US Treasury calls out beer industry over anti-competitive practices
A U.S. Treasury examination of competition in the nation’s beer industry concluded the market remains dominated by two players — despite an explosion of small-sized brewers in recent decades — and troubled by complaints about restrictive practices in distribution chains.
Cage-free chicken campaign scores surprising success
DES MOINES, Iowa — Without much fuss and even less public attention, the nation’s egg producers are in the midst of a multibillion-dollar shift to cage-free eggs that is dramatically changing the lives of millions of hens in response to new laws and demands from restaurant chains.
Hilo Medical Center offers minimally invasive procedures thanks to surgical robot
Hilo Medical Center recently acquired new high-tech surgery equipment and a specialist who knows how to use it.
Business news at a glance
QNHCH names employee of the quarter
US productivity increases by the most in more than a year
U.S. productivity surged last quarter by the most in more than a year, reflecting a sharp acceleration in economic output, while labor costs growth cooled.
Business news at a glance
Amazon warehouse in Alabama set to begin second union election
CNN exec Zucker’s ouster shows peril of hiding work romance
NEW YORK — For all the potential peril of a workplace romance, the most common source of trouble, experts say, is allowing it to remain a secret.
Pandemic creates openings for would-be entrepreneurs
NEW YORK — The number of Americans looking to start their own business is on the rise, as the coronavirus pandemic creates opportunities for some would-be entrepreneurs.
Toyota heading to moon with cruiser, robotic arms, dreams
TOKYO — Toyota is working with Japan’s space agency on a vehicle to explore the lunar surface, with ambitions to help people live on the moon by 2040 and then go live on Mars, company officials said Jan. 28.
Walmart invests in indoor vertical farming startup Plenty
NEW YORK — Walmart said Tuesday it has taken a stake in agriculture startup Plenty, becoming the first large U.S. retailer to significantly invest in indoor vertical farming as a way to deliver fresher produce to its stores.
US sanctions aimed at Russia could take wide toll
WASHINGTON — The most punishing sanctions that U.S. officials have threatened to impose on Russia could cause severe inflation, a stock market crash and other forms of financial panic that would inflict pain on its people — from billionaires to government officials to middle-class families.
Business news at a glance
Stocks rally, erasing losses from turbulent week
Supply-chain snafus renew interest in reviving US manufacturing. Some analysts aren’t so sure
Michael Araten knows a thing or two about bringing manufacturing back to the United States. Araten and his company, the Rodon Group, got many accolades and a visit from President Barack Obama a few years ago after shifting assembly of its K’nex brand of plastic construction toys from China to Rodon’s plant in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
Despite delays, Medtronic remains bullish on its robot system, Hugo
Medtronic CEO Geoff Martha has a simple message for the skeptics: despite some bumps in the road, the robots are coming.
Sales of existing US homes drop for first time in four months
Depressed housing inventory curbed U.S. sales of previously owned homes at the end of the strongest year since 2006, and a recent spike in mortgage rates risks a further tempering of purchases.
Costco profits surge; shareholders vote for faster cut in carbon emissions
Costco’s shareholders are pushing the retail superstore to address its impact on the climate.
Young Brothers to restore Kahului-Honolulu cargo services
WAILUKU, Maui — Young Brothers will once again accept all its usual cargo items for shipping from Maui to Oahu after a staffing shortage triggered by a COVID-19 outbreak disrupted some operations.
December retail sales slip after a record holiday season
NEW YORK — Americans overlooked shortages, spiking prices and uncertainty over the omicron variant to break spending records during the critical holiday shopping season. But figures released Friday show that after spending robustly early in the holiday season, consumers sharply slowed their purchases from November to December.
Rising costs add to pandemic pain for small businesses
NEW YORK — In just two weeks, the cost of pecans for the pies at Peggy Jean’s Pies in Columbia, Missouri, has surged nearly 40%, perplexing co-owner Rebecca Miller and adding to the cost of doing business. Miller will soon have to bump up the price of her Southern Pecan, Chocolate Bourbon Pecan, and German Chocolate pies by $2 to $24.
