. I’ve also worked in education and nonprofit programming, teaching people about nature and local ecosystems. Along the way, I designed flowers for weddings and events on the side, gradually turning a passion into a business. Walter has years of welding and construction experience, combined with entrepreneurship and a drive to own his own company. …The Busy Bloom has been a journey of combining creativity with entrepreneurship alongside my husband ... learning every step of the way.”
Soap, Suds and Spectrum Business’ Seamless Connection in the Sunshine State
The combination of technology and Spectrum Business’ partnership keeps Splash Express Car Wash’s business humming along – and its customers coming back.
What to know about Delta’s expanded Basic fare options, available now
Starting today, Delta is offering Basic fares in premium products (Delta First, Delta Premium Select and Delta One — known as Basic Business) alongside Classic and Extra fares in select markets. This expansion of the Basic experience allows customers to access premium products at a lower price point, giving them more choice and the ability to tailor their travel based on what matters most.
‘We deserve more:’ Costco customers refuse plans for Linwood business center
Kansas City residents and those who frequent the Costco on Linwood Boulevard attended a public meeting to hear the companies plans to to convert its warehouse into a Costco Business Center.
Bridgeport business owner sentenced after sexually assaulting female customers in store basement
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (WTNH) — A Bridgeport store owner convicted of sexually assaulting and unlawfully restraining female customers was sentenced to 86 months in prison, suspended after 17 months, on …
Founder/CEO and Clinical President of Digital Health Company Sentenced
The founder and former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ruthia He of Done Global Inc., a California-based digital mental health company, was sentenced today to six years in prison and a $1 million fine for orchestrating a scheme that used her company’s technology platform, compensation structure, and clinical protocols to unlawfully distribute over 37 million pills of Adderall,
Google Voice now offers paid tiers with call recording & Gemini for personal accounts
Historically, Google Voice’s paid offerings were meant for enterprise customers, but Google is now letting you upgrade to a paid calling...
I got ice-cream cake at Baskin-Robbins, Cold Stone, Dairy Queen: Winner
I purchased a custom ice-cream cake from chains Dairy Queen, Baskin-Robbins, and Cold Stone Creamery to find the best place to order from for a party.
Everyone's Talking About Meta's Layoffs. They're Asking the Wrong Question.
The best founders focus less on managing people and more on building systems that consistently deliver customer value.
Cornerstone Business Credit Funds $250K Line of Credit to Concrete Business
Cornerstone Business Credit funded a $250,000 line of credit to a company in the concrete business. With a building backlog of orders, customers paying in the
Microsoft 365 Copilot adoption is under 4.5% after 3 years, only 1% use it weekly, yet prices went up
Fewer than 4.5% of Microsoft 365 customers pay for Copilot after three years, only 1% use it weekly, and Microsoft raised prices regardless.
Everything New in iOS 27 Beta 3
Apple is continuing to refine iOS 27 ahead of its planned September launch, and the third beta includes several new features. Siri is more customizable, there's a fun new wallpaper action, and some useful improvements to Photos and Shortcuts. Siri Voice Beta 3 adds support for Siri voice customization on compatible devices. The customization option existed in prior betas, but it was not active.
Guest column: Louisiana’s broadband strategy is helping businesses compete
Every Louisiana business depends on reliable internet service, whether it is processing payments, managing inventory, communicating with customers or supporting employees. Broadband access now directly affects productivity, customer service, operating costs and the ability to compete in an increasingly digital economy. For years, many Louisiana communities dealt with limited internet options, inconsistent service and high […]
You can now customize Siri's pace and expressivity in the latest iOS 27 beta
The new controls let you control how quickly Siri speaks and expressive its voice is.
Medtronic recalls heart valve delivery system due to safety risk
The same device was previously recalled back in 2022. Customers are urged to return unused delivery systems to Medtronic to avoid any issues.
Sugar Hill hosts Summer Break Bash Movies this week
The City of Sugar Hill is offering families a respite from the scorching heat with a fun movie series this week.
AT&T to Offer Everbridge Critical Event Management Solution
AT&T will offer enterprise and public sector customers Everbridge 360, designed to help organizations communicate faster when it matters most.
You can sort-of play Mario Kart on YouTube as an "interactive video" that could lead to more complex experiments
A rising YouTube channel is making "playable games" for YouTube, and its Mario Kart interactive video is a conceptually fascinating take on the racer.
AI Is Changing How Customers Choose Your Business
As AI increasingly mediates how customers research, evaluate, and choose suppliers, competitive advantage is shifting from direct customer understanding to managing AI-shaped interactions. Drawing on the experiences of three small-to-medium sized businesses they worked with, the authors show how firms can adapt. A manufacturer improved sales efficiency by screening AI-generated inquiries before investing engineering time in quotations. A boutique hotel learned to monitor how AI tools described its business and revised public content to improve accuracy and differentiation. A B2B software company replaced periodic customer reviews with continuous monitoring of customer feedback and AI-generated market perceptions. Across all three cases, the lesson is that firms must treat AI as a new intermediary in the customer relationship. Winning companies will not necessarily spend the most on technology; they will build systems for continuously listening, interpreting signals, and adapting strategy in markets where both customers and the information they rely on are increasingly AI-mediated.
Rogers to Become 100% Owner of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment
Signs agreement to buy Kilmer Sports 25% ownership stake in MLSE New global sports and entertainment powerhouse will deliver more for fans and customers TORONTO, July 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rogers Communications Inc. announced today it has signed an agreement to buy the remaining 25% ownership stake in Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) from Kilmer Sports Inc. for C$4.35 billion, increasing Rogers ownership in MLSE to 100%. “This is a defining moment for Rogers. Our full ownership of
AI in the Aisles: Spectrum Business and Advanced Tech Create Happy Shoppers
For Heritage Grocers Group, speed and data aren’t just technical goals – they’re what keep the shelves stocked, lines moving and customers coming back.
Inside the $85 million private jet that made one of Africa’s richest billionaires the owner of the world’s fastest business jet
Months after entering service, Bombardier’s Global 8000 has arrived in Africa, with one of Nigeria’s most powerful industrialists becoming its first customer on the continent in a move that flexes both aviation ambition and billionaire financial muscle, especially for a buyer who already owns two other Bombardier jets
There's one group of Android users Google's new sideloading rules won't affect
LineageOS says Google's new developer verification system for sideloading apps on Android will not affect devices running its custom ROM.
Luv Handlz celebrates four years in business with community event, unveils new froyo truck
Families stopped by Luv Handlz on Sunday as the Syracuse frozen yogurt shop celebrated four years in business with a customer appreciation event.The celebration
A New Report Just Revealed a Widening Gap in Corporate Leadership. It Points to a Massive Opportunity for Startups
Good business is just doing right by people. Customer focus is both a driver of business success and a reflection of morality in action.
SoFi (SOFI) Launches AI Investing And Small Business Loans In Product Push
SoFi Technologies (NasdaqGS:SOFI) has launched Composer by SoFi, an AI-powered investing platform designed to help members build and automate customized investment strategies. The company has also introduced SoFi Small Business Loans, a digital-first lending product aimed at giving entrepreneurs faster access to capital with no fees. These product rollouts expand SoFi's presence in AI-driven investing tools and small business lending within its broader financial services platform. SoFi...
NH's Business: Increasing energy demand in New Hampshire
Fred Kocher sits down with William Hinkle with Eversource to talk about how increasing demand for energy affects affordability for customers.
Electronic Health Record Ehr Systems Market Forecast Points Higher Toward 2035, Driven by Interoperability Mandates and Cloud Migration
World EHR systems market forecast to 2035: 6-8% CAGR, cloud adoption, interoperability mandates, and value-based care drive growth. Key players and regional insights.
Testament to hard work and what it can build: Family business grows at Hanamā‘ulu Shops
Rey’s Auto Repair founder Rey Juan and his family created a welcoming place, where customers feel how much the family cares and values them, local businesses trust them to keep their vehicles moving and the next generation sees the results of sweat, elbow grease and dedication.
Pyro, Patrón and pork: Metro Detroiters stock up for country's 250th
Some area business owners say they've especially seen a surge in customers this year, ahead of the country's 250th birthday.
Local fireworks stand sees business surge amid firework crackdown in parts of the region
As we get closer to the Fourth of July, officials are sending a message about firework laws across the region. But for local fireworks stands, they're still seeing more customers getting ready to celebrate.
Lakewood power outage: Day two leaves businesses, residents scrambling
A power outage stretching into its second day left roughly 1,200 customers without electricity across Lakewood’s southwest side.
Fireworks stand owner says tariffs have impacted business
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A local fireworks stand saw fewer customers heading into the holiday weekend as tariffs continue to impact business. The owner of Boomerz Fireworks on Marketplace Drive said tariffs have affected their business. The Supreme Court struck down global tariffs in February, but fireworks stands are feeling the impact this year because many […]
Long Reads for the Long Weekend
(Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a newsletter on the entertainment industry and business strategy. I write a weekly Streaming Ratings Report and a bi-weekly strategy column, along with occasional deep dives into other topics, like today’s article. Please subscribe.) Happy Fourth of July weekend! As has been a tradition of mine going back to the beginning of the EntStrategyGuy website, I’m sharing my favorite long reads of the last year, like I did in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2024, and 2025. Let’s dive right in! Subscribe “Different Prices for the Same Ride: How Uber and Lyft Use AI to Get More Money Out of You“ by Derek Kravitz in Consumer Reports I don’t think surveillance pricing, like the kind described in this brilliant Consumer Reports article, is long for the world—it’s toxically unpopular—but we’ll see if either party takes on this issue. If I ran a political party focused on affordability, I would focus on a few pro-consumer and pro-market policies: Banning non-compete agreements. Ending surveillance pricing Eliminating junk fees (read more here...) Ensuring “right to repair” for consumer (and military!) products Capping excessive app store fees Stopping digital/algorithmic price-fixing tools. Preventing automatic subscription price increases. And more. If you want to fight inflation, there are a lot of great ways to do it quickly. Speaking of higher prices... “Secret Documents Show Pepsi and Walmart Colluded to Raise Food Prices Across the Economy“ by Matt Stoller in BIG Again, I think a political party should focus on lowering prices for consumers. And deals like this—Walmart making a deal/forcing Pepsi to offer the lowest prices at its stores and nowhere else—hypothetically lower prices at Walmart...but raise them everywhere else. “15 DUIs, still driving: California’s failure to take repeat drunk drivers off the road“ by Robert Lewis and Lauren Hepler in CalMatters CalMatters does terrific reporting in California, something the Golden State desperately needs more of, and this article is a great example of that. “PugLips: The next insanely popular thing you’ve never heard of…” by Simon Carless in Game Discover Co I thought that this parody article (and yes, it’s a parody, but I was definitely unsure at first) was hilarious and totally nailed how much tech/business journalism feels these days. Actually, three of my favorite articles this year were on hype in the video game industry, including Georg Zoller’s “The Video Game Industries Very Dark Night”—which I linked to recently and wrote a follow-up here—and Owen Mahoney’s “Derek Zoolander, Videogame Exec”. In particular, I like Mahoney’s focus on user experience as a guide to what trends will actually grab hold of customers. “The Matrix Lies“ by Evan Shapiro in Media War & Peace Evan Shapiro’s first person account of his experience with AI was hilarious. I think LLMs capabilities have significantly grown from last summer, and yet...my editor/researcher just had an abysmal experience using an LLM to do a quite basic task (which our LLM normally does each week) and the LLM made a mistake on every single data entry...along with seven different mistakes affecting twelve of the twenty or so entries, including mistakes that are explicitly spelled out in the prompt. That’s a brutal failure rate. Again, if you use AI/LLM for data collection, you need to take a lot of extra steps to verify and check the data. “Ghosts in the Balcony: A Cross-Country Trip to 58 Theaters Fighting to Survive“ by Matthew Frank in The Ankler I thought Matthew Frank’s pitch to head across America to visit theaters sounded insane aggressive at the time—at least it felt that way to someone a decade older than him; man, to be in your twenties again, am I right?—but I knew the result would be great. And it was, a terrific feature by a great young writer. Also, I loved Matthew’s recent article on who’s getting the precious few entry level jobs in Hollywood. (Hint: nepotism.) “Disney erased FiveThirtyEight“ and “Did Las Vegas get too greedy?” by Nate Silver in Silver Bulletin I love media history and analysis, and there’s no one better to get the history of FiveThirtyEight than from Nate Silver, who wrote about his personal experience in one of my favorite pieces from this year. I also loved Nate’s breakdown of what’s causing Vegas’ woes, but I’ll offer one criticism, summarized as “Might I suggest antitrust?” Many centrists/center-right/libertarian thinkers (Nate is self-described as the latter) often don’t consider consolidation or antitrust as factors in policy issues like housing, America’s military readiness, or, in this case, Las Vegas. Even if libertarians want to debunk antitrust/consolidation concerns, I’d love to read that debunking. In this case, Vegas is incredibly consolidated (though it also has been for a long time) and I’d have loved to read Nate at least contending with this factor, since he addresses almost every other potential factor for Vegas’ decline. “Why Microsoft’s Carbon Removal Pullback Is Such a Big Deal“ by Robinson Meyer in Heatmap News I’m a big supporter of carbon removal efforts, but this nascent industry faces a lot of headwinds, including this big move most recently. I think it’s clear that solar panels and batteries should be able to get the world to its carbon footprint goals, but effective carbon renewal remains necessary to prevent the worst impacts of global warming. “AI is killing the cheap smartphone“ by David Oks LLMs and AI will impact the world in ways we’re not ready for, and already, third world countries are seeing the prices of cheap cellphones skyrocket due to the cost of chips skyrocketing. This article by David Oks is a terrific breakdown. “100 Days of Madness: Netflix, Paramount, Warner and the Future of Hollywood“ by Wade Major at Hollywood Heretic Wade Major dove deep into Hollywood/streaming’s financials in this must read piece. Not that I agree with everything in this article (read my take on Warner Bros./Paramount here) but the analysis is top notch. I think many people discount how quality thinking, regardless of the argument/conclusion, will make you a better thinker. “Erased by the UFC: Frank Shamrock, The MMA GOAT of the 20th Century“ by Nate Wilcox in The MMA Draw Newsletter Growing up playing the UFC fighting game on the Dreamcast, Frank Shamrock was my favorite MMA fighter, and this history/tribute to him was great. Other Fun Reads “The Hardest Part Of History To Tell Is How It Felt“ by Craig Fehrman at Defector “Unmasking the Sea Star Killer“ by Craig Welch at bioGraphic “What Could Save the Industry? Fin-Syn“ by Richard Rushfield in The Ankler Alex Rollins Berg in Underexposed on movie bumpers, pillow shots, Disney trash cinema, cult films, and Casablanca. David H. Montgomery in YouGov’s The Surveyor on punctuation marks, condiments, dinosaurs, and comic strips and kids media. “How Medium finally pivoted its way to profitability“ and “Why the best journalists on YouTube are all former Vox employees“ by Simon Owens in Simon Owens’s Media Newsletter “It’s Not Just You, Netflix Shows Have Gotten Slightly Shorter: Here’s What the Data Says“ by Kasey Moore at What’s on Netflix “Numlock Awards: How Diane Warren became the biggest loser in Oscar history“ by Nathaniel Rakich and “Numlock Awards: The Oscar Bait era is over. The Oscar Chum era is here.” by Walt Hickey & Michael Domanico at Numlock Awards
West Hartford Business Owner Released From ICE Custody
Sead (Seyo) Cecunjanin, the West Hartford resident and business owner who was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents last week was released Thursday and returned to West Hartford.
West Hartford business owner released from ICE custody, according to Sen. Blumenthal
A West Hartford business owner was released from United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody after being detained last month, according to Sen. Richard Blumenthal on Friday.
What's happening at the Waunakee Public Library
Circulation desk—608-849-4217 waupl@waupl.org
How the FIFA World Cup is providing a boost for L.A. businesses
The FIFA World Cup has given L.A. businesses a lot of opportunities to find new customers, win contracts and grow their capacity.
Gem Printing has survived wars, recessions and battled e-commerce to make it to 108
A 108-year-old, family-owned business in Metairie has stuck around due to a fervent customer base and a pervasive party culture in New Orleans.